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Sources Say, 1,000 Army Paratroopers About to Deploy to Middle East; Iran State Media Reports, No Ceasefire, Not Logical to Talk With U.S.; DHS Says, 450-Plus TSA Agents Have Quit as DHS Shutdown Nears 40 Days. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired March 25, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, more American troops heading to the Middle East. About a thousand paratroopers are preparing for a deployment right now as President Trump says, quote, this war has been won.

The fight to pay TSA workers pressure is mounting big time for Congress to finally end the partial government shutdown that's causing 61,000 agents to work without pay. Experts are now warning not paying these agents potentially could pose a serious security risk.

Slashing the gas tax, some governors are embracing it while others say it won't help drivers long-term. We're going to make some sense out of all of this. That's coming up.

And later mission to Mars, NASA lays out its new plans to explore the red planet. How soon could we be landing there?

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Pamela Brown is off today. You're in The Situation Room.

And we begin with the breaking news right now. About 1,000 U.S. soldiers are preparing to deploy to the Middle East. Sources telling CNN that paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division are now on standby and expected to leave in the coming days. They'll join thousands of U.S. troops already headed to the region that despite President Trump saying the U.S. is winning this war.

Also, the U.S. has shared a 15-point proposal to Iran through Pakistan. Iran's military taunts the U.S. saying Washington is negotiating with itself. And Tehran says it prefers to negotiate with Vice President Vance.

And we're also now getting some new video of strikes in the region. Watch this.

This is in Southern Lebanon. The Israeli military says it struck a series of Hezbollah targets there. And take a look at this. This is in Iran, the aftermath of an airstrike in Tehran, the capital. Here you see rescue crews in the Iranian capital searching for anyone trapped in the rubble of a destroyed building. We're covering all the angles of this unfolding story. CNN Senior National Security Reporter Zachary Cohen is here in Washington, Alayna Treene is over at the White House, CNN's Chief National Security Analyst Jim Sciutto is joining us from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Zach, first of all, to you, walk us through your latest reporting on the deployment of these paratroopers.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes. Wolf, I'm told that elements of the 82nd Airborne do now have orders to deploy to the Middle East and are expected to start making their way to the region within a week, and sources telling us that they will join the thousands of U.S. service members already participating in these ongoing combat operations targeting in Iran.

Now, the 82nd Airborne is a division of paratroopers and one that can deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours from their base in North Carolina. We're told that this initial installment from the 82nd Airborne will include the commander of the division as well as leadership staff and roughly a thousand U.S. service members that will act as an immediate response force, one that can really take on a task at a moment's notice if called upon, and, again, two Marine Expeditionary Units also making their way to the Middle East.

So, this massing of additional U.S. forces coming as Donald Trump obviously pushing these revived diplomatic efforts, and sort of two tracks happening at the same time here. It remains unclear though what these additional U.S. forces will do once they ultimately arrive in the region. Donald Trump, of course, has not ruled out the prospect of using ground troops as part of these efforts to target Iran. That is something though that would be extremely controversial and these troop movements definitely raised the question again and emphasized that question, is that coming?

[10:05:00]

BLITZER: Yes. I remember when I was the Pentagon correspondent during the first Gulf War, and I was reporting that the 82nd Airborne Division had been activated in heading to the Middle East to deal with Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. They eventually went there and played a very significant role in turning this war around and defeating the Iraqis at that time.

All right, stand by, Zach, I want to go to Alayna Treene over at the White House. Alayna, President Trump says Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are now leading these talks with Iran. You have new reporting on these negotiations. Tell our viewers what you're learning.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf. We're hearing from senior administration officials that the Trump administration is working toward a trip this weekend for peace talks, potentially one of those locations being in Pakistan. I will say the officials have cautioned that who is attending this, the location, timing, all of that is still very fluid, but Vice President J.D. Vance is one of the people expected or likely to go. Again, though, everything is mu unclear, and those discussions are continuing today on whether or not this is actually going to be feasible. But I'd remind you that Pakistan is, of course, one of the countries that has come out as a key mediator between the U.S. and Iran in these negotiations. Pakistan actually acted as this key intermediary in the diplomacy when they delivered the five-point peace plan proposed by Washington to the Iranians.

Now, I will say, again, a key issue that has kind of arisen in some of these planning discussions has been around security in the region and specifically security about a level of a trip with the vice president going to Pakistan at a time, of course, when this war is still ongoing. So, everything is still fluid. But they are hoping to have a trip this weekend to continue these talks and see if, really, they can find a diplomatic off-ramp to this war.

BLITZER: Yes, this happening as the Iranians made it clear, they don't want to negotiate with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner anymore. They prefer Vice President J.D. Vance.

I want to go to Tel Aviv right now. Jim Sciutto, you're on the scene for us once again. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is traveling to France for the G7 meetings that are about to begin we're told he will discuss the war with Iran with U.S. allies there. How much skepticism do you think he'll be facing from these allies?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, these allies were certainly skeptical at the start of this war and many of them withdrew or withheld rather their support for the war. Some of them have come on board to some degree, right, as in particular the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked, many have long expressed support for desire for some off-ramp, some path to peace.

I'll tell you where I'm hearing the most skepticism though, Wolf, and that is here in Tel Aviv from Israeli officials who don't see Iran on a footing now to make concessions necessary to get to agreement. I spoke to an Israeli last night who, when he looked at the 15-point plan, said, these 15 points are fantastic. If you could, for instance, get Iran agree to decommission its nuclear sites and to no longer enrich uranium on its territory, great, that would get to Israel to a place where it would be more comfortable, and certainly it seems the U.S.

But Israelis find that quite farfetched at this point given Iranian positions. And we've seen some public comments from Iranian officials today casting doubt just on their own willingness to compromise as we go forward. So, you are hearing skepticism.

And I'll tell you, Wolf, part of that skepticism is driven by the continuing pace of attacks here, three times today and counting. We've gone into shelters because I, Iranian missiles have gotten through come this direction, and a few have gotten through Israeli air defenses. So, Israel still certainly facing fire from Iran. And from its own perspective, Israel has not slowed down the pace of its attacks directed towards Iran, the defense minister saying that those attacks will continue with full force. I would say that listening to Zach speak there, I think he made a point, a good point, we're much where we were four weeks ago, right, with the U.S. building up forces in the region while talking about negotiations with Iran and at least keeping those channels open. The president has options here. The question, of course, will be. Do those negotiations reach a point that he finds satisfying? And if not, does he then level up that U.S. military intervention in the region in Iran to the point where he orders those ground troops in, which would be, well, as you know, a dangerous proposition.

BLITZER: Those Iranian rockets and missiles have been coming into Israel and sirens have been going off all day, I'm told. Have the Iranian rockets and missiles been intercepted by Israel's air defense system, the Iron Dome, and the Patriot Air Defense Missile System, others, David's Sling, is the one of -- one is called, or are they landing and causing damage in Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel?

[10:10:06]

SCIUTTO: Most have been intercepted, but not all of them. Just a couple hours ago, one missile got into the north of Tel Aviv, in the vicinity of a power plant. Israeli officials are saying it did not hit that plant but the smoke rising from the site was visible.

And last night, we saw one of these particularly threatening cluster munitions get in. You could see it as it goes in the night sky in particular because you see a number of flaming projectiles come out of it, almost looks like a firework.

And I was speaking to an Israeli official last night who explained to me that, you know, each of those munitions is too small and too numerous for even Israel's formidable air defenses to get them. They're too low, right, and many of them too small and too numerous.

So, those cluster munitions tend to get to the ground. They're smaller, but still quite deadly, or potentially quite deadly when they hit their targets. And the reason I believe that you're not seeing Israeli casualties from these strikes is that the Israeli residents in Tel Aviv, we see them, and, by the way, we do the same thing, when those air raid warnings come in, folks go into the shelter and that has saved lives here.

BLITZER: So, you're saying you've spent some quality time in those shelters today?

SCIUTTO: Indeed. In fact, we did our first live report this morning from the shelter. And that's a -- you know, this, Wolf, from having spent a lot of time out here. That is a -- it's one of the rhythms of life, right, one of the rhythms of life here through, well, multiple military conflicts in recent years.

BLITZER: I mean, speaking to people over there, what they dread is in the middle of the night, 3:00 A.M., 4:00 A.M. they hear those sirens going off. They got to get up and head off to a shelter in their building.

All right, Jim Sciutto, stay safe over there. We'll stay in touch with you.

SCIUTTO: I had one of those last night, Wolf.

BLITZER: I'm sure you did. All right, get some sleep. Alayna Treene at the White House, Zachary Cohen here in Washington, to all of you, thank you very, very much.

Still ahead, thousands of TSA workers aren't getting paid as hours long wait times at airports put pressure on lawmakers. We're live in Houston, where travelers are now facing up to three-hour lines.

And new message, what Savannah Guthrie is saying about her plans to return to work as the search for her mother enters its seventh week.

Stay with us, lots going on. You're in The Situation Room.

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[10:15:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, sources tell CNN about 1,000 U.S. soldiers are now preparing to deploy to the Middle East. The brigade with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division would be available quickly for the Iran operation if called on. And this comes as President Trump says his administration is in talks with Tehran to try to end the war. And this just in Iranian state media now says Tehran will not, repeat, not accept any ceasefire.

Joining us now, Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, she's a U.S. Air Force veteran and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us.

I know you've said the president doesn't want American boots on the ground in this conflict, but are you sure that's still the case given the deployment of these paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division?

REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-FL): Yes. I mean, everything that I've heard from the White House and I have been in talks with them almost daily since this event occurred. I don't think the perspective of the administration has changed, but I do want to take a second, Wolf, to condemn the statements that Senator Lindsey Graham had made comparing this to Iwo Jima and acting as if our troops are expendable. They are not. And I don't believe that the Senator holds the same sentiments as many of our House members.

And so I just want to say that this administration has been very, at least with us, transparent and very, you know, steady in regards to their plan. And I do believe that President Trump will be able to negotiate a winning situation for all parties involved.

BLITZER: But do you support his decision to activate and deploy these paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division and send them off to the Middle East?

LUNA: Well, it depends on where they're going, right? As you know, Wolf, a number of times around the country and around the world, there's always going to be people on rotations, but I would not support troops going into Iran, period. No fans or buts, but I also want to be clear that this administration, at least in talks with us, has not voiced that they want that either.

BLITZER: I know you're someone who doesn't want to see a prolonged conflict over there, but you have a clear understanding, Congresswoman, from the White House as to when this war potentially will end and what the criteria are for ending this war.

LUNA: Yes. When I actually reached out to them in regards to timeline, they said that the president timeline has not changed. As you know, he initially said four to six weeks. We are coming up at the end of that, as well as the top three issues for this administration in regards to imminent threat was, one, removing and eliminating their ballistic missiles and short-range missiles program, also, two, eliminating their navy, of which both objectives right now have essentially been completed. And then the third would be an agreement to not engage in enriched uranium of which you're seeing. Although there's conflicting messaging coming out of Iran right now, I also believe that there's likely an internal struggle happening with powers that be in their current government.

And so I think that all of those objectives have been met. But I do want to be very clear, the United States objectives are very different from Israel's objectives, and this administration is working to ensure that Americans are kept safe.

[10:20:00]

And I do believe that the president is staying true to course in what his messaging was on this. And I don't have any reason to believe that Senator Lindsey Graham is going to be effective in his war campaign.

BLITZER: CNN is learning, Congresswoman, that Iranian representatives have now let the Trump administration know they do not want to reenter talks with the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and the president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Instead, Iran would prefer to engage with Vice President J.D. Vance because he's viewed as more sympathetic to wanting to end this war. What's your view of all of this?

LUNA: Look, President Trump understands negotiations, and although Mr. Witkoff and Kushner have done great with the Abraham Accords, if this is what the negotiating powers that they are asking for, I think that, you know, J.D. would be great to continue those talks.

But, again, I just want to be very clear about something. President Trump and this administration, for a number of -- for a number of conflicts have resulted in peace deals. That's been eight in total. And they're also continuing to work one right now with Russian and Ukraine, of which I believe they'll be successful.

And so I hope that no matter what happens regarding those conversations that an agreement can be met, and that we can ensure that our future in this country with, you know, future generations of Americans are free from having to deal with Iran's nuclear conquest. BLITZER: We know from President Trump himself that Vice President Vance was initially skeptical of this Iran war. Vance has long criticized past administrations for prolonged foreign conflicts. Do you have any concerns that the longer this war goes on, the more it could potentially harm his chances, Vance's chances, of succeeding President Trump in 2028?

LUNA: Well, look, before J.D. Vance, there was President Trump calling out the debacle in the 20-year war for the global war on terror. And so I think this administration, specifically the president, has been the first to actually come out in defense of not wanting to put our troops in that type of situation. But I also understand that this administration had a very intense decision to make because there's something called the Nazir (ph) plan, which showed that no matter what, in any circumstance, if Iran was attacked, that they would strike back and that there would be mass American casualty and fatality. And that's something that Tulsi Gabbard had lightly referenced in her hearing regard regarding some of these plans that she put forward in scenarios to the president.

And so I do want to just say that obviously 2028 is a long ways away. You know that a lot can happen in this timeframe. But I don't even want to correlate, you know, potentially who might have prospects for the White House and this because I do believe that the two have to be separated. And also I understand that there are many service members, as well as this is our families that watch this network. And so I do want to give them the information that this administration, from everything that I'm hearing, as well as members of Congress, do not want put boots on the ground. So, I don't want to freak anyone out.

BLITZER: Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of the great state of Florida, thanks so much for joining us and thanks for your service in the military as well.

LUNA: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, TSA lines have travelers waiting outside, yes, outside, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. We're live with the latest developments.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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[10:25:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, increasing delays and frustrations at airports all across the country as the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown nears the 40-day mark. Hundreds of TSA agents are calling out sick or they're leaving their jobs entirely.

And just this morning in Houston, line stretched through the entrance and into the drop off area at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Current wait times there are estimated at three hours.

That's where we find CNN's Ed Lavandera. Ed, what have you been seeing there this morning and what are officials saying about these lines?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we've actually seen some fluctuation in the amount of waiting that passenger having to do. Right now, the latest I just checked before we came on, the lines at the two terminals in the TSA lines that are open showing about an hour and a half to two hours of waiting. And, you know, it says something when we consider that good news because that is still a miserably long time to wait.

This is the entrance and almost to the very end of the Terminal E TSA checkpoint line. But give you a sense of just how dramatic the lines have been here, you saw the lines that stretched outside the terminal there, that was after over the last few days. This is an area on the floor below, the baggage claim area. And over the last few days, we've seen long lines of people down here.

But as you can see right now, not as -- the lines are clearly not that long, but still significantly long. And airport officials tell us is that, and that's happening because Wednesday is one of the lower volume travel days.

So, this is kind of temporary good news, if you will, Wolf, because we're also told that as more passengers start flying Thursday, Friday, Saturday, that these lines are going to go back into dramatic levels probably, once again, unless there's some quick dramatic change in Washington here in the next 24 hours. And so, you know, that's what the airport officials here are bracing for.

They're really -- as you can see, all of these, this is -- that area below is generally the baggage claim area. So, they have had to create all of these makeshift lines so people can snake their way through the airport terminal here to get to the TSA security checkpoint. So, that's the latest from Houston, where it's still another very difficult day of travel.

[10:30:00]

BLITZER: Ed, I know you've been covering Texas for CNN for about 25 years or so, and doing a great job, I must say.