Three US service members have been killed in ongoing operations in the Middle East, US and Israeli strikes continue to pound Iran, and Iran responds with waves of missiles and drones across the region.
Emily Kwong, Host:
Missiles and deadly airstrikes continue in the Middle East. On Sunday, Israel and the US began their second day of operations in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Iran quickly retaliated in several countries across the region, killing at least three US military service members and nine people in an Israeli town south of Jerusalem. Iran says it has a new interim leadership and has vowed to continue fighting. For more, we now go to NPR’s Carrie Conn in Istanbul, Turkey. Good evening, Carrie.
CARRIE KOHN, BYLINE: Good evening, Emily.
Kwang: You are in the Middle East and as a foreign journalist you cannot enter Iran. So what can we reliably say about conditions inside Iran right now?
Con: Right. I’m in Istanbul, but we’ve seen relentless strikes from the US and Israel today. Huge explosions have occurred in the center of the capital Tehran in the past few hours. The Israeli military posted videos of those attacks. One showed four city blocks destroyed by airstrikes. The military said they were heading to the capital, “the heart of Iran.”
Kwang: Wow.
Kahn: The US has sunk nine Iranian naval vessels and destroyed Iran’s naval headquarters. President Trump posted on social media. Meanwhile, Iran has expanded its list of targets, launching missile and drone strikes against Israel and the Arab Gulf states.
Kwang: In the Gulf states, many US bases were hit. What do we know about US service members who have been killed?
KAHN: The initial announcement of those deaths came from U.S. Central Command. A US official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR that they were ground-based forces with a military support group in Kuwait. We have seen missile and drone hits on US bases in many countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. The ports of Oman and Dubai were also damaged. Iran’s military retaliation has affected shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil artery. Traffic on that waterway has come to a near standstill as insurers threaten to cancel coverage or raise premiums.
Kwang: We’ll hear directly from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai later in the show. But in the meantime, Kerry, what is the reaction in Iran, especially after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei?
KAHN: Officials there have announced 40 days of mourning. We saw a large number of mourning videos today in at least two cities. NPR reviewed videos of people celebrating across the country Saturday night after his death was announced. Until Khamenei’s successor is appointed, a three-person leadership council runs the country and their role is to appoint a successor to the Ayatollah. Iran’s President Masoud Pezheshkian is here.
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PRESIDENT MASOUD PEJESHKIAN: (Speaks a language other than English).
Kahn: “America and Israel must know that killing will bring them nothing but shame, and that Iran’s armed forces will crush the enemy with force,” he said.
Kwang: Israel was also hit hard again today by a strike in a southern town of Jerusalem that killed nine people. What can you tell us about it?
KAHN: Israeli residents spent several hours in bomb shelters today and the town of Beit Shemesh, 20 miles west of Jerusalem, was hit by an Iranian attack. And here’s a spokesperson for Israel’s national emergency agency, Uri Shacham.
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URI SHACHAM: Dozens of ambulances, paramedics and other medical professionals rushed to the scene to provide immediate medical care. We are still surveying the scene with search and rescue units to find anyone.
KAHN: Israel’s military and foreign ministers are sharing videos from there as well. We see houses and buildings reduced to rubble. Officials condemn Iran for targeting civilians. And Iran is making the same accusations against Israel, which on Saturday struck an all-girls school, killing at least 165 children in southern Iran, according to Iranian state media. So at this point, it’s really hard to see a near-term upside. But President Trump told The Atlantic this morning, a reference to Iran’s new leadership, “who wants to talk and I’ve agreed to talk, so I’ll talk to them.”
Kwang: Carrie Kahn is in Istanbul. Thank you very much.
KAHN: You’re welcome.
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