A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The U.S. military says Kuwait shot down three U.S. fighter jets in an apparent friendly fire incident and that all crew members survived. Iranian state media earlier said Iran claims responsibility for one downed F-15. It's part of the widening U.S. and Israeli war against Iran launched over the weekend.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
President Trump is warning Americans that more U.S. lives will likely be lost after three service members were killed.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. And, sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That's the way it is. Likely be more.
FADEL: That's from a six-minute video Trump posted online on Sunday, where Trump also said the U.S. would, quote, "avenge their deaths." Coming up, we'll speak with the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee about Trump's unilateral decision to go to war without congressional authorization. First, the latest information.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is covering the conflict. Franco, what else did President Trump say?
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Yeah. President Trump says hundreds of targets in Iran have been hit, including the Revolutionary Guard facilities and Iranian air defense systems. And he added that nine naval ships have been destroyed, as well as Iran's naval building. And he's boasting that Iranians around the world are cheering the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
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TRUMP: This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people all across many countries.
ORDOÑEZ: It's unclear what thousands of American lives Trump is referring to here, but there are just so many questions.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, the White House says Iran wants to talk and that Trump will speak with them. What does that mean?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, A. I mean, the White House told NPR that Iran wants to restart negotiations and that Trump will eventually speak with whoever is in charge. But a top Iran security official says on X that they won't negotiate. And if the White House does reopen talk, it does raise questions about what that means. You know, does the regime get to stay in control, even if it's badly damaged?
MARTÍNEZ: Hasn't Trump been calling on Iranians to take over the government themselves?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, exactly. I mean, he did that again yesterday, telling them to, quote, "seize this moment to be brave, to be heroic" (ph).
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TRUMP: America is with you. I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we'll be there to help.
ORDOÑEZ: And he again called on the police and Revolutionary Guard to lay down their weapons. He offered immunity, and he says they should join protesters.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So lots of questions then about what comes next, but we really haven't seen much of Trump since the war started.
ORDOÑEZ: Not at all. I mean, the only time we've seen him is getting on and off the plane yesterday, going into the building. And he didn't take questions. I mean, it's been all so controlled. I mean, except for some brief phone calls with select media, it's been largely social media posts and these two video addresses. He hasn't addressed the American people in person or answered questions from the press pool, and he hasn't gotten Congress involved. I mean, Democrats and some Republicans are unhappy that he didn't seek congressional authorization for a war, and some want to vote to restrain Trump. And that's going to be a big debate this week.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Now, has the president given any more insight, though, into how long this whole thing will last?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. As we heard, he's, you know, saying combat operations will continue until U.S. objectives are met. And he has said that could be a week, but he's also told other media outlets, like The New York Times, that it could be four to five weeks. Really, he has said that there are strong objectives, that the U.S. has strong objectives. But again, he hasn't explained what those specific objectives are. And without knowing what specifically the U.S. hopes to accomplish, A, I mean, it's really hard to predict how long any of this will last.
MARTÍNEZ: That's White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Franco, thank you very much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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