MONITOR STRAIT

“President Trump is again threatening Iran, saying on social media today, it has 48 hours left to open the Strait of Hormuz, or quote, all hell will rain down and glory be to God. He's already delayed that threat twice. This is the US and Israel continue to pound Iran.”

“President Trump said on Truth Social that dozens of planes took part in the operation to save the airmen after his F-15 fighter jet was hit over western Iran on Friday. The plane's pilot was quickly rescued, but the weapons officer, an Air Force colonel, had to go into hiding. Trump wrote, quote, This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran. US rescue aircraft came under fire, but managed to reach the airmen and fly him out of the country.”

“The newly appointed Iranian ambassador in Lebanon, the Lebanese have withdrawn their agreement to his appointment, and he is to stay even though he's not being given credentials by the government of Lebanon. Now it's an extraordinary statement that Lebanon is not a sovereign country and that the sovereignty in Lebanon is possessed by the Iranians.”

“The governor of Russia's northwestern Leningrad region said Ukrainian drones caused a fuel leak at the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, the latest in a series of attacks that have slowed shipments of oil out of one of Russia's largest export hubs. Separately, authorities in the Nizhny Novgorod region to the east of Moscow reported Ukrainian drone strikes caused a massive fire at one of Russia's largest oil refineries.”

“What we're seeing is that the void is being filled by leaders who in most cases are more radical than the people who have replaced. And by more radical, we mean that they are staunchly anti-American and have no tolerance for domestic dissent. And many of them are kind of guided by this apocalyptic military ideology.”

“Iran is sending the message that they think they've won, right? That the war has actually has been in their favor, despite these kind of devastating losses to Iran's military capabilities and infrastructure. The war has also showed that they have cards to play, that they were able to basically hold the world economy hostage. And I think the fact they found this new leverage in the Strait of Hormuz has further added to this sense of confidence.”

“I think we would have to assume that they're non-negotiable or it's going to be anything about regime change or human rights within Iran. They're going to want to be absolutely sure that they can maintain control in Iran. The other three files—nuclear, missiles, and proxies—are different, but regime survival is hardline.”

“The nuclear file, I think it's entirely possible that the Iranians will be willing to agree to most of what the United States is asking for on the nuclear file because, you know, this is the one area where it's obvious that the US will not be willing to compromise. So we might look to see whether they've actually moved towards the idea that they would have to accept an end to their nuclear program.”

“Some analysts say that had there not been a war, the selection of Mushtaba Khamenei would have been a lot less likely. But because his father had been killed, because he was injured, because there was war, it meant that there was more momentum behind him, that choosing him sent a message of continuity and defiance from the political leadership.”

“The president and Secretary Hegseth's rhetoric about no mercy, no quarter, death from above, the bombing of the Stone Ages, this kind of rhetoric is really dangerous because the likelihood of having downed pilots or others who are captured in a war like this is very high. And if you send the message that there's no quarter for the folks on the other side, that really encourages them to mistreat our folks.”

“Reopening of the Straits will be slow because it may have been mined. Also, the logistics of getting all the ships that are trapped in out and the ones that are out in will be slow. Repair, there's been a lot of damage to infrastructure. We don't know how bad.”

“The US Embassy in Beirut says Iran may now target US universities in Lebanon. The American University of Beirut has shifted some classes online. The embassy has also upped its overall warning telling US citizens to leave Lebanon now.”

“He said starting Tuesday, the US will bomb power plants and bridges if Iran doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz. The president has issued a series of contradictory statements on the Strait, saying that it would open naturally when the war ends, or that European countries should open the Strait themselves.”

“President Trump warned Iran today in a profane written post on social media that the US will attack key Iranian economic and infrastructure installations Tuesday. This, if no deal, is agreed to before then to keep open the key strait of Hormuz. On NBC's Meet the Press, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine criticized the president.”

“The uptick in attacks comes as part of a wider Ukrainian effort to limit Russia's financial windfall from the US and Israel's decision to attack Iran. That war has brought soaring global energy prices and new customers for Russian oil and gas at a moment when Russia's economy had been struggling due to Western sanctions.”

“An F-15, which is a very good fighter jet, was struck by Iranian fire in western Iran, and this set off an urgent rescue operation by US forces for the two crew members, a pilot and a weapons officer. One was rescued. We still don't know the fate of the other.”

“The story exposed a federal directive to send pregnant migrant children to a single group home in South Texas beginning last July. Child welfare advocates say the move was intended to detain the pregnant girls in a state where abortion is illegal.”

“Some analysts say that had there not been a war, the selection of Mushtaba Khamenei would have been a lot less likely. But because his father had been killed, because he was injured, because there was war, it meant that there was more momentum behind him, that choosing him sent a message of continuity and defiance from the political leadership.”

“Absolutely not. In fact, what we have seen is a hardening of Iran's leadership. The more extreme elements of the Revolutionary Guards and hardliners in the political system are now much more firmly in control than they were before the war. There has been a change in the regime and it's been for the worse.”

“In the case of President Trump, you know, you and I have talked before about his negotiating style. He likes to carry a big stick. He weighs it initially. He then uses it. And then, of course, he very quickly pivots to, you know, you can have peace if you'll just make the right deal. Everything is about the art of the deal, isn't it?”

“Iran is sending the message that they think they've won, right? That the war has actually has been in their favor, despite these kind of devastating losses to Iran's military capabilities and infrastructure. The war has also showed that they have cards to play, that they were able to basically hold the world economy hostage. And I think the fact they found this new leverage in the Strait of Hormuz has further added to this sense of confidence.”

“Absolutely not. In fact, what we have seen is a hardening of Iran's leadership. The more extreme elements of the Revolutionary Guards and hardliners in the political system are now much more firmly in control than they were before the war. There has been a change in the regime and it's been for the worse.”

“Iran's new national security chief is someone called Mohammed Bagher Zulkhadra. He's a former Revolutionary Guard commander and has a very violent background. Before the Revolution, he was basically an assassin who was personally involved in the assassination of policemen as well as of an American engineer. He was considered so extreme even by his own peers who thought he was too radical even for them.”

“What we're seeing is that the void is being filled by leaders who in most cases are more radical than the people who have replaced. And by more radical, we mean that they are staunchly anti-American and have no tolerance for domestic dissent. And many of them are kind of guided by this apocalyptic military ideology.”

“This is all embarrassing and juvenile. And it's people trying to act like they're puffed up and tough when what we really see from the administration in this war is the absence of a plan, the absence of a clear rationale, no effort to get allies on board, and thus deep unpopularity of this war with the American public.”

“Holy Week services are mixed with funerals and the sound of explosions. Israel's military says it's striking Hezbollah's infrastructure after killing a thousand of its members. Three United Nations peacekeepers have been wounded at their base in the south.”

“Iran's new national security chief is someone called Mohammed Bagher Zulkhadra. He's a former Revolutionary Guard commander and has a very violent background. Before the Revolution, he was basically an assassin who was personally involved in the assassination of policemen as well as of an American engineer. He was considered so extreme even by his own peers who thought he was too radical even for them.”

“I think that we saw a very strong statement from Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, saying that the coalition would always come together and it would support the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. And in a way, the Iranians have helped us in this respect, because closing international waters is obviously against international law.”

“US and Israeli forces today rescued a US. Air Force officer nearly two days after his plane was shot down in a mountainous region of Iran. President Trump celebrated the news and also issued a new threat. Trump said the rescued officer sustained injuries, but quote, he will be just fine.”

“Ukraine is stepping up attacks against Russia's energy infrastructure to prevent the Kremlin from benefiting from higher oil prices. This is NPR News in Washington.”