Michelle Martin

And Iran says a gas supply to a power station in the southwest of the country was struck overnight.

Thanks, Michelle.

Israel bombed Iran's oil facilities over the weekend, causing black rain to fall over the capital, Tehran.

I'm Michelle Martin, that's Steve Inskey, and this is Up First from NPR News.

One of the groups that could rise up against Iran's government is ethnic Kurds.

Many live in western Iran.

Others live across the border in Iraq.

But an Iraqi leader tells NPR they are, quote, not guns for hire.

So what is their role in the Middle East war?

That question is becoming urgent as the war begins to affect the global economy.

Israel escalated the war over the weekend, bombing oil facilities.

The disruption of shipments from multiple nations has sent the price of oil soaring.

And Iran shows no sign of giving in after choosing a new supreme leader over the weekend.

Okay, so try to picture this.

Ethnic Kurds live on both sides of the border.

On one side, the Kurds are part of Iran.

On the other side, Kurds control their own region of Iraq.

Some Iranian armed opposition groups have been based on the Iraqi side for decades.

The U.S.

has talked of encouraging those Kurds to attack Iran.