AILSA CHANG, HOST:
The first full day of the ceasefire in the Iran war appears to be mostly holding. But there's a long list of thorny issues that now have to be negotiated. They include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the fate of Iran's nuclear program. To work through these issues, we're joined now by NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson and national security correspondent Greg Myre. Hello to both of you.
MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Hi there.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: Hi. OK, well, first things first. With this ceasefire, has everyone actually stopped shooting at this point?
MYRE: Well, not entirely. There was sporadic fire today, with Arab Gulf countries in particular reporting some attacks from Iran. Iran said it was hit at least once. But broadly speaking, the Iran war is definitely going quiet. However, Israel is still heavily bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel says that conflict is not part of the ceasefire. Now, Iran says it is. The U.S. is siding with Israel. But the fighting in Lebanon could be a problem if it carries on.
CHANG: OK. Well, that's on the ground. But, Mara, I mean, we've seen President Trump go from big, bombastic threats to statements that the war is winding down. Do you think the president has found an off-ramp here that he can be comfortable with? What do you think?
LIASSON: I think he can be comfortable with it until he's not comfortable with it. I mean, we have seen him careen from very extreme threats, how he was going to destroy Iranian civilization permanently, and then to achieving a complete victory. And he's even talked about partnering with the Iranian regime to collect tolls for ships that are going through the Strait of Hormuz. So I think for him, he can find a place that he's comfortable with. The big question is, what has this war cost him in the United States in terms of credibility with countries around?
CHANG: Right. I mean, because in the early days of the war, Trump called for Iran's unconditional surrender. Those are his words. And now he's saying he can negotiate with Iran on some really difficult issues. How realistic is that expectation?
LIASSON: Well, right now, Iran and the United States are very, very far apart on all of those issues. He says there's been regime change because the people on top of the regime are different. And he says they're less radicalized and more moderate. But the 10-point plan that Iran presented that Donald Trump calls a very good beginning for negotiations is filled with things that Iran might've asked for before the war, and things that it would be hard to imagine America accepting, like Iran can continue enriching uranium for its nuclear program and the removal of all American forces from the region.
CHANG: Well, Greg, meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a news conference this morning at the Pentagon, right? How would you characterize the way Hegseth described the fighting in this war?
MYRE: Well, Hegseth kept a very narrow focus. He was just looking at the ways the U.S. military hammered Iran, destroying its navy and air force and depleting its ability to make more weapons. Here's how he summed it up.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PETE HEGSETH: Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield. A capital V military victory. By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran's military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come.
MYRE: Now, some might say it's not that definitive. Iran kept firing until the day of the ceasefire. So it still has some weapons left. But, meanwhile, Iran also claimed victory. Top officials there are saying they defeated the U.S. and Israeli efforts to oust the Iranian government. Neither side offered details on how they expect to resolve some of these most fundamental political issues, specifically the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran's nuclear program.
CHANG: Yeah, about the Strait of Hormuz, I mean, with this ceasefire, is Iran simply just allowing oil tankers through the strait now?
MYRE: Well, in principle, yes. Both Iran and the U.S. seem to agree that's supposed to happen during this ceasefire. But it's already getting complicated. We have seen some media reports and from groups that track the tankers that a small number, maybe three, four ships pass through the strait today. Pretty much the same as in the past few weeks.
But now we're hearing Iranian media reports that's saying the strait has been closed. And Iran's negotiating plan says the strait should be open and regulated by Iran. Iran has been charging up to $2 million to allow an oil tanker to pass and apparently wants to keep this toll system in place. And just a reminder, the strait is an international body of water not legally controlled by Iran or anyone else. And ships have passed freely there for decades.
LIASSON: Yeah. And it's pretty amazing that this war started being about Iran's nuclear program, and it seems to be ending all about the Strait of Hormuz and the price of gas.
CHANG: Yeah.
LIASSON: And White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt went to really great lengths today in her briefing to say that the strait was open. This is really important for the president. But the question still remains, who controls the Strait of Hormuz? The White House actually posted a official statement from the government of Iran saying that the passage through the strait will be coordinated with the Iranian armed forces. And then when asked who is in control of the strait, not just how many ships are going through, but who controls it, Leavitt wouldn't answer that.
CHANG: Interesting.
LIASSON: So it sounds like Iran still has leverage over the strait. That means they have a lot of cards, as Donald Trump would say.
CHANG: Right. OK, well, even though all the talk is about the Strait of Hormuz right now, Greg, what about Iran's nuclear program? Because this was one of the reasons, if not the main reason, that the Trump administration gave for launching this whole war. So how will that be dealt with, the nuclear program?
MYRE: Yeah, there's no sign that the U.S. or Iran have changed their positions. The Trump administration wants Iran to halt all uranium enrichment and hand over highly enriched uranium that's believed to be buried in a mountainside from a U.S. attack last year. Again, here's Pete Hegseth.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HEGSETH: Again, on the uranium, we're watching it. We know what they have. And they will give it up, and we'll get it, and we'll take it. If we have to, we can do it in any means necessary. So that's something the president is going to solve for.
MYRE: So, you know, a U.S. military raid to get that uranium is seen as enormously risky and difficult. And Iran has just simply refused to hand it over. It says it has the right to enrich. So it seems like we're in the same place as before the war.
CHANG: And real quick, Mara, I mean, looking ahead to the midterm elections, President Trump wants to put this war behind him, I mean, ostensibly. So to do that, he may have to make some concessions to Iran. How do you think he's going to handle that?
LIASSON: I think he'll make the concessions and claim total and complete victory. That's what he usually does. But I do think, in terms of the midterms, if the price of gas at the pump goes way down fast, I think the fallout politically for him will not be too bad. But there are other casualties.
CHANG: Right.
LIASSON: Like NATO.
CHANG: That is NPR's Mara Liasson and Greg Myre. Thank you to both of you.
MYRE: Sure thing, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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