Iran blocks vital oil route as Israel expands its ground operations in Lebanon : NPR
As the war in Iran enters its third week, there is no end in sight. Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil route, as Trump urges allies to act and Israel expands its land operations.
TO MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
There is no indication that the war in Iran is about to end, and Iran is exacting a painful price.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Iran attacks Gulf countries and blocks the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route. President Trump is pressuring countries to help reopen. And a second war front is heating up, with new Israeli ground operations in Lebanon and also potential diplomacy.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR’s Daniel Estrin is with us from Tel Aviv. Daniel, where are things?
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Well, Iran continues to attack Gulf countries. It says it is punishing Gulf countries for allowing the United States to use their territory to launch attacks against Iran. So we see the global implications. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, has temporarily suspended flights again after a drone attack sparked a fire. And then there is the impact on global oil trade. Iran largely blocks this key maritime route, the Strait of Hormuz. And President Trump says he’s speaking to about a half-dozen countries, asking them to send military aid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He threatened, quote, a “very bad future” if NATO allies do not help him.
MARTÍNEZ: Daniel mentioned that you were in Tel Aviv, Israel. So what are the effects of Israel’s attack on Iran, now more than two weeks after the start of the war?
ESTRIN: An Israeli military spokesperson briefed reporters this morning on how the war is going in their eyes. He said the Israeli military had destroyed more than 70 percent of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. But we see that Iran continues to fire missiles toward Gulf countries and Israel on a daily basis, including shortly before I started speaking to you. Israel, according to the Israeli military, is now also working to degrade Iran’s nuclear program, and the military spokesman said there had been strikes he could not yet discuss.
The major question here is whether this war will end with Iran still in possession of its available highly enriched uranium, which Iran says is buried under the rubble of last year’s war. So the question is: Could they just, after the war, take it back and use it to build a nuclear weapon? But Iran’s military capabilities are deeply weakened in this war. The regime, however, is still intact, still capable of inflicting global suffering, as we see it. And Israel’s public timetable for this war keeps changing. Today, the military spokesperson said that Israel has war plans in Iran for the next three weeks.
MARTÍNEZ: The next three weeks. ALL RIGHT. Another front in this war is Lebanon. What are Israel’s plans in Lebanon?
ESTRIN: We see two things happening at the same time. We are seeing a military build-up in Lebanon, and we are also seeing diplomatic attempts. Hezbollah is the Iranian-funded militia in Lebanon. The Israeli military claims that Hezbollah has attempted to expand its rocket attacks against Israel and that Israel has hit Hezbollah hard throughout this war. And the Israeli army says it has now begun what it calls limited and targeted ground operations beyond the border area, into new areas of southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army had not previously operated in this war. At the same time, a person briefed on the matter – not authorized to speak publicly, speaking on condition of anonymity – told me that Israel intended to gradually increase its ground incursion deeper into Lebanon. And at the same time, many efforts are being made behind the scenes for direct ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. We will have to see if these discussions will take place soon.
MARTÍNEZ: Very good. It’s Daniel Estrin from NPR in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thank you.
ESTRIN: You’re welcome.
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