Your World Tonight - Iran's president apologizes for attacks on neighbours, Dead U.S. soldiers repatriated, Building Canadian food independence, and more

Episode Date: March 7, 2026

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian is apologizing for attacks on its neighbours that are caught in the crossfire of Iran's war with the U-S and Israel. Despite his words, Iranian drones and missiles continue to strike Gulf countries. Pezeshkian is calling for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but also rejects U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for Iran's unconditional surrender. Meanwhile, Israel says it has 'a well organized plan' to destabilize the Iranian regime and enable change. Also: The remains of troops killed in action have been returned to American soil. They were killed in Kuwait last weekend, on the second day of the war between the US and Israel, and Iran. And: Canadian businesses working on the weak spots in the country's food system. Trade vulnerability caused by the ongoing threat of U.S. tariffs is serving as fuel for businesses looking to have more of Canada's crops processed and sold at home. Plus: Tech startups growing in Newfoundland, Using 3D printing to build houses, Canada's strong start at the Paralympic Games, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. Iran's president apologizing for attacks on its neighbors, caught in the crossfire of Iran's war with the U.S. and Israel. Despite his words, Iranian drones and missiles continue to hit Gulf countries. This is your world tonight. I'm Kate McGilfrey. Also on the podcast, in Delaware, Donald Trump attends the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops killed in an Iranian strike on Kuwait after vowing earlier to escalate and expand American attacks. And he shoot, he scores. Helbert now. He scores. What a wrist shot. And they scored. A strong first day for Canadian Paralympians. That includes an 8 to 0 win for Canada's

para ice hockey team against Slovakia and three skiing medals in the bag. in Israel. The Israeli military says it has carried out around 3,400 strikes on Iran so far. The war being waged by the U.S. in Israel is now into its second week. Both continue to batter the country and are promising there is more to come. We have a well-organized plan, says Israel's prime minister. He's promising to use surprises to deal. He stabilized the regime and enabled change.

Meanwhile, Iran's president is calling for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, while also rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for Iran's unconditional surrender. Tom Perry kicks off our coverage tonight from London. Plumes of smoke rise yet again over Tehran, as the U.S. and Israel continued their bombardment of the Iranian capital. Iran's president, Masud Pazashkian, has issued a. statement apologizing to neighboring countries that Iran has targeted with drones and rockets in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strike, saying Iran would only attack countries that attacked it while calling for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. But hours after that apology,

the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain were still sounding alerts or reporting intercepted missiles. And they're bad people. They're just bad people. Today, a tired-looking U.S. president to defend his war. And they said, well, how are you doing on a scale of zero to ten? How are you doing with the attack? And I said, about a 15, I would say, with 10 being the best. Donald Trump as well, posting a sneering response to Iran's apology on social media. Iran, he wrote, is being beat to hell, with hell written in all caps.

Iran is no longer the bully of the Middle East. He continued, they are instead the loser of the Middle East. that last part, again, in all caps. Trump has demanded Iran's unconditional surrender, something Iran's leadership says it won't do. Iran and its proxy group, Hezbollah in Lebanon, continue to lob missiles toward Israel, while Israel strikes back at targets in Lebanon.

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz, warning Hezbollah to disarm or face a heavy price. We have no territorial claims against. Lebanon, Katz says, but we will not accept the situation that existed for many years, firing from Lebanese territory toward the state of Israel. In London today, crowds gathered outside the U.S. embassy to protest the American and Israeli military campaign, some like Saeed Olmo Kalili expressing mixed feelings. We thank all the rest for all of the support of Iranian uprising, but as a hero,

human being, everyone feeling that there is a bit sadness because there is a bloodshed, a lot of civilians dying. Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to the UK, Syed Ali Musava told the BBC his country would keep up its fight. The aggression of the American side and the Israeli regime is continued. There is no doubt we will defend ourselves. The U.S. and Israel are pledging to keep up their attacks as this war enters its second week. Tom Perry, CBC News.

London. The U.S. Central Command is denying that any U.S. troops have been captured by Iran. Earlier on Saturday, Iran's security chief posted on X, saying he had been told that several American soldiers were taken prisoner. A spokesman for U.S. Central Command responded by saying Iran was spreading lies and deception. Staying in the Middle East, Megan Williams is covering the latest developments for us from Dubai. Megan, as we just heard, more Iranian missiles have been intercepted today over. the UAE? What's the latest from where you are in Dubai? Well, we've been receiving a lot of alerts from the defense ministry today. We know that a drone struck the Dubai International Airport

and effectively grounded flights for several hours. I was not too far from the airport and I saw another drone hit, I don't know, maybe a kilometer or two from the airport. I heard this huge, you know, loud boom and then saw a plume of black smoke rise up in the distance. Then another drone hit the airport again around five, and then a fourth one near the marina. The Ministry of Defense said there were something like 120 drone attacks. I imagine that number is much higher and, you know, a few get through. So I think that's what's happening. And their missile attacks as well, which they've been able to intercept.

But the airport disruptions meant that the charter flight of Canadians organized by the Foreign Affairs Ministry was late leaving. And that flight is taking about 90 Canadians to Istanbul. These are people who signed up with the government. because they wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Today, the UAE's president also made his first public comments since this war started. What did he have to say? Yeah, that's right. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zaid Al-Nahan said that the UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh.

We are no easy prey. He also said that the country would stand by everyone living here. He said, we'll carry out our duty towards our country, our people. and our residents who are also part of our family. Leaders here are very keen to protect the reputation of Dubai as a safe haven and a very volatile region because this is an international finance hub. It has the largest, the busiest airport hub in the world, the Dubai International Airport. and they want to really enforce the fact that this is a safe place for people to be.

And so that was the message that he was striving to convey today. Megan Williams in Dubai, Megan, thank you so much. Thanks, Kate. In the U.S. today, the remains of troops killed in action returned to American soil. They died in Kuwait last weekend on the second day of the war between the U.S. in Israel and Iran. Chris Reyes is in New York and has been following today's developments. Chris, tell us about this repatriation ceremony. Kate, President Trump arrived at Dover Air Base in Delaware where he was greeted by U.S.

soldiers. He was accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Ushah Vance. They were there for what's known as a dignified transfer. This is a military ceremony for fallen soldiers when their remains are repatriated in flagged rape transfer cases. As each one went by Trump and his officials gave a salute, cameras were only on the dignitaries and not the families of the soldiers. Earlier in the day, Trump was at a meeting with Latin American leaders in Florida. Here's what he said there. They're great heroes in our country, and we're going to keep it that way. There's always, when it comes to war, there's always that. But we're going to keep it to a minimum.

The six American soldiers were identified earlier this week. 35-year-old Captain Cody Cork, 42-year-old Sergeant First Class Noah Tejans, 39-year-old Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, 20-year-old Sergeant Declan Coe, 45-year-old Major Jeffrey O'Brien, 54-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan. All were members of the Army Reserves. The Pentagon said they were killed when an unmanned Iranian aircraft hit a command center in Kuwait. We've been hearing Trump say he's expecting an unconditional surrender from Iran.

What else is he saying as this war gets into its second week? President Trump is sticking to the message. We're not hearing anything new today, Kate, just a repeating of what we've heard all week, that the U.S. is winning, that the U.S. military is depleting Iranian military assets, that the U.S. is confident in their dominance of the region's air, land, and sea space. And again, all of this difficult to verify independently. These are all claims and statements from the Trump administration, and they have not presented hard evidence to support it.

Trump also reiterated why this had to be done. His claim is that Iran would have struck the U.S. first and continued to be a threat, even after the U.S. hit the country's nuclear facilities last year and declared it obliterated. Trump also once again said that the attacks on Iran will only intensify from here. Chris Reyes is in New York. Chris, thank you for this. Thank you. Prime Minister Mark Carney has returned from his Indo-Pacific trip. Karni traveled to India,

Australia, and Japan over the past week trying to strengthen Canadian trade and defense relationships. Much of that trip was overshadowed by the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. Carney has said Canada has no plans to engage militarily in this war, but he did not rule out the possibility of getting involved to defend allies if called upon. Still ahead, Canadian businesses working on the weak spots in the country's food system. Whether it's leafy greens grown in the heart of winter or canned goods, preserving crops, the goal is to shield Canada from trade vulnerability. That's coming up on your world tonight. In Nepal. A crowd of supporters of rapper-turned-politian Belendra Shaw celebrate in the streets

as he wins his seat in parliament in the country's national election. Shaw ran directly against former Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, securing almost four times the number of votes. Oli was forced to resign as the country's leader in September after widespread protests broke out over government corruption, triggered by a social media ban. Shah's National Independent Party is currently leading in the polls by a wide margin, putting him on track to become the next prime minister. Official election results are expected to be finalized by next week. A teenager has died and at least 15 other people.

people have been injured after a school bus crash in southern Quebec. This happened about 130 kilometers south of Quebec City near the U.S. border. Police say the bus was carrying 18 people, most of them teenagers, to an organized activity when it veered off the road and rolled over. The exact cause is unknown, but police are investigating icy road conditions as a possible contributing factor. It is controversial and slow to be adopted by builders, but 3D-printed construction has come knocking in Canada's housing sector. For true believers, tapping in the machines is seen as a time and money saver that could lead to more affordable homes. Deanna Suminac Johnson has the story.

I believe this technology can change how we are building here in Canada. Retiree Linda Reisman wanted to build a house on a plot of land she bought in Ontario's Muscoca region. But when builders told her construction would cost over a million dollars, she was stunned and priced out. Siriceman thought of a somewhat unusual way to build her own house and help others too. The light bulb went up that I could buy a 3D printing concrete machine and I could build affordable homes faster, more attainably, better, more efficiently, with less workforce.

She bought a robotic arm needed for 3D printing concrete with close to $700,000 of her own savings. Linda's idea that using this method and collaborating with building companies, she could build both her own house and run a business building homes for others. She believed she could access some government money to get her business going. After all, Justin Trudeau's liberals allocated $600 million for it in 2024. Building the homes we need in a matter of months. Doing it with 3D printing and automation. But when Linda Reisman tried to access,

some of that money, she found that she didn't fit into grant categories. You're telling me you talk to the local government, provincial government, the federal government, nothing. Nothing. Construction companies also seemed reluctant to work with this new method. The slow birth of 3D printed housing in Canada is in contrast to other parts of the world. In Germany, the business seems to be booming. In the U.S., they've built everything from Starbucks to Walmarts to Marine Barracks using this method. isn't always the thing that's going to bring us the most sustainable solution.

Sheila McCartney, Professor of Urban Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University, says we don't know yet how long houses built this way will last, or if they will be able to be renovated and refurbished eventually. The 3D printing is the portion of the wall that provides structure. And in Canada, we need a lot of insulation to build properly and sustainably. Still, in Ghana-Nocque, Ontario, construction company Horizon Legacy took a chance and use 3D printed concrete for exterior and interior wall construction of a townhouse complex. By reducing the number of workers needed and speeding up construction,

they were able to shave off a significant slice of building costs. And that's being seen in the rents, people who will live in these units will be charged, says CEO, Nyeong Nien. Eight of the units will be priced at around $1,000 a month, which we think is pretty affordable. And that gives hope to Linda Reesman, that companies and governments alike will see the light and help give her 3D printed concrete business a boost. So if I was able to build a proof of concept

and people were able to come into it and touch it and feel it and see it, they would be amazed that it's not just a concrete home. It's a beautiful living space. For now, Linda is living in a rented condo and dreaming of when she'll see her own 3D house on this plot of land, a project of modernity and tech innovation, in the middle of nature's grandeur. Deanna Suminac Johnson, CBC News, Toronto.

It's a province better known for fishing and oil, but Newfoundland and Labrador is seeing growth in a new area, tech startups. A new fund is hoping to find the next big company after a breakout success. As Peter Cowan reports, some people believe that East Coast cooperation is fueling the sector's success.

We're working on trying to expose those tools a bit better. Adam Keating started co-lab nine years ago to build a better tool for engineers to collaborate on complex designs. In the process, he's built one of the fastest growing companies in North America, with an estimated value of half a billion dollars. There was one investor who said to me, I'll give you a million dollars today if you move your company to California tomorrow. Early on, there was pressure to leave St. John's,

but Keating says his company wouldn't be where it is today if he did. People wanted to join, people care what we were doing. We were sort of unique in what we were doing versus being in Silicon Valley at the time. we've just been one of a million companies trying to start a company. The Polaris Fund is hoping to find the next co-lab. It's launching a new venture capital fund targeting Newfoundland and Labrador startups. The first fund, launched in 2015, has already returned one and a half dollars for every dollar invested. Initially, it was mostly government money, but Chris Moyer, who runs the fund, says success has attracted a lot of private money.

There's more and more evidence that it's real, and I think that's convinced a lot of people that they want to, be involved. The province's first big tech success was Verifen. It helps banks detect fraud. NASDAQ scooped it up for more than $3.5 billion. Was there anything else you found so far? Brent Pretty left his job at Verifen to start Verlo. He's building AI tools for financial advisors. Right now it's just a team of three. But he says seeing others succeed made him want to build his own company. It creates almost a flywheel effect of we now have an ecosystem of people and that have now decades of experience in the tech industry that you can draw from. And it's that cooperation that may be the key to Newfoundland and Labrador's success.

Philip Piercy stays entrepreneurship at Memorial University. He says a place where seemingly everyone knows everyone has a big advantage. There tends to be a lot of connections between people. That helps them learn from each other. And if someone learns how to build a business or get funding, that information can then spread to other people. And that's what Keating is doing. already mentoring the next group of companies hoping to see them grow.

I'm generally just excited about seeing Newfoundland, Labrador, Canada, just focus on building and solving problems. Success isn't without its own problems. Companies are struggling to find all the new employees needed for these growing tech companies. Peter Cowan, CBC News, St. John's. With billions of dollars of food imports coming in every year, Canadian food independence is still a long way off. But the ongoing threat of U.S. tariffs is serving in.

fuel for businesses hell-bent on seeing more of Canada's crops, processed, and sold here. Nick Purden reports. To have Canada be have more control over its own food supply is what I hope will be my legacy project of my career. That's Garnet Lasby, the president of Miss Silly North America. And he's showing me around their factory in Brantford, Ontario, where they make more than a billion lids for food jars a year. It's important that Canada be...

able to feed itself, fuel itself, and defend itself. And those are not my words. Those are the words of Prime Minister Carney. And we're contributing to Canada's ability to continue to feed itself. Now, Lasby believes that food storage is key to independence. But the billions of cans used in Canada every year for the food industry, almost all of them come from the U.S. Lots of Canadian agricultural products wind up in cans. We'd like those cans to be made in Canada and then sold on Canadian retail shelves. Lasby says the Buy Canada movement, and it's part of the business case for his company spending $85 million to start making cans here. We are investing in the equipment to be able to use Canadian steel for these Canadian cans,

as opposed to imported steel. And that to me is very important because if I'm using anything other than Canadian steel, it's a spear in my heart. Of course, a nation needs more than canned food to feed itself, like fresh fruits and vegetables. In Canada, we import most of those. For instance, 90% of our leafy greens come from south of the border. Andy O'Brien, the CEO of Goodleaf, wants to change that. This is our germination room here, where it was almost like a sauna,

where they go in there for two days, where they literally germinate before they go into our actual grow room. From the outside, Goodleaf's Guelph, Ontario vertical farm, it looks like an office building. Inside, the greens grow five stories high. Since Donald Trump got elected, their business has taken off, And they can't keep up with demand. I've never seen the pro-Canadian sentiment

the way I've seen it over last year. Our sales went up four times overnight, and it hasn't stopped. The company is investing $52 million to double production at their farms across the country. We're still on the scale of things, relatively small, but I do see over time that continuing to increase, and that will help us today and continue to grow us into the future and allow us to be way more independent. Why does that matter?

Because you could control your own destiny. You don't have to rely on external factors, whether it be political, whether it be financial. You know, if you're inside the four borders of Canada, you can control your own destiny. And I think it's really important to companies and it's really important to Canadians. Nick Purden, CBC News, Guelph, Ontario. Nick Perdon did an extended version of this story for the national, and you can watch the full nine-minute piece on the... the Nationals YouTube page.

Canadian curling legend Brad Gushu has officially hung up his broom after being eliminated from the briar. Hometown fans in St. Johns gave him an emotional send-off as Brad Jacobs handed Gushu his final defeat with a 7-5 win. The 45-year-old Gushu leaves the sport with a record six Breyer wins, an Olympic bronze, an Olympic gold, a world championship, and no less than 15 Grand Slam titles. And a strong first day for Canadian athletes at the 26 Milano Cortina Paralympic Games. Canada has already racked up three medals in alpine competitions, and on the ice today, a blowout for Team Canada in their first men's para ice hockey game against Slovakia. Philip LeShanac has more. And the Canadians are off and running.

Team Canada's men's para ice hockey team scored early and often, beating Slovakia convincingly. And eight-nothing victory. Canada scores four in the first, one in the second, and three in the third period. Team captain Tyler McGregor scored the opening goal. He says despite the rookies on the team, he's confident they'll stay disciplined. We want to get better and better each period we play. We want to ensure that we stick to our identity and play within our structure, regardless of what happens. And Dom Cozolino has just been on fire. Dom Cozellino is a two-time team Canada. parahockey player from Mississauga, Ontario. He says his dream was always to play elite hockey. I played pretty high level hockey my whole life. And when I was 14, I was checked from behind on the ice and suffered a spinal cord injury. Kossilino says representing Canada in Italy shows that

anything is achievable. Follow your dreams and, you know, don't let barriers or adversity stop you. Canada faces Japan on Monday. Former team Canada Paralympic hockey player and sports commentator, Claire Buchanan, says this team has a good chance at gold. We know they're able to beat those Americans and they have been knocking at that door at every opportunity that they've had. And Buchanan says Canada's Paralympians are hitting their stride at these games. Canada is going into Italy across the board, across all of the sports, peaking at the right time. Canada's day in Italy, began with a promising start.

In their first ever Paralympic Games, BC's Kala Erickson and his guide, Sierra Smith, skied to silver in the men's visually impaired downhill. The pair, linked by a radio headset, have to ski as won down the course. Erickson lost his sight three years ago. He says the medal was hard earned. It represents a lot of sacrifice over the last couple of years.

A lot of battle fighting my disability and getting over that. I think that this is showing me that I've put in a lot of hard work in my body and in my brain. Alberta's Kurt Oatway returning from an injury at the World Championships won bronze in the men's downhill sitting ski competition. While BC's Natalie Wilkie won silver in the women's sprint standing biathlon. The three-time Paralympic champion in cross-country is scheduled to compete five more times at these games, so there may be more medals to come for her and Canada. Feltes-Shanock, CBC News, Toronto. Timothy Shalameh is in hot water.

In one fell swoop, the Hollywood actor provoked the ire of two constituencies, the ballet people and the opera people. I admire people, and I've done it myself to go on a talk show, go, hey, we've got to keep movie theaters alive. You know, we've got to keep this genre alive. And another part of me feels like if people want to see it like Barbie, like Oppenheimer, they're going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it.

and I don't want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it's like, hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. That clips from a sit down with Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas in February. And as these things do, it is finding a second life online. As artists and professionals involved in ballet and opera

step up to clarify that actually a lot of people care about what they do. From one art kid to another art kid, maybe we should try to promote the arts rather than make fun of them and tear them down. Like, it's ironic for people to assume that they are so divorced from this world when they don't realize how closely connected to it they are. I don't think AI is coming for our, the opera singer's job. So if I were you, I would continue to work on your Kyoto-Skudel balance, Mr. Salomey. Takes like that are sitting side by side with shots of packed theaters, and thundering applause. Luckily, the whole hot take outrage cycle

has also led to a lot of arts companies trying to make their case to audiences anew. The Canadian opera company and the National Ballet have both jumped on that. Some companies are even offering discounts to their shows unlocked by using the promo code, Timothy. This has been your world tonight for Saturday, March 7th. I'm Kate McGilvery. Good night.

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