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Iran continues strikes across the Persian Gulf despite Trump's warning

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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 People watch as smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026.
+ By NPR Staff People watch as smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, following a suspected drone strike, on Wednesday.
− AFP via Getty Images hide caption As the war against Iran approaches its sixth week, President Trump told Americans on Wednesday that the U.S.
+ AFP via Getty Images hide caption Dozens of countries discussed ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran traded attacks and threats with the U.S.
− is "on the cusp of ending Iran's sinister threat to America and the world." In his first formal address to the nation since the U.S.
+ and Israel as the war in the Middle East raged through its fifth week. In his first address to the nation since launching strikes on Iran on Feb.
− and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb.
+ 28, President Trump said on Wednesday the conflict was "nearing completion," but first the U.S.
− 28, Trump did not say, however, when the war would end or how it would end, but said the U.S. was "on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly." He warned of an intensified period of strikes on Iran, going beyond his initial timeframe of five weeks.
+ is intensifying its assault.
"We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong," Trump said.
− U.S.
+ President Trump arrives to speak in the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday.
− President Donald Trump arrives to speak in the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC.
+ Alex Brandon/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption Iran said a key bridge connecting the city of Karaj to Tehran was bombed, and President Trump cheered on social media.
− Pool/Getty Images hide caption Iran continued to target countries in the Gulf region with ballistic missiles and drones into Thursday as the U.S.
+ Iran also said a 100-year-old medical research center in the capital was damaged. Iran targeted countries in the Gulf region with ballistic missiles and drones.
+ The U.S.
Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert, warning of attacks by Iran-backed militias.
− Trump said the discussions with Iran were ongoing as he described Iran's new leaders as "less radical and much more reasonable." But he warned that if Iran failed to reach an agreement, the U.S.
+ Here are more updates on Day 34 of the Iran war: U.S.
− military would target the country's energy plants and its oil. "We have all the cards," he added.
+ military targets | Strait of Hormuz | Macron responds | Iranian president's letter | Iran strikes Gulf countries | Israel strikes Lebanon U.S.
− "They have none." In an initial reaction to Trump's speech, Esmail Baghai, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry said Iran "will not tolerate this vicious cycle of war, negotiations and ceasefire and then repeating the same pattern." "This is disastrous not only for Iran, but for the entire region and beyond," Baghai said.
+ forces struck more than 12,300 targets in Iran in their efforts to "dismantle the Iranian regime's security apparatus," U.S.
− "We are defending against an illegal war." Here are more updates on Day 34 of the Iran war: US military targets | Strait of Hormuz | Iranian president's letter | Iran strikes Gulf countries |Israel strikes Lebanon The U.S.
+ Central Command said late Wednesday. U.S.
− Central Command said late Wednesday it had struck over 12,300 targets in its efforts to "dismantle the Iranian regime's security apparatus." It added that the military prioritized targets that posed "imminent threats" during the month-long conflict.
+ forces are "prioritizing locations that pose an imminent threat," it said.
+ It said they destroyed or damaged more than 155 Iranian vessels since the beginning of the war. Other targets included command centers, posts of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, navy ships and submarines as well as anti-ship missiles sites, drone manufacturing and other weapon production facilities. Britain convened a virtual meeting of representatives from more than 40 countries Thursday to discuss ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S.
− military said it has destroyed or damaged over 155 vessels since the beginning of the war.
+ was not among them. The narrow waterway off Iran's coast is a vital shipping route through which about a fifth of the world's oil typically transits.
− Other targets, according to a post on X, included command centers, posts of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, navy ships and submarines as well as anti-ship missiles sites, drone manufacturing and other weapon production facilities.
+ Iran's chokehold on the strait during the war has sent prices of oil, gas and fertilizer rising.
− During his formal Wednesday address, Trump also sought to distance himself from Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping passage that has obstructed the world's oil supply and sent prices of oil, gas and fertilizer rising. He said the U.S.
+ British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned "Iranian recklessness" for largely closing off the strait.
− did not use the strait, and instead called on countries that use the passage to protect it.
+ "We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update on the latest situation in the Middle East and how the government is supporting families at home at 10 Downing Street in London, on April 1, 2026. Frank Augstein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption During Trump's formal Wednesday address, he sought to distance himself from Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
− "The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage.
+ State of the World from NPR Is the U.S.
− They must cherish it.
+ threatening to commit war crimes in Iran?
− They must grab it and cherish it," he added.
+ That's despite his threats to destroy Iran's civilian energy and desalination plants if it refused to open the strait. International law expert Gabor Rona told NPR that's a threat to commit war crimes both under international and U.S. law.
− His comments came as the United Kingdom is hosting a virtual meeting of 35 countries on Thursday to discuss the reopening of the shipping route.
+ Trump said the U.S.
− Among the countries attending are Canada, European nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
+ did not use the strait and called on countries that rely on it for fuel to take responsibility for protecting it.
− The U.S.
+ "Go to the strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves," Trump said. French President Emmanuel Macron hit back at President Trump's criticism of France and NATO. "There's too much talk.
− was not scheduled to attend the meeting.
+ And it's all over the place," Macron said while visiting South Korea. "When we're serious, we don't say the opposite of what we said the day before every day, and maybe one shouldn't speak every day." He didn't name Trump.
− British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update on the latest situation in the Middle East and how the government is supporting families at home at 10 Downing Street in London, on April 1, 2026.
+ Speaking at an Easter lunch Wednesday, Trump said Macron's wife "treats him extremely badly" and referred to an incident in which Brigitte Macron appeared to shove her husband. "We're talking about things that are far too serious.
− Frank Augstein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the countries would come together "to assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities." Starmer also maintained Britain would stay out of the war with Iran.
+ We're talking about war," Macron said when asked about Trump's remarks.
− "This is not our war and we're not going to get dragged into it," he said.
+ "We're also talking about the consequences of this war on our economies.
− "But I'm equally clear that when it comes to defense and security and our economic future, we have to have closer ties with Europe." Starmer said military planners would meet to discuss naval options following the meeting, but acknowledged that keeping the Strait open, "will not be easy." On his part, Trump proposed that the countries affected by the oil blockade in the Strait of Hormuz buy oil from the U.S.
+ I'm thinking of our fellow citizens.
− or take control of the passage.
+ The Americans are experiencing the same thing: rising gasoline and gas prices," he added.
− "Iran has been essentially decimated," he said.
+ "So the remarks I heard, to which you're referring, are neither elegant nor appropriate.
− "The hard part is done, so it should be easy." Just hours before Trump's address to the nation, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed a letter to the American public on Wednesday calling into question the rationale for the war and levelling accusations at the U.S.
+ I'm not going to respond to them; they don't warrant a response." In response to a question about Trump's renewed threat to pull out of NATO, Macron said: "If you create doubt about your commitment every day, you drain it of its substance." Just hours before Trump's address to the nation, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed a letter to the American public on Wednesday calling into question the rationale for the war and leveling accusations at the U.S.
administration. "Exactly which of the American people's interests are truly being served by this war?
− Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?" he wrote in a letter posted on X.
+ Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?" he wrote in a letter shared on social media.
− Members of security forces watch over the crowd during a funeral procession held for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri, alongside other senior naval commanders and their families who were killed in US-Israeli strikes in late March, on April 1, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.
+ Members of security forces watch over the crowd during a funeral procession held for the navy chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Alireza Tangsiri, alongside other senior naval commanders and their families who were killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes in late March, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday.
− Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe hide caption Pezeshkian defended Iran's strikes against countries in the region and Israel as a "measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense, but by no means an initiation of a war of aggression." He also appeared to make a veiled offering of dialogue.
+ Majid Saeedi/Getty Images hide caption Pezeshkian defended Iran's strikes against countries in the region and Israel as a "measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense, but by no means an initiation of a war of aggression." He also appeared to make a veiled offering of dialogue.
"Today the world stands at crossroads. Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before. The choice between confrontation and engagement is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come." Pezeshkian's level of influence in Iran's current leadership is unclear, following the take down of the regime in Tehran by U.S. and Israeli strikes, since Feb. 28. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert on Thursday warning of plots by Iran-backed militias in Iraq to attack central Baghdad in the next 24 to 48 hours. It called on U.S. citizens to immediately leave Iraq. "They may intend to target U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian targets," the U.S.
− Embassy post on X said.
+ Embassy alert said.
The security warning comes just days after an American journalist, Shelley Kittleson, was kidnapped in Baghdad.
− According to the New York Times, Kittleson, a freelance reporter working in Iraq, is reportedly being held by Iranian-aligned militia Kataib Hezbollah, which made contact with Iraq's authorities to demand the release of their detained members in exchange.
+ The U.S. State Department said it believes an Iranian-backed militia was involved in the kidnapping.
In Saudi Arabia, authorities said they intercepted and destroyed four drones on Thursday in addition to a ballistic missile fired at the country's oil-rich eastern region.
− In Bahrain, the interior ministry said it closed off traffic on a key highway on Thursday because of falling debris, while sirens blared across the country signifying incoming strikes.
+ In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said it closed off traffic on a key highway on Thursday because of falling debris, while sirens blared across the country signifying incoming strikes.
In Kuwait, local media reported that fuel depots of the Kuwait International Airport were set on fire on Wednesday following an attack by an Iranian drone, causing significant damage.
− A man holds in place a protective helmet on the head of a child as other motorists take shelter from an incoming missile attack in a ditch on the side of the highway in Latrun on April 1, 2026.
+ A man holds in place a protective helmet on the head of a child as other motorists take shelter from an incoming missile attack in a ditch on the side of the highway in Latrun, Israel, on Wednesday.
− Marco Longari/AFPAFP via Getty Images hide caption Trump pledged his support to Middle Eastern allies in his Wednesday address.
+ Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images hide caption Trump pledged his support to Middle Eastern allies in his Wednesday address.
"They've been great, and we will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form," he said.
− Israel launched another wave of airstrikes overnight in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has offices.
+ Israel launched another wave of airstrikes overnight in Beirut's southern suburbs, where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has offices.
Lebanon's government said at least 50 people were killed across the country Wednesday.
− A man carries his child as he walks past destroyed vehicles and debris at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that killed seven people on April 01, 2026 in Beirut, Lebanon.
+ A man carries his child as he walks past destroyed vehicles and debris at the site of an Israeli airstrike that killed seven people this week, in Beirut.
− Chris McGrath/Getty Images Europe hide caption In the south, Lebanese Army tanks withdrew as Israeli ones rolled in. Many residents have heeded Israel's order to flee from a ribbon of Lebanese territory, where Israeli defense minister Israel Katz says he's creating a security zone and destroying villages. He said it's in accordance with a "Gaza model" to prevent Shia Muslim Hezbollah fighters from firing rockets from them.
+ Chris McGrath/Getty Images hide caption In the south, Lebanese army tanks withdrew as Israeli ones rolled in.
+ Many residents have heeded Israel's order to evacuate from a ribbon of Lebanese territory, where Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says he's creating a security zone and destroying villages to prevent Hezbollah fighters from firing rockets from them.
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