Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Tuesday marks the most intense U.S. bombing yet in the Iran war. The 11 days of fighting have spooked oil markets, and the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says today marks the heaviest U.S. bombing yet in the Iran war. However, 11 days of fighting have spooked world oil markets, and the vital Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. For the latest, we’re joined here in studio by NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre. Hi there.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Juana.
SUMMERS: Greg, tell us what’s the latest from the Pentagon?
MYRE: Yeah, as you noted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was at the podium in the Pentagon briefing room this morning, and he gave this assessment.
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PETE HEGSETH: Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran – the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they’ve been capable of firing yet.
MYRE: So Hegseth said the latest round of strikes is again focused on Iran’s missiles and its drones and its navy. Now, reports out of Iran again cite large explosions in and around the capital, Tehran. We don’t have specifics, but just to give you a sense, the U.S. has been hitting an average of 500 or so targets in Iran every day. For its part, Iran carried out more airstrikes in Israel and several Gulf countries. There were reports of deaths and injuries to civilians.
And one other note, the Pentagon says 140 U.S. troops have been wounded in the Iran campaign – most are minor injuries, but eight are severely injured. And as we’ve reported previously, seven service members have been killed.
SUMMERS: Right. Have you heard anything new about Iran’s nuclear program?
MYRE: Yeah, Juana, very little and especially since this was a key reason, if not the main reason, for launching the war. Hegseth and President Trump keep saying Iran will never be able to get a nuclear weapon, but we’re just not getting information from the Trump administration on whether the military is targeting nuclear sites, and if so, how is it going? And remember, Trump said these facilities were obliterated last summer.
Now, I’ll note that Israel is doing most of the bombing in northern Iran, and that’s where the key nuclear facilities are located. Israel did say a week ago that it struck a covert, underground nuclear compound on the edge of Tehran, but aside from that, we’ve heard very little from Israel.
SUMMERS: There has, though, been a lot of talk about the volatility in world oil markets. Where does that stand today?
MYRE: So the oil prices are down today. Oil surged to about $120 a barrel yesterday but then came down just as sharply when Trump suggested the war might end soon. Today, it’s still bouncing around a bit. I just checked before coming into the studio. It’s about $88 a barrel. The markets are jittery because Iran has warned oil tankers not to go through the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast. Well, that was true yesterday, and it’s still true today. These wild price swings seem based mostly on Trump’s comments. He said the war would continue yesterday, and that sent prices surging. Then he said the war might be near an end, which brought prices back down. So today, at least, oil markets are betting on a short war.
SUMMERS: Greg, I mean, there have been just a lot of conflicting messages about how long this war will last. How should we view them?
MYRE: Yeah. It’s a guessing game, not a scientific process. There are so many variables. Hegseth said it’s up to Trump to decide if it’s the beginning, the middle or the end of the war. And Trump’s vote will count more than others, but Iran also gets a vote. Iran’s foreign minister said negotiations with the U.S. are off the table. A U.S. president can start a war unilaterally, but it can be hard to end one that way.
SUMMERS: NPR’s Greg Myre, thank you.
MYRE: Sure thing, Juana.
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