Trump Asks for Help With Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli Forces Kill Family in West Bank
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This is A.G. Sulzberger. I'm the publisher of The New York Times. And I'm also a former reporter who's watched with a lot of alarm as our profession has shrunk in recent years. Normally, this is where I'd ask you to subscribe to The Times. But today, I'm encouraging you to support any news organization that's dedicated to original reporting. Whether that's your local newspaper, a national paper, or The New York Times, what matters most is that you subscribe to a real news organization doing firsthand, fact-based reporting. And if you already do, thank you.
From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Monday, March 16th. Here's what we're covering. The war with Iran has now entered its third week.
When are you going to know when it's over? When I feel it. I feel it in my bones. Will you ask anybody in particular? Would that be a joint decision? I deal with people. I have great people.
White House officials say they still expect it to last for four to six weeks. But Iran remains defiant. Has Iran asked for a ceasefire?
No, we never asked for a ceasefire. We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes.
This weekend, the country's foreign minister vowed to fight on. The Pentagon says Iran is firing 90 to 95 percent fewer missiles and drones than at the start of the war. But retaliatory attacks by its forces and its proxy militias are still causing havoc in the region. Over the weekend, missiles hit the Baghdad International Airport and smoke was rising from one of the UAE's largest oil export terminals. As the war continues, my colleagues say there are two major questions confronting President Trump. The first, what to do about the Strait of Hormuz? The price of oil has continued to climb, triggering economic repercussions worldwide as traffic through the strait remains all but cut off. On Saturday, Trump put out a call on social media for other countries to send support.
He asked China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain for naval forces. It was his first public acknowledgement that keeping the vital waterway open could require help and more resources beyond what the U.S. has in the region right now. In a recent meeting, a frustrated Trump asked the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff why the U.S. can't just reopen the strait itself, and he got a straightforward answer. Even one Iranian soldier or militia member in a speedboat could fire a missile at a slow-moving tanker or plant a mine on its hull. Officials say it would be a hugely expensive and dangerous operation for the U.S. military to fully clear the strait. The second question facing Trump is, will the war require American troops on the ground?
One potential target for that is Karg Island, Iran's oil export hub, which Trump has threatened to destroy if the strait remains closed. Seizing and holding that land, though, could require the kind of continuing military presence Trump has said he never wants to repeat. The other potential target is the deep tunnels inland where the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran's nearly weapons-grade uranium is stored. Trump has said he wants to make sure the country can never have a nuclear weapon. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of the uranium at one point, quote, people are going to have to go and get it.
What challenges does Trump face in the ongoing war with Iran?
That would require an immensely risky operation that Trump has said he is considering but not ready to order. At a time when a lot of global attention is focused on the war with Iran, there's been a rise in attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli settlers have been terrorizing Palestinians in the occupied territory. The Israeli military insists it's working to prevent that, but few have been brought to justice. And this weekend, a family car ride ended in horror after Israeli forces themselves opened fire. It happened late Saturday night. The car was packed with a father, mother, and their four sons.
Going out late at night with the kids, especially in the last days of Ramadan, is a thing. And it's pretty common. The kids got what we know as munchkins, fried like donut holes.
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