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What are the latest developments in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran?
Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theschmidt.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. It's day 11 of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The U.S.
destroyed several Iranian naval vessels today, including 16 mine layers near the critical Strait of Hormuz. Iran has ruled out diplomatic talks and has attacked oil infrastructure in the region, leaving global financial markets on edge. The Trump administration again promised the most intense strikes yet, as NPR's Greg Myrie explains.
Reports out of Iran again cite large explosions in and around the capital, Tehran. We don't have specifics, but the U.S. has been hitting an average of 500 or so targets in Iran every day. For its part, Iran carried out more airstrikes in Israel and several Gulf countries. There were reports of deaths and injuries to civilians. The Pentagon says 140 U.S. troops have been wounded.
Most are minor injuries, but eight are severely injured. And as we've reported previously, seven service members have been killed. NPR's Greg Myrie reporting, China says it's evacuated thousands of its citizens from the Middle East and Iran, and NPR's Emily Fang reports the scale of the evacuations underlies the closer ties China's been building up with countries in the region.
Over 10,000 Chinese citizens were brought out of Gulf countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, according to a Chinese ministry spokesperson. And more than 3,000 Chinese citizens had to be evacuated out of Iran, mostly overland through Azerbaijan.
With scores of flights canceled in the region, Beijing had to work with Chinese airlines to boost special evacuation flights out of the Gulf, where China has pursued close economic and security ties with Gulf countries.
Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, said earlier this week that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran should not have happened, and he warned against what he called the, quote, law of the jungle coming back. Emily Fang, NPR News. A congressional report published today finds that overpayments in private Medicare plans have raised costs for all seniors in the system by billions of dollars.
As NPR's Selina Simmons-Duffin explains, criticism of the plans has grown in the last few years. The Joint Economic Committee in Congress estimates that overpayments to insurance companies that run Medicare Advantage has cost American seniors billions. Specifically, in 2025, seniors paid $13.4 billion in higher premiums for doctor's office visits and outpatient services.
More than half of those enrolled in Medicare are in one of these private plans. Republicans in Congress were long champions of the model, but bipartisan criticism has been growing because Medicare Advantage actually costs the government about 20 percent more per person than traditional Medicare. Selina Simmons-Duffin, NPR News, Washington. U.S.
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