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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Holds Meeting with Ireland PM Amid War with Iran; Israel Expands Ground Operation in Southern Lebanon; Havana in Darkness as Massive Blackout Hits Cuba; Trump Berates Western Allies for Holding Back from Iran War; Eu Foreign Ministers Decide Against Operations Around Hormuz; U.S. Judge Blocks RFK Jr.'s Overhaul of Vaccine Policy. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired March 17, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". We begin at the White
House, where the Irish Prime Minister, or the Taoiseach is expected to meet with President Trump this hour amid of course, the war with Iran.
Will bring you that as it begins that moment that meeting set to happen any moment now. The White House is also dealing with a high-profile
resignation. A top U.S. intelligence official has resigned citing misgivings over the war with Iran. Here are some of the latest developments
for you.
Israel says it killed Iran's Security Chief, Ali Larijani, in an overnight strike, and also eliminated the head of the Basij paramilitary force.
There's been no confirmation so far from Iran this as the IDF pounds targets across Iran, dropping dozens of munitions on several sites.
Israel is also ramping up strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and expanding a ground operation there as well. Western leaders warn the
offensive could trigger devastating humanitarian consequences. Iran is lashing back firing at Israel and its Gulf neighbors, the U.S. Embassy in
Iraq was targeted by drones on Tuesday.
Meantime, Abu Dhabi suspended operations at a major gas field after a drone strike ignited a fire there. One person was killed by falling debris from
an intercepted missile in a separate strike in Abu Dhabi. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us live now from Tel Aviv. Just in terms of Iran's Top
Security Chief being killed here.
I mean, obviously it does show it sends a strong message to Iran that Israel has the intelligence and the precision to strike out Iran's top
leaders, as we saw on February 28th. But to what end, what is Israel's long term strategy Iran, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's the right question to be asking at this moment, Zain, because while it's clear that
Larijani's assassination is going to have huge ramifications inside of Iran. I don't think we yet know exactly what the long-term consequences of
this will be.
What is clear is that Israel carried out this strike overnight, assassinating Ali Larijani, who, in many ways had kind of become the de
facto leader of Iran following the death of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He had been elevated in the months prior by the
former supreme leader to oversee a range of kind of day-to-day tasks, security.
And otherwise, he was charged with repressing the protests that we saw in Iran at the beginning of the year, violently repressing, I should add. He
also oversaw the nuclear negotiations with the United States. He oversaw Iran's relations with many of its closest neighbor and he was viewed as a
very close confidant of the former supreme leader.
But despite all of that, he was also viewed as somewhat of a pragmatist, a relative pragmatist inside the Iranian regime. Someone who could serve as a
counter way to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. But now with Larijani gone and the son of the former supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is very
close to the IRGC, elevated to that position now.
Iranian experts are saying that this could very well embolden the hardline elements inside the Iranian regime and give even more power to Iran's
Revolutionary Guard Corps. That would not bode well for negotiations to actually end this war, should we ultimately get to that stage.
And it may simply embolden the faction of the Iranian regime that wants to continue to escalate here and raise the cost for the United States and
Israel for carrying out this war on Iran. That could ultimately be the implications here. We should also note that Israel also carried out a
strike killing the commander of the Basij forces.
That's that internal security force that has been responsible for suppressing dissent inside of Iran. So, two moves by Israel aimed at
destabilizing this regime, but again, some experts warning it could have the unintended consequences of emboldening hardline elements inside that
same regime, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Thank you so much. And as we mentioned, on the other front line of this war, Israel and Hezbollah
continue exchanging attacks. Israeli air strikes targeting Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut southern suburbs killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded
four others.
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Meantime, four were wounded in Northern Israel after facing a barrage of rockets and drones from Hezbollah on Monday. This comes as the leaders of
Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the UK raised alarm over the growing violence in Lebanon, where Israel announced an expansion of its ground
operation on Monday.
The five governments warned that Israel's major ground offensive could trigger devastating humanitarian consequences and therefore must be
averted. More than 1 million people in Lebanon have been internally displaced and at least 850 people killed since the latest conflict began,
according to Lebanese authorities.
My next guest wrote an op-ed for "The Hill" arguing that Lebanon's failure to disarm Hezbollah keeps doing greater damage as the conflict with Israel
grinds ahead. Joining me live now is Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a Research Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
He's also the author of the book "The Arab case for Israel". Hussain, thank you so much for being with us. So just, I think my first question to you
is, really, what is the State of Lebanon supposed to do when it comes to dealing with this problem for them, Hezbollah, which continues to drag them
into conflict very, very regularly.
We've talked about the humanitarian crisis that Lebanon is experiencing. But the fact is, the Lebanese Armed Forces, the LAF is no match to
Hezbollah. Hezbollah is probably the largest non-state military actor in the world. So, what are Lebanon's options? It's tried to negotiate, or it
is currently trying to negotiate separately with Israel.
But Israel's beef is not with the Lebanese people. It's with Hezbollah specifically.
HUSSAIN ABDUL-HUSSAIN, AUTHOR OF "THE ARAB CASE FOR ISRAEL": Hi Zain. Well, the point here is that there's been an outstanding U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1701, that was approved in 2006 to end a round of war at the time, and it stipulates that Hezbollah must be disarmed.
So, it really looks simply, if Hezbollah or the Lebanese state, managed to enforce 1701 then we wouldn't have been -- in this war, we wouldn't have
been in the 2024, war. So, this is the sticking issue now, as you said, the Lebanese Armed Forces might not have the capability of taking on Hezbollah.
But there are many things that the state of Lebanon and the leadership of the oligarchs, the chieftains of different sects, there's a lot that they
can do. They can come together, and they can form a consensus when they tell Hezbollah, that's it. You know, you've been drawing us to so many
wars, and now is the time for you to surrender arms to the Lebanese arms forces.
They did this in 2005, they forced the army of Assad, at the time to withdraw from Lebanon. If they can replicate this consensus one more time,
I think they can force Hezbollah to surrender its arms.
ASHER: You know, what's interesting is that, to your point, and also to the fact that just a year and a half ago, Israel, the IDF, was also pounding
Hezbollah targets within Lebanon before the ceasefire. Despite all of that, Hezbollah does seem to be remarkably capable, remarkably resilient.
It almost seems as though, no matter, I mean, I guess with any terrorist group, this is the case, no matter how many times you defang them, destroy
their capabilities. We saw the pager explosions, for example. We know that Nasrallah was killed. Despite all of that, it seemed to somehow still rise
up and become that much stronger and more capable.
So, what is Israel learning? It thought that it had completely, not necessarily, defeated Hezbollah, but severely weakened it a year and a half
ago, and they are still proving that much more resilient. So aside from Lebanon, Israel itself is also learning a lot here too.
ABDUL-HUSSAIN: Well. Exactly like you said, Zain, this is Israel can weaken Hezbollah 80, 90percent but then the last mile should be done by the
Lebanese government. Israel cannot do the job of the Lebanese government for it. And it's unfortunate that the Lebanese government wasted 14 or 15
months just pretending that it had concluded disarming Hezbollah.
Actually, the cabinet declared in a statement that the area south of Litani River, all the way south to the border with Israel, was disarmed, that
there was no Hezbollah left there, and lo and behold, Hezbollah just started the war from that specific area. So, there's a lot of politicking
that goes on inside of Lebanon, and this distracts the government from the main goal.
I think this should be the only point on the agenda and the focus of the Lebanese state disarm Hezbollah.
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And until that happens, I don't think they should be engaging in any other item of business. Unfortunately, they haven't been doing this. Now they
have one more opportunity, you know, maybe relying somehow on the Israeli muscle, Israeli military muscle, if you can get the Lebanese to muster some
political pressure on Hezbollah.
I think the two sides can work together and make sure that the militia is disarmed once and for all.
ASHER: One of the biggest problems that Lebanon has, though, is that Hezbollah is so entrenched in Lebanese society, they are a military group,
they're a political group. They offer social services, obviously, to the Lebanese people. You know, they have suffered politically.
You know, there are a lot of Shia Lebanese who no longer support Hezbollah because they are also tired of being dragged into conflict number of times
-- as I've said, but you know, for the IDF, how do they do both at the same time? How do they both try to sort of degrade Hezbollah militarily, while
at the same time also negotiating with the Lebanese government.
The sort of very weak and fragmented Lebanese government, knowing that as they try to degrade Hezbollah. There are, of course, going to be casualties
with ordinary sort of Lebanese people who don't even want Hezbollah in their country and are suffering the consequences every day.
ABDUL-HUSSAIN: Well, look on March 2nd the Lebanese cabinet, including Shia Ministers, who are in the block of Speaker Nabih Berri, who is an ally of
Hezbollah. They voted on the resolution that the Lebanese Armed Forces must disband Hezbollah militarily.
So, you can see here, even someone like Berri, who has been speaker of parliament since 1992 has a very savvy politician. He has his finger on the
Shia pulse. Even Berri agreed to this item of disbanding Hezbollah, keeping the political party, but just disbanding whatever military that these guys
have.
So, this tells us that if Berri is going against Hezbollah, then the Shia are really tired of this militia. Now can the Shia themselves stand up to
Hezbollah and disarm it? I doubt they can do that. They need all the support they can get, whether from the Israeli military, whether from the
Lebanese state, the Lebanese cabinet, in terms of politics, even including regional capitals, you know, Cairo and Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and all these
guys have leverage inside of Lebanon that they can help the Lebanese make Hezbollah surrender.
Now, whether Hezbollah surrenders the easy way or the hard way, that's anybody's guess. Everyone hopes that Hezbollah will do the right thing and
eventually surrender. Maybe if they see that the Iranian regime has weakened, then, you know, these Lebanese will change their mind and think,
OK, this is a lost cause, and it's much better for them to surrender their arms.
But until this minute, I think maybe some of them are still betting that Iran will survive, that it will come back. We'll have to wait and see.
ASHER: All right, Hussain Abdul-Hussain, thank you so much for your perspective. We're grateful. Right, new signs of mounting frustration in
Washington, as we mentioned earlier, Senior American Intelligence Official has announced that he is leaving his post. Joe Kent, a Trump appointee,
resigning as Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center.
On X, Kent says, I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war with Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it's clear that we
started this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby. We're hearing conflicting claims about efforts to restart diplomatic
talks between the U.S., Iran as well.
Trump Administration officials tell CNN that Iran reached out to the U.S. President's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, but Trump responded that he
does not want to negotiate at this time. However, Iran's Foreign Minister denies having any contact with Witkoff in recent days, it comes as more
governments rebuff U.S. calls to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Let's discuss all of this with Kevin Liptak joining us live now from White House. So, Kevin, let's start with this high-ranking U.S. intelligence
official stepping down. It's interesting because he is, or I guess was, a staunch Trump ally. This is not someone that the administration can dismiss
as somebody who doesn't like Trump or has been highly critical of the president's agenda.
He is an army veteran, and so this issue is personal to him, essentially saying that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States, and that
the only reason why the U.S. is doing it is because of pressure from Israel. Walk us through how important this resignation is.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It's hugely significant. And I think the big reason why is that this is an individual who would have had
access to some of the most classified information about the run up to this conflict.
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You know, if he's now saying that there was no imminent threat to the American public, that runs completely counter to what the White House has
been saying since the war began. And it has to be taken seriously, given that this is an individual that worked as a very, very high-ranking
intelligence official in the American government.
It is really the first significant defection that we've seen, not only since the war began, but since President Trump retook office generally. And
so, I think it's a hugely significant moment. And you're right, it will be difficult for President Trump to dismiss this outright.
This is someone who is of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party. He ran as a Trump Republican two times for Congress in Washington State. And he was
something of a controversial figure. You know, he has espoused conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, claiming that it was stolen from
President Trump.
He said at one point that the FBI were behind the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill during his confirmation hearings, which were contentious.
Democrats brought up his perceived ties to white nationalists. So, the Trump Administration did put it through an enormous amount of political
capital to get him confirmed in the first place.
So, the fact that he's coming out now very publicly and very dramatically, breaking with President Trump on this particular issue, I think, is quite
significant. And I think it will also put his boss, who is the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, in quite a difficult position,
because she, too is someone who talked about the dangers of foreign adventurism, about forever wars, you know, all of the lines that he is now
repeating in this resignation letter.
When she was out of office before she became the Director of National Intelligence, and it had been an open question of just how on board she is
with this conflict. And I think this will now put her in sort of a difficult spot as her own direct report now resigns over these questions.
You know, he was, or is an army veteran. He served 11 tours as a Green Beret. His own wife actually died in Syria. She was acting as a
cryptologist, and she died as part of a suicide bombing. And so, this is someone who does have direct experience in American foreign conflicts.
And I think it will be very interesting to see how the president responds to this, because it does speak to this divide that's growing among his
supporters about the wisdom of this war.
ASHER: And just in terms of where we are in potential ceasefire negotiations. I mean, Donald Trump is saying one thing, but Iran's
President actually came out and said that Iran is not going to surrender to bullies. And that there's no point talking about stopping attacks unless
there were guarantees that Iran would not face further aggression.
Just explain to us what Iran's incentive could possibly be in terms of being willing to come to the negotiation table at this point in time when
they do have the upper hand in the asymmetric aspect of this particular war, meaning the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
LIPTAK: Yeah, and I think you know you're speaking to the reason why I don't think you're seeing any active negotiations at the moment. I mean,
certainly President Trump is out publicly saying that he doesn't think the Iranians are serious, that he doesn't think they're ready to accept a deal
that he could sign off on, even though they claim that the Iranian Foreign Minister is trying to initiate contact with Steve Witkoff, the foreign
minister, denies that that is happening.
What both sides seem to agree on is that there's no active, serious negotiations underway at the moment. Despite efforts by a number of
countries who are trying to mediate some sort of end to this conflict. You know, certainly countries in the region very eager to see this ending very,
very quickly.
One of the problems that President Trump has cited is that so many senior Iranian leaders keep dying as the result of Israeli airstrikes. And we saw
that today with the death of the chief of the security services, he is actually someone who had been rumored, or at least considered as a
potential interlocutor with the United States.
But obviously that's not happening, given that he is now dead. And President Trump even said yesterday that he has no idea who any of these
people remaining actually are. And so, you see all of the difficulties in front of the president as he talks about a potential deal, but it does seem
clear that at this point no negotiations are happening in the near term as this conflict process.
ASHER: Right, Kevin Liptak, thank you, appreciate it. Still ahead, hundreds reported dead in Afghanistan as hostilities with its neighbor Pakistan heat
up, there are conflicting versions of what's been going on.
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That details up next. Plus, an entire island plunged into darkness. Why Cuba says its nationwide blackout is the fault of the White House. That
story up ahead as well.
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ASHER: All right, turning now to number 10 Downing Street in London. Moments ago, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer greeting Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both Zelenskyy and some of Ukraine's allies are concerned that the war in the Middle East has shifted global attention
away from Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Here's what Starmer had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think today, obviously we've got a lot to discuss. I think it's really important that we're clear that the
focus must remain on Ukraine. There is obviously a conflict in Iran going on in the Middle East, but we can't lose focus on what's going on in
Ukraine and the need for our support there. And --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: In the next hour, we expect Zelenskyy to address Members of Parliament. We'll bring you that information as soon as it comes in. All
right. Cues, crews rather in Cuba are working to restore power after the national energy grid collapsed on Monday, plunging some 10 million people
into darkness.
And now U.S President Donald Trump isn't ruling out the idea of making a military move. Cuba's power grid collapsed following Washington's month-
long blockade of fuel shipments to the country, further crippling its energy crisis. Fuel prices have skyrocketed so much, that it now costs more
than $300 to fill up gas tanks, cars, rather with gas.
The U.S. President, meantime, is now threatening to take over the nation, calling it an honor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I do believe I'll be the honor of -- having the honor of taking Cuba. That'd be good honor.
That's a big honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taking Cuba?
TRUMP: Taking Cuba in some form, yeah, taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it. Think I can do anything I want with it. You want to know the
truth? They're a very weakened nation right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: So, Patrick, before we get to Donald Trump's comments there, I just want to talk to our audience a bit more about what daily life is like on
Cuba right now. Obviously, the island needs oil for electricity generation. We understand that the national grid is facing near total collapse because
of the energy blockade $300 to fill up your car with gas.
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That is, by the way, more than a lot of people on the island make in a single year, Patrick.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's incredibly complicated, and that comes from someone who's lived in Cuba for last 14 years and try to
manage as best you can these crises that are kind of a constant -- of life here. She was point out that, you know, most people here can't find gas at
all.
So, if you can find it, and they're selling to you at $9 a liter, which is sort of the rate on the informal market then, then you buy it, because it's
only going to get more expensive. And so, this is the complexity of life here is that you have a generator. But of course, you need fuel for that
generator.
Because of this oil blockade, there's really very little fuel to be found here. And as the government is trying to get the energy grid back online,
they've never done it with so little fuel at hand, and that's just adding the complexity of this. We don't know the reserves they have.
They are running on fumes. Will they be able to get power back on? What will happen if they don't, because people are running out of fuel for the
generators? If they have batteries, they're now essentially dead in a day or two, people's food in the fridge will begin to spoil.
You don't get water here when you have a blackout. And so, you know, it just is a -- where it's an inconvenience, one the Cubans know all too well.
But if this goes on for too much longer, it will be edging into that territory of the humanitarian crisis, already people are being affected
when they try to go to the hospital if they need some sort of emergency help, if their food is already spoiling.
And so, Cubans are probably most resilient people on Earth, and yet they are living in very dry times.
ASHER: I mean, they have been through so much over many, many decades. And you know, electricity can be unreliable sometimes, but this is a completely
different kill of fish, just in terms of this blockade and what is coming down the pike for Cuba, potentially. So, when Donald Trump uses the Oval
Office, I listen, I might take Cuba. I might free it. I'm not sure yet.
You know, I can do anything I want with it. It does beg the question what the U.S. President wants with Cuba, and how might Cuban officials even
begin to negotiate with him?
OPPMANN: And they are negotiating not because they necessarily want to, but because they have to if they want any oil to come in, if they want any kind
of sanctions relief. And so, you know, Donald Trump talking about that he could take Cuba, that he's going to essentially decide Cuba's future.
That's one of the reasons perhaps Fidel Castro fought his revolution, that the U.S. would no longer make Cuba its pawn. And so, 67 years later, to
come back essentially, to a place where U.S. President is saying he'll decide what happens to Cuba, just shows how dire circumstances are right
now.
And so, in these negotiations, we know from reports, Donald Trump, his administration has said they don't feel the President of Cuba and others in
this administration are reliable partners, and they're pushing for their ouster. They want Cuban open up its economy.
They want Cuban exiles to come back here and have more rights to invest and perhaps take back property. The Cuban governments made some concessions on
that front. But judging from the response that we've heard so far from Cuban exiles, particularly in South Florida, it's not nearly enough.
And so how long will these negotiations go on before the Trump Administration decides that, you know the current isn't working, they're
going to employ the stick. That's what we saw in Venezuela. They seem to be following a very similar script here.
ASHER: All right. Patrick Oppmann, thank you for keeping your eye on it. Thank you. Right, officials in Afghanistan say that more than 400 people
were injured and 265 were sorry, 400 people were killed and 265 injured when a Pakistani air strike hit a hospital in Kabul on Monday.
Pakistan is dismissing that, saying that it carried out a precise attack on military installations and terrorist infrastructure. A Taliban spokesperson
said that most of the dead were civilians who were attending a center for addiction treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAN AGHA, PATIENT: 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)
ASHER: The incident marks a sharp escalation and fighting between the two countries. They've been trading attacks since late February, despite calls
for mediation led by China. All right, still to come on "One World" what European leaders are saying about demands from U.S. President to send a
naval force to the Strait of Hormuz.
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ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we're watching for you today. Israel says it killed
Iran's Security Chief Ali Larijani on Monday night. An Israeli official says that Larijani, had been the de facto leader of Iran since Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei was killed in the early hours of the wall.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is undermining the regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people chance to remove it. Iran is
continuing to lash out at targets in neighboring countries. In Iraq, the U.S. Embassy and a hotel in Baghdad were targeted by drones early Tuesday,
with video appearing to show air defenses engaging a projectile near the embassy.
Majnoon oil field in Southern Iraq also came under attack as well. Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange attacks. Israeli air strikes targeting
Hezbollah stronghold in Southern Beirut killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded four others. That's according to the Lebanese military.
Meantime, four were wounded in Northern Israel following a barrage of strikes from Hezbollah on Iran. We're also tracking new attacks in the UAE.
Oil loading at the Fujairah port had to be briefly halted after a third attack in four days. The port serves as a vital oil export route, which
bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
Meantime, operations at Abu Dhabi Shah gas field are suspended. Officials say a drone attack caused a fire on Monday. All right, let's stay with the
back and forth about the Strait of Hormuz, that narrow but critical channel that effectively been closed by Iranian threats.
President Trump, who initially said the U.S. didn't need military help, now sounding increasingly unhappy. The allies aren't eager to send forces to
the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We defend all these countries. And then do you have any mine sweepers?
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And they say, well, would be possible for us not to get involved. We spend trillions and trillions of dollars on NATO to defend other countries, and I
always said, but if it ever comes time to defend us, they're not going to be there. Many of them would not be there, and we're going to have to start
thinking more wisely in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The president is also promising that NATO faces a quote, very bad future if U.S. allies do not step up. Despite that, some international
leaders have rejected Trump's social media demands for ships, others explaining they're hoping for a diplomatic solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: Like the United States and Israel. We want to see an end to Iran's nuclear and missile programs, but we will not
take part in this war.
KAJA KALLAS, EU'S HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: For the time being, there was no appetite in changing the mandate.
STARMER: We will not be drawn into the wider war. We cannot allow the war in the Gulf to turn into a windfall for Putin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Joining me live now is CNN Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger. He's also the White House and National Security Correspondent
for "The New York Times" and the author of " New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West".
David, thank you so much for being with us. So, this is a tough one for European allies. I mean, obviously their argument by and large, and
obviously you can't generalize with various different countries, but their argument for the most part, is this idea that they were not consulted about
this war.
The U.S. did not include them in the decision process to go to war with Iran, and now that it's already gone to war, it's now requesting their
help. They're saying that, look, we did not start this war. This is not our war. We're not going to finish it. However, they do have to be mindful of
the fact that Donald Trump does remember his friends and certainly his enemies.
And so, the fear is that the U.S. might end up, in some way, shape or form, trying to retaliate against some of the European allies. Walk us through
your thoughts on that.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, there are a few parts of this that I think are fascinating, and thanks for having me
back on to discuss it. The first part is, as you note they weren't consulted in any way prior to the decision to attack Iran.
You can contrast this with what George W. Bush did ahead of the invasion of Iraq. He did go to the European allies. He made his case. Some signed on
with him, including Britain. Some didn't France and Germany, but at least they had the argument and they understood each other's positions.
In this case, there was fundamentally no consultation whatsoever on either the concept or the timing. The second important part of this is even if
they weren't consulted, they're part of the collateral damage here. Everybody's paying these higher prices for oil, and of course, several of
these countries you mentioned, Japan in particular, get huge amounts of their oil through the outlet of the Strait of Hormuz.
So, it's not like they have no interest in it. And the third part of this is they have no idea how long this war is going to go on. The president
isn't offering them a voice if they come in and how it should end. They don't see a diplomatic solution in the immediate offing.
So, their fear is that if they begin patrolling the strait, even with purely defensive weapons, say, mine sweepers, if they get hit by a missile,
a drone, whatever, suddenly they are in the conflict.
ASHER: Just in terms of how the U.S. went about preparing for this war. I mean, in terms of sort of figuring out in advance before you go to war, you
have to sort of know what the quote, unquote enemy is going to do next, just in terms of how they're going to retaliate.
Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz many times they haven't gone through with it in this way before, but no doubt U.S.
intelligence officials would have known for sure that this would have been a card that the Iranians might try to play. Why wasn't there better
planning, better preparation in terms of how the Americans would respond and react to that?
SANGER: I think one answer is that while everybody knew they could go do this, and this has been, you know, red teamed and war game and so forth,
over the years, many studies have been put together on the topic, while they knew it could happen. The Iranians have never actually made it happen
before.
[11:40:00]
And partly that is because there was an assumption in the U.S. intelligence world that closing off the strait would also bottle up all of the Iranian
production. Well, in fact, what's happening now is the Iranian ships are passing through, ships with goods, and particularly oil for China, those
are passing through.
But there is a fear out there that the Iranians will take a shot at anything that belongs to a country that seems allied with the United
States. So, it's not that there's actually been that much action in the strait, although we have seen a few hits, and most of them have been
outside the strait itself.
But there is the fear of going through, and of course, insurance rates that have gone through the roof, because nobody really wants to go take this
risk.
ASHER: When it comes to the way in which Trump might retaliate against Iran for putting pressure just in terms of retaliating against them for their
closure of the Strait of Hormuz. One sort of nuclear option that Trump has sort of floated is this idea of really attacking Kharg Island.
Kharg Island is where Iran sends out most of its oil from. We know that the administration has bombed Kharg island, but really spared the sort of prime
oil infrastructure there, because that would be devastating to everybody. I mean, it would be catastrophic to the global oil markets.
Is that the only sort of leverage or card the Americans have to play at this point in time, or the main one in terms of putting pressure on Iran to
reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
SANGER: I think there are two major operations, both of which would require some activity on the ground that the administration is considering. One is
Kharg Island, and you know, it's out in the northern part of the Gulf. It wouldn't be that hard to take it. It might be really difficult to hold it,
right?
Because there would still be the possibility of Iranian military attacks, missile attacks and so forth on the troops that are actually operating, or
the ships that are in port there. There's also the possibility of sabotage of the pipelines that run from the mainland in Iran out to the island,
because the island is really just used to load the ships with oil.
And so, you know, it would be in a rock like problem. Yes, you could take it quickly, but how well could you hold it? The second operation, of
course, you're thinking about isn't about oil. It's about the nuclear fuel that is buried away. I believe it. We believe most of it is in Isfahan and
that too would be a very risky operation.
They are less about holding it than it would be just getting in and getting down that deep. Those are sort of the two major shoes that have not yet
dropped in this conflict.
ASHER: Right. David Sanger, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, parents in the U.S. may have more questions on the best advice for
their children's health, but a court ruling on RFK Jr.'s push against vaccines could provide some answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: Right, a federal judge has blocked parts of the U.S. Health Secretary's efforts to overhaul National Vaccine policy. Robert F. Kennedy
Jr., was pushing to reverse government guidelines on when children should get vaccine shots with the goal of reducing the number of vaccines
recommended.
Monday's ruling said Kennedy's changes did not follow proper legal processes. And that his move to replace a key advisory panel violated
federal law. So, what does the ruling mean for parents and their children's care? CNN's Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard has more.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: So many parents are confused out there. What does this mean for them? Well, for now, make decisions in
consultation with your pediatrician as this legal battle continues. And the back story here earlier this year, you probably remember HHS Secretary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials within the Department of Health and Human Services attempted to completely overhaul the childhood vaccine
schedule, reducing the number of vaccines being recommended.
When this happened, medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that this
sweeping overhaul would cause harm. While on Monday, a judge issued a ruling saying that the CDC's decision to overhaul the childhood vaccine
schedule actually did not go through the proper legal channels.
And U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy put a temporary block on this move. Well, here's what the Department of Health and Human Services says in
response to this ruling. Quote, HHS looks forward to this judge's decision being overturned, just like his other attempts to keep the Trump
Administration from governing.
Judge Murphy is also the same judge who blocked the Trump Administration's previous attempt to deport immigrants to countries that were not their
nations of origin. So, there is that history there between the judge and the administration. But for now, this legal battle continues.
The government wants this decision overturned. However, in response to this ruling, medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics have
called the judge's decision historic. In a statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics says, quote, in the wake of today's decision, one thing
remains clear, parents can continue to turn to the AAP's childhood vaccine recommendations and talk with their pediatrician about how to best protect
their children's health, end quote.
That statement was released yesterday, on Monday, the day --
ASHER: Right. We're going to the White House now where U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting with the Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Let's
listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: We'll keep it that way. I think it's going to be expanded very greatly. Probably they want to talk a little bit about tariffs, but I will
mention that. You know, we will bring that up, but you might want to be discussing that a little bit, but it's an honor to have you. And thank you
very much for being here. Thank you.
MICHAEL MARTIN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: May I thank you, president, for facilitating this visit. And in what is for us probably one of the most
important weeks in the United States. And in many ways, you're affirming the tremendous bonds between Iran the United States that go back to the
very foundation of this republic, and 45 million people in this country came Irish descent and Irish heritage.
And I spent the first two days in Philadelphia. Going back really into the heart of that history, and the fact that three Irish people born in the
island of Ireland signed the Declaration of Independence. It was printed by an Irish man, John Dunlap and disseminated across the colonies.
TRUMP: Right --
MARTIN: And Charles Thompson, who's discussed earlier, he designed the bald eagle, the seal of the U.S. So many ways our connection is foundational.
It's historic, and the Irish have to build America.
[11:50:00]
We're very proud of that connection. And we think you hosting us here in the White House is affirmation to all the Irish Americans out there and to
our diaspora in this country for what they've contributed to America. And that's very much through the prison this year the America 250 it's a very
exciting year.
TRUMP: Right --
MARTIN: We're discovering new things, even a guy from my own city, a guy called Stephen Moylan who was an aide to come to Washington. He's regarded
as the guy who came up with the phrase the United States of America -- record, and it's in New York in the history of those bonds.
TRUMP: Yeah. Well, you told me something before there was maybe the most interesting of all, how many presidents are in some way related through
blood, with Ireland?
MARTIN: 23.
TRUMP: Can you believe --
MARTIN: -- the Irish President.
TRUMP: They're great politicians. The Irish are great politicians.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
TRUMP: -- but think of it. 23 are in some form. And many of them have gone to Ireland.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
TRUMP: Grant --
MARTIN: Grant went to Ireland after his presidency.
TRUMP: Right.
MARTIN: I was saying earlier, Ron Reagan's visit was an extraordinary one in a place called Ballyporeen and county temporary.
TRUMP: Absolutely.
MARTIN: And of course, Janet Kennedy, grandfather was Irish. Came back, I think, early 63 and that's a very memorable visit, because of what tragedy
that happened, subsequently, assassination, which touched people in Ireland, very deeply --
TRUMP: Very popular --
MARTIN: Kennedy family, strong resignation with Ireland.
TRUMP: Well, we like the family too.
MARTIN: Yeah.
TRUMP: One person in particular, one very nice, controversial.
MARTIN: I know that --
TRUMP: But now he's doing a very good job. He really is. But we have more, I think, people here by far, than you have in Ireland.
MARTIN: Absolutely --
TRUMP: That Irish descent we have. So, you have quite a few, but we have a lot.
MARTIN: You have more than we have --
TRUMP: -- a lot --
MARTIN: Absolutely --
TRUMP: -- anyway. Thank you very much. It's great honor.
MARTIN: Thank you.
TRUMP: And any questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- do you --
TRUMP: Well, I'm having a great thing, my son and my family, we have a great golf complex in Ireland, one of the best in the world, called Dune
Bank. It's in Dune Bank, and it's been amazing. And Rory McIlroy loves it. They all love it. Great golfers. You have a tremendous golf tradition, and
it was chosen for the Irish open, which is a big deal. That's a big event.
MARTIN: Absolutely looking forward --
TRUMP: Everybody wants me to be there. You just said, I hope you're going to go. We're going to try. We are going to try. But it would be an honor,
but it was a great honor to be chosen. They only choose the best courses in the world for the, you know, for the big opens, it's one of the big ones,
the Irish open.
It's really become one of the most important tournaments in the world. It's going to do a year is going to be a fantastic success -- That's a very hard
course.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- have you made, Mr. President, in getting America's allies to assist the U.S. in escorting those oil tankers through the Strait
of Hormuz?
TRUMP: Well, we don't need too much help. We don't need any help actually. In fact, we just put out a notice I was watching over the last couple of
weeks, and all of our NATO allies were very much in favor of what we did. They thought it was very important. We were just discussing it actually
very important that we take out the nuclear threat from Iran, and we've done that very strongly, very powerfully.
We've wiped out their navy, wiped out their military in every aspect. Their air force is now decimated. They have no air force, no navy. They have no
radar. Their radar is entirely gone. Their anti-aircraft machinery is gone. Everything is gone. Their leaders are gone.
I guess one of the top persons was they say, a lot of people say their actual top was killed yesterday, along with somebody else that who was
responsible for the killing, the man that was responsible for the killing of 32,000 people over the last two weeks, he was in charge of the killing
of protesters.
It's an evil group. I mean, they killed much more than 32,000 people. And the man who was responsible for that was also killed yesterday. And all of
the NATO allies agreed with us, and but they don't want to. You know, despite the fact that we help them so much. We have thousands of soldiers
in different countries all over the world.
And they don't want to help us, which is amazing. I mean, amazing. And I didn't do a full court press, because I think if I did, they probably would
be but we don't need help.
[11:55:00]
You know, we've -- that war has been long prosecuted, as far as I'm concerned, almost from day one, we knocked out many of these things. We
knocked out the navy, essentially in a couple of days. But I was surprised to see that NATO, while they agreed that it was a very important thing to
do, they agree fully.
Nobody said, oh, you shouldn't do it. They would have had a nuclear weapon within one month of when we had the B2 bombers, bomb, the nuclear
potential, the I call it the nuclear dust. So, 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 was a great test, because we don't need them, but they should have been there. The other thing is, and I think, you know, very important, we
didn't have to be there for Ukraine. You know, Biden chose to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on Ukraine.
And I guess the Head of Germany just made a statement that, well, they weren't involved, and they have nothing to do with the war, but at the same
time, they think we did a great thing by knocking them out. Nobody wants to have Iran or anybody, but nobody wants to have Iran with a nuclear because
these people are crazy.
They're absolutely crazy, and they're vicious, violent. I mean, they kill. Think of it. They killed. Now, I hear it's about 41,000 people. They put
out a notice two days ago, anybody that protests will be immediately shot and killed. That's pretty tough stuff. So, everyone agrees with this, but
they don't want to help.
And we -- you know, we as the United States, have to remember that, because we think it's pretty shocking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- President Macron has just said in the last hour that he will never join a task force in the strait reform news until hostility
is finished. Yet yesterday --
TRUMP: Who said that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Macron. What's your reaction to that, sir?
TRUMP: Well, he'd be out of office very soon, so we'll have to see. You know, I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- on doing big A you're building an extension.
TRUMP: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But there's been an objection put in, and it's being held back at the moment due to small snails. What are you --
TRUMP: I have not heard that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
TRUMP: Of course -- the course was built and it's been operated very successfully. Somebody's objecting human and environmental group is
objecting --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How close he is to announce a coalition of bullying to secure the Strait of Hormuz which countries are joining and which countries
--
TRUMP: Well, we've had great support from the Middle East. Qatar has been great. UAE has been absolutely been great. Saudi Arabia has been terrific.
Bahrain has been very good. The Middle Eastern countries have been very strong in their support. And of course, Israel has been our partner.
Israel's been very, very strong along with us -- I was against Iran, long before I even thought about Israel being against Iran. I was, if you look
back many years ago, I talked about Iran was a big threat to this country, to this world of ours. And turned out to be, I was right back.
I said, you have to attack Kharg island, and you have to attack them years ago, when they were acting up. They've been acting up for 37, 47, I guess,
now, 48 years. For 48 years, they've been bad players, vicious players. And you can't let them have a nuclear weapon.
If they got a nuclear weapon, I would say they would have used it within 24 hours after having it. And they would have had it if we didn't bomb them
out from the great raid with the B2 bombers, eight months ago or so, you would have had a nuclear war in the Middle East and maybe beyond.
I think it would have hit Europe, maybe not Ireland, but it would have hit Europe. I think you would have been a nice piece of it. It all gets you.
It's big enough that you would have been affected. They would have hit Europe eventually.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Director of National counter terrorism, Joe Kent. He just resigned today. He said, we can't support your conflict with Iran.
What's your reaction to that --
TRUMP: Well, I read his statement. I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security. I didn't
know him well, but I thought it seemed like a pretty nice guy, but when I read a statement, I realized that it's a good thing that he's out because
he said that Iran --
END
