MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Iran attacked and seized ships in the Strait of Hormuz today, casting doubt over efforts to end the war. The attacks came just hours after President Trump announced he was extending a ceasefire indefinitely. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says it seized two ships, and the semi-official Fars News Agency says a third was hit in response to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. Iran, which has blocked ships from passing through the strait, wants the U.S. to end its blockade before resuming peace talks.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We're going to discuss all of this with longtime U.S. diplomat Ryan Crocker in a moment. We start with the details.
MARTIN: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez has been covering all these fits and starts, and he's with us now. Good morning, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So, you know, another turnaround.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, it's a very stunning turnaround as well, and just hours from when the ceasefire was set to expire. I mean - but as you noted, he's done this before, and despite his significant threats, he's also made very clear through his actions that he's very interested in ending this war. I mean, this time Trump again said Pakistan, which is, of course, mediating the talks, asked him to hold off on more attacks.
He also said the U.S. military would stick around and that its naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue. Trump argued that the extension actually was warranted due to a, quote, "seriously fractured" Iranian government, and that he was extending the ceasefire until talks were concluded, quote, "one way or the other." So a very different tone from earlier in the day when he warned that he was not going to extend the ceasefire and the bombing would resume.
MARTIN: It was the middle of the night in Iran when Trump made this announcement. Have we heard from Tehran yet?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, and they're staying on the offensive. An adviser took to social media where he said the extension means nothing. He said the losing side cannot dictate the terms, and he argued that the continuation of the blockade was basically the equivalent to more bombing. And he actually accused the U.S. of announcing this extension as a ploy to buy more time for a surprise attack.
MARTIN: You know, President Trump has mentioned so many different objectives for this war. You know, it was helping with the protesters there.
ORDOÑEZ: Right.
MARTIN: It was regime change, preventing Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, preventing or diminishing their ballistic missile capability. Do you have a sense from your reporting of what the objective really is at this point?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, so much of this right now is about control of the Strait of Hormuz, you know, the critical passageway that Iran has basically maintained a steel grip on over the last several weeks. I mean, the Trump administration has really tried everything to reopen the strait, including its own blockade, preventing Iranian-tied ships from entering or leaving. Vice President Vance, of course, was scheduled to travel to Pakistan yesterday for peace talks, and those are now off because the Iranians refused to meet, calling that blockade an act of war. So Iran's nuclear capabilities are clearly an issue. But before the war, there was free passage through the strait. And that's no longer the case, and it's a really big concern around the world.
MARTIN: Trump's back and forth rhetoric swinging from saying he's going to wipe out Iran's civilization to twice now not following through on these threats, is this having an impact on the U.S. position globally?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, I think it's about credibility and certainly the president's credibility. You're seeing that in the reaction from current Iranian leadership. I mean, they did not rush to a meeting yesterday again, despite Trump's ongoing threats, where he warned again about more bombing, saying, no more Mr. Nice Guy. I mean, I think the Iranians understand that amid the rhetoric is, again, Trump's strong desire to end this war. And it really remains to be seen if all of Trump's vacillating between aggressive threats and forms of diplomacy is going to pay off in the long run.
MARTIN: That is White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Franco, thank you.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Michel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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