AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The U.S. military operation against Iran has now resulted in the loss of American lives. The Pentagon says three U.S. service members have been killed, five more seriously wounded and several others suffered shrapnel injuries and concussions. That's as the U.S. and Israel continue strikes on Tehran today and Iran retaliates with missiles and drones scattered widely over the region. NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre joins us now. Greg, welcome.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So President Trump had warned that there may be U.S. casualties, but I mean, this is heavy news, you know, nonetheless. What do we know about these deaths and injuries?
MYRE: So U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, announced the deaths and injuries in a brief statement, but it didn't provide details. However, a U.S. official who's not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that the U.S. service members were ground troops based in the region. And just to be clear, they were outside Iran. The U.S. does have many bases spread across the Middle East. The U.S. and Israeli attacks now and last June have certainly weakened Iran's military, but it's still dangerous. In another lethal Iranian strike, a missile hit a civilian building near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, killing at least nine people.
RASCOE: Iran confirmed that its supreme leader, the man who ruled the country for 37 years, is dead. We've also learned that a former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is also dead. What do we know about who's leading Iran at the moment?
MYRE: So it's going to be an interim committee who will run the country until a new leader is chosen. Now, Iran is now saying the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed. President Trump said this Saturday, and now Iran is acknowledging it as well. An Israeli airstrike killed him at his compound in the capital, Tehran, on Saturday. The Israelis simultaneously hit three separate meetings of senior Iranian officials and killed other top political and military figures. Israel's putting that number at around 40 dead. And as you noted, Ayesha, a former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is also reported dead. He was seemingly on the outs with the Iranian government and was apparently under house arrest, but many Israelis remember him from his time in office when he called for the elimination of Israel.
RASCOE: Can you talk to us a bit about the legacy of the supreme leader?
MYRE: Yeah. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was one of the world's longest-serving rulers and one of the only - and the only ruler that many Iranians have known. He was 86 years old. He's led the country since 1989. Khamenei was a hard-liner through and through, completely committed to the Islamic Revolution. He resisted calls for reforms right up to the very end. When massive protests began in December, he initially expressed just a bit of sympathy for Iranians dealing with severe economic hardship, but ultimately, he unleashed the security forces who carried out a brutal crackdown, killing thousands.
RASCOE: Who's likely to replace him?
MYRE: Yeah. If these were normal times, Iran has an Assembly of Experts who would choose a new leader. These are 88 senior Islamic clerics. In fact, they chose Khamenei back in 1989. They may eventually do that, but Iran says that in the short term, there will be this three-person interim committee that will include the president, the head of the judiciary and another senior official. Given the current crisis, you'd expect the security forces to play a prominent role as well, and this could include the Revolutionary Guards, whose job is to ensure Islamic rule in Iran.
RASCOE: What's the latest on the fighting and the conflict right now?
MYRE: Yeah. The U.S. military says major combat operations continue. Israel's military says it's also carrying out a wave of large-scale attacks. Israel says the goal is to establish air superiority, and one of the real striking elements in this U.S.-Israel bombing campaign last year and again this time has been how quickly it's crippled Iran's air defenses. Iran simply has little or no ability to guard against U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
RASCOE: Can you give us an update on what President Trump has been saying about the conflict?
MYRE: Yeah. President - the president took to Truth Social to respond to the latest Iranian threat, and he said, in all caps, they better not do that because if they do, we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before. Now, Trump has called for the ouster of the Iranian regime. Now that the supreme leader and other top figures are dead, we'll be waiting to see if he considers that regime change or if he thinks there needs to be a sustained campaign that would bring more sweeping changes.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Greg Myre. Thank you so much.
MYRE: Sure, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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