As the war in Iran enters its third week, there is no end in sight. Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route, as Trump urges allies to act and Israel expands its ground operations.
A Martinez, Host:
There is no sign of the Iran war ending anytime soon, and Iran is paying a painful price.
Michael Martin, Host:
Iran is attacking the Gulf states and blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route. President Trump is pressuring countries to help reopen it. And a second front in the war is heating up, with new Israeli ground operations in Lebanon and potential diplomacy.
MARTENEZ: NPR’s Daniel Estrin is with us from Tel Aviv. Daniel, where do things stand?
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Well, Iran continues to attack the Gulf states. It says it is punishing those Gulf states for allowing the US to use their territory to attack Iran. And so we’re seeing global implications. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, has again temporarily suspended flights after a fire broke out in a drone attack. And then there is the impact on the world oil trade. Iran is increasingly blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route. And President Trump says he’s talking to about half a dozen countries, asking them to send military aid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He threatened a “very bad future” if NATO allies did not help.
Martinez: Daniel, you mentioned you’re in Tel Aviv, Israel. So what are the consequences of Israel’s attack on Iran, now more than two weeks into the war?
ESTRIN: An Israeli military spokesman briefed reporters this morning on how the war is playing out in his view. He said the Israeli military has taken over 70% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. But we see Iran firing missiles every day toward the Gulf states and toward Israel, including shortly before I spoke to you. Israel, according to the Israeli military, is now working to degrade Iran’s nuclear program, and a military spokesman said some strikes have taken place.
The key question here is whether the war will end with Iran still in possession of the most highly enriched uranium it says is buried under debris from last year’s war. So the question is, can they simply, after the war, retrieve it and use it to build a nuclear weapon? But Iran’s military capabilities have been deeply weakened in this war. The regime is still intact, still capable of inflicting global pain as we shall see. And Israel’s public timetable for this war keeps changing. Today, a military spokesman said Israel has war plans in Iran for the next three weeks.
Martinez: The next three weeks. ok Another front in this war is Lebanon. What are Israel’s plans in Lebanon?
Estrin: We’re seeing two things happen at the same time. We are seeing a military ramp-up in Lebanon and we are also seeing diplomatic efforts. Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon. The Israeli military says Hezbollah is trying to expand its rocket attacks on Israel, and Israel has been hitting Hezbollah hard throughout the war. And the Israeli military says it has now begun calling for limited and targeted ground operations beyond the border area into new areas of southern Lebanon that it had not previously operated in this war. At the same time, a person briefed on the matter — not authorized to speak publicly, speaking on condition of anonymity — said Israel intends to gradually increase its ground offensive deeper into Lebanon. And at the same time, there are a lot of efforts behind the scenes for direct ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon. We will have to see if those talks happen soon.
Martinez: Right. That’s NPR’s Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thank you.
Estrin: You’re welcome.
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