EMILY KWONG, HOST:
Missiles and deadly airstrikes continue in the Middle East. On Sunday, Israel and the U.S. launched their second day of a campaign with strikes focused on Iran's capital, Tehran. Iran quickly retaliated with strikes in several countries throughout the region, killing at least three U.S. military service members and as many as nine people in an Israeli town south of Jerusalem. Iran says it has new interim leadership and pledges to keep fighting on. For more, we go now to NPR's Carrie Kahn, who is in Istanbul, Turkey. Good evening, Carrie.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Good evening, Emily.
KWONG: You're in the Middle East, and as a foreign journalist, you cannot enter Iran. So what can we reliably say about conditions inside Iran right now?
KAHN: Right. I'm in Istanbul, but we have seen today relentless strikes from the U.S. and Israel. In the last few hours, there have been massive explosions in the center of the capital, Tehran. The Israeli military put out videos of those strikes. One showed four city blocks obliterated by the airstrikes. The military said they were going for the, quote, "heart of Iran," the capital.
KWONG: Wow.
KAHN: The U.S. has also sunk nine Iranian naval ships and destroyed Iran's Navy headquarters. President Trump said that in a post on social media. Meanwhile, Iran has expanded its list of targets, launching missiles and drone strikes against Israel and Arab Gulf States.
KWONG: In the Gulf States, many U.S. bases were hit. What do we know about the U.S. service members who were killed?
KAHN: The initial announcement of those deaths came from U.S. Central Command. A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly did tell NPR that they were ground-based troops with an Army support group in Kuwait. We've seen missile and drone hits at U.S. bases in many countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Ports in Oman and Dubai have also been hit. Iran's military retaliation has also affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for oil. Traffic has nearly halted on that waterway as insurers threaten to cancel coverage or hike premiums.
KWONG: We will be hearing directly from Iran foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, later in the show. But in the meantime, Carrie, what has been the reaction inside Iran, especially following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei?
KAHN: Officials there have declared 40 days of mourning. We've seen videos of large crowds of mourners today in at least two cities. NPR has also verified videos of people celebrating across the country on Saturday night after his death was announced. Until Khamenei's successor can be appointed, a three-person leadership council is running the country, and it will be their role to appoint a successor to the ayatollah. Here's Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
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PRESIDENT MASOUD PEZESHKIAN: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "America and Israel should know that it will bring them nothing but shame for the killing," he said, "and that the armed forces of Iran will smash with power the enemy."
KWONG: Carrie, Israel has also been hit heavily again today with one strike in a town south of Jerusalem that killed nine people. What can you tell us about that?
KAHN: Israeli residents have spent many hours in bomb shelters today, and the town of Beit Shemesh was hit with an Iranian strike about 20 miles west of Jerusalem. And here's a spokesman for Israel's national emergency organization, Uri Shacham.
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URI SHACHAM: Dozens of ambulances, paramedics and other medical professional to the scene to provide immediate medical attention. We still are surveying the scene with search and rescue units to look for anybody else.
KAHN: Israel's military and foreign minister have been sharing videos from there, too. We see homes and buildings reduced to rubble. Officials are denouncing Iran for targeting civilians. And Iran is leveling the same charges against Israel, saying on Saturday it struck an all-girls school, killing at least 165 children in southern Iran, and that's according to Iranian state media. So at this point, it's really hard to see a near-term de-escalation. But President Trump did tell The Atlantic this morning that Iran's new leadership, quote, "wants to talk, and I've agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them."
KWONG: Carrie Kahn is in Istanbul. Thank you very much.
KAHN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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