AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
For more on the war in Iran, we turn now to NPR's Carrie Kahn, who's in northern Israel along the Lebanon border. Carrie, good morning.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Hi. Good morning.
RASCOE: Carrie, the U.S. and Iran are again exchanging fire for the third weekend in a row. What sparked this latest round of attacks?
KAHN: On Saturday, Iran said it fired warning shots at a container ship attempting to transit the strait, and this was along a southern route that hugs the coast of Oman. According to media accounts and videos, that ship caught fire, and the crew was forced to abandon it. The U.S. and the U.N. have been encouraging ships to use this alternative route. It's away from the coast of Iran. Iran insists that this is a violation of the memorandum (ph) of understanding that the U.S. and Iran signed last month that triggered the ceasefire and negotiations towards a permanent end to the war. Iran's speaker of the Parliament, who has also been a lead negotiator with the U.S., posted on social media that, quote, "the era of one-sided deals is over. We told you - keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking."
RASCOE: The U.S. military retaliated. What can you tell us about that?
KAHN: CENTCOM - U.S. Central Command - posted on X early this morning that overnight it had hit more than 140 targets in Iran. It said the U.S. hit drone launch sites and other military infrastructure, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities. Iran then said it responded, sending drones and missiles toward Gulf states hosting U.S. military base. Qatari officials reported intercepting incoming missile attacks. Missile alerts were also heard in Bahrain and Kuwait. The UAE sounded sirens but says it wasn't targeted. This is interesting. Oman, who had just held talks with Iran on Saturday to discuss shipping traffic in the strait, also said it had been attacked. And also, a new escalation. Iran said it targeted neighboring Jordan, which has not been a big target of Iran's.
RASCOE: So, I mean, with all of these missile attacks, they seem to be signaling that the ceasefire appears over. Where do things go from here? Are negotiations continuing?
KAHN: We don't really know the status of talks right now. They had been on hold during the weeklong funeral for Iran's former ayatollah that was killed in the first days of the war on Iran by Israel. President Trump did say last week that, in his opinion, the ceasefire was over, but then he also left open a window for more negotiations. Iran's new supreme leader, who wasn't seen at his father's funeral, said this weekend that his father's death must be avenged. And during the funeral, many protesters were seen calling for Trump's death, as Mara had mentioned. Trump on Saturday said, quote, "1,000f missiles are locked and loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran" if Iran tried to assassinate him.
RASCOE: You're in Israel. What's the latest there with that other ceasefire, the one in Gaza?
KAHN: The head of Trump's Board of Peace is in Egypt today, as well as representatives from Turkey, Qatar and Hamas. They're discussing the implementation of that ceasefire and how to begin reconstruction. But it's important to note that that ceasefire has been violated repeatedly by Israel over the last months. According to Palestinian health officials in Gaza, more than 1,000 people have been killed since last October. And just this week, an Israeli airstrike killed eight people.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Carrie Kahn in northern Israel along the border with Lebanon. Thank you so much.
KAHN: You're welcome.
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