NPR News: 03-12-2026 4AM EDT

The opening of this NPR News Now episode is dominated by the escalating military conflict between Israel and Iran, which has now drawn in Persian Gulf states and is rattling global energy markets. The episode also covers the Trump administration’s plan to release a record amount of oil from strategic reserves, a suspected Iranian-linked attack on the U.S. Embassy in Norway, and growing unease among swing-state voters about the economic costs of the war. A separate development involves the administration launching a new process to replace tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.

Israel and Iran Trade Direct Strikes as Gulf States Intercept Missiles

The episode opens with the most urgent development: Israel is continuing to strike what it calls "regime targets" in Tehran, while Iran is firing back into Israel. Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly in central Israel on Wednesday, sending residents into shelters. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the war in Iran will "continue without any time limit until we decisively win the campaign." The conflict is no longer bilateral. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar confirmed that their own air defense systems intercepted incoming missiles, a sign of how broadly the regional security architecture has been activated.