transcript

Speaker 1:
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Speaker 2:
[00:34] From The New York Times, I'm Tracy Mumford, and this is a special bonus episode of The Headlines. With the war in Iran approaching the two-month mark, the state of negotiations in flux, and the whole world weathering the effects of a spike in oil prices, we are answering some of your questions about the conflict. First up, Josh from DC asked, what is the best estimate for spending on the war? And is there a comparison for what that amount of money would have covered if spent elsewhere, like housing, health care, education?

Speaker 3:
[01:07] I just want to confirm this. You have no idea, none, how much has been spent on the war so far.

Speaker 2:
[01:12] The question is actually the same one that senators have put to the White House recently.

Speaker 4:
[01:17] We don't have that figures right now.

Speaker 1:
[01:19] I think in part because it's fluctuating on a day-in-day-out basis.

Speaker 2:
[01:22] The White House budget director has not given an answer. Analysts, though, have estimated it's around $1 billion a day. In terms of what that could pay for.

Speaker 1:
[01:32] We have all these other people, we're fighting wars. We can't take care of daycare.

Speaker 2:
[01:37] President Trump himself said the military budget takes priority over things like childcare. By one estimate, the cost of just the first month of the war, about $30 billion, is roughly what a year of universal preschool for American three- and four-year-olds would cost. Next question. Hartley from New York asked, how the people of Iran feel about the war, particularly since the Iranian regime has been so unpopular? Now, there's no clear, simple answer to this one. Right after Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the first hours of the war, large crowds of people poured into the streets to celebrate chanting, freedom, freedom. Getting a broader sense of how people feel, though, is complicated. Roughly 99% of the country has been cut off from the internet. Incoming international calls are blocked, and my colleagues try to reach people by text message and the occasional VPN connection. On the ground, there's a very vocal, hardline contingent that is out in the streets almost every night, cheering on the regime and telling them not to surrender to the US. But my colleagues have also heard from Iranians who feel discouraged that the regime is still in place. They feel like they live through the destruction, but nothing changed. One woman wrote, quote, I feel as if we are not in control of our lives, and none of the actors in this war, not the United States, not Israel, and certainly not the Iranian regime, care about the Iranian people. Now, a third question. Frank from Cincinnati asked, For many years, it was well understood that closure of the Strait of Hormuz would constitute a grave threat to the worldwide economy. What reporting is there that Trump was warned of this? Yes, it is true that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is not an issue that came out of nowhere.

Speaker 4:
[03:25] Images of military drills by Iran's Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaker 2:
[03:30] Just two weeks before the US and Israel began attacking Iran, Iran's military was holding exercises in the Strait, meant to demonstrate that they would be willing to close the waterway for leverage. My colleagues have reported that Trump's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also flagged this risk to the President. But the Israeli Prime Minister and his team had a different take when they came to the White House to pitch Trump on the war. They were more optimistic, arguing that Iran would be so weakened by the first wave of attacks, it wouldn't be able to close the Strait. And last question, which several people wrote in with, where is Secretary of State Marco Rubio in all of this? Isn't it his job, not Vice President JD. Vance's, to be leading any potential peace talks? I put this question to my colleague Michael Crowley, who covers diplomacy.

Speaker 3:
[04:20] Rubio is not playing a visible role in the negotiations with Iran. And it's not even clear how involved he is behind the scenes. That's definitely very unusual for an American Secretary of State. But remember that Mr. Rubio is working two jobs right now. One as Secretary of State and the other as President Trump's National Security Advisor, which keeps him at the White House where he advises the president and manages meetings. And he really hasn't been spending as much time traveling overseas and conducting diplomacy abroad as other Secretaries of State. So really, it seems like we should refer to Marco Rubio as National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, rather than defaulting to calling him Secretary of State.

Speaker 2:
[05:07] That is it for this Q&A episode of the show. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. You can find today's full episode of The Headlines in the Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.