Iran conflict enters its fourth week : NPR

Because the conflict within the Center East enters its fourth week, President Trump mentioned on Friday the administration is contemplating “winding down” navy efforts within the area.

The Israeli navy mentioned early Saturday it was as soon as once more hanging targets in Tehran, as the US and Israel declare to dominate the skies over Iran, with Iranian missile and drone assaults down 90% from the early days of the conflict, based on the U.S. Division of Protection.

In the meantime, the Trump administration introduced on Friday it’s briefly lifting sanctions on some oil from Iran, in an try and ease one of many worst disruptions to the world oil market ever skilled.

With over 3,000 vessels stranded within the Center East, based on the Worldwide Maritime Group, then Persian Gulf has turn out to be a large car parking zone for ships ready for a decision to the near-total halt of site visitors by way of the Strait of Hormuz.

An Israeli fighter jet flies over the skies of Nablus within the occupied West Financial institution on March 20.

Zain Jaafar/AFP by way of Getty Photos

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Zain Jaafar/AFP by way of Getty Photos

The U.S. is now utilizing Apache helicopters and A-10 Warthog planes to hold out assaults, a transparent signal that the navy believes the risk from Iranian forces has been drastically lowered. The Pentagon additionally says it’s concentrating on the small, quick boats that Iran makes use of within the Persian Gulf.

Listed here are additional updates from the battle.

Trump administration to elevate sanctions on Iranian oil stranded at sea

The U.S. is briefly lifting sanctions on some oil from Iran. This marks a significant reversal for the Trump administration as oil costs climb. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the choice is anticipated to shortly add about 140 million barrels to the worldwide oil market, which makes use of about 100 million barrels every day.

This new lifting of sanctions applies to Iranian oil and oil merchandise which are at the moment loaded on ships. It’ll final till April 19, 2026. The Trump administration has already lifted some U.S. sanctions on Russian crude to make it simpler for these barrels to make it to market.

Because the U.S.-Israeli conflict on Iran enters its fourth week, the near-total halt of site visitors by way of the Strait of Hormuz, the important thing waterway by way of which a few fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied pure gasoline sometimes passes, has created a catastrophic disruption in oil markets.

Whereas the world had been oversupplied with oil in February, the quantity of oil saved at sea is shortly falling, and oil costs have risen round 45% because the conflict started. Crude oil costs have now topped $110 per barrel, and will climb extra. These larger costs have rippled by way of to U.S. gasoline costs.

Extra Marines are headed to the Center East

NPR has confirmed that one other group of U.S. Marines is headed to the Persian Gulf.

The united statesBoxer group of three ships, carrying 1000’s of Marines from the 11the Marine Expeditionary Unit, has left California and can take about three weeks to succeed in the gulf, in accordance two U.S. officers who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly.

That is along with the USS Tripoli group, with greater than 2,000 Marines, anticipated to reach quickly from Japan.

The navy’s Central Command, which oversees Center East operations, wouldn’t touch upon the deployment or its mission.

US Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth takes questions throughout a information convention on the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on March 19, 2026.

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Mandel Ngan/AFP by way of Getty Photos

When President Trump was requested by a reporter Thursday if U.S. troops could be despatched to the area, he responded, “No. I am not placing troops anyplace. If I had been, I definitely would not inform you, however I am not placing troops. And we are going to do no matter is critical to maintain the peace.”

Then on Friday, Trump advised he might be in search of an off-ramp within the conflict.

“We’re getting very near assembly our aims as we contemplate winding down our nice Army efforts within the Center East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” Trump wrote on Reality Social.

He then went on to checklist progress he mentioned the efforts had made, together with degrading Iran’s missile capabilities, destroying its defenses, navy, air drive, anti-aircraft weaponry and nuclear functionality, in addition to defending Israel and Gulf Arab international locations.

Trump additionally reiterated that he desires different nations to police the Strait of Hormuz.

Turkey calls latest Israeli strikes on Syria a “harmful escalation”

Israel’s navy mentioned on Friday it had struck a Syrian command heart and weapons depots. Lethal preventing broke out as soon as once more this week in southern Syria between fighters from Syria’s authorities and the Druze, a minority non secular group.

Israel says it’s performing to guard the Druze minority from the Syrian authorities. The Israeli navy mentioned in an announcement it struck authorities websites in Syria’s southern Sweida province, the place many Druze reside. The strikes add to an Israeli navy marketing campaign in Syria that dates again to the autumn of the Assad regime in December 2024.

Turkey mentioned the assaults this week on Syria, its neighbor, had been unlawful. The nation has funded militia teams in Syria previously, together with one run by now-President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Iranians collect for a rally on March 20 in Tehran. The USA and Israel continued their joint assault on Iran that started on Feb. 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and concentrating on U.S. allies within the area.

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Getty Photos//Getty Photos Europe

Greg Myre, Quil Lawrence and Alex Leff contributed to this report from Washington, Julia Simon from Los Angeles, Emily Feng from Turkey, and Miguel Macias from Spain.