A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump spoke to the nation Wednesday night about his plans in Iran. Trump said the war is, quote, "nearing completion," though there would be two or three more weeks of intense attacks. And he repeated a threat.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The president had previously threatened to hit power plants if Iran failed to open the Strait of Hormuz. Now that Trump has abandoned that goal and said it was other countries' problem, it is unclear what deal he wants from Iran.
MARTÍNEZ: We're joined now by NPR international correspondent Aya Batrawy in Dubai. So let's start with the threat that we just heard from the president. What's Iran's response to that?
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Right. So Iran has already made clear that if its power plants are hit, it will target power plants in Israel and across the Gulf. And we already saw this week Iran can do that. It hit a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait after electricity outages in Tehran. And Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps listed American tech companies that they would target in the region if there are any more assassinations happening. Many, like Oracle and Google, actually have their headquarters right here in Dubai, where I am.
But Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson did say after Trump's speech that Iran is not interested in just a ceasefire, with another war being launched on them again. And in response to Trump calling Iran a state sponsor of terror, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it's actually Israel, with the backing of the U.S., that's being prosecuted now in international courts for war crimes in Gaza. Israel denies charges of genocide. But, you know, Iran says it is forced to continue confronting this war until it ends, and we've seen that they still have the capability to do that.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, in the case of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran basically is choosing which ships can pass through. What has the response been from Gulf Arab countries who can't get their oil?
BATRAWY: Right. This war was launched by Israel and the U.S., mostly without consulting with Gulf Arab partners, who do host thousands of U.S. troops that have been targeted. We know from our sources in the region that some Gulf Arab states had short advance notice of the war in order to just - sort of just prepare their air defenses, but others did not. And right now there is not one defined Gulf stance on this war or how it should end, and despite continued Iranian attacks, the Gulf countries have not hit back. Analysts tell me that's in part because they don't know what Trump will do next, and they don't want to end up having to fight Iran alone. But the United Arab Emirates has been more hawkish, and it says it's willing to join an international coalition to open the strait.
MARTÍNEZ: Yet no international coalition exists, and the price of oil climbed again after the Trump speech yesterday.
BATRAWY: Exactly. There is no coalition to speak of yet. Despite that pressure from Trump, countries like the U.K. and France have actually tried to distance themselves from Trump's decision to go to war with Iran. And in his speech last night, here's what Trump said other countries should be doing.
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TRUMP: Go to the strait and just take it. Protect it. Use it for yourselves. Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done, so it should be easy.
BATRAWY: Should be easy, he says. Now, the U.K. is hosting a virtual meeting today of around 35 countries to discuss diplomatic and political measures to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which, again, a lot of that Gulf oil needs to go through and can't. Canada and European nations, Japan and two Gulf Arab countries - the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain - are among those taking part. And we've reported that military planners will also meet to discuss naval options, but again, they're signalling any naval escort would be after the war. And it's important to remember, A, that some 3,600 ground troops, among them Marine infantry, were just sent to the region or are on their way, but it's still unclear what their mission will be.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR international correspondent Aya Batrawy in Dubai. Thank you very much.
BATRAWY: Thanks, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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