SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
President Trump this morning renewed his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, expiring Monday. If there's no deal, he wrote on social media, "quote," all hell will rain down. Yesterday, two U.S. planes were shot down over Iran, and there are other indications that much more fighting may be ahead, even though the president said this week the war would be ending soon. We're joined by NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre. Greg, thanks for being with us.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
SIMON: And let's please begin with those two U.S. planes. What happened?
MYRE: Yeah. Scott, until yesterday, Iran had not shot down a single American warplane despite five weeks of heavy U.S. bombing. We're talking thousands of missions. Well, two were hit on Friday. First, 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 U.S. 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 rescue operation is still ongoing. This is coming from a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly.
And a little later, we got word of a second plane that went down. This is an A-10 Warthog - hit near the Iranian coastline. It's a different kind of aircraft. It flies low and is slow-moving when it has a powerful cannon. And the lone pilot in that plane was rescued. Now, on Wednesday night, President Trump gave a big speech, and he said Iran's air defenses had been destroyed. But we've just seen that clearly there's still risk in the skies over Iran.
SIMON: How does President Trump intend to bring the war to an end? Do we know?
MYRE: Well, he just hasn't offered any details. And perhaps the most pressing question is whether he can reach some sort of deal with Iran or whether he's just willing to walk away without an agreement. He's said repeatedly that productive negotiations with Iran are taking place, but there's no real evidence of this. Pakistan has tried to broker talks, but by all appearances, these efforts have stalled. The U.S. and Iran are sticking to maximum positions, with no sign of a breakthrough. And right now the most intractable problem is the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is keeping it closed to oil tankers, with a few exceptions, and there's just no easy way to break this chokehold.
SIMON: And the president has sent more U.S. troops into the region. Is a ground invasion, however, still possible?
MYRE: Scott, this is looking less likely by the day. It's difficult to see the point of sending in ground troops if you expect the war to be over before the end of this month. The troops would face huge risks for any mission, and they would be very - there for a very brief and limited operation. The president also says it's up to other countries to open up the Strait of Hormuz. And Trump has declared that Iran's highly enriched uranium - the key element in its nuclear program - is buried under rubble inside a mountain, and he says the U.S. can keep watch with satellites. When you put all this together, Trump sounds like he's - has very little enthusiasm for sending in ground troops, which would be a move that would extend the war.
SIMON: And if he pulls back U.S. forces, calls off the war without an agreement, what might that look like?
MYRE: Yeah. It would seem to leave a very big, unfinished mess. Iran would be able to dictate the terms over the Strait of Hormuz and have a huge influence over the world oil markets. Countries from Europe to Asia would face uncertainty about their oil supplies, and U.S. allies in the Gulf - we're talking Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar - would be extremely nervous about facing an angry Iran that's been attacking them daily. And more than 90 million Iranians would be left with a country ravaged by war. They have new leaders, but they appear just as committed to theocratic rule as their predecessors.
SIMON: NPR's Greg Myre. Thanks so much.
MYRE: Sure thing, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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