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

Up First from NPR

This episode of Up First covers escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran following a series of military strikes on Iranian oil tankers,

Key takeaways

• The U.S. has destroyed eight Iranian oil tankers since Saturday, intensifying economic warfare against Iran.
• Iran retaliated by launching missile attacks on a U.S. airbase in Jordan, with most intercepted but no reported casualties.

Main topics

• U.S.-Iran military escalation
• International sanctions on Israeli settlements

Notable quotes

"We are not going back in there anytime soon." – Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Cottle, on U.S. military presence in Bahrain.

Conclusion

The episode highlights escalating regional tensions between the U.S. and

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:02) The U.S. has now hit eight Iranian oil tankers since Saturday, targeting a key source of Speaker 1 (0:07) revenue for Tehran. Iran struck back at U.S. troops in Jordan. Are Gulf countries rethinking whether hosting American forces makes them safer? I'm Leila Fadil, that's Michelle Martin, and this is Up First Speaker 5 (0:17) from NPR News. Speaker 5 (0:20) The U.K., Canada, and France are moving to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Britain says settler violence there amounts to ethnic cleansing. Speaker 1 (0:30) How is Israel responding to its allies? And ahead 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 accused 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. Speaker 8 (0:54) This message comes from Pod Save America. Every week, John Lovett, Tommy Vietor, Jon Favreau, and Dan Pfeiffer dive deep into political news with guests from across the political spectrum. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. This message comes from Bloomberg. Our Town, from Bloomberg's Big Take podcast, follows residents of Gainesboro, Tennessee, after a group of far-right Christians moves in with plans for a radical social experiment. Listen to Our Town wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 6 (1:26) I haven't seen my son since 2012. Speaker 8 (1:30) This is Deborah Tice. The Speaker 6 (1:32) disappearance of her son, Austin, is one of the biggest missing person cases in the world. What do you want from me? I just want to solve the mystery. I know that my son is somewhere alive. Listen to Where Is Austin Tice? from NPR's Embedded and BBC Radio 4 on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 1 (1:51) The U.S. has struck Iranian targets again, this time bombing five Iranian oil tankers overnight. Speaker 5 (1:57) Iran struck back, lighting up the night sky in Jordan as interceptors tried to stop missiles hurtling at U.S. troops at an airbase there. All this as the turmoil pushes Brent crude oil prices over $100 a barrel Speaker 1 (2:10) again today. Joining us to talk about the latest attacks and how this might affect U.S. strategy in the region is NPR international correspondent Aya Batchawi in Dubai. Good morning, Aya. Speaker 2 (2:18) Good morning, Michelle. Speaker 1 (2:19) So could you start us off with what happened last night? Speaker 2 (2:22) U.S. Central Command says it destroyed five Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and off of Iran's Karg Island. Now, CENTCOM 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 U.S. Navy warship that were successfully evaded. So since Saturday, Michelle, we now have the U.S. 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 U.S. naval blockade on Iran's oil shipments. What was Iran's response? Well, Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it targeted U.S. vessels and oil tankers, as well as 10 ships trying to transit through the Strait of Hormuz with U.S. help. Now, there's no confirmation on what was hit from those attacks. But Iran also attacked U.S. 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 U.S. 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