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Person in Custody After Throwing Incendiary Device at FBI Office in New York City; U.S. Launches Strikes on Iran After Three Troops Killed Since Friday; Gas Hits $4 Per Gallon as U.S., Iran Fighting Intensifies. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired July 20, 2026 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. U.S. service members killed and another missing in action. The war with Iran is clearly expanding and intensifying, and the death toll is rising. Both the U.S. and Iran insist diplomacy is still on the table. I'll speak to Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Plus, outbreak response undermined. New CNN reporting finds budget cuts hampered the government's reaction to the diarrhea-causing parasite spreading across the country, and the FDA now saying a sample tying Taylor Farms to the outbreak is a, quote, false positive.

And later, World Cup champions, a goal in extra time seals Spain's victory over Argentina. Was that Leon Messi's last dance?

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

And we begin with the breaking news. A person is now in custody after throwing an incendiary device at the FBI office in New York City.

Let's go live right now to our Correspondent Gloria Pazmino. She's in New York. What more are you learning, Gloria?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. We should say that no one has been injured as a result of this incident, which happened right outside of 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. This is home to ICE offices, the federal court, immigration court, and it's right downtown in the federal complex where the courts and the criminal court is also located.

We know from law enforcement sources that a suspect threw what appears to have been an incendiary device towards 26 Federal Plaza. You see the smoke going off there. Sources telling my colleagues, Brynn Gingras and Josh Campbell, this is believed to be a device that consists of fireworks and a flammable liquid. That's according to a law enforcement source. We also understand that a person was taken into custody immediately after the smoke started going off. You could see the officers sort of scramble to one side of your screen. That's where they're taking the suspect into custody.

We also have a statement from the FBI. As you said in the beginning, Wolf, this is also home to FBI headquarters, the field office here in New York. They said, this morning, an individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza. The individual has been taken into custody, and the FBI New York Office is investigating the incident.

Now, needless to say, Wolf, even though no one was injured, thankfully, so far, there was a shelter-in-place order that went into effect for those that were inside the building. This is a very secure, tightly controlled area of Lower Manhattan, and any scenes like this are likely to cause a bit of panic in that area.

BLITZER: All right, Gloria Pazmino on the scene for us. Gloria, thank you very, very much. We'll stay in close touch with you.

There's more breaking news this morning. The United States escalating its attacks on Iran as a third service member is confirmed killed over the weekend. In the latest loss, the service member died in Northern Iraq just yesterday while trying to detonate a downed Iranian attack drone.

Two U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian attack on an airbase in Jordan on Friday, and another service member is still missing in action. The total number of U.S. troop fatalities since the beginning of the war has now climbed to 17.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, we feel very badly, but, you know, those great people, those great patriots who are out there fighting, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Iran has been very, very badly damaged. They've lost everything almost militarily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But Iran is proving it can still hit back, expanding its strikes to seven countries across the region. Here you see smoke rising from an oil facility in Kuwait after repeated Iranian attacks.

Let's go live right now to CNN Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak.

[10:05:01]

Kevin, I know you have new reporting that the U.S. is sending additional military aircraft to the Middle East right now. What's the latest? KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And this coming as the president is weighing whether to widen this conflict. Now the U.S. sending additional F-16 and F-35 fighter jets from bases in Europe towards the Middle East. The U.S. is also increasing the number of aerial refueling tankers that are in the region, all as these tensions escalate with Iran.

Last night, CENTCOM saying that it had carried out the ninth consecutive night of strikes against that country. You see both sides of this increasingly going after some very sensitive civilian infrastructure, including water desalination plants. The U.S. has been hitting roads and bridges in Southern Iran.

But at the same time, I think what these deaths over the weekend really underscore is that Iran has retained some fairly significant missile and drone capabilities, kind of puncturing the president's claims of total military dominance. What you also hear U.S. officials worry about is that these deaths could potentially show that Iran is beginning to learn how to evade U.S. air defenses in its bases across the region.

So, some real concerns about what an escalation could potentially portend for those U.S. troops that are arrayed across the Middle East. At the same time, you hear diplomats say that they have not closed the door to returning to negotiations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He's traveling in Asia, Wolf. He told reporters overnight that the U.S. remains willing to engage in negotiations, quote, if that door opens, and he said that Iran had communicated both directly and indirectly that they were open to returning to the bargaining table. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Kevin Liptak over at the White House for us, thank you very much.

Also this morning, the U.S. Defense Department identified the two U.S. service members killed in Jordan. First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan was from Ewa Beach, Hawaii. He was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and First Lieutenant Feehan was just 25 years old. Private Isabella Gonzales was from Carrollton, Texas. She was stationed in Ansbach, Germany. Private Gonzalez was just 19 years old.

My deepest condolences to their families. May they rest in peace, and may their memories be a blessing.

Let's go live right now to CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, who's joining us live from Jerusalem.

Nic, President Trump likes to say that Iran's military is largely destroyed and defenseless. But isn't Tehran showing that it can withstand the Pentagon's firepower, at least for now, and still respond with some deadly force?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Iran's key aim here does seem to be to prove that it can close the Strait of Hormuz, and a tanker was hit just off the coast of Oman last night, put on fire. The crew evacuated, picked up by a tugboat, and that is an indication that Iran retains the firepower to do what it believes is essential to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. targeted along, all along the sort of southern sea coast of Iran right from close to the border with Pakistan all the way up to the top end of the gulf near Bushehr. It also targeted, and we're seeing an expansion here in the targeting, in the northwest of Iran as well. Tabriz around there was hit. We saw some targeting as well in the very southwest of Iran, close to the border with Iraq, close to Kuwait actually, which has been bearing the brunt of a lot of Iran's attacks.

So, what we're hearing from the Iranian foreign minister is that they are no longer working to the memorandum of understanding. They're blaming the U.S. for violating it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also indicating the same, that this MOU is not in play at the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: You can't have an MOU that's alive if they're violating the terms of it. What I will say is that the United States always remains open to a diplomatic solution. We've tried multiple times with Iran, and we'll continue to try. If that door opens, we'll be happy to see it open.

They continue to send signals that they want to talk, that they want to negotiate, but their behavior is what we're responding to, and their behavior is they're launching missiles and drones against ships, including tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also saying that they're open to diplomacy. You have today Pakistan's interior minister, one of the main mediators, meeting his counterpart from Iran today. That looks like a diplomatic option. Is it? We don't know yet.

BLITZER: Nic, you're there in Israel. How worried are the Israelis right now about Iran or its terrorist regional proxy groups resuming full-scale attacks on Israel anytime soon?

[10:10:04]

ROBERTSON: Look, it's a major concern, Wolf. You had the incident yesterday in Aqaba, which as you know is right next to Eilat where the Iranians targeted what they said were US aircraft at the Aqaba International Airport. It was the IDF who said they activated their air defenses inside Israel and supported Jordanians and the United States to bring down those Iranian missiles. So, it came very close yesterday to sort of escalating almost over the border here.

We also understand that part of those KC-135 refueling aircraft, they're going to be stationed here, additional ones stationed in Israel. Iran threatens that any country that supports the United States, it will be targeted.

What the United States seems to be doing at the moment by bringing in, ramping up the number of aircraft in operation, is also trying to keep them a further distance from Iran. Will Iran really withhold and not escalate by attacking those aircraft here in Israel? These are the things that drive up concerns that this could escalate. Wolf?

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting and it's very serious that the Iranians are attacking various Arab Gulf states, including Jordan, for example. You say Aqaba, its port in the southern part of Jordan, was just attacked. They're not just going after bases, military bases where the U.S. has military personnel. They're going after all sorts of infrastructure and civilian attacks inside, whether it's Kuwait or Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman. What's the latest on that front? What's the reaction from these Arab countries in the Gulf?

ROBERTSON: They're really not saying a lot about this publicly, Wolf. Behind the scenes, there's talks about trying to open up a diplomatic track, concerns that we heard before earlier in the year around the time of April when the ceasefire was coming into play back then because they don't know what President Trump's end goal here is. What is the sort of the tactics and the outcome that he expects to get?

You have Kuwait desalination plants, oil refineries hit there, Bahrain again under threat, and as you say, Jordan really coming in under the crosshairs of Iranian fire. They are trying to drive up -- the Iranians are trying to drive the populations in these Gulf countries, particularly somewhere like Jordan, targeting it at a top peak tourist time.

They're trying to drive a wedge between the population and the governments there that are supporting the United States.

BLITZER: All right. Nic Robertson on the scene for us in Jerusalem, thank you very, very much.

And still ahead, scrambling for more defense money, Pentagon officials making the case right now for more cash to fund the U.S. war with Iran. I'll ask Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks about it when he joins me live in The Situation Room.

And later, dramatic roadside rescue caught on camera. How an officer's quick thinking saved a driver's life. We'll show you the video and update you on that.

You're in The Situation Room.

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[10:15:00]

BLITZER: We're following the breaking news this morning, and there's a lot of breaking news. Iran's Foreign Ministry saying Tehran will not implement that 14-point agreement previously reached with the United States after accusing Washington of violating it. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, likewise saying Iran is not complying with the plan and that the country cannot have a memorandum of understanding that, quote -- that's, quote, alive if it's breaching the terms.

All this coming amid a weekend of very heavy fire that resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members, marking the first American casualties from Iranian strikes since March. One service member is still missing in action.

Joining us now is the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us.

Do the American people need to prepare for the possibility of even more lives lost in this war after these most recent deaths and the escalating attacks that are ongoing?

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): First Wolf, my heart and soul goes out to the families of those soldiers that we just lost, all 18 of them. They -- you know, it is -- my prayers are, are with the families. But again, Wolf, as you've indicated, I don't know why we're in this war, and I think that those families, as well as the American people, need a clear explanation from the president of the United States as why are we entered into this war, and how are we going to get out of this war. Because it seems to me we are entering into one of those forever wars that the president said he would not bring us into.

Gas prices are starting to go up again. You know, that means fertilizer can't go through, so food prices will go up because farmers can't get the fertilizers to grow food. And it keeps, continues to go into a mess. Wolf, this is reminding me of what's taken place right next door when Russia first invaded Ukraine. You know, they said it was going to be a week or two, and five years later they're still at war. And when Trump decided to go to war, his war choice into Iran, he said it was going to be a week or two, three at most, four at most, and now we're in five, getting close to six months with no end in sight.

So, you know, someone, you know, I think has to hold in the Congress is that someone, has to hold this president accountable as to how he's continuing to move this war.

BLITZER: I want to play Congressman, what Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters just yesterday as the U.S. launched a ninth consecutive night of military strikes against Iran.

[10:20:08]

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: I think we're always open to diplomacy. It has to be real. It has to be a deal that they're willing to live by. Look, Iran a week ago was supposed to put out a statement saying that the Straits of Hormuz would be open, that they would no longer attack shipping. And instead of doing that, they attacked three ships. I think that was last Friday or Saturday. So, I mean, their behavior has to change in order for ours to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: And we're now just learning that the United States is sending additional U.S. military aircraft to the Middle East as these tensions soar. Are you confident, Congressman, that the Trump administration is in fact open to diplomacy with Iran?

MEEKS: I'm not confident of anything that this administration does. Look, when I looked at the MOU, and one of the few times, because the administration has not kept Congress well up-to-date and briefed, and we were briefed maybe once, twice, you know, once in each time for me and others was in a non-confidential manner.

So, where we question the drafting of the MOU because there was a lot of questions, and I think that the misunderstandings that are happening was foreseen when you saw such a poorly drafted MOU. Here again is where you got rid of diplomats who know how to do these things and know how to discuss on our side of the aisle. State Department is decimated. You have two real estate developers negotiating. It is something that is concerning to me.

So, do I have confidence in this administration when I've seen how they've gotten us into this war and with no plan to get us out of this war? No, I have no confidence. When I talk to our friends and allies in the region and out, our European allies, our the GCC allies, they don't know what this president is doing and what the plan is.

So, do I have confidence in this president? Absolutely not, Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN is reporting, Congressman, that key Pentagon officials actually sat down with some House spending leaders from both parties this month to make an urgent case to deliver more funding for the Iran war, but they were unable to offer any meaningful specifics about why they need the money so quickly. Have you ruled out approving more funding for this conflict?

MEEKS: Yes. Well, Wolf, look, I've been saying for a long time, as just about every Democrat, this president has to tell us what those resources are going to be used for and why. He has not come to Congress at all. And Congress', and this is why I say it is the Congress' job to stand up to this president and stop some of this nonsense unless he can absolutely explain to us, as he hasn't explained thus far to us, to our allies, to our friends why we are in this war and how we get out.

It is the power of the purse that Congress has that we must utilize. And here we are the president asking for money, not saying what he needs it for and how he's going to use it. And when we, and I for one, am not going to just automatically sign off on that.

BLITZER: The leader of a key U.S. ally in this war, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as you know, Congressman, is scheduled to travel to New York City where you are for the United Nations General Assembly in September, but your city's Democratic mayor, Zohran Mamdani, now says his office is looking into the possibility of actually arresting him during that visit because the prime minister is a, quote, war criminal, that's what he says, who belongs in The Hague. That's where the International Criminal Court is based. Do you support or oppose what Mamdani is threatening to do?

MEEKS: Yes. Well, Wolf, look, the United Nations is for all leaders to come to the United States for them to have a chance to talk to the collective body whether you agree with them or not. I have had on other sides with other folk to say that they should have had the right to come to the U.N. and they did to speak to the United Nations in that regards.

And people have the right to be able to speak out loudly against what they may say and represent. That's fine. But I think the mayor has also walked that back some. I saw a quote where he said that he does not intend to violate federal law or existing law and looking for other laws, as President Trump sometimes does, you know, tries to go around the law, and that he understands that the U.N.'s functions needs to continue to move forward and let the U.N. takes care of its business. And so I think that the mayor should make sure that he's not arresting anyone at this point.

BLITZER: All right. Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York, I appreciate it very, very much.

MEEKS: Thank you for having me, Wolf.

BLITZER: And still ahead, gas and oil prices spiking. Just how much it's going to cost you the next time you go to the gas station to fill it up.

[10:25:03]

That's next.

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LITZER: Happening now, the price of gas is soaring once again as fighting between the United States and Iran intensifies. According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas this morning is $4. This as oil prices rose above $90 a barrel for the first time in more than a month.

Let's go live right now to CNN Senior Business Reporter David Goldman. So, David, how much more expensive do you think gas could get?

[10:30:00]

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS REPORTER: Well, the biggest input is oil, and we're seeing oil topping $90 earlier this morning. Came back just a little bit, but we're around $88.