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Isa Soares Tonight
President Trump Lashes Out At NATO Allies, Says The U.S. Does Not Need Their Help; Israel Alleges Of Killing Top Iranian Official Larijani; U.K. And Ukraine Plan A New Defense Pact Focused On Drones And A.I.; Trump Floats The Idea Of "Taking Cuba"; Israel Says Its Killed Iran's Top Security Official; Afghanistan: Pakistan Strike On Kabul Hospital Kills More Than 400; Delta CEO: Airfares To Continue Rising. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired March 17, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, Donald Trump lashes out at NATO allies,
saying he doesn't need them for help with the war on Iran.
This as Israel says it has killed Iran's top security official. We'll bring you all the latest developments from the region. Then, all eyes remain on
the Middle East. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is trying to bolster support against Russia's aggression.
We'll have more on his plea to the U.K. parliament today. Plus, anger in Cuba after the country's power grid collapses. We're live on the ground in
Havana amid threats of a U.S. takeover. We begin this hour with some truly stunning developments in the war with Iran.
President Donald Trump says the U.S. doesn't need or want any help securing the Strait of Hormuz. This, despite his public appeal to a long list of
allies to join the military operation alongside the Irish Prime Minister today at the White House, the President once again slammed NATO.
He told reporters the United States may rethink its membership in the group. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake. And I've long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not
NATO would ever be there for us. So, this is a -- this was a great test because we don't need them, but they should have been there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Meantime, Israel says it has struck another significant blow to Iran's hierarchy, killing the country's top security official Ali Larijani.
Iran has yet to confirm the IDF's claim. And in a shocking move, a senior U.S. Intelligence official appointed by President Trump abruptly resigned
over the war.
Joe Kent, you're looking at there, who was the director of the National Counterterrorism Center says Iran did not pose an imminent threat, and the
U.S. was pressured into the war by Israel. President Trump speaking earlier today called the resignation a good thing, claiming that Kent was, quote,
"weak on security".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If I didn't terminate Obama's horrible deal that he made, the Iran nuclear deal, you would have had a nuclear war four years ago. You would
have had -- you would have had nuclear holocaust.
And you would have had it again if we didn't bomb the site. So, when somebody is working with us, that says they didn't think Iran was a threat,
we don't want those people because -- and there are some people, I guess they would say that, but they're not smart people or they're not savvy
people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: So much to talk about. We have a great team to help us make sense of it all. CNN's Kevin Liptak is standing by at the White House. Our senior
national security reporter, Zach Cohen, as you can see there, is in Washington, and our Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv this hour.
I do want to start at the White House with Kevin. And Kevin, this time yesterday, viewers who were watching our show would have heard President
Trump asking, or rather I should say, demanding that NATO allies help out in the Strait of Hormuz.
Today, as we played there, he said he doesn't need the help of anyone. And it seems to me -- and he said that he's disappointed. Why the change in
tune? Just bring us up-to-date with that. And really, his reaction to those two assassinations that we have seen in Iran.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, his changing tune seems to have come about because none of the allies who he was demanding take
action here were actually doing that.
They had all really resisted him, suggesting that this was not their war to fight, that if they were to send their own warships to the Strait of Hormuz
to escort these tankers through, that it would have to happen after the hostilities end.
And so, the President seems to have come to the recognition that he was being rejected by some of the United States' closest allies in Europe, and
that seems to have been what led to his determination that the U.S. in fact, doesn't need these countries in order to police the Strait.
That does raise the question of what actually the plan is now to get that waterway open, where 20 percent of the world's oil flows through. The
President did suggest that he had gotten buy-in from some countries in the gulf.
You know, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, he said that they would be helping. But you know, it was just yesterday when the President
said that, in fact, numerous countries had agreed to join in on this, that they were quote, "on their way".
[14:05:00]
He said he would provide us a list of what those countries were in the very near future. But now, the President suggesting that, that may have all been
made up, that in fact, these countries were not going to join in.
He was asked at one point what this might mean for his view overall of NATO, whether he would rethink the American commitment to that alliance.
And he said that he didn't have anything in mind. But, you know, this is a President who in the past has mused about withdrawing support from NATO.
So, I think as European leaders listen to this, they're certainly going to take what the President says seriously. But it does bear reminding, NATO is
a defensive alliance. You know, it calls for countries to come to the defense of a nation that is under attack.
In this instance, it is the United States and Israel who did the attack, who carried out the attack on Iran. And it's led to a lot of questions
among European leaders about why exactly NATO would get involved in all of this.
You heard very personal attacks by the President on the leaders of Europe, in particular, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who he said again,
was no Winston Churchill.
And so, you can bet that this is just going to drive a further wedge between this Trump White House and European capitals at a moment when
Trans-Atlantic ties had already been very strained.
You did hear the President in his remarks today acknowledge the death of the Iranian security chief that had been announced earlier by Israel. I
think this does complicate in some ways any eventual effort by the White House to negotiate an end to this conflict.
That individual had been rumored and cited as a potential interlocutor for the United States at the moment they decide to return to the negotiating
table. But as President Trump repeated again today, their leaders keep dying.
He doesn't actually know who they're going to be dealing with when that time comes. I think all leading to the implication that negotiations are
not going to be happening any time soon.
SOARES: Yes, well, they're not being done, they're being killed. Let's go to Jeremy. Thanks very much, appreciate it, Kevin. And Jeremy, let's talk
about then the significant move that we have seen by Israel to go after Larijani, Soleimani.
Clearly, trying to destabilize the regime, but where does it go from here? Really answering that question that Kevin was posing. Does Israel know at
this stage who is running the country right now? Because we haven't -- we haven't heard from Khamenei, right?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. I mean, the new supreme leader still has not been seen or heard from directly other
than via that purported statement that was attributed to him released on Iranian state media.
Certainly, Larijani was the de facto leader of Iran, at least, in the days following the killing of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
before Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed. And of course, he remained a central figure in Iran's leadership in the days following the appointment of the
new supreme leader.
Ali Larijani was critical to so many aspects of this regime. Everything from the violent crackdown on protests that we saw earlier this year to
overseeing the negotiations with the United States that ultimately did not lead to anything, but the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel
carrying out those strikes more than two weeks ago.
He was also involved in coordinating with Iran's key allies, including Russia and China. So, he was a critical figure in so many respects. He was
also viewed in so many ways as a relative pragmatist within the regime, and someone who could perhaps serve as somewhat of a counterweight to Iran's
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Which now seems to stand as the kind of overwhelming force in this Iranian regime particularly, when you consider the fact that the new supreme leader
is believed to be very close to the IRGC.
And so, you have to ask the question about what the long-term implications of what Israel has done here, beyond simply the fact of, you know, who is
going to be there to negotiate a potential ceasefire agreement.
Who the United States could potentially work with inside of Iran once the strikes actually subside. You know, you have to wonder what the broader
strategic goal of Israel is here, especially when it's not just Larijani, but a number of other senior Iranian officials who have been killed.
Once again, leaving the IRGC and very hardline figures, including the new supreme leader now in charge.
SOARES: Yes, very good questions that with not much clarity on that front. Jeremy for us in Tel Aviv, appreciate. Let me go to Zach because it's all
tied in, all these threads go back to the war that we have seen in Iran.
And this resignation letter that we have seen, Zach, from Joe Kent, that's the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. These are incredibly
strong words not just against the war, this war in Iran, in many ways against this administration. Talk us through what he said and what the
reaction has been from the U.S. President.
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ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURTY REPORTER: Yes, Joe Kent was serving in this role, it's important for people to know as a political
appointee. Meaning, he was placed there by President Donald Trump.
And he did go through the confirmation process, and so, he was approved by Congress to serve in this job that really is responsible for monitoring
terrorist threats emanating both from the Middle East and elsewhere.
And so, his defection and his resignation is significant, particularly in the context of the Iran war. And what Joe Kent takes specific issue with is
the admiration's initial justification for launching this conflict. We've heard from the very senior Trump administration officials for weeks now,
and even the President himself, citing an imminent threat to U.S. citizens that was posed by Iran.
And that sort of has been pointed to as the underlying justification for launching this joint military operation along with Israel. But over time,
the administration's explanation for why now? Why did they launch this military conflict now has really shifted.
And even at one point, Marco Rubio; the Secretary of State acknowledging that the U.S. actually had indications that Israel was going to attack Iran
first, and that could prompt an Iranian retaliation.
And so, what Joe Kent is taking issue with here in his resignation letter is this idea that Iran posed an imminent threat. And he fundamentally says
that he disagrees with that assessment. He says, "I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran, Iran posed no imminent threat
to our nation."
And he goes on to lay out a variety of other grievances that he has about the conflict, including Israel's role in what he alleges is influencing or
pushing the United States into the conflict. But it really is that point about an imminent threat that this resignation letter does push back into
the front and center.
And we heard from today, from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is one of the members of the so-called Gang of Eight, that's the most senior members of
Congress. And he disputed Kent's characterization of an imminent threat or a lack thereof. Take a listen to what Johnson said when he was asked about
Kent's resignation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I don't know where Joe Kent is getting this information, but he wasn't in those briefings clearly, because the
Secretary of State, the Secretary of War and everyone, the joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine, they had exquisite Intelligence that we understood
that this was a serious moment for us.
Had the President waited, I am personally convinced that we would have mass casualties of Americans, service members and others, and our installations
would have been dramatically damaged. And so, we had to, the President felt that he had to strike first to prevent those mass casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: So, again, that runs counter to what we've been told. Pentagon officials acknowledged in classified settings that there was no indication
that Iran was planning to attack the United States unless or United States assets abroad, unless they were attacked first. So, that once again becomes
a key question here in light of Kent's resignation.
SOARES: Yes, we had President Trump also saying that Joe Kent was weak on security. Important. Thank you very much, Zach, appreciate it. And coming
up in around 20 minutes or so, we'll be digging a bit deeper into claims that Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani has been killed.
I'll be joined by Alex Vatanka; Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute for that. And the bigger questions, of course, who is in charge and what
does this mean for the IRGC and the regime at large?
As we mentioned earlier, Donald Trump now says he does not need help from other nations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of oil
from the Persian Gulf. But it doesn't feel like the oil markets' trust that, that is going to happen.
Just look at that, oil prices again edging higher today, up 2 percent, 95.58, that's a WTI crude oil. And it comes after renewed Iranian strikes
on oil targets in both Iraq as well as the UAE. Iran is warning that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be the same.
Well, Iran's choke-hold on the Strait of Hormuz is forcing Persian Gulf nations to try other ways of getting the essential supplies that used to
arrive by ship. Our Nic Robertson is at the Kuwait border with Saudi Arabia and explains how that process is working. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): These trucks here are the new lifeline bypassing the Straits of Hormuz. The
Straits of Hormuz closed for oil, getting out of the gulf, closed for goods that would normally be coming in.
And right now, these convoys coming out of Saudi Arabia, going into Kuwait, they're bringing in food. They're bringing in medical supplies, they're
bringing in all the equipment that would normally get to Kuwait and other gulf countries normally get there by ship or by air.
The Iranians have closed the Strait of Hormuz. The airspace is closed because of all the missile strikes that are going on. And if you come
around here, you can get an idea of all the different products that are on their way into Kuwait.
[14:15:00]
Now, officials there aren't talking about food shortages yet, but people in Kuwait tell us, look, we're a desert kingdom. We're in the desert. It's a
desert country. And we need to import 90 percent of our food.
So, this lifeline here that the Saudis say is passing about 900 trucks a day, 9,000 trucks gone through from Saudi to Kuwait they say, since the war
began is absolutely vital. Now, it gets more vital the longer the war goes on. It's part of the gulf solidarity.
These trucks here are driving in from Saudi Arabia from about 1,000 miles away, about 1,800 kilometers across the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.
From Saudi's western coast, from the port city of Jeddah on the Red Sea.
They can do that because the Red Sea isn't blockaded. It's not under fire at the moment, which means there's a way to get all this equipment, all
this food, all these medical supplies into countries like Kuwait.
But right now, the Iranians have already started threatening the Red Sea with potential strikes, because the USS Gerald Ford, the aircraft carrier's
battle group are in the Red Sea at the moment. So, this lifeline vital, going to get more important if the war continues.
But because the Red Sea now appears to be potentially under threat, even this way of getting around the siege of the Strait of Hormuz that Iran has
put in place, even this could be under threat, too. Nic Robertson, CNN on the Saudi-Kuwait border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, amid the war with Iran, there's mounting concern in Kyiv, the conflict in Middle East is diverting attention as well as weapons away from
Ukraine's fight to defend itself against Russia. EU Policy Chief Kaja Kallas tells "Reuters", there is no appetite to return to business as usual
in Moscow after the Belgian Prime Minister, we mentioned yesterday to you, call to normalize EU-Russia relations to ease those skyrocketing energy
costs.
Meantime, here in London, Britain and Ukraine have agreed to work together to sell drone technology abroad during a visit by President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy, as you can see there with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
It's a move designed to signal support for Kyiv. The Ukrainian President addressed a British parliament just a short-while ago. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: Ballistic missiles can strike at thousands of kilometers, drones can do the same, but if evil wins, the
evolution of war will cross any distance on earth. No ocean will help. No desert, no mountains.
That is why it is worth helping protect life. The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred, and that is why they are brothers in weapons.
And we want regimes built on hatred to never win in anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more. Clare Sebastian joins me now in the studio. And Clare, I mean, the focus for us is trying to bring the focus rather to
Ukraine. We've --
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes --
SOARES: Had, of course, Venezuela, we've had Iran, now talking of Cuba. Meanwhile, no one is talking about Ukraine. This is something that's vital
here. What did we hear from President Zelenskyy?
SEBASTIAN: Well, yes, I think look, this was clearly a moment for him to use this spotlight, talking to the U.K. parliament to really hammer home
the argument of why it's still worth supporting Ukraine. This was -- I think we've seen an evolution of Zelenskyy, right?
From his travels around the world, pitching for just direct support. And now he's pitching Ukraine as an indispensable partner in global security.
He talked about how Ukraine's expertise when it comes to fending off Iranian drones and now indispensable in the Middle East.
He pitched -- he used audio-visual aids and graphics to pitch Ukraine's sort of layered air defense system. He talked about how Ukraine's
interceptors are so much cheaper and more cost effective than the -- you know, obviously, the high-powered missile defense shields and Patriot
systems and used in the Middle East.
And I think it was interesting because there was also a sort of moral argument. You heard a bit of it there, and perhaps even a thinly-veiled
they told you so, because don't forget, this is a President who, you know, a year ago in that infamous Oval Office meeting warned President Trump, you
will feel it in the future.
Now, they are feeling it. So, he's making the argument. He said, you know, even though there's a big, beautiful ocean, to quote --
SOARES: Yes --
SEBASTIAN: "President Trump separating us", we have no right to be indifferent in this war. And obviously, there's an urgency, right? Because
the longer this war goes on, the more Russia is going to profit from this.
And that will feed directly into its war machine on Ukraine. So, he needs to make this pitch, but it was a powerful pitch.
SOARES: And on Russia, he did say also, Putin can't be -- I think it was the Prime Minister who said, Putin can't be the one who benefits from a
conflict in Iran, whether that's oil prices or the dropping of sanctions.
And that's exactly what we have seen in about three weeks now into this war against Iran. This Israel-U.S. war against Iran. And we have seen, Putin
benefitting, right? Easing of sanctions, oil prices continue to --
SEBASTIAN: Yes --
SOARES: Increase. How -- just put that into context for us because that's quite a U-turn. And now we've heard the Belgian Prime Minister maybe
wanting to tap into Russian --
[14:20:00]
SEBASTIAN: Yes --
SOARES: Into Russian or trying to ease Russian oil in all because of the prices. How is that? Are we going to go down that route now?
SEBASTIAN: Well, I think that's the big fear for Zelenskyy, right? And that would be the unraveling of some of their most concerted efforts over the
past year. Number one, to keep the U.S. engaged, and number two, to get their allies to step up the pressure on Russia.
I think, look, three things they're worried about, right? Number one, that the oil price as it goes up, Russia profits. Number two, the lifting of
sanctions which we've already seen on a very limited capacity, I will say from the United States.
But still, it sets the precedent and it is PR coup for Moscow. And number three, that the appetite, as we see with Bart De Wever; the Prime Minister
of Belgium, suggesting that they should engage with Russia because of the need for cheaper energy, that the appetite among Ukraine's partners to sort
of deal with two different energy crises is going to lead to the -- to the sort of relaxing of restrictions on Russia.
And we had Kaja Kallas; the EU's Foreign Policy chief, having to respond to that today. Take a listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAJA KALLAS, CHIEF OF FOREIGN POLICY, EUROPEAN UNION: I have been also behind those closed doors when we talk about the leaders' meetings, and I
don't see this appetite. And when we talk to Russia, of course, most important thing is to first agree what we want to talk to them about.
I mean, because if we just go back to business as usual, we will have more of this, more wars. We have seen this before, so, we have to be very
vigilant and not to actually give Russia what they want, because their appetite will only grow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Yes, I know, but I think we have to be sort of realistic about what the windfall is so far for Russia --
SOARES: Yes --
SEBASTIAN: Yes, oil prices are now much higher than what they had planned for in their budget. But obviously, it depends how long they last. And the
fact is that they went into this in a much weaker position, possibly their weakest position that we've seen in the war.
The revenues they gained from oil and gas in the first two months of this year, I was looking at the figures today, 47 percent lower than the same
period --
SOARES: Wow --
SEBASTIAN: Last year. So, they were weak going into this. But obviously, the length of the war is what matters here.
SOARES: Exactly, and in the meantime, we are nowhere near any sort of, you know, solution conflict --
SEBASTIAN: Yes --
SOARES: De-escalation, because President Trump is busy with other wars that he has started. Clare, appreciate it, thank you very much. Still to come,
tonight, the lights are slowly coming back on in Cuba following a nationwide power outage as the U.S. President issues a cryptic warning.
We'll go to Havana after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Well, officials in Cuba say they're beginning to restore power after a crippling nationwide blackout. Millions of people spent Monday in
the dark after the island's power system suffered a total collapse.
Dozens of Cubans gathered to protest in the streets of Havana, banging their pots and pans. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CUBANS BANGING POTS & PANS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: It was the first island-wide blackout since the U.S. effectively shut off the flow of oil to Cuba on the same day. President Donald Trump
again threatened to take over Cuba. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I do believe I'll be the honor of -- having the honor of taking Cuba. That'd be good honor, it's a big honor --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taking Cuba?
TRUMP: Taking Cuba in some form, yes. Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more from Patrick Oppmann, who joins us now from Havana. And Patrick, I was going to ask you how people are reacting to those
comments from President Trump taking Cuba. But potentially, they don't even have a way to listen or to watch him, given, of course, the blackouts that
we have seen.
Bring us up-to-date just on the very latest, just the mood in the country as we see people with pots and pans, clearly, very angry at the situation.
I know they're resilient, but this is taking the biscuit.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CUBA CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you're very right, Isa, in that, people have bigger concerns right now than Donald Trump here, and
many are just concerned about whether, you know, how they will get back- and-forth to work, whether there will be work, whether there will be school for their children or whether power will be coming on today at all for
them.
As it slowly comes across to pockets of places in Havana where I am and other places in the country. But very slowly, slow enough that some people
are concerned how they will cook, whether the food will spoil.
But listen, you hear these comments and it really brings back what Cuba was like before the revolution and why Fidel Castro said that he took up arms
and he didn't want his country to be a puppet of the United States.
That essentially, the U.S. ambassador in Havana or Washington decided what the Cuban government did. And so, these are terms you would think the Cuban
government would never accept. Raul Castro, who is retired, but still is the ultimate authority in this country.
And of course, we know there are reports that the Trump administration is calling on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and other officials for
obstacles to this island opening up to step down. So that would really be striking if the government here is under so much pressure that they agree
to those kinds of concessions.
It would be something that simply never happened since Fidel Castro took power some -- because this island has always been so defiant in the face of
U.S. demands. But that could be changing because literally, you feel the economy is grinding to a halt.
People are at the end of their rope, and we see more and more of these kinds of protests. And the government at this point has no solutions how
they can get around this oil embargo. It really does feel like checkmate, that it's just a matter of time before the economy collapses or the
government is forced to make major concessions at the negotiating table.
SOARES: Yes, our man in Havana, Patrick Oppmann, good to see you, Patrick, thank you. We are going to continue this conversation, and joining me now
is Katrin Hansing; she's Associate Professor of Anthropology at the City University of New York, who has spent decades conducting research in Cuba.
Katrin, great to have you on the show. Let me just pick up really with the situation that we have been hearing from our Patrick Oppmann, not just
today, but for many days now. And this -- the worsening situation on the -- you know, on the ground.
Constant blackouts, surgeries being canceled, food going bad, prices soaring. How effective is this U.S. pressure? I mean, can it bring about
change to Cuba, and really, at what cost?
KATRIN HANSING, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK: Definitely. I mean, it's really pushed the government to the wall.
The crisis on the ground is alarming. I mean, there's already been a humanitarian crisis going on for a while, even before this oil blockade.
But since the end of January, things have just gotten so much worse on the ground as Patrick was just saying. People are living from day-to-day now,
trying to make ends meet. And really living from one day to the next.
And that is building up a pressure on the ground that has really never been felt before. So, we're at a -- at a turning point of some type right now.
SOARES: Right, a turning point. And I wonder then on the political front what we're likely to see because of the U.S. administration here, just
talked about a friendly takeover. Yesterday, we heard President Trump talking about having the honor of taking Cuba, I think, was his words.
And today, just in the last what? Three hours or so, we heard this from Secretary Marco Rubio. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: The bottom line is their economy doesn't work. It's a nonfunctional economy. It's an economy that
has survived. It's in -- for 40, that revolution. It's not even a revolution. That thing they have has survived on subsidies from the Soviet
Union and now from Venezuela.
They don't get subsidies anymore. So, they're in a lot of trouble. And the people in charge, they don't know how to fix it. So, they had to get new
people in charge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:30:07]
SOARES: So, he also started talking about a political change that, you know, I wonder what that political change looks like, because I know both
sides have been talking in the New York Times and Miami Herald, reporting that President Trump, and Patrick was mentioning this, wants Diaz-Canel
out, how likely is this to happen?
HANSING: Well, we don't really know what these talks, these negotiations are really entailing, and we shall see. But, I mean, both sides are trying
to get, I think, the most they can out of this situation.
I mean, the Cuban government is well known for being a master at buying time, and they will probably try to do that as long as they can, because
obviously they have very bad cards in their hands right now. And the Trump administration has a lot of leverage. I mean, they have all the leverage
right now. So, it's really, really a chicken game going on right now. And in the meantime, the people who are on the ground are the ones who are
suffering.
So, it's really a problem of time right now. And every day that goes by, the situation on the ground becomes more difficult, more explosive. And
that's the variable. The variable of time is the one that is most critical right now.
SOARES: Yes. I wonder whether, you know, the administration, the administration -- the U.S. administration is looking for something, you
know, a la Venezuela. What we saw with Maduro out, then having, you know, someone else put in in their place. Do you think that's viable? I mean, is
it clear, first of all, what the end goal is with Cuba? Because we've had mixed messages on Iran.
And so, I wonder if there's a clearer message from this administration when it comes to Cuba, because President Trump seems to be pretty clear and
pretty happy with Delcy Rodriguez in Venezuela.
HANSING: Right. Well, we've had -- we've heard different things coming from the Trump administration, as you just rightly pointed out. Trump has been
floating different options from a friendly takeover to liberation to even just an economic liberalization without a complete political change. So, we
don't really know what they are -- what's on their mind.
But I think a Delcy Rodriguez situation is not viable in Cuba because there is not one person in the Cuban government that can just be cosmetically
removed. And in that you have sort of a new situation. Cuban government is much more unified, much more consolidated. And it will be much more
difficult to just remove one person and have a whole new set of cards. Remember, there is a whole Castro family there. And that's really where the
power lies on the island.
SOARES: Katrin, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Really fantastic analysis. So important as we see these days, things
escalating or de-escalating, getting worse and worsening by the day in Cuba. Appreciate it. Thanks, Katrin.
And still to come tonight, daily life for many Iranians is filled with security threats. We'll take a look at the people trapped between
airstrikes as well as security forces. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back. Israel says it has killed Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani. He was one of the key forces in Iran for
suppressing the January protests. He was instrumental in the transition of power after the death of the supreme leader. Iran has not yet commented on
these reports.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump says NATO allies will not take part in the war with Iran. The president floating the idea of the U.S.
eventually pulling out of NATO. His comments come as a senior U.S. intelligence official has resigned in protest over the war with Iran.
Well, tonight is the traditional Iranian festival. It is known as the festival of fire where people fill the streets to really celebrate and set
off firecrackers. However, this year, the government is warning people not to or they could be mistaken for an enemy. Our Jomana Karadsheh reports on
the Iranians caught between strikes and security forces.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Celebrating the death of their oppressor. This is what the world saw coming out of Iran last month
after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. But cloaked in digital darkness, a new wave of brutal suppression was already beginning.
Teenage brothers Ahmed Riza (ph) and Amir Hussein Faizi (ph) were among the crowds that poured into the streets on February 28th. This was the car they
were in with their father, honking the horn in celebration. Security forces opened fire on them, according to activists, killing the 15- and 19-year-
old boys.
As the regime faces America and Israel from the sky, it is tightening its grip on the ground, determined to extinguish any ember of an uprising. Two
months ago, it did just that, killing thousands of protesters in the bloodiest crackdown in the history of the Islamic Republic. Iranians still
reeling from the collective trauma of January 8th and 9th now being warned, take to the streets, and it will happen again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our team have their fingers on the trigger.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The chief of police threatening protesters. They will be treated as the enemy and shot.
The feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps promising another massacre of protesters. This time, they say, it will strike harder than they did in
January.
Messages we have received from Iranians inside the country describe a regime using every tool in its playbook to crush dissent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Every time you go outside, even just to go to the market, you see machine guns and Dushkas, heavy guns, on
the streets. Everyone is afraid of the checkpoints. They are basically the regime's street-level enforcers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): People are randomly being checked, their phones being searched, being asked questions like, what are you doing
out here? They even arrest and take them for a further investigation.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Video trickling out, only a small window into this new climate of fear. Iran is a superpower, they chant. Iranians are proud.
Regime supporters roam the streets at night with a menacing message. They are still here. They are still in control.
[14:40:00]
State media, like so many times before, has been airing videos of those arrested allegedly confessing to being foreign agents. Text messages like
this one, warn those who find a way around the imposed internet blackout, will be treated as spies. This crackdown, only expected to get worse, as
outside forces that want to overthrow this regime add fuel to the fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are now at the decisive stage of our final struggle. Await my final call.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The Israeli prime minister telling Iranians his forces are, quote, "creating the conditions" on the ground for them to rise
up. As the IDF releases video like this, showing what it says are attacks on regime checkpoints that have become a major instrument of suppression
and killing the regime's top leadership, one after the other. An uprising seems impossible right now for those who find themselves trapped in two
hells. From inside their homes, they still defiantly cheer against the regime that time and time again has failed to silence a people risking it
all for freedom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Joining me now is Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow in the Middle East Institute. Alex, great to have you back on the show. Really, I don't know
if you were able to listen to that fantastic reporting from my colleague Jomana Karadsheh, really describing Iranians trapped in two hells, as she
said.
Just, I mean, before we get into the politics of it all, give us a sense of what you are hearing on the ground and how much that resonates with what
you are hearing. People, you know, a climate of fear from, of course, from the regime, but also from these strikes.
ALEX VATANKA, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Isa, it's great to be back with you. Look, exactly as your report just sort of told us, that's
where the country is right now. Obviously, the regime, as you can imagine, are extremely worried about any kind of signs of popular mobilization on a
street level. This is something they have feared for a very long time, and they have good reasons to do so, since they are extremely unpopular with
the Iranian people. And they don't want to end up having to do essentially a two-front war, one on the one hand against the U.S., Israel, and on the
other hand against their own people if they come out.
So, this is a real fear the regime has, and since this is a regime that feels essentially it has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, all they are
doing, obviously, is to kill, if that's what they have to do, repress in any way they can in the hope that they can stay in power. It might easily
backfire on them, as it has in the past, but unfortunately for the people of Iran, that's how the regime considers its population, is a security
threat to be contained.
SOARES: In the meantime, Alex, we are seeing the IDF, the Israel forces, going after two significant Iranian figures, Larijani and Soleimani, a huge
blow, I imagine, to the regime. Just how significant are these two assassinations? It's important to point out the Iranians haven't confirmed
this on their end. This is from the Israeli side. But just how significant are they?
VATANKA: Yes. I mean, Isa, these are two senior members. I would particularly focus on Ali Larijani. He's someone who returned to this job
as the secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council in early August last year, right after the 12-day war, when the regime felt they
needed somebody seasoned, somebody professional, somebody who could play different roles as a major sort of grand coordinator, bringing the
Revolutionary Guards, the civilian government, and others in the regime together in this war effort.
So, his fall, as you pointed out, we haven't had the Iranians confirm it, but so far, the Israelis, when they have said they've killed someone, it
turned out to be true. So, I'm assuming he has been killed. It's big shoes to fill for the regime. But I will also caution the end of Ali -- I'm
sorry, Ali Larijani, just like the case with Ali Khamenei, doesn't necessarily mean the end of the regime. There are still folks that can fill
these positions, at least for now. But obviously we're seeing a thinning at the top of this regime power period of individuals that can play senior
roles.
SOARES: And on Larijani, he was seen by many as a bridge between power centers within Iran, like you said, but even as a transitional figure, from
what I understand, seen by some as pragmatic, Alex. But as the war started, we saw the change. He became more belligerent, right, even threatening
President Trump. What changed? What turned him, do you think, Alex, into a target?
[14:45:00]
VATANKA: Look, I think he became a target just because, you know, in the eyes of many, and I'm sure the Israelis consider him as one of the
masterminds in terms of organizing this war effort on the Mediterranean front.
And we have to remember, Larijani came not just from a clerical family, but also came from a Revolutionary Guards background. So, he was someone who
could sort of, you know, walk on both sides of that aisle. And, you know, again, if you're Israel and you're trying to, and I think that's where
Israel is at right now, they're at the phase of decapitation of whatever's left of Iranian leadership. Of course, that would make Ali Larijani an
obvious target for them, and they have acted.
Obviously, another question he says, why is it that this Iranian regime continues to be hunted down by Israeli intelligence in their capital? It
really amazes me that they still don't know how to cover their tracks and they're being hunted down the way they have been and continue to be.
SOARES: Do we know then who's in charge at this juncture? Because we haven't heard, we haven't heard or seen Mojtaba Khamenei.
VATANKA: So, Mojtaba Khamenei, I assume in terms of to the extent that we think he's alive and you get different answers depending on who you ask,
but let's assume he's alive. He is still the supreme leader since his appointment to that job.
Ali Larijani wasn't the senior person in the regime. He had an important coordinating role. Arguably, the role in terms of formalities is the so-
called interim council, and that's still intact. That's a three-man council by Masoud Pezeshkian, the president, and two other individuals, two clerics
from the judiciary and from the assembly of experts.
So, again, I think it's really important to remember some of these titles and some of these councils are more formality and names. Essentially, it's
the Revolutionary Guards that is running Iran today. Most importantly, the war effort. And they have lost many, many senior commanders in recent
weeks, days, weeks and months. And you can go to a 12-day war, but they still seem to have enough people that can replace those getting killed.
SOARES: Alex, as always, fantastic analysis. Thank you very much for coming on the show. Good to see you. We are going to take a short break and see
you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, Taliban officials in Afghanistan say at least 400 people were killed and more than 250 injured by a Pakistani airstrike hitting a
hospital in Kabul on Monday. Pakistan denies those claims, calling them misleading as well as false, saying the attack was on precisely targeted
military installations and terrorist infrastructure. Our producer, Sophia Saifi, has more.
[14:50:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: We woke up this morning from these rather dramatic images that were coming out of Kabul of a giant balloon of flame
hovering over the city after strikes by Pakistan into Kabul. The Afghan Taliban are saying that this was a medical facility, a hospital that was
targeted.
Our reporters on the ground have been speaking to patients who were there in Kabul who had to escape. Let's have a listen to what they said as to
what their experience was overnight at that facility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAN AGHA, PATIENT (through translator): When the bomb hit the hospital, it was very loud. We all jumped out of our beds and laid down on the floor. I
covered my head to safeguard myself from shrapnel. Then I saw fire flames entering the room from the windows. Many of my roommates ran away from the
room, but I got stuck in the room with a few others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAIFI: We know that there is still rubble, that there are still bodies that are being recovered from the rubble of the aftermath of this strike. The
Pakistanis, however, are telling us that these were precision airstrikes targeting a munitions depot. They're also saying that this was a strike.
This was a series of targeted strikes on Afghan Taliban infrastructure, four in the province of Nangarhar, three in the city of Kabul. They are
denying, they're saying that the Afghan Taliban are misreporting that this was a hospital that was struck.
At the same time, we have to realize that this is the deadliest escalation between these two neighboring countries in the history of Pakistan. There
has been an uptick of militant attacks in Pakistan since the fall of Kabul in 2021. And this was a situation that had been boiling for the last couple
of months as militant attacks had increased within Pakistan. Pakistanis had said that it was the Afghan Taliban who'd been harboring Pakistani Taliban
militants. And that is why they are targeting the Afghan Taliban right now.
So, we're just going to have to wait and see if there is a ceasefire and how this is going to evolve and end on Pakistan's western border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Sophia Saifi there. We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian says jet fuel costs have doubled since the Iran war began. He says that's led to higher airfares and that
he's expecting them to keep rising.
[14:55:00]
Meanwhile, travel chaos continues, as you can imagine, in the Gulf region. UAE airspace closed for several hours on Tuesday as crews responded to
incoming missiles and drone strikes from Iran. A number of flights were cancelled, delayed, or indeed, diverted.
Yesterday, a drone also sparked a major fire at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest hub for international travel. Dubai Airport
CEO Paul Griffiths is praising their response to the disruption. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL GRIFFITHS, CEO, DUBAI AIRPORTS: We've closed airspace, we've opened it as the threat level has changed, and we've been able to keep aircraft in
the air and obviously to route through corridors that are properly designated by the GCAA across here, and obviously, holding aircraft at
outstation, making sure that they can be safely diverted if there is a threat. We've facilitated the journeys of over a million passengers over
the last 17 days, and the recovery rate is significant. We're back up to about 40-45 percent of normal traffic movements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And that does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next. Have a wonderful evening. I shall see you
tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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END
