Trump threatens Iran’s power plants as war enters fourth week with no end in sight : NPR

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

The war in Iran has entered its fourth week and all sides appear to be intensifying their threats and attacks. President Trump on Saturday issued new warnings that the United States would “wipe out” Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz waterway was not opened to international traffic within 48 hours. Iran appears undeterred by these threats. It launched a new wave of airstrikes in Israel starting last night, with missiles hitting two towns near Israel’s nuclear research center. More than 100 people were injured. For more, we turn to NPR’s Carrie Kahn, who is in the Israeli city of Arad, where one of the Iranian missiles struck. Carrie, welcome.

CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Hi. Good morning.

RASCOE: So can you tell us what you see there?

KAHN: Of course. I live in southern Israel, near the Dead Sea, in the town of Arad. I’m at the explosion site where the missile fell last night. He landed right in the middle of a dense residential complex, Ayesha. The missile did not fall directly on an apartment, but the shock wave caused by the impact is extensive, blocks and blocks wide. You can see the walls of several houses blown up. You can see the interior of the apartments with scattered furniture and accessories, clothes and glass everywhere. Across the street there is a large shopping center, and all the glass doors were blown out. This is Lemor Malkov (ph). She is a 50-year-old employee at the grocery store in the shopping center. She lives right next to the explosion.

LEMOR MALKOV: (Non-English language spoken).

KAHN: She said she thought she was hallucinating. It was like something out of the cinema. The explosion was so strong that it blew out all of its windows and damaged its ceiling. Her four children were terrified. They didn’t get to the bomb shelter in time, she said.

RASCOE: What have the Israeli authorities said about these missiles going through their, I mean, robust air defense systems?

KAHN: I just spoke with the Israeli army spokesperson. He claims that two missiles passed through the Israeli defense system. One struck here in Arad and the other not far away in Dimona. And these two southern cities are closest to Israel’s nuclear research center, which is widely considered to be linked to Israel’s nuclear program. And just so you know, Israeli authorities have never confirmed or denied that they have nuclear weapons. So I asked the spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, how did Iran penetrate the air defenses? And he said, look, no air defense system is perfect and said that of the approximately 400 missiles that Iran has fired at Israel, its defenses have intercepted 92% of them. He also said that, as you said, over a hundred people were injured. More than a thousand people are now homeless.

RASCOE: And what did Iran say about the strikes?

KAHN: Iranian state media said the attack was a response to a strike yesterday on its Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Israel claims to have no knowledge of this strike. The Iranian Defense Ministry spokesperson said that Iran, I quote, “must continue the war without interruption, with intensity and force, until the complete capitulation of the enemy.” And then we also heard from the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament who also threatened that, quote, “critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed.” And he also said that the price of oil will remain high for a long time. And as in recent days, numerous missiles and drones were intercepted this morning in the Gulf States.

RASCOE: And, Carrie, you’re in Israel. What do people hear there after three or four weeks of war?

KAHN: Well, I’ll tell you, here in Arad, which was just devastated by that Iranian missile, people are defiant. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was right here, as was the president, and people are telling them: keep going, be strong against Iran. This is the worst damage Israel has suffered during the war. In the last 24 hours, two cities have been hit very hard and Tel Aviv was hit this morning by a missile that damaged the main train station, which is very close to the Kirya, which is the main military headquarters. Support for the war is still strong in Israel, but Israelis are becoming tired and exhausted from running into these shelters four to five times a day and all night.

RASCOE: This is NPR’s Carrie Kahn in Arad, Israel. Thank you so much.

KAHN: You’re welcome.

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