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U.S-Israeli strikes continue across Iran; Iranian drones hit Azerbaijan

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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 Iranian nationals arrive in Turkey after passing through the Razi-Kapiköy border crossing in Van, northeastern Turkey, on Tuesday, a day after Turkey and Iran mutually suspended day-trip crossings at their border as Israeli-U.S. strikes continued to pound the Islamic Republic. Ali Ihsan Ozturk/AFP via Getty Images hide caption The war with Iran continued to widen Thursday as Azerbaijan, a key U.S. ally, said drones launched from Iran hit an airport in its Nakhchivan region, while U.S. and Israeli forces struck more targets inside Iran. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it demanded an explanation after the drones crashed into the airport's main terminal building and another landed near a school, injuring two civilians. Also on Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed in a statement that its naval forces struck an American oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf. The U.S. made no immediate comment.
− The claim comes as the fighting has disrupted commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors.
+ Middle East conflict A rift between Spain and Trump widens over Spanish opposition to the Iran war The claim comes as the fighting has disrupted commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors.
Traffic through the normally busy route faded in the first days of the conflict, after Iran declared it closed and attacked some ships that attempted to cross through it. U.S. Central Command and Israel's military said they conducted new strikes inside Iran overnight. The Israeli military said Thursday that its air force dismantled an armed ballistic missile launcher near the city of Qom that it said was ready to fire at Israel. It also said it struck an Iranian air defense system in Isfahan.
− Since the attacks began, more than 920 people in Iran have been killed, according to the Iranian Health Ministry, including Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hundreds of people at a girls school.
+ Since the attacks began, more than 920 people in Iran have been killed, according to the Iranian Health Ministry, including Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hundreds of people at a girls' school.
Here are more of the key updates NPR is reporting on.
− To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below: China | Iran |U.S.
+ To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below: China | Iran |Israel war aims | Lebanon and Qatar | House war powers | U.S.
− and Israel | Lebanon and Qatar | House war powers | U.S.
soldiers identified With the conflict widening, China urged Tehran and Washington to return to negotiations as the war around Iran unnerves global energy markets. China is the world's largest importer of oil and gas and has seen crude prices jump by 10%, while natural gas prices have risen even higher. Ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — through which about a fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes — has all but dried up. China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, told Saudi Arabia's foreign minister "the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable" and that nonmilitary targets should not be attacked. China on Thursday said it would dispatch Zhai Jun, who has served in the Middle East as a Chinese envoy since 2019, to the region to help mediate the conflict. But the Foreign Ministry didn't provide more details or say specifically which countries the envoy would visit.
− Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused the United States of escalating the conflict after the sinking of an Iranian naval vessel in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka.
+ Middle East conflict The U.S.
+ sinks Iran's ships and slams its missile launchers as the war enters Day 5 Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused the United States of escalating the conflict after the sinking of an Iranian naval vessel in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka.
In a post on X on Thursday, Araghchi called it an "atrocity at sea" and warned the U.S. would "bitterly regret" sinking the frigate Dena, which he said was a guest of India's navy and was struck in international waters without warning. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the U.S. was behind the sinking of the Iranian vessel and said the ship, which was hit by a U.S. submarine, was the first to be downed by a torpedo since World War II. Sri Lanka's navy said it rescued 32 people and recovered 87 bodies from the sea where the ship sank, The Associated Press reported. The U.S. has deployed 50,000 troops, more than 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers in the region, according to U.S. officials. CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper said this week that U.S. and Israeli strikes have hit about 2,000 targets and severely degraded Iran's air defenses and missile-launch infrastructure.
− In an overnight call, Israel's Defense Minister said Hegseth praised the partnership between the U.S.
+ New details are emerging about the reasons and objectives for the Israeli-U.S.
− and Israel in the war against Iran.
+ attacks on Iran.
− During the call, Katz said he expressed condolences for the six U.S.
+ Israel learned five days in advance that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be meeting top Iranian officials this past Saturday, Caroline Glick, an international affairs adviser to Israel's prime minister, told NPR. She said that was one factor that led the U.S.
− service members killed since the start of the war, and said Israel would continue to do everything possible to help ensure the safety of American troops.
+ and Israel to launch the Iran attack that day. Other reasons included Trump's concern that Iran would attack U.S.
− Katz's office said Hegseth urged Israel to "go all the way — we're with you." Also on Wednesday, a U.S.
+ forces and would take its missiles and nuclear programs deep underground where they would be immune from attacks, she said. Glick said there is no timeline for the operation, but echoed Trump's remarks earlier in the week that they are "ahead of schedule." "We're ahead of schedule for just about all of our objectives, or all of them," Glick said.
− official told NPR that a U.S.
+ "We're very, very happy with the pace of operations." She said Israel's objective is to create the conditions for Iranians to topple their regime through protests.
− warship in the eastern Mediterranean shot down an Iranian missile that was heading toward Turkey.
+ Rights groups say the Iranian authorities killed thousands of Iranian protesters earlier this year.
− The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
+ Glick said, "We'd like to be able to see a situation where they're able to do that sort of thing without being mowed down." She said she is aware public opinion in the U.S.
− Iran's armed forces on Thursday denied firing any missile at Turkey and said it respected the country's sovereignty.
+ is mixed on support for the war, but she believes success in the campaign would help persuade those who do not support it.
In Lebanon, aid groups say conditions are deteriorating for families fleeing strikes in the south, near the border with Israel.
− Lebanese officials say more than 80,000 people have been displaced, with many shelters in schools or sleeping in cars, and that shelter capacity is running thin.
+ Lebanese officials say more than 80,000 people have been displaced, with many staying in shelters in schools or sleeping in cars, and that shelter capacity is running thin.
− Authorities in Qatar evacuated the residents from buildings in the vicinity of the U.S.
+ Authorities in Qatar evacuated residents from buildings near the U.S.
Embassy in Doha.
− In a statement on X, Qatar's Ministry of Interior said the evacuation was "a temporary precautionary measure." In Washington, the House is expected to vote Thursday on a measure aimed at limiting President Trump's ability to expand the war without congressional approval.
+ In a statement on X, Qatar's Interior Ministry said the evacuation was "a temporary precautionary measure." In Washington, the House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday on a measure aimed at limiting President Trump's ability to expand the war without congressional approval.
− The measure is widely expected to be defeated, as a similar effort in the Senate failed to advance Wednesday.
+ Middle East conflict A split Senate votes against measure to constrain Trump's authorities in Iran The measure is widely expected to be defeated, as a similar effort in the Senate failed to advance Wednesday.
The vote was 47-53, largely along party lines. The measure was built around the 1973 War Powers Act, a Vietnam-era law designed to give Congress a check on the president's executive war authority. It requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying U.S. forces into conflict, and to end the deployment within 60 days unless lawmakers authorize it.
− The Pentagon released the names of all six U.S.
+ Middle East conflict The Pentagon has now ID'd all 6 U.S.
+ soldiers who died in a Kuwait attack The Pentagon released the names of all six U.S.
soldiers who have been killed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. They were in the Army Reserve and died on Sunday during a drone attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, the Department of Defense said Tuesday. All six soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa. The department said the attack is under investigation. Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel, Durrie Bouscaren contributed from Istanbul, Turkey, Hadeel Al-Shalchi from Beirut, Lebanon, Jennifer Pak from Beijing and Ayana Archie from Washington, D.C. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor