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Dale Willman (0:17)
live from NPR News. I'm Dale Willman. Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz after the start of a 10 day truce between Israel and Iran backed militants in Lebanon. But a U.S. naval blockade remains in place. As NPR's Scott Newman reports, that could prove overwhelming as commercial traffic picks up through the vital shipping channel.
Scott Newman (0:37)
The number of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz Waterway has dwindled from its pre war average of 138 ships. Brian Clark, an expert in naval operations and electronic warfare at the Hudson Institute, says with so few vessels going through, the challenge for the navy is manageable.
Brian Clark (0:55)
But if you get up to the normal traffic volume or anything close to it, it would be almost impossible to keep up with that traffic volume with the number of ships the navy could maintain in that area.
Scott Newman (1:05)
Iran says it is opening the strait for commercial vessels, but the US Navy yesterday expanded its quarantine to include all Iranian tied vessels anywhere in the world. Scott Newman, NPR News, Washington.
Dale Willman (1:18)
A new report from the National Monetary Fund says the war between US And Iran is hurting more than just the Iranian economy. NPR's Aya Batrawi says countries such as Qatar and Iraq are also feeling the pinch.
Aya Batrawi (1:31)
Major airports from Doha to Dubai have seen traffic drop dramatically because of the war affecting revenue across the Gulf. The International Monetary Fund says the country worst hit economically is Qatar, with a nearly 9% contraction to its economy this year due to a complete suspension of gas production. The IMF says Iran's economy will shrink 6% this year and that Iraq's will contract but nearly 7%. These figures are based on assumptions the current ceasefire holds and energy production resumes normal levels by June. Elsewhere in the region, the report says energy importers like Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Pakistan have had to spend more due to soaring oil and gas prices, widening their fiscal deficits. Ayele Baltraui, NPR News, Dubai.
Dale Willman (2:13)
A truce took hold Friday between Israel and Lebanon, even though the militant group Hezbollah has not formally agreed to the deal. Thousands of Lebanese civilians began returning to their homes in southern leban Friday. The 10 day agreement calls for the government of Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah and other armed groups from attacking Israel, but it says only Israel can respond to violence as an act of self defense. The Supreme Court Friday allowed oil and gas companies accused of responsibility for land loss and environmental degradation in coastal Louisiana to move their lawsuits from state to federal court. It was a procedural ruling by the high court. It comes after a state jury ordered Chevron to pay about 704 $40 million to clean up damage to the state's coastline. It was one of several similar lawsuits. It was another strong week for Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 868 points, the NASDAQ up 365 points. The S&P 500 up 84 points. This is NPR News. Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 9,000 Salvadorans have been deported from the US back to El Salvador. So since President Trump took office last year. And as NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran reports, many face a grim future.