LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The United States launched new attacks on Iran in the midst of a ceasefire.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The U.S. Central Command says it targeted missile launch sites and boats trying to lay mines. The U.S. describes this strike as self-defense while the U.S. tries to negotiate an end to the war with Iran. President Trump raised expectations for peace with a claim over the weekend that an agreement was largely negotiated. Trump and other officials have since said they need more negotiation.
FADEL: Israeli officials have insisted they will continue attacking in one of the fronts of the war - in Lebanon, where there is also supposed to be a ceasefire. NPR's Daniel Estrin is following all of this from Tel Aviv and joins me now. Good morning, Daniel.
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So what were these U.S. attacks on Iran trying to achieve?
ESTRIN: U.S. Central Command says it attacked targets, including Iranian boats trying to place mines, and Iran named at least four navy officers killed. Iranian state TV also reported big explosions around a city on the Strait of Hormuz. We know that Iran laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz during the war, blocking oil and gas ships from passing through. And that's the main issue in these talks - to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That's where a fifth of the world's oil and gas exports passed through before the war. So these new U.S. attacks may be an attempt to pressure Iran on that. Iran says it shot down a U.S. drone overnight. So we don't know how all of this will impact the talks, but we do know that trust between the U.S. and Iran is very low.
FADEL: Yeah. Where do the negotiations stand right now?
ESTRIN: The deal is being negotiated in Qatar. Iran's semi-official state media says that this would be a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within one month and then within two months to try to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. One main sticking point here is about U.S. sanctions. Iran wants a deal to unfreeze Iranian money that's being held abroad. And also, President Trump says Iran's enriched uranium should be destroyed. In Israel, Israeli officials think this is a bad deal. They say it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it would not guarantee any progress on preventing Iran from creating a nuclear weapon. I want you to hear what the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said on Monday to reporters.
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YAIR LAPID: The deal is bad for Israel, bad for the region. This deal means two things. First, that this will not be the last round of war. Second, that Netanyahu has failed to achieve every single one of the war's objectives as he himself defined them.
ESTRIN: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said the war would eliminate the Iranian threat against Israel, but Iran still has missiles. It still has proxy militias, like Hezbollah in Lebanon. And many people in Israel say they think it's just a matter of time before there's another round of war with Iran.
FADEL: You mentioned Lebanon. Iran wants that to be part of any deal. What is the latest there?
ESTRIN: Yeah. There's a ceasefire there, but fire has not ceased. It actually has increased. Netanyahu said yesterday Israel would increase its attacks against Hezbollah because Hezbollah has been firing attack drones that have killed several Israeli soldiers in recent days and weeks. And so Israel last night attacked scores of targets throughout Lebanon. Lebanese state TV says one strike killed at least 12 people. Israel is expected to increase its strikes despite this declared ceasefire, and the U.S. is fully backing Israel. So the question is, will the U.S. restrain Israel so it doesn't spark a new war and jeopardize the Iran deal?
FADEL: NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Thank you, Daniel.
ESTRIN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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