Iran hits Israeli oil refinery as Trump escalates threats in widening regional war

[0:00] AMNA NAWAZ Welcome to the NewsHour. [0:01] The war with Iran has entered its second month, and President Trump says the onus is on Tehran [0:07] to quickly agree to end the war or face the widespread destruction of its energy resources, [0:13] including its power plants and its oil hubs. But Iran remains publicly defiant, [0:18] calling U.S. demands unrealistic and continuing its attacks on Israel and the region. [0:24] Nick Schifrin begins our coverage. [0:25] NICK SCHIFRIN In northern Israel today, [0:29] the country's largest oil refinery engulfed in smoke. [0:33] Iran is trying to punish Israel and the region with attacks on energy facilities and a stranglehold [0:39] on the Strait of Hormuz, which White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt said today [0:43] Iran was beginning to release. [0:45] CAROLINE LEAVITT, White House Spokesperson on the Strait of Hormuz": Twenty additional tankers, [0:46] which we expect to see over the coming days, are a result of the direct and indirect talks [0:51] that are taking place between the United States and Iran. [0:53] NICK SCHIFRIN President Trump told The Financial Times the Strait of [0:56] Hormuz agreement was personally authorized by Iran's parliament speaker, [0:59] Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He's long been a hard-liner who this weekend warned he would [1:04] quote set American troops on fire. [1:07] But, today, President Trump said Iran was led by a quote new and more reasonable regime. [1:11] He also threatened to escalate, writing, if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately [1:16] open for business, we will conclude our lovely stay in Iran by blowing up and completely [1:21] obliterating all of their electric generating plants, oil wells and Karg Island. [1:27] Karg Island is about the size of New York's JFK airport. [1:29] It exports 90 percent of Iran's oil. [1:33] Trump told the FT that he would quote prefer to take Iran's oil by seizing the island. [1:38] Maybe we take Karg Island. Maybe we don't. We have a lot of options. [1:42] It would also mean we had to be there for a while. [1:45] Even for President Trump, a threat to possibly indefinitely occupy Middle Eastern territory [1:51] is a remarkable statement, as a leader who has for one decade vowed to avoid endless wars. [1:57] But the president dismissed his detractors. [2:00] He said his favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran. [2:03] But some stupid people back in the U.S. say, why are you doing that? [2:07] But they're stupid people. [2:08] Over the last week, the U.S. has demanded Iran dismantle its nuclear facilities and [2:13] hand over its highly enriched uranium, cap its ballistic missile inventory and range, [2:20] and give up its support for proxies, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today. [2:24] SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO , U.S. So they have to abandon all these weapon [2:26] programs and all their nuclear ambitions. [2:28] And if they do that, then Iran's future can be bright. [2:30] But, today, the U.S. demand is to take the oil in Iran. [2:31] The U.S. demands were rejected by Iran's foreign ministry spokesman. [2:34] The U.S. demands have been very excessive, unrealistic and illogical. [2:39] What is said publicly is, of course, [2:42] much different than what's being communicated to us privately. [2:45] Today, Levitt said Iran was embracing diplomacy. [2:48] When the president says more reasonable, again, these folks are [2:52] appearing more reasonable behind the scenes privately in these conversations [2:55] than perhaps some of the previous leaders who are now no longer on planet Earth, because they lied to [3:01] the United States. [3:01] NICK SCHIFRIN But Iran also accuses the U.S. of using diplomacy as cover. [3:06] Twice during Trump's second term, the U.S. has attacked Iran during high-level diplomatic talks. [3:11] DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States, I would only say that [3:14] we're doing extremely well in that negotiation, but you never know with [3:18] Iran, because we negotiate with them, and then we always have to blow them up. [3:23] NICK SCHIFRIN The U.S. is amassing more forces, [3:26] including thousands of Marines, with sailors who can launch amphibious assaults. They could conduct, [3:32] raids into Iranian territory, but they could also help defend tankers passing through the strait. [3:38] In Iran, today, the White House said it had struck 11,000 targets [3:42] out of what President Trump says are 16,000 targets. [3:47] And Israel continued to target what it says are Tehran weapons production sites. [3:52] Iran says among the targets have been three universities, [3:56] as well as now hollowed-out high-rise apartments. [4:00] At least one strike hit a busy street in downtown Tehran. [4:03] And the city has faced power cuts. [4:06] Israel is also expanding its invasion into Southern Lebanon, [4:10] expanding what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this weekend called a security strip. [4:14] PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU , I have now instructed to further expand [4:17] the existing security strip in order to finally thwart the threat of invasion [4:21] and to keep the anti-tank missile fire away from our borders. [4:24] NICK SCHIFRIN That expansion has come with a cost. Today, Israel buried 19-year-old Sergeant [4:31] Yaron Ben-Zion, an American-Israeli and Israeli. [4:34] And the sixth Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon in the last month, [4:37] when Hezbollah entered the war and has since fired at least 850 drones and missiles into Israel. [4:45] The U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in Southern Lebanon said today [4:48] three peacekeepers have been killed in less than 24 hours. [4:53] And in Southern Lebanon this weekend, [4:55] an Israeli strike killed three journalists and multiple paramedics. [5:06] A few more [5:21] U.S. forces are on their way to helping to move the country. [5:30] In the last episode of the UNHCR's Global Conversations on Israel, [5:31] I ask you to join me on a journey to understanding the consequences of the attacks of the HIV-pandemic. [5:31] I wish you all the best. [5:32] Thank you all so much. [5:32] I'll see you on the next episode. [5:32] May all of you have a wonderful day. [5:32] More videos coming up. [5:32] Stay safe. [5:32] Bye bye. [5:33] Bye bye.