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Isa Soares Tonight
More 1 Million People Displaced in Lebanon; Trump Meets with Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi; E.U. Leaders Call for Direct U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Talks. President Trump Insists the U.S. Knew Nothing About Israeli Attack on Iran Gas Field; Iranian Missile Strikes Major Refinery in Northern Israel; U.S. F-35 Jet Hit By Suspected Iranian Fire. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired March 19, 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: Hello, and a very warm welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we begin with a major escalation in
the war with Iran, one that's already causing massive chaos for the global economy as well as threatening to spiral out of control right
across the entire region.
President Donald Trump insisting the United States knew nothing -- his words, about an Israeli strike on Iranian facilities in the South Pars
gas field, but that directly contradicts what sources from both the U.S. and Israel are telling CNN this hour.
The President was asked today whether he had spoken with Israel or the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, about the attack. This is
how he responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, I did, I did. I told him don't do that, and he won't do that. We didn't discuss -- you know,
we do -- we're independent, we get along great, it's coordinated. But on occasion he'll do something, and if I don't like it -- and so, we're not
doing that anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, that Israeli attack could very well open the door to more widespread Iranian strikes on energy facilities on gulf states and
Israel, such as this new attack on the Haifa Oil Refinery in Israel following an Iranian strike in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister warning that his country's patience with Iran was not unlimited. Meanwhile, a U.S. fighter jet was forced to make
an emergency landing after being struck by suspected Iranian fire.
That is according to a U.S. military spokesman, who says the aircraft landed safely at an American Airbase and the pilot is in stable
condition. So, good news there. And it follows U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's claim that the United States is destroying Iran's ability
to launch drone -- drones as well as missiles.
At the Pentagon today, he refused to put a time frame on when the war might end. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, UNITED STATES: It will be at the President's choosing ultimately, where we say hey, we've achieved what
we need to on behalf of the American people to ensure our security. So, no time set on that. But we're very much on track.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, our Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem, he will join us shortly. CNN's Nic Robertson is with us in the meantime from Riyadh. And
Nic, good to see you. I mean, Saudi Arabia's frustration, as we've just outlined there for our viewers is clearly growing.
And we saw that starting to ratchet up, Nic, last night when you were on air with us in this show with a capital targeted by ballistic missiles,
prompting, of course, like you said interceptors. You've been speaking to the Saudi FM.
Just give us a sense of what that you are hearing, what they're telling you and where this goes militarily and diplomatically.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it was quite striking, as you say, last night when we were talking to you, there were
the strikes coming in over Riyadh. We could see the intercepts, we could hear them, and a few hours later, we got a chance to talk with the
Foreign Minister, and I asked him about those strikes.
And he said, to him, it was absolutely no coincidence at all that as these regional foreign ministers gathered, Iran was firing its sort of
biggest salvo of missiles at Riyadh. Here, he said that actually two oil facilities around the capital had been hit.
We understood as well that four civilians had been injured by falling debris, and his point was -- the foreign minister's point was, this is
Iran's answer to our diplomacy. We are here meeting, he said, to try to resolve, find a way out of this crisis, out of this war.
And this is Iran's response. And he said that, you know, Iran needs to understand that there will be consequences for this action, that
escalation will be met by escalation. He wouldn't give what a red line would look like or a timeline for what that response may be.
But Saudi Arabia and the other gulf states reserve the right to respond and respond militarily. It all does look like escalation.
You have the Iranian Foreign Minister again today saying that if Israel attacks their energy facilities again, then there will be more responses
in kind beyond what we've seen in Haifa and Qatar as well, suffering from Iran's retaliation again for Israel's strike on that liquid natural
gas field inside the Arabian Persian Gulf.
[14:05:00]
All of that looks like an escalation where and from the framing that we got from the foreign minister here last night, that Iran isn't listening
to the diplomacy that its military is speaking more loudly than its diplomats, and its diplomats, the foreign minister is using very tough
bellicose language you could say, in a way.
And that augur badly if there is a response from Israel to what Iran has done, it really creates a very escalatory mechanism for what could come
next. And just to break that down a little bit, when we say escalatory, one of the -- I'm struck by when we came here several weeks ago to Saudi
Arabia.
People we were talking to in government were talking about Iran being able to pick and choose how it escalated this in this war. And we've
seen so many strikes on Iran. And the calculus has been, particularly from the United States, that they are defeating Iran's ability to strike
back.
But what we've seen by the strike in Riyadh last night and the -- specifically at that LNG facility in Qatar today, and on the Haifa Oil
Refinery. Iran is showing that it still has an escalation ladder, that it can go up when it chooses.
And I think that just tells us the possibility of military escalation ripping away from any diplomatic logic or language is kind of what's in
play at the moment. And that, of course, is very worrying and potentially incredibly dangerous.
SOARES: Indeed, stay with us, Nic, let me bring Oren in, who -- to this conversation. And Oren, in the last few hours, I believe seeing that
Iran has continued to escalate, targeting oil infrastructure again, this time, I believe it was an oil refinery in Haifa, in Israel.
What more can you tell us about this? I know we're expected to hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu. Just frame this moment right now.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Isa, we are expecting to hear from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a press conference in
just about 24 minutes here, we'll see if that starts on time or runs a bit late.
Either way, we will hear from him and certainly ask about this question of President Donald Trump claiming that the U.S. wasn't aware of
Israel's strike on the South Pars gas facility of Iran. Even though American and Israeli officials have told us there was coordination and
the U.S. was aware.
Nevertheless, we see a continued escalation following that strike. Iran now successfully striking, at least, with either a cluster munition or
some sort of shrapnel, a major oil refinery in northern Israel near the city of Haifa, that is the largest city in northern Israel, leading to a
fire, leading to some of the videos we've seen of a fire there.
And Israel's fire and rescue authorities saying they believe there was a hazardous material's incident. So, we are closely monitoring that, even
though at this point, they say there are no injuries. Still, it may put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a position where he feels he has no
choice, but to continue striking Iran's energy infrastructure.
And that will only feed this dramatic escalation we're seeing here, even though we're seeing the gulf countries issue their condemnation of it,
and Trump himself issuing his own displeasure of it. It seems we're simply as Nic pointed out, on an escalation ladder.
And I don't know that you can sit here where I'm sitting right now and say there is some off-ramp in the imminent future, because it certainly
doesn't seem like there is one right now. Isa.
SOARES: Oren and Nic, thank you to you both. Oren, I believe we'll touch base in about 20-something minutes or so once we hear from Prime
Minister Netanyahu. Thank you very much. We're going to stay with the region focusing on the economy and really the volatility we have seen,
because the energy markets have been rattled by these tit-for-tat attacks we have seen on oil as well as liquid natural gas in the gulf.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate Oil is again approaching, as you can see $100 a barrel, it's 94.96, just a bit under less than half a percent.
European oil prices soared 10 percent today reaching $118 a barrel.
Liquid natural gas prices jumped 30 percent after an Israeli strike on the South Pars gas field, and Iran's counterattack as Oren was talking
about there on the world's largest liquid natural gas facility that is located in Qatar.
And all of this comes as the Strait of Hormuz, remember, remains largely closed, cutting off energy shipments coming out of the gulf. Our Anna
Cooban continues to follow this story. I mean, it keeps adding to your plate, right?
First, it was a Strait of Hormuz, now we've got, of course, this strike from Iran in Qatar, the world's -- one of the world's biggest, if not
the biggest, right?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes --
SOARES: In terms of natural gas. I was speaking to oil traders and gas traders late last night when this happened, and what I kept hearing is,
you really have to understand the impact this has not just on Europe, but indeed in Asia.
[14:10:00]
COOBAN: Completely, I mean, remember, 90 percent of the LNG that comes out of the Strait of Hormuz, from the UAE and Qatar goes to Asia. And
what's bad for Asia is bad for Europe.
SOARES: Yes --
COOBAN: It's bad -- it has a knock-on impact for the rest of the global economy. So, we have one stat from Kpler data firm said that 11 LNG
tankers that were originally bound for Europe actually re-routed mid- journey to go to Asia because they could fetch higher prices in Asia, because Asia is so desperate for this gas.
And, you know, as Nic was saying, this massive escalation, we need to remember just a few days ago, the U.S. attacked Kharg Island, which is -
-
SOARES: Yes --
COOBAN: Fundamental to Iran getting its oil out to the global market. They attacked military infrastructure, not energy infrastructure. They
were sort of a degree of restraint, if we can say that in this context - -
SOARES: Yes --
COOBAN: Of not going after energy infrastructure, but that has completely escalated in a huge way over the past day or so, and now
we're seeing that reflected in prices. I was speaking to an analyst who was saying that this disruption can now go on for months and not weeks,
whereas before, it was considered to be something that could be quite short term.
SOARES: I mean, we're looking at WTI crude, I'm not sure if we've got oil prices as well. We see this volatility continue. Is there anything
right now that would be able to put a damper on these prices -- on these prices, or is it really like a ceasefire at least or an end to this war.
COOBAN: Everyone I've been speaking to has been saying what needs to happen is the Strait of Hormuz needs to be reopened. I mean, we do --
there are some alternative options which we've chatted about --
SOARES: Yes --
COOBAN: Before about, you know, piping oil to the Red Sea, but --
SOARES: Doesn't seem viable quite honestly, right?
COOBAN: Even if it weren't --
SOARES: Long term --
COOBAN: Yes, not long term, and even if they were to do that in a big way so to get to that 7 million barrels a day capacity, that's still
less than half of the crude oil that's not coming out of the Strait of Hormuz.
And now with this infrastructure attacks, that's going to take time to repair, money to repair. And so, we are pushing the -- you know, getting
the market back to normal, as it were, down by quite a few months at least.
SOARES: Anna, thank you very much. Just before you go, can we have a look at just what stock markets are doing. Dow Industrial is down, not
as bad as we have seen, but clearly, going in a different pace than the oil and gas markets.
But really, gas has really taken --
COOBAN: Yes --
SOARES: A tanking today. Anna, I appreciate it, thank you very much indeed. Well, let's stay with this conversation. Joining me now is
Rashid Al-Mohanadi; he's an expert in geopolitical risk assessment and a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs.
Rashid, great to have you on the show. Let me get your perspective and pick up with the conversation that Anna was just having and just the
impact that we have seen. Because I was reading the "FT" this morning, and they were talking in relation to Iranians -- the Iranian strike in
Qatar's largest liquidation facility in the world.
They called it an Armageddon scenario. How do you assess then, this escalation that we've been hearing from our correspondents on the
ground?
RASHID AL-MOHANADI, NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Well, you know, from an economic point of view, it is an
Armageddon scenario. You cannot just suddenly replace Qatari or GCC oil and gas in the market.
It's -- you know, and from Qatar's angle, it's 20 percent of LNG trade. And today, the Minister of State of Energy came in and mentioned about
the level of damages. We were losing 70 percent of our LNG production, in addition to about a third of our condensate.
So, it's something you cannot easily replace in the market. And unfortunately, the effects are already happening. And the next few
months, we'll see a hike in price.
SOARES: Yes, and we did. The Qatar -- Qatar's Energy CEO, I think was speaking to "Reuters", said that the attack wiped out, I think is what
you were referring to, Rashid, 17 percent of Qatar's LNG capacity for up to five years, right?
And might have to -- and they may have to declare force majeure on kind of long-term contracts. And those are reflective in Europe and Asia. If
we branch that out, then Rashid, further, just branches out for the global economy.
The impact not just of surging gas and oil prices. We have a Strait of Hormuz that is really a shadow of its former self. Only a small number
of vessels getting through. And then, the concerns as we look ahead is that, you know, this all adds to the inflationary pressures. Just speak
to that.
AL-MOHANADI: So, it's important to focus that this is not an oil and gas issue. So, initially, it's an oil and gas issue. So, the heat will
be felt in the fuel and in the energy markets. But the repercussions and you know, chain effect on other industries, namely fertilizers and
semiconductors will also be catastrophic.
If we look at fertilizers, for example, looking at gulf fertilizer output and crude input into fertilizer production, mainly in south Asia,
we're seeing the food security of about 1.5 to 2 billion people being affected.
We've done that -- we've done a small analysis on that. In terms of semiconductors, about 40 percent of global helium comes out of Qatar,
comes out of the facilities Iran attacked yesterday. And they are critical for semiconductor production in Taiwan, in South Korea and in
Japan.
[14:15:00]
And, you know, talking to some industry experts and insiders, these companies are already considering issuing their own force majeure to
their suppliers. So, there's a big chain effect on other industries, but you know, the next -- the coming weeks and months will just show us how
big of an economic disaster this is.
SOARES: Yes, and I think you put it perfectly because people think that we're just focusing on oil and gas and stock markets, but the knock-on
effect is huge, right? From food security like you were saying from Sudan to Yemen has wide impact.
So, let me get your thoughts here, because today I was listening to U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson who was downplaying, Rashid, the concerns around
the surge in gas prices and the U.S. military campaign in Iran. This is -- this is how he framed it. Have a -- have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): It will take a couple of weeks, but gas prices will come back down. Remember, they were down almost $2.5 a
gallon on a national average under President Trump. When under Biden, they were at almost $5 a gallon.
So, this is a temporary blip in an extraordinary trend of a return to American energy dominance. The evidence speaks for itself, and it will
continue to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Right, so this was March the 10th. But this is sort of the rhetoric that we've been hearing from the administration that this is a
temporary blip. You buy that because even if this were to end tomorrow, it takes time, right?
AL-MOHANADI: Well, it's -- you know, we have to remind ourselves that this statement is aimed at domestic audience in the U.S. We should have
a bigger view of how will this affect the global economy.
And I can tell you confidently, the damage has already been done. You know, what we can do now is find a diplomatic off-ramp to end this war,
open the Strait. And another point also to mention, people are fixated at opening the Strait.
That is not the only problem. We need to stop the attacks on our energy facilities. If the Strait is open and facilities are still under fire --
SOARES: Yes --
AL-MOHANADI: The world will not get its energy and its products from the gulf. So, it's a -- we need to solve these two problems. And like I
said, we are, you know, due to see major inflationary dynamics in industries that are not directly related to the oil and gas sector.
SOARES: Yes, we've seen the Fed yesterday holding on rates. I think the BoE, the Bank of England, the ECB, the European Central Bank have also
held on rates, all mentioning very much the concerns that we are seeing and the risk that we are seeing in the Middle East.
As prices continue to soar, gas prices, oil prices and so forth, the U.S., as we've been seeing, Rashid, is looking for ways to ease the
pressure. U.S. Secretary -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that the U.S. -- let me find the words that he said. Suggests the U.S.
could unsanctioned Iranian oil in the water. Would that stabilize the markets?
AL-MOHANADI: Well, for a transient period. And also, we should look at it not only from an economic point of view. Maybe this is part of a
diplomatic off-ramp and --
SOARES: Yes --
AL-MOHANADI: Negotiations with the Iranians. It's -- it might not only be an economic thing, but you know, you cannot sanction all the oil in
the sea, you cannot replace production. What happened in Qatar and in the gulf was infrastructure damage.
It's not like a short-term, you know, stop of production. This, like you mentioned, will take 3 to 5 years, and the effects are already
happening. And, you know, if you, we unsanctioned, you know, Iranian and Russian and other sources of oil, we cannot replace oil and gas coming
from the gulf. So, I do see prices surging very soon. The only thing we can do is try to think that --
SOARES: How high do you think they go? How you think they should -- sorry to interrupt and to interject there. How far -- how high do you
think they'll go, Rashid?
AL-MOHANADI: I don't know, you know, it's very speculative. It depends on how long the war would sustain. And, you know, the demand of
importing nations, because we're already seeing nations trying to reduce their demand.
You know, countries like Thailand and China and countries in south Asia are already trying to implement supply shedding to avoid the effects.
SOARES: Rashid, really appreciate you coming on the show. Thanks very much. Rashid there joining us --
AL-MOHANADI: Thanks for having me --
SOARES: From Qatar. Thank you. And still to come tonight, Lebanon's Prime Minister has a direct message for President Trump about ending the
war. We'll go to Beirut after this short break. Plus, as in every war that we have seen, it is the children who end up caught in the middle.
The war in the Middle East is no exception. I'll ask UNICEF's Spokesperson James Elder what his teams on the ground are witnessing
after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Well, Lebanon's Prime Minister says the U.S. President more than anyone else is capable of ending the war and made an urgent plea
for a ceasefire. Lebanon has been the target of an intense Israeli bombardment campaign for weeks now.
Over 1,000 people have been killed, dozens of them, children. Israel says it's targeting high-ranking members and the infrastructure of
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia. The Lebanese Prime Minister says his people need a ceasefire yesterday, not tomorrow. He sat down with our
Nick Paton Walsh, who is in Beirut.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAWAF SALAM, PRIME MINISTER, LEBANON: Ceasefire.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Immediately. If you could --
SALAM: Yesterday, not tomorrow.
WALSH: If you could deliver a message to President Trump now directly for one thing, for him to do today, what would it be?
SALAM: To help put an end to the Lebanese conflict. And I would like to reaffirm to President Trump, our readiness to enter into immediate
negotiations. Negotiations with Israel. We know -- I mean, that this conflict can only end with negotiations.
The U.S., I mean, is a strategic partner to Lebanon. And President Trump more than anyone else, I mean, can play a decisive role in bringing, I
mean, this war to an end. So, we call on a greater engagement of the U.S.
WALSH: The recognition of Israel is something that has been put front and center as the potential of a peace deal. Many gulf countries have
agreed to do it. They've normalized relations. Do you at least, accept that until you can harness enough of Lebanese society to agree to that
principle, a peace deal will always be --
SALAM: I respect(ph) the truth. I mean, we have been for two -- for two weeks. I mean, extending our hands to have direct talks with the
Israelis. So far, we haven't received an agenda from the Israeli --
WALSH: Take this opportunity to say you're willing to --
SALAM: Apart from, and the -- that we had received an agenda, a clear agenda from the Israelis. I mean, then I will definitely answer your
question.
WALSH: But take this opportunity to --
SALAM: We are not at the stage even where we have a clear -- a clear agenda.
WALSH: Do you think Israel will take a buffer zone up to the Litani River? A large part of the south for leverage?
SALAM: I mean, we cannot accept -- I mean, any buffer zone, security zone, any infringement on our --
WALSH: But you've had one for months, right?
SALAM: Sovereignty. I mean, the -- I mean, we cannot negotiate any form of a treaty deal arrangement as long as -- I mean, we cannot secure that
-- I mean, our sovereignty will be -- will be fully restored.
[14:25:00]
WALSH: You have an unprecedented humanitarian crisis of Lebanese forced out of their homes. How close do you feel you are to unrest because of
that current problem?
SALAM: About a million persons have been displaced from the south and from the southern suburb of the capital, and that's almost 20 percent,
if not 25 percent of the Lebanese population. Now, Lebanon is turned into a battlefield of the war between Israel and Iran.
I mean, all Lebanese, they are victims -- this war has been imposed on us. We didn't seek it. We didn't choose it. And now our main objective
is how to end it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Prime Minister Salam there speaking to our Nick Paton Walsh. And I want to continue, of course, on that humanitarian thread that we
heard there from the Lebanese Prime Minister with more than 1 million people displaced in Lebanon, many areas from the south and areas near
the capital, the humanitarian situation is rapidly worsening.
Israeli airstrikes targeting what they say are Hezbollah strongholds, have destroyed hundreds of homes and civilian infrastructure, including
healthcare centers, entire residential buildings have been reduced to rubble in densely-populated urban areas, forcing many to seek refuge in
overcrowded shelters.
Volunteers at this community kitchen in Beirut cooking thousands of meals for Lebanon's displaced families. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We do this out of humanity. They are displaced. They have no food left. They are homeless on the
streets. There is no bedding, no food, nothing. It's a shame, and we must help with all our ability as much as we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's continue this conversation, humanitarian conversation. I want to bring in UNICEF's Global Spokesperson James Elder. The U.N.
Agency's -- Children's Agency has teams on the ground throughout the Middle East, including in Lebanon and in Iran.
James, great to have you back on the show. Just picking up really from what we heard from that little clip. And so many of these people have
been displaced not once, not twice, some of them three times over, right?
A huge humanitarian crisis, unprecedented, more than a thousand people killed, of those 116 children. I mean, the numbers are staggering. Give
us a sense of what your team is telling you.
JAMES ELDER, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: I think the most common thing we hear from children, from families, from health workers is just this
idea of fear. I mean, this is not a new crisis. This is one that's being repeated.
We've had children, you know, speak to our colleagues, talk about -- they feel like their life is in rewind. It was only 15 months ago that
those images you just saw, we again had hundreds of thousands of children having to seek shelter, whether it was on the streets or
whether it was in schools.
We again had 50 children killed in the space of two days. This time, it's about a classroom of children killed or wounded every day since the
attacks started on Lebanon. So, no one, not health workers, not mums, not dads, certainly not children, Isa, have any -- have had any chance
to recover physically, psychologically from what they endured just 15 months ago.
And we're seeing that cycle again. I mean, you and I spoke around that time when I was in Lebanon 15 months ago, and I had sat with a little
boy who had somehow survived an attack, but had not yet been told that his mother and father had been killed.
Today, my colleague sat with two girls, two sisters who were waiting for psychologists to come and speak to them. They had survived an attack,
but these two young sisters had not been told that their mum and their dad and their brother had all been killed.
So, it's all on rewind for children who simply don't have the capacity, physical, psychological, to deal with more of these attacks.
SOARES: Yes, the psychological trauma that so many have gone through just in the last year or so. You know, and as we've seen with these
evacuation orders that have been put out by Israel, I mean, their homes aren't safe.
And now, it seems schools are being turned into shelters, though I understand many are already full. So, where are people staying? Where
are people going, and are there conditions for so many people, James?
ELDER: No -- yes. The fact is, there's urgent shortages everywhere. I mean, UNICEF, for example, we do a lot of mobile health teams. We're in
there supporting hospitals. Those hospitals that have not been damaged and closed through airstrikes, particularly supporting them around the
ICU for pediatrics.
But there are critical support -- shortages in the most basic things that families need, mattresses, water, blankets, people start to forget
the idea that children should be in school. Instead, they're living in schools right now.
And many of them, of course, aren't able to live in school, many of them, when they get warnings of an attack on their home, or they hear on
the grapevine that there may be an attack in their neighborhood, they just flood onto the streets and seek refuge wherever they can, knowing
that there is no real such thing as refuge at the moment.
So, that's the reality again for children. This is the point that we keep stressing. I mean, it's been interesting to watch so much, Isa,
that, you know, there's been this escalation in oil prices. And of course, that instantly ripples, you know, into economies and it
dominates headlines and conversations, as it should, because that obviously affects millions of people all around the world. But there's
another escalation. And that escalation is in girls and boys being killed. And that's becoming background noise.
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Yes. And look, it doesn't seem, unfortunately, that this is escalating, at least not so far. And as we
continue, James, to see a rise in conflicts, Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, Sudan, are you seeing an increase or decrease in supporting new humanitarian
funding?
ELDER: It's a great question. Yes, absolutely. I mean, the idea that with the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, and everyone knows that the
banks were bailed out, no one is bailing out the children. This is the biggest financial crisis that the humanitarian world has seen since its
advent after World War II, at a time of unprecedented need.
So, whether we talk to a health worker who's going in incredible lengths in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or one going through gang territory
in Haiti, they have no idea that why then they get to their health spot and that they suddenly don't have the vaccines, they don't have the
materials that they need, they don't understand why they're having the rug pulled out from under them.
So, you see, yes, we're seeing two sides of the same moral retreat, I think, the laws of war are being disregarded. And that's why we're
seeing such a huge level of number of children being killed. That shows that, you know, rules are optional. At the same time, when nations cut
aid, that shows that compassion is optional, too.
SOARES: Yes. Look, we've been speaking about Lebanon, but I really want your insight on what you're hearing in what's going on in Iran. What are
your teams telling you in terms of what people need as well, not only their needs, but their fears, James?
ELDER: Yes, the fear is a great question. And I spoke to a colleague earlier, and I give you the exact line that a mother shared with her,
Isa, which was that the mum said she had managed to rescue her son from a school two days earlier and was trying again to try and talk her child
through that trauma. But knowing she did that six months earlier, when Iran was last under attack, and she said, all my life, I've tried to
make a better world for children, not just my own. And these days, all I see is everything crumbling around me.
So, it's incredibly difficult for parents. We've always seen that when a child realizes that their mother or father simply doesn't have the
ability to keep them safe because of forces beyond their control. That's a horrible realization for a child. It's probably even worse for a
mother or a father when you realize that you don't have the capacity. Things are out of your control when it comes to keeping your little son
or daughter safe. And that's the reality there.
So, in Iran, we've seen 100 plus medical facilities struck in attacks. We've seen dozens of schools. We know that more than 200 children have
been killed. And you've reported on that horrific attack of more than 160 girls being killed that somehow should dominate every single news
report and has disappeared from that. So, Iranians, you know, when it comes to the infrastructure children rely on are suffering very, very
badly.
SOARES: James, really appreciate you coming on. Good to see you. James Elder for us there, live in Geneva.
And still to come tonight, day two of questioning for U.S. intelligence officials in Washington and the FBI director speaking out on firing key
agents. We'll have an update for you from Washington. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back everyone. President Donald Trump is meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi today in Washington. The war in
Iran is a critical discussion for the two as Japan imports more than 90 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East. The prime minister
telling the President she had specific proposals which could calm the global energy market. In return, President Trump says he's pleased by
the support from Japan, unlike European allies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We've had tremendous support and relationship with Japan on everything. And I believe that based on
statements that were given to us yesterday, the day before yesterday, having to do with Japan, they are really stepping up to the plate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, European leaders, meanwhile, calling on the United States and Iran to begin direct ceasefire talks at an E.U. summit in Brussels
today. French President Emmanuel Macron called the latest attacks on energy facilities in the region a reckless escalation. His German
counterpart says Europe is not yet willing to join the military operation or efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We can and will only be able to get involved once the guns fall silent. At that point,
however, we will also be in close contact not only with Israel, but also with the Gulf states, which also look to Germany and which I visited at
the beginning of the year.
And then we can do a great deal, including opening up the sea lanes and keeping them clear. But we won't do that while hostilities are ongoing.
We'll only do that once the hostilities have ended. It will also require an international mandate, which we do not currently have. And that is
why there are still many steps ahead of us before we can even begin to consider such a topic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, that is the view from Europe. In the U.S., meanwhile, top U.S. intelligence officials are back on Capitol Hill today for the
worldwide threats hearing. Remember, we brought you part of that yesterday. Earlier, FBI Director Kash Patel answered questions about the
agents he fired from a counterintelligence unit. That group was responsible for monitoring threats from Iran. Patel said they were fired
for ethical violations. However, CNN reports the unit was fired because they investigated President Trump's alleged mishandling of classified
documents.
Let's get more from our Evan Perez. Evan, good to see you. Just talk us through then what we've heard not only, of course, from Kash Patel, but
also from Gabbard, because the -- what we heard yesterday was trying to find some sort of clarity, right, about U.S.'s intentions of going to
war. Did we get any more clarity on this?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: I think the clarity is still evading us after this hearing. For several hours, Gabbard was
the subject of a lot of the questions, including the fact that, again today, she omitted some of her prepared remarks, the remarks that would
go to the question of the intelligence assessment on the imminence of the threat from Iran and its nuclear program.
You remember, of course, that yesterday she was called out for the fact that she skipped over part of her remarks that dealt with the fact that
last year's bombing campaign by the United States and Israel had obliterated, in their words, the nuclear program, and therefore, the
question of whether the imminence of such a threat was caused for the current war, whether that really holds up.
[14:40:00]
And so, today, again, she was trying her very best to not contradict the president of the United States, while also underscoring that the
assessment that they have is certainly what they have. And the president is the one that's going to be the one that's going to be the one that's
going to that can make the decision on whether there is some imminence.
The other thing that emerged today was some question about the Israeli strikes, what appears to be the Israeli strikes, on those gas facilities
that you were referencing just a minute ago. The testimony from Gabbard and from others on that panel today is that, essentially, the Israelis
have a certain set of objectives, and the United States has separate objectives. The question is whether the United States and Israel are
really coordinating on what they're striking in Iran, and whether they're singing from the same song sheet, right?
Because if the United States does not want to strike Iranian gas facilities and doesn't want to cause the problem of oil prices going
much higher in the world, then perhaps they need to tell the Israelis. That was not clear during the hearing today, whether there is any of
that coordination that's happening, because, again, the intelligence -- the authorities that are handling the intelligence say that that is in
the hands of the White House.
SOARES: And we did hear President Trump said, I told Netanyahu not to attack the gas fields. He also said it's coordinated, but on occasion
we're independent. We are expected to hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu at any moment now, so we'll see how he clarifies or how he finds that
collaboration between both. Evan, as always, great to see you. Thank you.
PEREZ: Thank you. Great.
SOARES: Well, terrifying video today from the people who are risking their lives to tell the world about what is happening in this conflict.
I'll need to have a look, as a correspondent and cameraman for Russia Today, I almost struck by a missile in Southern Lebanon. Have a look at
this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Further rocket attacks were reported against Nahariyya on a minute --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Goodness. Both correspondents, Steve Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Reeder, were taken to hospital after the incident. CNN spoke to
Reeder and he said they are now both safe.
And still to come tonight, Jeffrey Epstein's former attorney tells Congress that he knew about his boss' abuse and trafficking women. We go
live to Capitol Hill for more details on that testimony.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Jeffrey Epstein's longtime attorney testified before the U.S. Congress and said he had no knowledge whatsoever of the convicted sex
offender's wrongdoing. And rejected any suggestion he helped in any of his former bosses' crimes. That is according to Darren Indyke's opening
statement in a closed-door deposition. Indyke also said if he had known that Epstein was abusing or trafficking women, he would have quit
working for him. His testimony comes one day after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's testimony to the committee during which several Democrats
walked out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I made it crystal clear I will follow the law. Next question. We were there to answer questions. It's the
evening. We came at their convenience. We gave them really as much time as they wanted. And one congresswoman screamed, C-SPAN wasn't in there.
We sat there saying, anything you want to ask us, ask us anything you want to ask us. And they screamed, C-SPAN wasn't there, one of them. And
then they stormed out of the meeting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, let's get more from our Annie Grayer who joins me now from Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Annie, good to see you. First of
all, let's get a sense of what more you are learning this hour from Jeffrey Epstein's longtime employee and attorney. What is he saying?
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, we are expecting this deposition to go for hours today as he is questioned behind closed doors
by both Democrats and Republican lawmakers. And the chairman of the committee, Congressman James Comer, came out in the middle of the
deposition to give us an update where he said he and his team asked Indyke directly, why did you stay working for Jeffrey Epstein after his
initial 2008 conviction? And Indyke shared that Epstein told him that he had made a, quote, "mistake" and didn't know that the age of the girl
was underage who he was prosecuted for and claimed that it was a one- time thing. And Indyke said he never had any knowledge of any of Epstein's crimes or was never involved in any of them.
Now, Democrats who were also in the room for this have raised questions about Indyk's credibility. They say how could Indyke not know about what
was going on given how close he was to Epstein at the time and had been working for Epstein for decades.
Indyke was deeply involved in all of Epstein's businesses. He was known to withdraw large amounts of cash on Epstein's behalf to the point where
it raised concerns with the banks who were monitoring Epstein's money. And, again, Indyke is denying any wrongdoing here, but he seemed to know
a lot about Epstein's dealings. He even was -- he's the co-executor of Epstein's estate and recently made a settlement with Epstein's
survivors. So, there's a lot of questions that lawmakers have for Indyke. And it comes just a day after the committee met on a voluntary
basis with Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy.
Now, Democrats stormed out of that briefing because they said Bondi would not commit to honoring the subpoena that the committee issued her
on a bipartisan basis. Republicans were furious with Democrats' behavior here. Take a listen to Oversight Chairman Comer about he views what
happened last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): The behavior of the Democrats yesterday was unacceptable. And, you know, we're going to have to come back and talk
as a conference, the majority, to see what we do moving forward. But we had the sitting attorney general and the top brass of the Department of
Justice there yesterday to answer questions.
And, you know, they want TV cameras in there, and you know why, so they could show out and get on MSNBC and be outraged. But there's an ongoing
investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRAYER: Now, the question is what's going to happen with this subpoena. Comer said he's planning to honor it and move forward with a deposition
that's right now scheduled for mid-April. But I'm told that the five Republicans who signed on to this initial subpoena are having serious
doubts about whether they want to rescind their support for it.
I'm told from sources in the room last night that Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who was one of the five Republicans who supported the subpoena,
told Attorney General Bondi that she was, quote, "embarrassed" that she had supported the subpoena when it came up for a vote a few weeks ago
and is questioning whether she should continue to support it.
So, Comer said he's going to talk to the Republicans on his committee to see what happens next. But as of now, the subpoena for Bondi still
stands.
SOARES: I know you'll stay across it for us, Annie. Good to see you, Annie Grayer, there on Capitol Hill. And still to come tonight, a
dramatic shift in the weight loss industry. We'll look at the popularity as well as effectiveness, of course, of a newly available GLP-1 oral
medication. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Well, just released figures show a staggering number of previously unaccounted deaths from COVID-19 in the United States. A new
study shows more than 150,000 people likely died from coronavirus early in the pandemic. That's in addition to the more than 800,000 Americans
who lost their lives in 2020 and 2021.
The findings by the journal Science Advances found the undiagnosed dead were more likely to be people of color from states in the south and
southwest of the US. Those behind the study said the deaths previously went unnoticed due to a lack of access to tests early on in the
pandemic.
Meanwhile, there's been a dramatic development in the world of GLP-1 medications. New data showing recently approved weight-loss pills are
being swallowed up at a remarkable rate. It's been just under three months since Wegovy's pill alternative to the injectable hit the market.
Since then, close to half a million Americans are now taking it daily.
Meanwhile, a second GLP-1 pill by drug maker, Eli Lilly, is expecting approval as soon as next month. And these new forms show comparable
outcomes to the injectables without, of course, the need for a needle. Our medical correspondent Meg Tirrell has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, weight loss treatment has already been transformed in the past few years by drugs like Wegovy and
Zepbound. But new medicines are being developed at an incredible pace. In fact, earlier on Thursday, the FDA just approved a new higher-dose
version of Wegovy, which produces even more weight loss.
Also, on Thursday morning, another drug company, Eli Lilly, reported results from an experimental drug, though it's still in clinical trials,
that has been showing even higher levels of weight loss than currently available medicines in the realm of about 30 percent of participants'
body weight. We are also seeing, of course, daily pill versions of these medicines, as well as companies that are working on longer-acting
versions --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: I'm going to interrupt the reporting and listen to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Under President Trump's visionary leadership, America and Israel are acting together in Iran
with great determination and unprecedented strength. Operation Rising Line is designed to remove the existential threats posed by the
Ayatollah regime, the regime that has waged war against America and Israel and the people of Iran for 47 years. It chants, death to America,
death to Israel, and it delivers death to its own people.
[14:55:00]
Our goals are three. One, removing the nuclear threat. Second, removing the ballistic missile threat and removing both of these threats before
they're buried deep underground and become immune from aerial attack. And third, this means creating the conditions for the Iranian people to
grasp their freedom, to control their destiny.
Today, the ayatollah regime is not only attacking America, not only attacking Israel, not only attacking the Iranian people. It is attacking
the entire Middle East and beyond. They've attacked civilians and Americans and American assets in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Qatar, UAE, Oman, and they've even attacked through their proxies Cyprus and Europe. We've warned for decades that their ballistic missile
program would be used to attack these targets far and wide, and if they're not stopped, that's just the beginning.
The death cult in Iran is trying to blackmail the world by closing a key international maritime route, the Straits of Hormuz. It won't work.
Israel is helping in its own way, in intel and other means, the American effort to open the Straits of Tehran -- of Hormuz rather.
But I want to ask you to imagine how the ayatollah regime would be able to blackmail the entire world if they had ballistic missiles with
nuclear warheads. Just imagine what they would do. Look at what they're doing now and imagine what they would do if they had ballistic missiles,
international-range ballistic missiles, and nuclear-tipped warheads. Just imagine what a great threat that would be.
So, today, Israel and the United States are protecting America, Israel, the entire Middle East, but I venture to say the entire world. Despite
the fake news that is unfortunately being spread since the start of the war 20 days ago, we are winning and Iran is being decimated. Iran's
missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded and will be destroyed. Hundreds of their launchers have been destroyed, their
stockpiles of missiles are being hit hard, and so are the industries that produce them. That's important.
In rising line, we destroyed missiles and we destroyed a lot of the nuclear infrastructure. But what we're destroying now are the factories
that produce the components to make these missiles and to make the nuclear weapons that they're trying to produce. We're wiping out their
industrial base in a way that we didn't do before.
Iran's air defenses have been rendered useless. Their navy is lying at the bottom of the sea. Today, we hit the other part of their navy in the
Caspian Sea. Their air force is nearly destroyed. Iran's command and control structure is in utter chaos. And I can tell you that there's
still more work to do and we're going to do it.
And I want to close these opening remarks with one other fake news, and that is that Israel somehow dragged the U.S. into a conflict with Iran.
Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on. President Trump always makes his decisions on what he
thinks is good for America, and may I add, I think what is also good for future generations.
In this case, those interests are absolutely clear, and so is the clarity of our achievements. Together in close coordination with
President Trump, in close coordination between America and Israel, our militaries, our intelligence services, we're achieving goals at
lightning speed.
But I want to say another word. It's been said that for 40 years I've been saying that Iran is a danger to Israel and a danger to the world.
That is true. You know who else said that? President Trump. 47 years ago, when the Iranian thugs took over the American embassy, he said how
dangerous this regime is. In his first term in office. He didn't need any convincing. He said the Iranian nuclear deal was the worst deal that
he'd ever seen, and he walked out of it.
Right before his second term, before he was reelected, I went to see him in Mar-a-Lago. The first thing he said to me was, Bibi, we've got to
make sure that Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons. He said that to me. I didn't say it to him. He didn't need any convincing there either.
Now, why did he say that?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
