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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Vows to Obliterate Iran's Oil and Power if No Deal Reached; Rights Groups Issue Warning Over Demolition of Litani Crossings; More U.S. Troops Arrive in the Middle East Amid Iran Conflict; House, Senate Republicans at Odds Over DHS Funding; Oil Prices Jump After Trump Says He Wants to Take Iran's Oil; French Rape Survivor Gisele Pelicot Speaks with CNN. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired March 30, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Right, Donald Trump ramps up his rhetoric on Iran. "One World" starts right now. The U.S. President now threatening
to obliterate Iran's energy sources if a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is not reached soon.
Some TSA workers are finally getting paid after weeks of going without. How long will it take to calm the chaos, though, at American airports. Plus,
retail therapy in the age of AI, how artificial intelligence could dramatically change the way we shop. Right, come with you live from New
York, I'm Zain Asher.
You are watching "One World" with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Now in its fifth week, U.S. President Donald Trump posted this stock morning on social
media just hours ago, he claims the U.S. is making great progress in serious discussions with Iran, though, if a deal is not reached soon, he
says the U.S. could end its military involvement by, quote, blowing up and completely obliterating Iran's energy sources.
This less than 24 hours after Trump said Iran had agreed to most of America's list of demands to end the war claim, which, of course, Iran
denies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: They gave us most of the points. Why wouldn't they? I would only say that we're doing
extremely well in that negotiation. But you never know with Iran, because we negotiate with them, and then we always have to blow them up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Meantime, Iran's response teams are dealing with fresh strikes Iran as far as news agency reports, one U.S.-Israeli strike hit an orphanage
west of Tehran. It says at least two people were killed and five others injured. Take a look at this thick smoke rising from an oil refinery
complex in Iran's, Israel's rather, Haifa Bay.
Officials say the debris from an intercepted attack directly hit the facility. All of this comes oil prices, once again, rural the markets Brent
Crude earlier crossing $116 a barrel. The average cost of gas in the U.S. right now is just shy of $4 a gallon. That's according to AAA.
Let's start with Matthew Chance, joining us live now from Doha in Qatar. So, Matthew when it comes to just how far apart the U.S. and Iran is when
it comes to negotiations, and obviously the U.S. has their own sort of 15- point plan. Iran has its own five-point plan, and they're talking about the U.S. paying Iran reparations once the war is done for all the damage that
the Americans have caused the country.
And on top of that, you just have this idea that the U.S. should abandon some of its military bases in the region as well. Just walk us through how
much daylight there is? And how likely there is to see any sort of movement when it comes to negotiations anytime soon?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Hi Zain. Well, I mean, look, both plans that have been submitted, the 15-point plan
by the United States and the five point plan by the Iranians, are kind of equally unrealistic. You're right, the Iranian plan calling for all sorts
of moves by the United States, including getting rid of all their bases in the Middle East, that Washington simply isn't going to going to go for.
It's just not going to happen. But you can say the same for the 15-point plan that the Americans have put out there as well, which includes things
like Iran stopping all of its nuclear activities, stopping its support for its proxies, organizations like Hezbollah and things like that, and
accepting severe limits on its ballistic missile program.
Things that the United States has asked Iran to do in the past, but it has always said no to -- and it said no to them again this time. And so
publicly, at least, despite the insistence of President Trump that progress is being made in negotiations with the Iranian side, there's no sign of any
compromise.
In fact, the Iranians have denied that they're even engaged in negotiations with the United States and so that's one problem. The other sort of thing
is that what we are seeing a lot of is escalation, escalation in the region. We're seeing Iranian missiles and drone strikes really sort of
bombard areas across the Persian Gulf, the Arab Gulf States in particular, Qatar is just to release the statement within the past few minutes saying
that it intercepted numerous drones fired by Iran.
[11:05:00]
Over the course of this morning, we've seen attacks in Bahrain in United Arab Emirates, in Saudi Arabia and across this Persian Gulf region, which
is energy rich, and where there are incredibly sensitive and vulnerable energy installations that could be damaged, causing yet more economic
turmoil.
We're also seeing, you know, United States move additional forces into the region, with the arrival of 3,500 marines and sailors as part of a Marine
Expeditionary Unit, which is now in the Persian Gulf region, which gives the -- fueled speculation there could be some kind of land operation being
planned by the Americans with boots on the ground of U.S. troops, a further escalation, which could provoke even more retaliation from Iran.
So, look, we are in a sort of critical juncture, a decision point. There's a possibility of a negotiated settlement, apparently, but it looks much
more likely that this conflict, which is now just over a month old, is going to escalate further, Zain.
ASHER: And also, just in terms of one thing that the administration here in the United States is talking about, Trump is saying that regime change is
already underway, not just because the sort of current regime structure you have a lot of people, a lot of leaders who obviously have been killed over
the past month or so.
But really this idea that the U.S. is talking to new people, Iran negotiating with new potential leaders, that is what Trump is saying. What
more do we know on that front, Matthew?
CHANCE: Well, I mean, look, I mean in terms of the idea that the regime has been changed, I don't think anybody seriously sort of accepts that. I mean,
it's certainly true that the people have changed because the top leadership Iran have been killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes.
But Iran isn't a country that is based on the leadership individuals. It's country that's based on institutions. And those institutions, however sort
of negative they are towards their own people, have proved to be resilient. And when one leader is taken out, another one steps up and takes his place.
And that's exactly what we've seen sort of happen in Iran over the course of the past several weeks. And so, yet, yeah, look, regime change, fine.
That is not, according to Marco Rubio the U.S. Secretary of State, an objective. Anyway, he's now saying that the real objective all along has
been to basically degrade the Iranian military, to stop its navy from operating, from stop it from ever developing nuclear weapons.
And it may have made some progress in that regard. But you know, if the war were to stop now, for instance, you'd see a situation where Iran is in a
stronger position than it was before the war, in the sense that it still has that tight strangle hold around the Strait of Hormuz.
It can essentially stop traffic going through that essential energy waterway into the global markets. And it also has activated its proxies in
Yemen, the Houthis, who have fired missiles at Israel. They have a big arsenal of rockets and things like that, but they've also got the ability,
should they choose to use it to seal off another important shipping lane that gives access to the Red Sea.
And so, Iran still has a great many strategic cards that it can play, as well as proving itself to have been resilient in the face of a U.S. and
Israeli onslaught, Zain.
ASHER: Right. Matthew Chance live for us there in Qatar. Thank you so much. Israel is pushing farther into Southern Lebanon, where its forces are
occupying land south of the Litani River. This comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says that he's ordered an expansion of Israel's buffer
zone in the south, aiming to fight off cross border attacks by Hezbollah.
Israel has called on Lebanese civilians to evacuate the area. And today, UNICEF told CNN that 20 percent of Lebanon's population has been displaced
by the war. Jeremy Diamond is joining us live now from Jerusalem. Just this idea that Israel is essentially widening its ground campaign in Lebanon.
Just talk to us about Israel's end goal here, what the reaction has been from the Lebanese people who, of course, have been through so much. And
what it means for the Lebanese people who have already been displaced? My understanding is that at least a million people so far have been displaced,
Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, about 20 percent of Lebanon's population displaced by this war and by Israeli
military evacuation orders issued in the southern part of Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut, and the death
toll is also rising.
More than 1100 people have been killed so far in Israeli strikes over the course of the last few weeks. And all of this as Israel is now vowing to
intensify its ground operations in southern Lebanon, with the prime minister talking about establishing a buffer zone in Southern Lebanon
perhaps as far as that Litani River, which at its furthest point is about 20 miles north of the Israel-Lebanon border.
[11:10:00]
We are already watching as Israeli troops are basically carrying out what appears to be a slow-moving ground invasion of Southern Lebanon. One that
is proving increasingly deadly, not only for the Lebanese and for Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, but also for Israeli soldiers, with six Israeli
soldiers who have now been killed so far by Hezbollah fire. Two Israeli civilians have also been killed in Northern Israel as a result of Hezbollah
rocket fire.
And indeed, the humanitarian consequences for people in northern Israel are bearing down as that area is increasingly targeted by rocket fire. But in
Southern Lebanon, it is of an entirely different proportion altogether, with Human Rights Organizations warning that Israel's demolition and
strikes on multiple bridges across that Litani River is preventing tens of thousands of people in Southern Lebanon from being able to access essential
goods and supplies.
And all of that, of course, threatening to get worse as this Israeli ground operation now expands.
ASHER: And Jeremy, we also understand that an Israeli reserve battalion has actually now been suspended after detaining and assaulting your crew on the
ground there. What more can you tell us about that, Jeremy? And just walk us through what actually happened here.
DIAMOND: Yeah, that's right. Well, my crew and I were in Tayasir in the occupied West Bank at late last week. We were covering the latest Israeli
settler attacks on that Palestinian community there the establishment of an illegal outpost, and within minutes of us arriving, a group of Israeli
soldiers came up on us, guns drawn.
They put my camera man in a choke hold and subsequently detained us for nearly two hours. This reporting has now echoed across Israel, in part
because during our nearly two-hour detention, those Israeli soldiers spoke to us quite candidly about their views and about the ways in which they
were very much helping the Israeli settler playbook in the West Bank, protecting this illegal settler outpost and talking about this notion of
revenge against Palestinians.
As a result of this, the Israeli military's Chief of Staff has now suspended the entire battalion that stems from this incident. That is
hundreds of Israeli soldiers in that battalion who have been pulled from the West Bank now are being reassigned for training and will only go back
into duty, operational duty with the approval of the Commander of Israel's Central Command.
And in addition to that, the soldier who spoke to us about revenge, about helping this illegal settler outpost, he has been kicked out of the Israeli
military, as for the soldier who assaulted my photo journalist, Cyril Theophilos, he is under investigation by Israel's military police.
It does bear mentioning, though, that this swiftness and scope of consequences here is quite rare in the Israeli military. It speaks, of
course, to the gravity of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank right now, but it also, of course, speaks to the fact that it involved us,
American journalists in the West Bank.
Had it been Palestinian journalists in this incident, as we have seen too many times before, there is not a lot of accountabilities in the Israeli
military. And what we are also waiting to see is whether this provokes a change in policy from Israeli soldiers there about tackling this growing
problem of settler violence there.
We have not yet seen that, and that is something that we will, of course, be monitoring and covering extensively going forward, Zain.
ASHER: And Jeremy, thank you for making that point. This idea that had it been Palestinian journalists, we might not necessarily have seen the same
reaction. That is an important distinction to make. Right, Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right, President Trump signed an order for TSA workers to finally get paid. So how are airport security lines looking today. We'll have a live
update from Baltimore's main airport. Plus, finally some relief for the energy starved people of Cuba. But some people are critical of where that
relief is actually coming from. Details up next for you, too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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ASHER: All right, let's go back to our top story, just in terms of the war in Iran, both sides, just in terms of what the Americans and the Iranians
want as a result of the potential peace negotiations, both sides do seem to be very, very far apart at this point in time. I want to bring in our next
guest, General Wesley Clark, who is NATO's Former Supreme Allied Commander for Europe.
General, thank you so much for being with us. I was just talking to this, talking about this, rather to our Matthew Chance, who's on the ground there
in Qatar. And essentially, you have a situation whereby what the Americans want in terms of peace agreement and what the Iranians want could not be
further apart.
Both demands appear to be extremely unrealistic at this point, you have the Iranians talking about potential reparations, that the Americans should
essentially pay money to rebuild parts of Iran that, of course, have been destroyed by this months' long war. And then also this idea that the
Americans should abandon their bases in parts of the Middle East as well.
Obviously, that is extremely unrealistic. Based on that, how on earth does this war actually come to an end, General?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER FOR EUROPE: I think it could come to an end if the United States goes through
its diplomatic contacts. Let's say Pakistan, China comes in. People talk to the Iranian government.
I think the Iranian government is split. I think you've got a civilian political leader who's at odds with the one-star Iranian IRGC, designated
commander. I think the Iranian commander is a hard, hard-nosed guy who just wants to fight it out to the end, but I think the political leaders have
better sense.
It may take China, Pakistan, Turkey, and other countries to persuade them to back off these extreme demands, and let's get the strait open and then
we'll go from there. But I think this is a time that we've got to use our diplomacy and our maximum bush.
ASHER: As interesting that you're quite optimistic about the possibility that we could see an end. You know, you have Donald Trump essentially
saying that from his perspective, regime change is already underway. And obviously he's pointing to the fact that you have a lot of Iran's top
leaders who, of course, were decimated and killed in that February 28th attack.
I mean, obviously regime change takes a lot more than that. You have to sort of dismantle the entire system. It's not just about killing leaders.
And the U.S. President is also talking about the fact that the Americans are negotiating or talking to other potential leaders within Iran as well.
I mean, what do we know for sure at this point? And obviously, just because the Americans are talking to new groups of people does not mean that those
people are ever going to get their hands on the top job just in terms of being in power.
CLARK: Yes, that's the problem. We don't know exactly who we're talking to. At least we in the public don't know this. I'm sure the administration has
some ideas. But there -- this is a regime. We put it under a lot of stress. We've got people who are struggling to survive and get through it.
And then we've got our intermediaries, Turkey, Pakistan, hopefully China will put pressure on the government there and the IRGC to open up the
straits, stop this crazy going after desalination plants and infrastructure, because it's going to result in a huge global catastrophe
if it goes that way.
[11:20:00]
But if it does go that way, I'm confident the United States will eventually prevail in this, that we will open up the straits eventually. It may take
quite a military operation to do it, but the end is inevitable against Iran, and it's not in their favor. So, they should understand that this is
the time they've made their point, they close the straits.
OK, now let's open it up and get back as close as we can to business as usual, and stop threatening other nations in the region.
ASHER: Because we are running out of time, I'm going to ask you two questions in one, if I may, General, the fact that you have the U.S. Air
Force E-3 aircraft that was hit by an Iranian missile strike. Just your take on that, you know how sort of serious is that, and then also the fact
that it's taken five weeks for Houthi rebels to actually enter this conflict. Does that surprise you that it took essentially so long?
CLARK: Well, it doesn't take. It is surprising. They weren't greater action. I am concerned about the loss of the AWACS aircraft because it
indicates that we do need to strengthen our high altitude, medium altitude defenses in the region, as well as our counter drone actions, and we need
to put pressure on Russia to stop providing them the accurate targeting information that Russia is providing.
This is not the time to coddle Russia. It's the time to talk Turkey to Russia. That is to say, stop providing the assistance. We can do more in
Ukraine. Let's get this situation resolved here in the Middle East. And your assistance to Iran is complicating it, not helping resolve it.
So, I think we need to be strong with Russia at this point, and I do think we need to strengthen our own defenses for our forces and deployments in
the region.
ASHER: All right. General, Wesley Clark, live for us. Thank you so much. Right, U.S. airport security lines appear to be shortening. It comes as
some staff at the Transportation Security Administration start to receive the back pay that they're owed. President Trump, on Friday, ordered the
agency to resume paying the TSA 61,000 employees who, of course, been working without pay since the middle of February amid a partial government
shutdown.
About 500 TSA employees have quit during the shutdown. Thousands of others have been calling out sick, all of which has fueled weeks long of hour,
weeks of rather hours long security lines at checkpoints across airports in the United States. Our Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean.
Pete, I'm reading, and I'm kind of trying to look behind you to see, but it looks as though you're not near the -- Are you in the checkout area is that
where the check in area rather, is that where you are? And what sort of lines are we seeing?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you would think that it is a night and day difference here at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. This was
the line where it took two or three hours to get to on Friday and Saturday. Now it's taking folks minutes to get through security here.
It was the longest TSA line I have ever seen at any airport. It's probably the longest I'll probably see in my lifetime. Folks are coming in a door
down there from the outside here, the departures level. Then the line would snake that way down the hallway, make 180-degree turn, come back this way,
go down another hallway, make 180-degree turn.
It would take folks so long. You know, I just talked to a woman who showed up hours ahead of her flight here because she was so worried about the
length of the line that she had been seeing on the news. She brought a folding chair. She was concerned that she was going to have to sit in line
so long.
You know the real rub here is that these TSA agents have gotten all of this back pay. It means many of them are showing up to work again, rightfully
so, but it only gets them up to now. It's not an executive order from the White House that gets them pay going forward.
And passengers I've been speaking to here are acutely aware that it is now on the U.S. Congress, which is still on recess, by the way, to fix this in
the long term, the longest government shutdown of a government agency in U.S. history. Want you to listen to what these passengers going to say to
me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they just need to do their job. They're getting paid for doing absolutely nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's going to be a horrible spring break if they don't get it fixed. Even though some workers are coming back, there's more and
more people that are going to be traveling as we get closer to Easter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congress should come back from their recess and take care of this problem. This is ridiculous. How come they get paid? And these
poor TSA workers, these are the victims of this whole thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:25:00]
MUNTEAN: Zain, one more look here. This is such a stark difference. 33 percent of TSA agents here at BWI alone called out during the most recent
TSA data we have. That's an incredible number. And there was some talk here at the airport that a whole shift did not show up to work on Friday.
And then you mix in that it's spring break for many Americans here in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, schools here one on spring break on Friday for
students, meaning their number of passengers, the passenger volume here through the airport was the highest they have seen all year.
Typically, passenger volumes go down a little bit on a Monday. The market's share here 70 percent Southwest Airlines. And Southwest Airlines tells me
they are full today, operating 4200 flights. Still going to be a busy day for air travel in the U.S. Thankfully, though, it seems like this TSA chaos
at airports across the country is over for now.
ASHER: That is such good news, and it's so funny. I was so confused by the lack of lines behind you that I literally thought that it was the check in
desk. I literally thought it was where people would actually check in, but it wasn't actually -- lines.
MUNTEAN: Yeah -- the difference.
ASHER: It's so funny. Gosh, what a difference a few days me. I'm glad that everyone is showing up for work and that they did get their pay up until
now, at least. Pete Muntean, thank you so much. All right, earlier on Monday, a Russian oil tanker docked in Cuba bringing badly needed fuel,
that's according to Russian state news, not yet verified by CNN.
The U.S. has imposed a de facto oil embargo on Cuba after cutting off fuel shipments from Venezuela, which Cuba relied on heavily. President Donald
Trump says that oil shipments are OK, but only if they're for humanitarian purposes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need, they have to survive. It wouldn't bother me --
Well, I would say, I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Patrick Oppmann joins us live now from Havana. So, I mean, the president's policy does seem a bit haphazard, because obviously it wasn't
so long ago that he was talking about a complete oil embargo on Cuba. Now he's sort of intimating. Well, you know, a few, a few boats here and there,
is totally fine.
So, I don't think that the strategy here is particularly clear, but obviously this is good news for the Cuban population. The question is, how
long does it buy them?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, you know your first question, right there is incredibly important. Oil energy analysts say, you know, about 12
days. So, 250,000 barrels, it helps Cuba. Does it solve Cuba's energy crisis, which is such a profound crisis. No.
And certainly, people here are excited to hear this. It could mean less blackouts. It could mean gasoline for sale, which it's not at this point,
but it'll take days to refine this oil returning to diesel, really, and that is what Cuba's energy grid works on. So, it will help. Does it solve
the problem. No, no, it doesn't.
And Donald Trump has changed his stance on this. He's back down somewhat because, of course, up until now, he said that any country that sends oil
to Cuba would violate U.S. sanctions. Would be facing tariffs. He has said yesterday that if Russia wants to give away its oil, that that's fine with
him.
Apparently, this is a deal that U.S. and Russian officials worked out. You can't overstate the importance that Russia -- that Cuba has for Russians.
You know, they have a long history that goes back throughout the Cold War. Russians always refer to this island Estatua de la Libertad, Liberty
Island.
But we also have to point out, Zain, that this is one of the reasons the Soviet Union went broke, that was subsidizing the island of Cuba for so
long. Russia doesn't have the ability or the desire to do that. They've sent oil shipments here over the past few years, on occasion, but then
we've heard that they want to be paid for those oil shipments.
That's not something Cuba is able to do at this point. So, while this is welcome news for the Cuban government, it is going to essentially prolong
the situation a little bit more. You've heard President Trump say again, though, that he believes that Cuba is next. The government here, one way or
the other, is going to fall.
ASHER: Right, ominous words. Patrick Oppmann, live for us that thank you so much. Right, all it takes is a few words. We'll tell you what Donald Trump
said that made already high crude oil prices jump even higher, and when they could come down, after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the international headlines we are -- Transportation
Security Administration employees are starting to see back pay hit their bank accounts. At the same time, security lines at the airports do appear
to be getting shorter.
President Trump, on Friday, ordered the Department of Homeland Security to resume paying TSA staff. They've been working without pay for weeks amid
the partial government shutdown. Iran's Foreign Ministry says the Trump Administration's 15-point proposal for halting the conflict is unrealistic
and unreasonable.
That's the stark contrast to President Trump's earlier claim that Iran had agreed to most of the U.S. demands. U.S. President again, says he's
considering whether to deploy forces to seize Iran's Kharg Island. He told the "Financial Times" on Sunday that if the U.S. took control of the
Iranian fuel hub, American troops might have to stay there, as he put it, for a while.
After issuing threats, the Houthis in Yemen have joined the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. On Saturday, the Iran backed rebels fired a pair of missiles
towards Israel. Like Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis could close a key waterway routinely used by container shipping and oil and gas
tank is.
Some analysts say they see Saturday strikes more as symbolic than full- fledged backing of Iran. Let's take a look and oil prices and see where they are. They are obviously up again today -- the $116 a barrel. Earlier,
it's now at $112 a barrel. The U.S. benchmark, WTI, broke through $100 a barrel mark today, it's now trading at $102 a barrel.
President Trump's words over the weekend are driving fears the Middle East conflict could escalate further again. He told the "Financial Times" Sunday
that he wants to take Iran's oil. One analyst predicts, if the conflict drags on to the end of June, Brent crude could actually hit $200 saying
that that essentially would translate to gasoline at $7 a gallon in the United States.
Rana Foroohar joins us live now. She is CNN's Global Economics Analyst and a Global Business Columnist at the "Financial Times". Rana, so good to see
you. So, I just want to start with what President Trump said about taking Iran's oil.
[11:35:00]
I mean, obviously this idea of seizing Iran's oil infrastructure, taking control of Kharg Island. I mean, that would be incredibly risky, because
you would need to sort of essentially occupy and defend the infrastructure. But he's sort of touting this idea of sort of modeling it on what happened
with Venezuela, which again, would be very difficult for the United States.
And whether or not the U.S. is actually able to pull this off or go through with it. Obviously, what people are doubting that, but it does show that
the U.S. is really struggling to figure out how on earth to retaliate against Iran for its control of the Strait of Hormuz.
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Yeah, you know, it's really interesting, Zain, the President, has also said, you know, he's supposedly
the master negotiator. He has said that he finds it strange negotiating with the Ayatollahs, that he finds it a little disconcerting the Iranian
way of doing things.
I think that this is code for, you know, this isn't Venezuela. This isn't going as well as we thought. Many of us that watch geopolitics closely
would say that we are not surprised by that. Iran is a very, very unique and complex country, and the oil infrastructure, particularly in and around
the Strait of Hormuz, is very singular.
You know, you could look at this and say that it would be difficult, even with boots on the ground, to militarily control the Strait of Hormuz. The
way in which the geography is structured there, the way in which Iran can use cheap drones to now take down multi-million-dollar equipment, the
changing nature of war, the fact that 20 percent of the oil goes through here it is a major, unique global choke point.
And I think what we're seeing now is the limits of, you know what was called the Donroe Doctrine, this idea that the president can simply control
what is in his orbit. I think Iran is where the buck stops on that.
ASHER: So, both sides are clearly, I mean, world universes apart when it comes to negotiations, just in terms of what each side wants. I mean, it's
very unrealistic that either side is going to get completely what they want though. Obviously, in any sort of peace settlement that does have to be
compromised, it's unclear at what point both sides will be willing to compromise, but it does.
It is clear that Iran does have the upper hand, at least economically, and their ability to fight this war asymmetrically, as you point out, is
causing the United States a lot of issues. So, if this war drags on, let's say it continues for several months, what does that mean for oil prices,
Rana?
FOROOHAR: Oh -- you know, I think that oil above 100 if this war drags on, is certainly the new normal. But if you were to see a major takedown of
infrastructure in the region, if you were to see this, you know, the Saudi's get involved. I mean, we could be talking much higher prices, much
more quickly.
That would grind the global economy to a halt. I think that you're already seeing some major slow down signs, just anecdotally, inflation in travel
and transport, in anything that touches, petrochemicals, supply chain disruption, I think the numbers, the GDP numbers, the employment numbers,
are going to begin to show this by the fall.
And then, of course, you have to add in politics, because the U.S. is heading into midterm elections, major, major headwinds against the
Republicans. The president taking a lot of heat for starting a war of choice. The U.S. is in a very tight position, and I think has very little
negotiating room.
The question is, what the Iranian are going to want? And I suspect that if there's any kind of negotiated peace, they're going to drive a very, very
hard bargain, and President Trump is not going to come out in a position in which he's going to be able to do his usual jujitsu of, you know, saying,
hey, here's the win, here's what we've been able to accomplish. I think it's going to be very, very difficult.
ASHER: Yeah, especially because it's going to be difficult to achieve the regime change that he promised initially, going into this war.
FOROOHAR: -- sure.
ASHER: In terms of a recession here in the U.S., Rana, at what point is that, likely at what point does that become definite?
FOROOHAR: So, we are at a kind of a fascinating moment in the U.S. economy. I think if you were seeing this kind of scenario, this much geopolitical
risk, this much strife, this oil prices where they are now 20 years ago, you'd already be saying, yeah, we're in a recession.
What's happened, though, is there's been a tremendous amount of wealth creation, particularly in asset markets at the at the upper 10, 20 percent.
You've got the top 20 percent of the population in the U.S. doing the majority of consumer spending. And until you see a major sustained asset
market correction, I don't think that spending is going to fall off a cliff.
[11:40:00]
Now, if you were to see higher oil prices colliding with worries about AI job disruption, the AI bubble starting to collapse, some kind of credit
issue in the private market that corrected things, equities and bonds into, you know, into a 20 or 30 percent correction. Then I think, yeah, recession
financially led recession very, very quickly.
But the question is, you know, we're in a K-shaped economy, that upper part of the K that wealthy middle class, upper middle-class Americans that are
doing most of the spending. How secure do they feel? And some of that is going to be down to the data that comes out between now and the fall.
And we're really on a nice edge. I think we're going to know a lot more by the end of the summer about where we are, not just for the next few months,
but for the next few years in the economy.
ASHER: Right. Rana Foroohar, always good to see you. Appreciate you joining us. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is suggesting the possible use
of Ukrainian sea drones in the Strait of Hormuz part of further deals to be signed with Gulf allies. Ukraine has used naval drones against Russian
tankers in the Black Sea.
And Zelenskyy said they're ready to assist our partners with unblocking the straits. CNN's Ben Hunte has more on Ukraine's ongoing fight against
Russia, which has been largely, of course, overshadowed by the conflict with Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukraine's port city, Odessa, struck again by Russian drones. It's a frequent target of Russian attacks
because of its shipping lanes and energy infrastructure. And some residents say they know all too well the dangers flying overhead.
OLENA KUDRIASHOVA, ODESSA RESIDENT: When you're scared, and Shahed drones are flying, you start to believe in anything and everything. Last night, I
had the thought that God had blessed us on the right, left, front, back, windows and doors were smashed. Our window survived. We're so happy. We
made it through the night.
HUNTE (voice-over): Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has launched more than 3000 attack drones against his country in the past week.
Many of them Iranian made Shahed drones, which are some of the same drones Iran is using against Gulf nations.
And Zelenskyy is trying to capitalize on what Ukraine has learned on the battlefield, making deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to share its
expertise on low-cost interceptors and other drone defenses.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: We're talking about a 10-year partnership. We have already signed the agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we
have just signed a similar 10-year agreement with Qatar. We will also sign a 10-year agreement with the UAE.
HUNTE (voice-over): The agreements come at a critical time for Ukraine, which is facing a spring offensive from Russia as fuel prices sky rocket
and Russian oil flows more freely on the market after the U.S. eased some sanctions on it. It's been a windfall for Russia, but it's also made
Russia's energy sector a target.
Ukraine, hitting several Russian refineries and oil export terminals in the past week as part of a stepped-up campaign against Moscow's revenue stream.
Ukraine is also accusing Russia of sharing intelligence with Iran, including satellite images of U.S. assets in the region.
CNN has asked the Kremlin for comment. It's a further blurring of the lines of two separate wars with overlapping interests and alliances. Ben Hunte,
CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, still to come here. Gisele Pelicot name has been synonymous with the courage to speak out against rape culture. Up next, she
speaks with CNN and shares her message for fellow survivors of sexual abuse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: Gisele Pelicot's horrifying and deeply personal account of abuse at the hands of her husband and dozens of other men obviously shock the world.
But in waiving anonymity and allowing the 2024 trial against her husband and some 50 other men to be made public, she ignited a campaign against
rape culture.
She's now speaking out again, sitting down with CNN's Saskya Vandoorne as part of an investigation into the online spaces that enable and encourage
drug assisted rape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GISELE PELICOT, RAPE SURVIVOR: If we stay in our corner, we will never change awareness. And I say, "Bravo, ladies, bravo!" Don't be ashamed of
having done it. All women should be able to take this step, even if it's very difficult. Even if it's very complicated in their heads.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Shame must change sides. The powerful message Gisele Pelicot now champions just two years
after her decision to wave anonymity in the face of dozens of her rapists made her an icon of courage. I sat down with her to discuss our reporting
on the online spaces where men encourage the kind of drug assisted rape that she endured.
VANDOORNE: In these spaces where I've been undercover, it's your husband who is idolized. I've seen users call him a hero, and some are still
searching for videos of you.
PELICOT: It is frightening to think that today people are capable of saying that Mr. Pelicot is a hero. Which means they identify with him. I believe
this kind of scenario will be repeated again and again.
VANDOORNE: What does it feel like to be in the spotlight again, but this time speaking in your own words, rather than through the headlines?
PELICOT: Through this book I wanted people to get to know me, what kind of a woman I am and how I was able to hold myself up, in the way that I did.
It was also a way for the readers to better understand how I got through this.
VANDOORNE: In your book, you speak about the men who never had to answer for what they did, if you could address them and the countless anonymous
users still acting with impunity online, what would you say?
PELICOT: I would say, gentlemen, think of your mother, think of your sister. Think of your daughter when you do this. Is there ever a moment
when you tell yourself. "What I am doing is truly a criminal act?" And be careful, because one day maybe you will be caught.
VANDOORNE: In reporting this case, we've seen cases emerge across Europe, including the recent case of Joanne Young whose husband admitted drugging
and raping her over 13 years. We've also spoken to multiple survivors who say they were drugged and raped by their husbands, and many of them see you
as a source of strength.
With your permission, I'd like to read you some of the messages that these survivors have sent to me to read to you. One survivor, her name is Amanda
Stanhope. She lives in Wigan. Her strength inspired me to speak out. She broke the silence and shame so many survivors are forever grateful to her.
I'd love to say thank you. If she can do it, then so can I. Zoe Watts in Devon to know that we are not alone throughout such a covert crime builds
resilience. I found that it changed me, but I won't let it break me. Together, our voice for change will become a song.
PELICOT: You're going to make me cry. These are beautiful. Of course, I'm really moved by these testimonies. It's beautiful to know that they found
this strength. If I was able to pass on my strength then that's success. Because indeed we need to be united. In the face of this all.
VANDOORNE: Do you have hope for a future where this doesn't define you?
PELICOT: First of all, I no longer want to claim the status of "victim," because it's also important to move beyond that status. I did something. I
did a very small thing. At least to me, it feels small, which is that I decided to oppose the closed-door proceedings.
That's all I did. I didn't do anything extraordinary; I simply had the strength to do it, that's all. It's also about taking back control of my
life.
[11:50:00]
That's what important -- telling yourself. "Today, I am no longer the same woman." I was indeed able to fall in love again because that's how I
operate. I need to trust, and to tell myself that we don't necessarily repeat the same patterns. And thankfully! Life can bring beautiful
surprises.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Long gone are the days of writing out your grocery list with a pen and paper, although I still do that. These days with the fast-evolving
world of chatbots new features handle everything from building a grocery list recipe inspiration and even ordering the actual groceries.
CNN's Hadas Gold joins us live now with more. Just another example, Hadas, of how AI is revolutionizing everything in our daily lives.
HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we wanted to show people how AI agents are something that you can use today, even as a non-tech person,
most people's interactions with AI might be ChatGPT and talking to a chatbot, but today you can download an AI agent that can help you complete
some tasks that might save you some time.
I mean, there's still some security consideration taking hand. So, what you're seeing on screen right now, that is what I did earlier, I gave
Claude, which is something that you can have on a Google Chrome extension. Claude is part of Anthropic and I just typed in, you know, go to whole
foods, get me a gallon of milk and two dozen eggs, and have it set for pick up today from the Upper West Side.
I approved its plan. And then everything else you see on the screen that is Claude, the agent working by itself. I didn't type or click anything. It is
doing it all by itself, and will set it up for me up until the final stage, where then I will click buy. And that's actually just a guardrail that
Anthropic puts into place so that the human completes the financial transaction.
But an AI agent has the capability to complete that financial transaction. I could have also given extra conditions. I could have said, find me the
cheapest milk, or, you know, find me the best reviewed yogurt. You can apply the same thing to shopping for makeup or shopping for a birthday
present or something like that.
I could have given it a list of, you know, 15 different items to look for, for me. And I think this should show people what kind of the future might
look like, where in the beginning of the day you put into your AI agent, your grocery list, maybe some other tasks that you need done that involve
kind of a lot of clicking around on the internet, taking up your time, and you give it to your agent to do.
And this is something that businesses are preparing for as well. The retail landscape is shifting from search engine optimization, where they're trying
to get in the top of the Google searches to now agent engine optimization.
[11:55:00]
They are trying to optimize their websites, knowing that an AI agent is going to be the one that's reading and crawling and searching and not a
human being, and that changes how you present, products and how you write their descriptions and how you list it out.
There are even things like agent only discounts to try and incentivize the agent to choose their product versus something else and present it to the
user. And this is going to completely, really change the landscape of consumer shopping, maybe not today, but this is something that's going to
be coming in the next, I would say, year, two years, even more.
And this is something you can download today. There are still security considerations to keep in mind. You want to make sure that you're
downloading an AI agent from a reputable AI company from a reputable source. And these things can still make mistakes, and they will do some
weird things sometimes, but it's been fascinating for me to play around with this and watch the steps that it takes.
It will show you the steps that it takes. And I've even seen the AI agent make a mistake, choose the wrong product, recognize that it shows the wrong
product, take it out of the basket and choose the correct product. So, it is amazing to see how quickly these things are developing, and how much is
going to change the retail landscape, Zain.
ASHER: I love that you're fascinated by this, because 40 percent of me is excited, 60 percent of me is absolutely terrified -- Hadas Gold thank you
so much. Stay with CNN. I'll have much more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
