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Trump gives mixed messages about when the war with Iran will end

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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. By NPR Staff A thick plume of smoke rises Sunday from an oil storage facility hit by a U.S.-Israeli strike late Saturday in Tehran, Iran.
− Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption The U.S. military said it has struck more than 5,000 targets in Iran so far and damaged or destroyed more than 50 Iranian vessels as President Trump touted progress in the 11-day-old war, while also sending mixed signals on whether the fighting is nearing an end.
+ Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption The Trump administration said this will be the most intense day of strikes on Iran, while Israel intensified its attacks in Lebanon, as the war in the Middle East entered its 11th day.
− In a phone call with CBS News Monday, Trump said "the war is very complete." But at a later event with Republican lawmakers in Miami, he struck a more open-ended tone, saying the U.S.
+ Middle East conflict Photos from Iran and across the Middle East as the war enters Week 2 "Today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a news conference on Tuesday.
− still needed to achieve "ultimate victory." He said he was focused on keeping oil flowing in response to the wild swings in oil prices that have raised concerns around the world.
+ He said the Pentagon was giving the president "maximum options," and that the war will not be "endless." It came a day after President Trump touted major success but sent mixed signals on whether the fighting was almost over.
− "I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe's oil supply," he said Monday. "And if Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level." In a late night post on social media, Trump echoed that warning, telling Iran it would be hit "TWENTY TIMES HARDER" if it tried to disrupt global energy supplies.
+ Iran launched drones and rockets across the Gulf region on Tuesday, while Israel's military said it conducted strikes against the financial infrastructure of the Iran-backed organization Hezbollah in Lebanon.
− Meanwhile, Iran launched drones and rockets across the Gulf countries on Tuesday, while Israel's military said it conducted strikes against the financial infrastructure of the Iran-backed organization Hezbollah in Lebanon. More than 1,200 people have been killed in Iran, nearly 500 in Lebanon and 11 people in Israel, according to figures from Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli authorities.
+ More than 1,200 people have been killed in Iran, 570 in Lebanon and 12 people in Israel, according to figures from Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli authorities.
Seven U.S. soldiers have died in the war so far, the Pentagon says.
− Here's what to know about the latest developments in the conflict.
+ Middle East conflict The U.S. names its 7th dead soldier, Iran names a new supreme leader on Day 10 of war Here's what to know about the latest developments in the conflict.
− To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below: Trump on war's end | Iran's reaction | Israel strikes Hezbollah | Iranian strikes | Iran-backed militia in Iraq | Turkey NATO air defenses | Trump's reaction on Iran's new leader | Iran women soccer team In a phone call with CBS News Monday, Trump suggested the war could be nearly over, claiming Iran's military capabilities had been largely wiped out.
+ To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below: Trump on war's end | Iran's reaction | Israel strikes Hezbollah | Iranian strikes | Iran-backed militia in Iraq | Turkey NATO air defenses | Trump's reaction on Iran's new leader | Iran women soccer team In a phone call with CBS News Monday, President Trump said, "I think the war is very complete, pretty much." He said Iran's military capabilities were wiped out.
− At a later press conference, Trump's first since the war began, he stated the U.S.
+ At a later press conference, Trump's first since the war began, he said the U.S.
− campaign had made sweeping progress and warned Iran against disrupting global energy supplies.
+ was "achieving major strides toward completing our military objective" and warned Iran against disrupting global energy supplies.
− But at a separate event with Republican lawmakers in Miami, he struck a more open-ended tone, saying the U.S.
+ But at a separate event with Republican lawmakers in Miami, he struck a more open-ended tone.
− had not yet "won enough" and still needed to achieve "ultimate victory." Trump also intensified his warnings about the Strait of Hormuz, saying in a post on social media late Monday that if Iran does anything to stop oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S.
+ "We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough," he said.
+ "We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long running danger once and for all." Trump also intensified his warnings about the Strait of Hormuz, saying in a post on social media late Monday that if Iran does anything to stop oil shipments from flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S.
would respond "TWENTY TIMES HARDER" than it has so far.
− Trump's warning came as markets went into shock over fears of supply disruptions.
+ Middle East conflict Crude oil prices swing wildly as the Iran war stretches on Trump's warning came as markets went into shock over fears of supply disruptions.
The price of oil briefly hit nearly $120 a barrel on Monday, then fell back after Trump suggested the war might end soon.
− — Rebecca Rosman In an apparent response to President Trump's remarks, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that Iran, not the U.S., would have the final say on the end of the war.
+ — Rebecca Rosman In an apparent response to President Trump's remarks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that Iran, not the U.S., would have the final say on the end of the war.
− "Iran will determine when the war ends," IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammed Naini told Iranian state media.
+ "Iran will determine when the war ends," Revolutionary Guard spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini told Iranian state media.
− In an interview with PBS Newshour on Monday, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he did not believe negotiating with the United States would "be on the table" again.
+ Sardar Shekarchi, a spokesperson for Iran's armed forces, called Trump "the delusional president." In an interview with PBS Newshour on Monday, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he did not believe negotiating with the United States would "be on the table" again.
− "We have a very bitter experience of talking with Americans," he said, pointing to indirect nuclear talks that were underway before the war and then collapsed once the fighting began.
+ "We have a very bitter experience of talking with Americans," he said. He pointed out indirect nuclear talks were underway last June when the U.S. attacked Iran, and negotiations had resumed in February when the U.S. attacked again.
− Israel said it carried out a new wave of strikes in Lebanon, targeting assets and storage facilities tied to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which is tied to the militant group Hezbollah.
+ Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon where it says it is striking sites linked to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The Israel military said it targeted assets and storage facilities tied to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which it said finances weapons purchases and provides salaries for Hezbollah. Israel has been striking southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, both considered Hezbollah strongholds, since the Iran-backed group launched rockets into northern Israel last week after Israel and the U.S.
− The Israeli military said the organization finances weapons purchases and provides salaries for Hezbollah.
+ launched attacks on Iran.
− Israel has been striking southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, both Hezbollah strongholds, since the Iranian-backed group launched rockets into northern Israel last week.
+ The death toll in Lebanon rose to 570 people on Tuesday, with more than 750,000 people displaced by the fighting, according to a government disaster management office.
− Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, said Tuesday that Lebanon was ready to enter direct talks with Israel to put an end to the fighting there.
+ Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, once again called on the international community to provide the Lebanese armed forces with equipment and what he called logistical support to help in the government's campaign to try to disarm Hezbollah.
+ He said Lebanon was ready to enter direct talks with Israel, under the supervision of international mediators, to come to a solution.
An official briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic affairs, told NPR that Israel saw positive signs from the Lebanese government in its approach to Hezbollah, but that the war would continue.
− Israel and Lebanon last held direct negotiations in early December, over securing the southern Lebanese border.— Hadeel Al-Shalchi Iran's missile and drone attacks continued across the Gulf on Tuesday.
+ — Hadeel Al-Shalchi Iran's missile and drone attacks continued across the Gulf on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said it intercepted and destroyed two drones over the kingdom's oil-rich eastern region. Kuwait's National Guard, meanwhile, said it downed six drones in areas north and south of the country. The United Arab Emirates also condemned what it called a drone attack targeting its consulate general in Iraq's Kurdistan region, saying it caused material damage but no injuries. Iraq's military said an airstrike killed at least five members of an Iran-linked militia in the city of Kirkuk, located near the border with Iran. It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the strikes. Turkey's Defense Ministry said that a U.S. Patriot air defense system was deployed to its Malatya province as NATO takes steps to boost Turkey's air defense amid missile threats from Iran. Malatya is home to the Kurecik NATO radar base, which helped identify an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkey over the past week. Iran has denied explicitly targeting Turkey. — Durrie Bouscaren Trump said Monday he was "disappointed" that Iran had named Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as its new supreme leader, arguing it would mean "more of the same problem" for the country. Asked whether the new leader had "a target on his back," Trump said it would be "inappropriate" to comment. In an interview with CNN Monday, Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, declined to rule out assassination plans targeting Khamenei, saying Israel would not disclose operational steps in advance. "We never in a war declare what will be our operational steps or actions for that kind of thing," Sa'ar told CNN. "You will have to wait and see." Australia has granted humanitarian visas to five members of Iran's women's soccer team, after they sought protection over fears of reprisals for refusing to sing Iran's national anthem during a match. The women, who were visiting Australia for a tournament when the war broke out, were later labeled "traitors" on Iranian state television, fueling concerns about their safety if they returned home. The announcement came after calls from rights groups in Australia and by President Trump for the Australian government to help the women. On Tuesday, Australian police said five of the women were transferred "to a safe location" after they made asylum requests. It wasn't immediately clear whether the other 21 team members would be returning to Iran. Rebecca Rosman contributed to this report from Paris, Hadeel Al-Shalchi from Beirut and Durrie Bouscaren contributed from Istanbul. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor