SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
President Trump is now delaying military strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure. Over the weekend, Trump had threatened to bomb Iran's power plants within 48 hours if the country did not let ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz. But in a post today, Trump cited, quote, "very good and productive conversations with Iran" just hours before his deadline expired. NPR has confirmed that back-channel efforts are underway, with regional players working behind-the-scenes to try and de-escalate tensions and prevent an even broader conflict. Joining us to discuss the latest on the war is NPR international correspondent Aya Batrawy in Dubai. Hello, Aya.
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
DETROW: Tell us more about these ongoing discussions that Trump mentioned and what Iran's response was.
BATRAWY: Right. So just hours before that 48-hour deadline was set to expire here overnight in the Gulf, Trump posted on Truth Social that there had been, quote, "very good and productive conversations" and that based on the tenor and tone of what he said were these in-depth conversations, he instructed the U.S. military to hold off on striking Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, subject to the outcome of those discussions. And he posted this just before U.S. markets were due to open on jitters of his previous deadline. Here's what Trump told reporters this morning before boarding a flight.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We want to see peace in the Middle East. We want the nuclear dust. We're going to want that. And I think we're going to get that.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you agree to the uranium (ph)?
TRUMP: We've agreed to that. Yeah. We're getting - we've agreed to that.
BATRAWY: But, Scott, Iran's foreign ministry says there's been no dialogue. Iran's Parliament speaker called it, quote, "fake news used to manipulate financial and oil markets." But Iran did say there are efforts by countries in the region to reduce tensions right now.
DETROW: So tell me more about that. What do we know, at this point, about these back-channel efforts?
BATRAWY: Right. So there's very little officially confirmed, but we do know that there's been calls between Iran's president and foreign minister to counterparts in Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt. And NPR has been told these countries are carrying messages and playing a role in trying to de-escalate. We also know that Egypt's president traveled to almost every Gulf capital to meet with rulers here in recent days. Egyptian officials tell NPR there is an effort to try and lay the groundwork for a 30- to 60-day ceasefire or a detente of some kind to keep Saudi Arabia and the UAE from directly responding to Iran's attacks and the war widening. Now, they spoke on condition of anonymity 'cause they're not authorized to speak to press.
We also knew that Oman, which was a mediator before with Iran in the U.S., says it's also trying to get the Strait of Hormuz open. I asked Dania Thafer in Qatar, who runs the Gulf International Forum think tank, about whether there's a unified Gulf Arab stance now on the war. And she says Iran's attacks are hardening positions here.
DANIA THAFER: I think the more Iran hits the Gulf states, the more incentive it creates for them to join the other side.
BATRAWY: And she says whether Gulf Arab states hit back depends on how long this war goes on for and how hard they keep getting hit.
DETROW: And Aya, to that end, none of this is theoretical for you. You're in Dubai, which has been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles in this war. I'm curious what the concern is now where you are.
BATRAWY: I mean, Trump's warning over the weekend that he would hit Iranian power plants really just led to Iran doubling down on its reasons for closing the Strait of Hormuz. They say it's because of the war that they won't allow any ships used by the U.S. and Israel or its partners to get through. And Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps then threatened to attack power plants across the Gulf, including here where I am in Dubai, as well as a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi and other places in the Gulf, as well as water desalination plants and IT infrastructure. So any attack on Iranian power plants would have dramatically escalated this war beyond the energy prices we've already seen spiking globally and the people already killed across this region.
But another thing, Scott, right now, there are some 4,500 Marines headed to the Gulf from U.S. bases in Japan and San Diego. And there's real concern, too, about whether they try to blockade or take a key island Iran uses for oil and how Iran could respond to that.
DETROW: That is NPR's Aya Batrawy. Thank you so much.
BATRAWY: Thanks, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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