Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Iran Escalates Attacks in Strait of Hormuz; Americans Opposed to Iran War?; Gas Prices Skyrocket. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired March 13, 2026 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:52]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: For motorists all across the country right now, no relief from soaring gas prices. They're up yet again this morning.

AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular gas is now $3.63. That's more than 30 cents higher than just a week ago and is up almost 70 cents higher from a month ago.

Let's go live right now to our business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich. She's at a gas station in Ridgefield, New Jersey.

Vanessa, the impact of this war with Iran is clearly being felt all across the country, especially where you are right now.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf.

And that is because oil is traded on a global market. And even though there's enough supply here in the United States, folks across the country are feeling the pain at the pump, as you mentioned, the national average jumping another three cents overnight, about 30 cents in the last week and over 60 cents in just a month.

Here in Ridgefield, New Jersey, this is really a gas station just off a major highway. So you have a lot of people actually commuting for work, coming down from Connecticut through New Jersey all the way into Pennsylvania. And the average here for a gallon for regular gas is $3.58, just off of that national average.

But it's been a mixed bag of people we have been speaking to here. Some actually believe it's worth a little pain at the pump for the mission that's taking place in Iran. But, for others, this is really affecting their bottom line, both for work, but also for their personal finances, Wolf.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It'll be over soon. I just feel like it's short- lived. The conflict's going to go on for a little bit, but it's -- we have been there before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I use -- I need my truck for work, but I can't afford it. Like, it's too much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, as a day-to-day working-class man, it definitely has an impact on my family life, not being able to afford as much. I mean, me, I'm 25 years old and I can hardly afford to own a house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: So, according to GasBuddy, they do expect the price to jump another 10 cents or so in the next week.

And some experts are projecting that gas could hit $4 at the national average in the next coming weeks. And, Wolf, this is really culminating at a time when we're switching the fuel blend here in the United States from the winter gas to the summer gas, which is already more expensive traditionally for drivers.

So you have that mixing with these higher oil prices, which is just pushing prices at the pump a lot higher than a lot of Americans are comfortable with, Wolf.

BLITZER: Vanessa, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, tried to minimize the continued closure by Iran of that vital Strait of Hormuz, saying -- and I'm quoting him now -- "We have been dealing with it and don't need to worry about it."

But that's really a key issue here, isn't it?

YURKEVICH: Yes, it is the key issue here.

Because that Strait of Hormuz, of which 20 percent of global oil flows through, has been closed, that is what is pushing oil prices higher. We are seeing now oil prices, both at the international level and U.S. crude, between that $90 to $100 range.

And that's why I'm standing here today talking to people about these rising gas prices. So, for both investors, but also everyday Americans, the key to bringing these prices down is reopening that Strait of Hormuz. But there's no indication, at least from the Iranians, that they're willing to do that, Wolf.

BLITZER: When I filled up my car yesterday here in the D.C. area, a gallon of regular gas $3.99, almost $4 a gallon. Very significant.

YURKEVICH: Wow.

BLITZER: Vanessa Yurkevich in New Jersey, thank you very, very much.

And just ahead: Defense Secretary Hegseth says Iran has no air defenses, no air force, and no navy. So what's left for the U.S. military to target?

I will ask former Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh about the ongoing operation and the military strategy. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:39:25]

BLITZER: Breaking news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is addressing the growing concern about Iranian attacks on the Strait of Hormuz. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: And as the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz, something we're dealing with. We have been dealing with it and don't need to worry about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A lot of people are worried about it.

Joining us now is CNN global affairs commentator Sabrina Singh. She served as deputy press secretary of the Pentagon under the Biden administration.

Sabrina, thanks very much for coming in.

What's your reaction to what we heard from the Pentagon briefing earlier today?

[11:40:03]

SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, when you're watching, it's almost like two -- you're watching two different press conferences.

You're watching kind of a performance from Pete Hegseth, and then you're watching a more serious, somber press conference delivered by the joint chairman of the Chiefs of Staff, General Caine.

And the first thing that General Caine said was, he acknowledged the service members that were killed in that KC-135 crash that there's an ongoing investigation on. And what you hear from Hegseth to the American public is, well, don't worry about the Strait of Hormuz. We got it under control.

But the reality is, is just that's not reflected in what American people are seeing at the gas pump and certainly when they go to their grocery stores and electricity bills. Everything is rising because that strait is closed.

And so when the secretary says something flippant, like don't worry about it, actually people are worried about it. Americans are worried about it, and they should be worried about it. And so I think that's really concerning. And I think, particularly the secretary of defense needs to have a better pulse on where the people are of addressing their concerns head on.

BLITZER: The secretary, Secretary Hegseth, also spoke about the ongoing investigation into that strike on that girls school in Iran.

Sources telling CNN that early findings show that the U.S. is likely responsible. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: I can report that CENTCOM has designated an investigating officer to complete a command investigation. The command investigation will take as long as necessary to address all the matters surrounding this incident. And the investigating officer is from outside CENTCOM and is a general officer.

But I will note to this group and to the world there's only one entity in this conflict between us and Iran that never targets civilians, literally never targets civilians. We don't target. Iran does. We will investigate. We will get to the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What do you make of his comments?

SINGH: Well, I think he did acknowledge that there is an investigation ongoing and that someone from outside of CENTCOM is going to be leading that, a general officer. We don't have the name yet. But that is a good thing and that is what you would see as a standard protocol.

The investigation does need to be done. Those results do need to be released to the public. And Congress can also do its own investigation if it so chooses to. I think here what the secretary is saying is accurate, in that Iran, its proxy groups do target civilians and that the United States does not intentionally do that.

But, regardless, this was horrific, what happened. Innocent young children were killed. There needs to be an investigation onto why the intel picture in particular was outdated, why Central Command was using outdated information, and ultimately how we can avoid this in the future. And that's exactly what that investigation would do.

BLITZER: Let's see what that investigation comes up with.

SINGH: Yes.

BLITZER: The president, President Trump, said today he believes the new supreme leader, the Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is damaged, but probably alive. This comes after the supreme leader issued a written statement yesterday that offered no real proof of life.

How important is it for the U.S. to get clarity on who is in charge in Iran?

SINGH: I think it's very important to get not only the clarity, but the Iranian people need to understand the clarity of who's in charge.

And I think the fact that it was just a written statement does show that they -- that he potentially has been weakened or that he was injured in that strike. And so the Iranian people should also be clamoring for some type of accountability and leadership.

Now, whether they can go out and actually take back their country, as the president said that they should, the reality is, is that the IRGC is very much in charge. So, even if this new supreme leader that was just anointed is significantly injured, the IRGC infrastructure remains in place.

And I think, when the president, Secretary Hegseth laid out that this is about regime change, that reality is going to be really hard to accomplish just from an air campaign alone. And, frankly, we're seeing that play out in real time, is that the IRGC is still very much in control.

BLITZER: The administration keeps saying that Iran's military, for all practical purposes, has now been obliterated.

SINGH: Right.

BLITZER: We are now, what, two weeks into this war with Iran. Where do you see this war going over the next few days?

SINGH: And the president even said that we're running out of targets to hit. So if you're running out of targets, then why isn't this war essentially coming to a close?

I think where this is going to go is, it's going to come back to the conversation of the nuclear enrichment at some of the nuclear facilities that have not been struck in Iran. I think what is going to be likely demanded is one of the intended goals of this conflict was to get to their nuclear program.

That is going to mean putting some type of boots on the ground to get that out. Is that U.S. forces? Is that possibly Israeli forces? I think that's potentially where the conversation leads back to.

But at the end of the day, the strait is the most important factor here, that it's closed and, of course, rising -- causing rising oil prices. I think that is going to be the longstanding effect of this war and this regional war.

And, frankly, we know that countries like Saudi, Oman, Bahrain that have these oil facilities, they have had to turn them off right now because of the strikes. It's not easy like turning on a water faucet to get those back moving. It's going to take time.

[11:45:09]

So, frankly, Americans are going to see high gas prices for a while.

BLITZER: Yes.

Sabrina Singh, excellent analysis. Thank you very, very much.

SINGH: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: And coming up: Are Americans on board with this war in Iran, or is President Trump losing favor with his own party? Michael Smerconish standing by.

We will discuss when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Two weeks into this war with Iran, and Americans are already feeling the economic impact, most notably at the gas pump. But some Republicans supporting President Trump's Middle East military operations say this is the price worth paying for a nuclear-free Iran and argue it's only temporary.

[11:50:09]

Here's what Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan said yesterday:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): We want low gas prices, we want Iran not to have nuclear capability, and we want this thing resolved as soon as possible.

But I think the American people -- the American people have common sense and they understand to stop this regime that for 47 years has killed Americans, killed Israelis, killed others and killed a number of their own people, to stop them from getting a nuclear weapon is a worthwhile objective.

And President Trump is committed to achieving that goal. And if that means prices go up for a short time, I think Americans understand we can live with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But not necessarily every Republican is as enthusiastic.

Joining us now is the host of "SMERCONISH" here on CNN and "The Michael Smerconish Program" on SiriusXM, Michael Smerconish.

Michael, as usual, thanks so much for joining us.

One of the Republicans who has been more weary about this military intervention is Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. He told CNN earlier this week he thinks the U.S. has achieved its military objectives in Iran, said he hoped for a swift end to this war and acknowledged that gas prices are, in his words, too expensive.

Is the president potentially risking losing more support from his own party if this war continues?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think that Jim Jordan made a pretty compelling case, a clearer case, I would say, than the administration made at the outset of the war.

As I look at the numbers, here's what I see. I see that largely it's a referendum on the commander in chief, Republicans overwhelmingly supportive of the efforts, supportive of the president, Democrats in equal numbers in opposition. The tiebreakers are the independence.

And that's why, by a relatively slim margin, I see the war effort as being underwater. It needs to be sold more about policy than the personality of the president. I think what they need to say is, look, for half-a-century, religious fanatics who rule another country have sworn our destruction, "Death to America," "Death to Israel." We're just not going to let them have a nuclear weapon.

And I'd repeat it and repeat it and repeat it.

BLITZER: Despite the rhetoric from the administration, Michael, there is some major pushback on the war in Iran from members of the president's MAGA base, who say this is not -- quote -- "America first" -- end quote.

Do you expect any long-term impact of the divide we're seeing in the president's base?

SMERCONISH: So he did run as a non-interventionist, against forever wars president, and so there's evidence of some rupture in that base, but largely they're sticking with him.

I don't think that long term the MAGA base can be counted on if this doesn't wrap up in the relative near future. So, yes, I think that's a risk, but at this stage, as I said at the outset, I think Republicans are lockstep with him, Democrats in opposition. The independents are the group that he needs to focus on.

BLITZER: CNN's Aaron Blake writes that recent polling of Americans on the war with Iran paints a -- quote -- "confusing picture" and is one that could break either for or against the Trump administration, while also noting that pessimism appears to be the prevailing takeaway.

Do you see a world where the president gets a majority of Americans on board with this war?

SMERCONISH: If they sell it better, I think that possibility exists.

I think there's still a question in the minds of many as to whether there was an imminent threat that the United States faced, or was this an opportune moment because the Israelis came to us through Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said, look, at a certain day and on a certain place, here's where they will all be gathered.

And where, for a half-century, American presidents have warned and have tried to do something about it at the negotiation table, they weren't able to do so. Donald Trump was presented with an opportunity in one fell swoop where he could decapitate the leadership of Iran, and he decided he would do it.

BLITZER: What are you hearing from your SiriusXM listeners about all of this? Where do you see Americans standing on this?

SMERCONISH: A mixed bag.

I mean, I'm very interested anecdotally on a day-to-day basis to open telephone lines and to hear people from all across the country. And as I say, I think largely their opinions fall where their opinions fall with regard to the president. And the separation of policy and personality is a heck of a lot easier said than done.

But I think, Wolf, the stakes require a decision to be made by Americans as to how they feel about this almost independent of Donald Trump, and instead to say, however we got here, here's where we are now. And we don't want to walk out prematurely, because that would cause never-ending, I think, diminished view of the United States as not being willing to see it to the end.

[11:55:07]

So that's a heavy lift to say, whatever you might think of the president, instead, think about Iran, the leadership, what they have been saying and doing to us over a period of nearly 50 years. Here's where we are. The task needs to be completed.

BLITZER: Michael Smerconish, as usual, thank you very much for joining us.

SMERCONISH: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And, to our viewers, this is important. You can watch "SMERCONISH" right here on CNN tomorrow morning, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, every Saturday morning here on CNN.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

"INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts right after a short break.