On the Iranian Border, More Military on the Way, Warm Western Winter

The NPR podcast Up First covers the Iran war entering its fourth week amid ongoing airstrikes and U.S. military reinforcements, alongside a severe drought in the American West following its warmest and driest winter on record. Reports detail mixed Iranian sentiments at the border, battlefield dominance by U.S. and Israeli forces, a growing oil supply crisis from the Strait of Hormuz blockade, and looming water shortages with economic ripple effects.

Iranian Views from the Turkish Border

NPR's Emily Feng reports from the Turkish-Iranian border on the war's 20th day, where dozens of fleeing Iranians shared anguished stories amid stunning snowy mountains and lakes. Many support U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran's regime—standing "shoulder to shoulder" despite personal risks like arrest for speaking to foreign media—but grapple with civilian deaths. Estimates range from 600 to over 1,300 civilians killed, per human rights groups and Iran's Red Crescent, though a communications blackout makes full tallies sporadic and uncertain.