Throughout Monday’s CNN This Morning, panelist Susan Web page of USA At present urged President Trump missed a chance to barter with Iran after President Masoud Pezeshkian made a video assertion on Saturday as a pledge to Gulf nations that they’d cease assaults in opposition to them.
Spoiler alert: the assaults in opposition to gulf nations had not stopped since Pezeshkian has little to no energy over the IRGC, one thing CNN contributor Brett McGurk identified earlier within the panel section.
McGurk, whereas he reminded the viewers that Pezeshkian was an “unintentional president,” identified the IRGC’s rejection of the president:
So, Pezeshkian is named being, , considerably of a reasonable man. That phrase is overused, however he is not likely form of completely aligned with the true hardliners. He got here out with a press release on Saturday morning apologizing to gulf states, saying, we will cease these assaults, providing an off ramp, even. And President Trump then put out a press release saying that, you – they’re principally surrendering in terms of the Center East states however we will proceed the assaults. In any case, as quickly as Pezeshkian spoke, inside an hour or so, the hardline in Iran, the revolutionary guards stated that isn’t our coverage. And assaults in opposition to the gulf continued.
Cornish then added, “So the president [of Iran] got here out and stated one factor, however we’ve got the world of the supreme chief, the guard, the people who find themselves answerable for this violent police state saying, not so quick that is not the path.”
USA At present Washington Chief Susan Web page says Trump “missed a chance” to barter with the “conciliatory” President Pezeshkian whose promise to finish assaults on Saturday has, clearly, not occurred as he holds no actual energy within the IRGC. pic.twitter.com/ddAJrqQUNa
— Nick (@nspin310) March 9, 2026
Just some minutes later, Web page determined to take Pezeshkian’s Saturday assertion as a second for illustrious peace, ignoring that assaults have continued to happen because the assertion from the beginning of the weekend:
(…) And there is some hypothesis, and I might be fascinated with what our specialists right here thought, that President Trump missed a chance with the Iranian president’s form of conciliatory gesture there. Would it not have been potential to have inspired that slightly extra versus rejecting it (…)
Web page conceded “possibly that die was already solid” earlier than a shift to public opinion of the operation.
Perhaps Web page ought to take heed to the panelist earlier than her in regards to the realities of the Iranian President, who had no management over the religiously radical clerics in Iran’s system.
Afterward within the present, Cornish promoted the CNN group in Iran with correspondent Fred Pleitgen, as she gave a disclaimer on CNN’s reporting in Iran:
So, our group on the bottom working in Iran, they’re doing so with authorities permission. That is required by native rules. And CNN does preserve its full editorial management over the reporting.
Afterward CNN This Morning, host Audie Cornish learn a disclaimer over Fred Pleitgen’s reporting in Iran.
The be aware stated CNN in Iran is “working” with “authorities permission” however “CNN does preserve its full editorial management over the reporting.” https://t.co/HUnDm9i1Hp pic.twitter.com/nhnp9fveVM
— Nick (@nspin310) March 9, 2026
Pleitgen reported on “Black Rain,” oil combined with rain, after strikes on Iran’s oil.
It’s a easy idea to know that in case your entry to Iran is given with authorities permission, one’s reviews can be shifted to extra favorable viewpoints of a radical authorities in an effort to preserve entry.
As a substitute of gaslighting, possibly they need to simply admit the realities of reporting in Iran. Or they may simply do the identical factor they did with their protection of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
The transcript is beneath. Click on “broaden”:
CNN This Morning
March 9, 2026
6:05:45 AM Japanese
(…)
BRETT MCGURK: Properly, over the weekend, essentially the most dramatic inside political developments we have seen in a long time. Iran’s solely had two supreme leaders because the ‘79 revolution. On Saturday morning after we wakened right here early, President Pezeshkian, the present president, and by the best way he is an unintentional president as a result of the president earlier than him, Ebrahim Raisi, who wA prone to succeed Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash again in 2024 –
AUDIE CORNISH: Airplane crash. Yeah, which individuals did not discover. It was some time again.
MCGURK: – So, Pezeshkian is named being, , considerably of a reasonable man. That phrase is overused, however he is not likely form of completely aligned with the true hardliners. He got here out with a press release on Saturday morning apologizing to gulf states, saying, we will cease these assaults, providing an off ramp, even. And President Trump then put out a press release saying that, you – they’re principally surrendering in terms of the Center East states however we will proceed the assaults.
In any case, as quickly as Pezeshkian spoke, inside an hour or so, the hardline in Iran, the revolutionary guards stated that isn’t our coverage. And assaults in opposition to the gulf continued.
CORNISH: However let me underscore what you simply stated. So the president got here out and stated one factor, however we’ve got the world of the supreme chief, the guard, the people who find themselves answerable for this violent police state saying, not so quick that is not the path we’re going.
MCGURK: We’re in cost. You had Ali Larijani, who’s a longtime advisor to the now deceased supreme chief. After which inside a day – yesterday, on Sunday, you had Mojtaba, Ali Khamenei’s son, named. And that reveals continuity of the system. And what does that imply for the place we’re heading? I believe it closes what President Trump may need hoped was a potential off ramp by which you’d have a brand new management emerge and possibly be prepared to speak to us. The Iranians have shut that door.
(..)
6:09:07 AM Japanese
CORNISH: We all know right here within the U.S., in line with, at the least, CNN polling earlier within the month, notably independents, did not really feel the president had fairly a grasp on Iran and just like the objectives and what is going on on. While you have a look at the best way the administration got here out and talked over the weekend, do you may have extra readability on what they’d take into account success?
SUSAN PAGE: Properly in fact, President Trump stated that this might be an unacceptable alternative for the US as supreme chief. The Iranians have clearly paid no consideration to that. And there is some hypothesis, and I might be fascinated with what our specialists right here thought, that President Trump missed a chance with the Iranian president’s form of conciliatory gesture there. Would it not have been potential to have inspired that slightly extra versus rejecting it, possibly –
CORNISH: To bolster that voice.
PAGE: Perhaps that die was already solid. You have a look at American public opinion, Individuals weren’t ready for this battle. They don’t perceive why we’ve got engaged on this battle. That is the case the administration has but to make. And historically, in these form of wars, approval is the best at first proper earlier than all the prices, the price of blood and treasure start to [inaudible].
CORNISH: Although, in equity with Iraq, as a result of there was 9/11, I believe that the general public sentiment, we had been all positionally in a special place. The place as this, individuals are unclear and you’ve got Hegseth, etcetera. Folks over the weekend saying we reserve the appropriate for boots on the bottom. They do not wish to rule something out.
PAGE: However with 9/11, as with Pearl Harbor, there was a motive that we went to battle and went to battle then and Individuals perceive that – Individuals don’t have any sympathy for this regime in Iran. However why did we go to battle now? That is a query that has but to be answered.
(…)
6:34:34 AM Japanese
CORNISH: This morning, fires nonetheless burning at certainly one of Iran’s largest oil gas storage services. Israeli forces placing a number of websites. You possibly can see this thick black smoke is hanging over Tehran. It triggered a uncommon climate phenomenon of black rain.
So, our group on the bottom working in Iran, they’re doing so with authorities permission. That is required by native rules. And CNN does preserve its full editorial management over the reporting. So I wish to present you now, CNN’s Fred Pleitgen, who visited one of many hardest hit areas.
[Cuts to video]
FRED PLEITGEN: It is a fully apocalyptic scene right here. We have simply made it to the Shahran Oil Depot, which was attacked final night time in a large wave of airstrikes. We heard these happening for about an hour, possibly an hour and a half with large thuds and explosions that we may hear, and that thick black plume of smoke. We noticed that final night time, and now we’re really seeing it up shut.
And what we’re additionally seeing is that a few of these destroyed storage tanks are nonetheless on hearth. There’s nonetheless flames originating from them. You can too see right here that the world round right here can be utterly destroyed. There’s individuals right here really engaged on this electrical energy pole to try to get the electrical energy again.
After which this tanker car right here additionally that’s proper in entrance of the gate has been utterly destroyed as nicely. The entrance gate of the ability, additionally in full ruins. The power seems to be utterly in ruins now after these large airstrikes and, once more, nonetheless on hearth, nonetheless burning, and you may see that thick black smoke by way of your complete metropolis, throughout all of Tehran. It has been raining this morning in Tehran, there was oil combined into the rain. So that is positively a large incident that’s nonetheless happening.
