Up First from NPR - US Strikes Iran Oil Tankers, Israeli Settlements Sanctions, Smithsonian Head Retires

Episode Date: September 9, 2026

The U.S. has destroyed eight Iranian oil tankers since Saturday, as Iran fires back at American forces and Gulf countries reconsider the risks of hosting U.S. bases.Britain, Canada and France are moving to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Britain accusing settlers of ethnic cleansing and Israel responding with diplomatic retaliation.And Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch is retiring after nearly four decades at the institution, as the Trump administration continues criticizing the Smithsonian over exhibits it says are anti-white and too focused on negative parts of American history.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Tina Kraja, Clare Lombardo, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and Robert Rodriguez.Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.(0:00) Introduction(01:55) US Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers(05:45) Israeli Settlements Sanctions(09:20) Smithsonian Head RetiresSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. has now hit eight Iranian oil tankers since Saturday, targeting a key source of revenue for Tehran. Iran struck back at U.S. troops in Jordan. Are Gulf countries rethinking where the hosting American forces makes them safer? I'm Leila Faudil. That's Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News. The U.K., Canada, and France are moving to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Britain says settler violence there amounts to ethnic cleansing. Israel responding to his allies. And the head of the Smithsonian is stepping down. Lonnie Bunch the 3rd worked at the research and museum complex for nearly four decades, leading it for the past seven.

His departure comes after the Trump administration acute the Smithsonian's programming of being anti-white and too negative about American history. Say with us, we'll give you news you need to start your day. The U.S. has struck Iranian targets again, this time bombing five Iranian oil tankers overnight. Iran struck back lighting up the night sky in Georgia. and as interceptors tried to stop missiles hurtling at U.S. troops at an airbase there. All this as the turmoil pushes Brent crude oil prices over $100 a barrel again today. Joining us to talk about the latest attacks and how this might affect U.S. strategy in the region is NPR International correspondent Aya Batjali in Dubai. Good morning, Aya.

Good morning, Michelle. So could you start us off with what happened last night? U.S. Central Command says it destroyed five Iranian oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman and off of Iran's cargo. Island. Now, Sengom says it did give notice to cruise aboard those ships to abandon them before they were bombed. And it says that these attacks were in response to Iranian missile attacks on a U.S. Navy warship that were successfully evaded. So since Saturday, Michelle, we now have the U.S. striking eight Iranian crude oil tankers. And this is another blow to Iran's economic lifeline that goes beyond the aggressive sanctions that are already in place and the existing U.S.

naval blockade on Iran's oil shipments. What was Iran's response? Well, Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it targeted U.S. vessels and oil tankers as well as 10 ships trying to transit through the Strait of Hermuz with U.S. help. Now, there's no confirmation on what was hit from those attacks. But Iran also attacked U.S. troops at an airbase in Jordan. Jordan says it intercepted all but two of Iran's 20 missiles last night. It says there were no deaths recorded. But Michelle, it made no mention of injuries from those attacks. And one more thing, Iran also released visuals yesterday of an underwater, U.S. naval drone that it captured. One of Iran's official accounts on X described it as one of America's most mysterious underwater toys, now in Iran's possession. And all of this just shows how Iran remains undeterred in the face of sustained U.S. military pressure. Iran has been targeting American assets and troops in the region since the start of the war. And this brings up the bigger question. What is the U.S. strategy now in the region? Exactly. And that is unclear. And there's also little discussion around the future of the U.S. footprint in the region. In part, that's because

permanently pulling back troops now could signal weakness to Iran and other adversaries like Russia and China. And U.S. bases in Gulf Arab states and Jordan were meant to be a deterrence. But they've actually been used to attack Iran. And it's partly why Iran has now attacked these countries throughout the war. So Arab allies are broadening their defense, ties with other countries and waiting really for the U.S. to show what its path forward is going to be. Meanwhile, you have the Pentagon under Secretary Pete Hexeth not being forthcoming about damage to U.S. bases from this war and the Trump administration asking satellite companies to censor their images over the Gulf. Still, we do know that in Bahrain, where the Navy's fifth fleet was hit by

Iran, there were some 8,000 military personnel there. Now it's less than 100. I asked McKenzie Eaglin, who's with the American Enterprise Institute and is co-chair of the National Commission on the Future of the Navy about this lack of transparency. It's hugely damaging. Just one for precedent set. because it's not how, you know, we operate in a federal republic. And two, it's not going to help, like, Congress grapple with, you know, how is our military performing? How are we ahead?

How are we behind? What could we do differently? What could we do better? And Michelle, one indication, though, of how things are going actually came from the chief of naval operations, Darryl Cottle. He was asked last week during a live stream when sailors would be actually be able to go back to Bahrain to pick up their personal belongings. And his answer was, we are not going back in there anytime soon.

That is. NPR International correspondent Aya Bertrawe in Dubai. Thanks, Aya. Thanks, Michelle. Israel reacted with anger and defiance to yesterday's announcement that the United Kingdom would impose trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Britain's foreign minister called the ban necessary to stop settlement expansion and Israeli settler violence against Palestinians there. He accused what he called settler terrorists of ethnic clans. Lensing Canada and France join the effort and imposed their own sanctions,

intensifying international pressure on Israel from longtime allies. For more on Israeli and Palestinian reactions, we go now to NPR's Kerry Kahn, who is in Tel Aviv. Carrie, good morning. Good morning, Michelle. So I understand that Israeli officials were rather indignant and retaliated quickly after the U.K. announcement. What did they say? Foreign Minister Gideon Sarr called the U.K. statements about Israel's content in the West Bank outrageous lies. He said they were morally distorted and anti-Semitic. Here he is.

I say to the labor government and to every government in the world that thinks it can force Israel to act against our national and security interests. You have no chance of succeeding. Retaliation 2 was quick. They announced the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem. That office mainly deals with Palestinian affairs. And they had a list ready of British representatives that are now barred and expelled from Israel. And what about the reaction from Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank? The Palestinian authorities president put out a statement yesterday welcoming the sanctions. In the West Bank, we spoke with Suleiman Duwabshe, the chairman of Duma, a Palestinian village.

He said he wished the sanctions had been firmer. These decisions, he says, for us, will have an impact, and that means a law for Palestinians in the West Bank, but he said he doubts Israel will make any changes because he says the government does not respect international law. His town has been hit extremely hard by settler violence. Several residents have been killed by settlers since October 7th, and cars and homes have been burned. The UN says there have been more than 3,000 attacks by settlers in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. And in this year alone, Michelle, the UN says at least 79 Palestinians have been killed by settlers and Israeli troops.

But apart from the political fallout that you're just telling us about, will this trading ban actually affect Israel economically? The short answer, no. Most exports from the West Bank are agricultural, and Israel's total agricultural exports to the UK are very low. And that's according to Iran Yeshiv. He's an economist at Tel Aviv University, but he did tell me that sanctions could be damaging if the entire European Union Israel's overall top trading partner were to join in.

If this becomes a big, wide sanctions move, which is not the case right now, then it will make a difference, not what's being imposed right now. And sanctions won't take effect for months, he said. Israelis go to the polls in late October and could elect a new government, which could trigger sanctions relief, but I have to tell you that none of the leading candidates are discussing settlement expansion or the rising West Bank violence, and they especially are not discussing a two-state solution with the Palestinians. That is. And Paris, Kerry Khan, joining us from Tel Aviv. Carrie, thank you. You're welcome. The head of the Smithsonian Institution, Loniji Bunch the 3rd, says he will retire at the end of the year. Bunch has spent nearly four decades with the Smithsonian,

first as a curator, then as the head of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He took over the top position at the Smithsonian in 2019 and said yesterday he's going to step down. It follows more than a year of criticism from President Trump and his administration about the Smithsonian, who have called the institution radical and divisive. And Paris, Andrew Limbong is covering this. Good morning, Andrew. Morning, Michelle. So why is a bunch retiring now?

Well, to hear him tell it, it's just time. Here's what he told NPR in an interview last night when asked why now. Because I'm old as dirt. The reality is that after 38 years, I've been able to accomplish so much, I've learned so much, I've built such great relationships, and now I want to make sure that I have time to write, to think, but really to bore my grandkids to death, and now's the moment to do it. Yeah. There's a lot he's not saying there, especially when you take into account.

All of the recent attacks, President Trump and his administration have levied against the Smithsonian. But bunches denied any insinuation that his leaving had to do with pressures from the president. Say more about those attacks, if you would, for people who haven't been following this. Yeah, the president and his administration have been trying to paint the Smithsonian as radical activists, right? In 2025, Trump issued an executive order criticizing exhibits and programs that, quote, degrade shared American values. For example, the EO singled out an art exhibit about the history of sculpture and racism in America. Jump ahead of July of this year, the administration issued a long report criticizing the National Museum of American History for moving towards, quote, extreme political activism.

And last month, the Department of the Interior said that the executive departments can't support the Smithsonian under the current leadership. Like I said, a bunch has denied, you know, that his retirement has anything to do with these criticisms. But his statement announcing the retirement said that he was leaving with mixed emotions. Now, a bunch started out as a curator at Aaron Space. he went to move on to American History and the National Museum of American History and Culture. But in his current role, he's in charge of all of the Smithsonian's museums, libraries,

research centers, the National Zoo. Can you just say a little bit about what he's accomplished? I mean, two pandas came to the National Zoo under his tenure. Remember that? That's a big deal. He got the ball rolling on two new history museums. One focused on women's history and another on the history of the American Latino. But he said that, you know, one of the

big goals of his role as head of the Smithsonian was to help Americans embrace ambiguity and see America as a really complicated place. And say more about him. Yeah, well, Michelle, you know, you've interviewed him tons of times, right? He's got this breadth of knowledge about history, right? Actually, on top of him being the first African-American to lead the Smithsonian, he was the first historian to do so.

You know, you ran through his career first as a curator. But then in 2005, he became the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture. And this is before that museum even had a building, right? And so he spent like more than a decade thinking about that museum's collection, what the physical manifestation of African American history would look and feel like the basic nuts and bolts of constructing a building until it opened to the public in 2016. One of the most visited museums in the world. And Andrew, remember when the museum opened? The demand for tickets were so high.

I think the website broke. Oh, yeah. Like for a while, it was the place to go in D.C., which actually took a bunch by surprise. Here's what he told NPR a year after the museum opened. I didn't expect it to become a pilgrimage site so soon. It's really become a place where you see both intergenerational sharing and really sort of interracial dialogues. And I didn't expect that. I also didn't expect so many crats.

You know, we thought we'd get 4,000 people a day. We're getting 6, 7, 8,000 a day. I didn't expect that. And so, you know, Michelle, I think whatever the future holds for him or for the Smithsonian, I mean, that building will be his lasting legacy. That is. And here's Andrew Limbong. Andrew, thank you.

Thanks, Michelle. And that's Up First for Wednesday, September 9th. I'm Michelle Martin. And I'm Leila Faudil. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Miguel MacGhrya, Claire Lombardo, Mohamed El-Bradisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziyadh-Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Nisha Highness. Our technical director is Carly Strange. and our supervising producer is Michael Lipkin. Join us again tomorrow.