US-Iran War Escalates, Congress To-Do List, UK Has A New Prime Minister

**Leila Fadel** (0:02)
Three American service members have been killed in the Middle East since Friday.

**Michel Martin** (0:06)
The US retaliated with more attacks on Iranian targets, and the war shows no signs of winding down.

**Leila Fadel** (0:12)
I'm Leila Fadel, that's Michel Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News.
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**Michel Martin** (0:34)
And Andy Burnham is Britain's new Prime Minister.

**Andy Burnham** (0:37)
I am ready.

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**Michel Martin** (1:56)
Three US personnel have now been killed in military operations in the Iran War since Friday, the latest during a controlled detonation in Iraq.

**Leila Fadel** (2:05)
The US has continued its waves of attacks against Iran, bombing it for nine straight nights.

**Michel Martin** (2:11)
NPS Jane Araf is with us now from Amman, Jordan. Good morning, Jane.

**Jane Araf** (2:14)
Good morning, Michelle.

**Michel Martin** (2:15)
So what has US. Central Command said about this most recent death?

**Jane Araf** (2:19)
Well, CENTCOM says that a service member was killed in a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. That's when explosive experts try to disable explosives by deliberately detonating them. Obviously, something seems to have gone wrong there. The Kurdistan region has come under heavy attack by both Iran and Iraqi Iran-backed militias, both because of the US presence and because of the presence of the Iranian Kurdish armed opposition there. CENTCOM also says it found remains, human remains, at a base in Jordan that it is working to identify.
Two other military personnel were killed at the same base Friday. CENTCOM isn't saying yet whether those remains are believed to be a service member. It reported missing in that strike.
With these deaths, it makes 17 US military personnel now reported killed and 430 wounded. Iran says at least 3,000 Iranians have been killed since the US and Israel started the war on February 28th, many of them civilians. Iran also says almost 27,000 Iranians have been wounded in attacks.

**Michel Martin** (3:31)
Wow, that's noteworthy. There are many, many more wounded than we've reported the fatalities. So what is happening in Iran today?

**Jane Araf** (3:39)
Well, Iran says several cities were struck overnight. The US last week attacked Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and electrical installations. Iran said it would respond with attacks in kind, and it has been hitting electrical infrastructure and water desalinization plants in Kuwait, and it's been striking targets in Bahrain as well today.

**Michel Martin** (4:01)
A lot of this is about keeping control of the Strait of Hormuz, which is that major oil shipping channel, about keeping that open oil and other goods as well. What is the latest on that?

**Jane Araf** (4:13)
Iran says it disabled two tankers that were trying to pass through the Strait without its permission. Those claims could not be immediately verified, but it has vowed that, quote, not a drop of oil will pass through while the US is attacking it. And oil prices are up again this morning.

**Michel Martin** (4:30)
Let's get back to Jordan, which is where you are. What is happening there? And why is Jordan involved in this?

**Jane Araf** (4:36)
Well, definitely does not want to be involved. It's a small, vulnerable country. But it's also a security partner of the US and it has a peace treaty with neighboring Israel. So there's a large US military presence at Jordanian bases here. Most Jordanians never see them because they're quite remote.