US Strikes Iran Oil Tankers, Israeli Settlements Sanctions, Smithsonian Head Retires

Leila Fadel (0:02)

The US has now hit eight Iranian oil tankers since Saturday, targeting a key source of revenue for Tehran.

Michel Martin (0:08)

Iran struck back at US troops in Jordan. Our Gulf countries rethinking whether hosting American forces makes them safer.

Leila Fadel (0:14)

I'm Leila Fadel, that's Michel Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News.

The UK., Canada and France are moving to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Britain says settler violence there amounts to ethnic cleansing. How is Israel responding to its allies?

Michel Martin (0:32)

And the head of the Smithsonian is stepping down. Lonnie Bunch III worked at the Research and Museum Complex for nearly four decades, leading it for the past seven. His departure comes after the Trump administration accued the Smithsonian's programming of being anti-white and too negative about American history. Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day.

The US has struck Iranian targets again, this time bombing five Iranian oil tankers overnight.

Leila Fadel (1:00)

Iran struck back, lighting up the night sky in Jordan as interceptors tried to stop missiles hurtling at US troops at an air base there. All this as the turmoil pushes Brent crude oil prices over $100 a barrel again today.

Michel Martin (1:14)

Joining us to talk about the latest attacks and how this might affect US strategy in the region is NPR International correspondent Aya Bertraui in Dubai. Good morning, Aya.

Aya Bertraui (1:22)

Good morning, Michelle.

Michel Martin (1:23)

So could you start us off with what happened last night?

Aya Bertraui (1:25)

US. Central Command says it destroyed five Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and off of Iran's Karg Island. Now CENCOM says it did give notice to crews aboard those ships to abandon them before they were bombed. And it says that these attacks were in response to Iranian missile attacks on a US. Navy warship that were successfully evaded.

So, since Saturday, Michel, we now have the US striking eight Iranian crude oil tankers. And this is another blow to Iran's economic lifeline that goes beyond the aggressive sanctions that are already in place and the existing US naval blockade on Iran's oil shipments.

Michel Martin (2:00)

What was Iran's response?

Aya Bertraui (2:02)

Well, Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it targeted US vessels and oil tankers as well as 10 ships trying to transit through the Strait of Hormuz with US help. Now there's no confirmation on what was hit from those attacks.

But Iran also attacked US troops at an airbase in Jordan. Jordan says it intercepted all but two of Iran's 20 missiles last night. It says there were no deaths recorded, but Michelle, it made no mention of injuries from those attacks. And one more thing, Iran also released visuals yesterday of an underwater US naval drone that it captured. One of Iran's official accounts on X described it as one of America's most mysterious underwater toys now in Iran's possession. And all of this just shows how Iran remains undeterred in the face of sustained US military pressure.

Michel Martin (2:47)

Iran has been targeting American assets and troops in the region since the start of the war. And this brings up the bigger question, what is the US strategy now in the region?

Aya Bertraui (2:57)

Exactly. And that is unclear.

And there's also little discussion around the future of the US footprint in the region. In part, that's because permanently pulling back troops now could signal weakness to Iran and other adversaries like Russia and China, and US bases in Gulf Arab States and Jordan were meant to be a deterrence. But they've actually been used to attack Iran, and it's partly why Iran has now attacked these countries throughout the war. So Arab allies are broadening their defense ties with other countries and waiting, really, for the US to show what its path forward is gonna be. Meanwhile, you have the Pentagon under Secretary Pete Hexeth not being forthcoming about damage to US bases from this war, and the Trump administration asking satellite companies to censor their images over the Gulf. Still, we do know that in Bahrain, where the Navy's 5th Fleet was hit by Iran, there were some 8,000 military personnel there. Now it's less than 100

I asked Mackenzie Eaglin, who's with the American Enterprise Institute and is co-chair of the National Commission on the Future of the Navy, about this lack of transparency.

SPEAKER_4 (3:55)

It's hugely damaging, just one, for precedent setting, because it's not how we operate in a federal republic, and two, it's not gonna help Congress grapple with, how is our military performing? How are we ahead? How are we behind? What could we do differently? What could we do better?