SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The past 48 hours have seen increases in attacks on Iran and Iran's ability to strike back. Two U.S. planes have been shot down, including an F-15 fighter jet. Both Iranian and American forces are searching for one missing U.S. crew member. We're joined now by NPR's D. Parvaz in Van, Turkey. D., thanks so much for being with us.
D PARVAZ, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
SIMON: What are the latest developments?
PARVAZ: Well, as you mentioned, the past couple of days have been especially intense - that downed F-15 jet. Both crew members ejected, and while U.S. officials confirmed to NPR that one had been rescued, the fate of the other one remains unknown. Multiple Iranian state media outlets reported that the pilot might have been captured by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, but there's no confirmation of that. And then there was this callout on Iranian TV.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: She's asking tribal and local villagers in the area of the downed jet to target and capture any U.S. pilots or crew members, offering a monetary reward. There are also reports of a couple of U.S. helicopters sent in to rescue the crew being struck. I reached out to U.S. Central Command for updates on the search for the missing crew member and for confirmation on those helicopter strikes, but haven't heard back. And, Scott, there was also another plane downed - an A-10 Warthog shot down near Iran's coast. That pilot was rescued. But in all of this, one thing is clear, and that's Iranian airspace isn't uncontested, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said was the case as early as the first week of the war.
SIMON: There were significant strikes in Iran and elsewhere, too, right?
PARVAZ: Yeah. The U.S. and Israeli strikes have been hitting many targets, including a weapons depot and a nuclear power plant. But some strikes have also hit targets like the B1 bridge between the cities of Tehran and Karaj. In response to that strike, Iran released a list of bridges in the region that they could destroy. And there was also a strike on a Red Crescent warehouse in Bushehr. And Iranian media also had reports that U.S. and Israeli strikes hit the Azadi sports stadium in Tehran, as well as caused damage to Shahid Beheshti University. And on top of all this, Iran launched multiple strikes in the region, including one at Oracle's offices in Dubai overnight and an intercepted attack on an Abu Dhabi gas site. They also hit a water desalination plant and an oil refinery in Kuwait. And the strikes on Israel continued as well, damaging some homes, cars, as well as a train station in Tel Aviv.
SIMON: D, you've been interviewing Iranians at the border there in Turkey. What kind of reviews, if you please, do they give President Trump's messaging on this war?
PARVAZ: Well, I can tell you they've all been following his speeches very closely, and most aren't encouraged by what they hear. Just a note, Scott, that the Iranians I spoke to didn't want to be named, fearing government reprisal when they return. But I asked a 52-year-old woman from Tehran about what she thought, and her takeaway is that Trump doesn't support the people of Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: She's saying that Trump is out for his own gains. He's fine with the hard-liners controlling Iran as long as he gets Iran's oil and some other concessions, and that none of that would help the Iranian people. She also said that she trusts neither Trump nor the Iranian government. I also asked a 33-year-old man from Tabriz what he made of what the president says.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: He noted that even American lawmakers and officials at times mock the president, and that he can't find him credible. I also asked him what he made of the president saying that the U.S. would bomb Iran back to the Stone Age.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
PARVAZ: He said he didn't said he didn't take that threat seriously, and joked that a return to the Stone Age would expand Iran's map and that the Persian Empire would be rebuilt and that neighboring countries would return to being part of it. But at the same time, he also said if the U.S. invades Iran by land, he's ready to join the fight and defend his country.
SIMON: NPR's D. Parvaz. Thanks so much for being with us.
PARVAZ: Thanks for having me, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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