ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
The two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, and the two sides seem far from a resolution. Today, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed after Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired on two commercial ships and the U.S. maintained its blockade of Iranian ports. President Trump said U.S. negotiators will be in Pakistan on Monday for peace negotiations with Iran, but Iran now says they are rejecting this. Reporter Durrie Bouscaren is on the ground in Van, a Turkish city near the Iranian border. Hey, Durrie.
DURRIE BOUSCAREN, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Rob.
SCHMITZ: So what's the latest?
BOUSCAREN: So President Trump wrote on Truth Social today that the U.S. Navy took control of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. It's called the Touska. He said a U.S.-guided missile destroyer, quote, "blew a hole in the engine room." The Touska had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury, and yesterday, the IRGC fired on multiple boats, which Trump claimed was a violation of the ceasefire. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre issued a warning today that the situation is critical, and there's a risk of attack or miscalculation right now.
SCHMITZ: We're just days away from a ceasefire expiring on Wednesday. Will the U.S. and Iran come to the negotiating table here?
BOUSCAREN: Journalists in Pakistan have been reporting on preparations for peace talks being made in Islamabad, with hotels being booked out and security measures being taken. But Iran's state news agency reported today that Tehran is not confirming these talks - that they'll participate at all. They're blaming Washington's, quote, "excessive demands, unrealistic expectations and constant shifts in stance." It said the U.S. blockade of Iran's ports is a breach of the ceasefire.
SCHMITZ: Now, a big sticking point here for these peace talks has been a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. What's going on there?
BOUSCAREN: The 10-day ceasefire appears to be holding, despite some deaths - one U.N. peacekeeper by Hezbollah fire, according to Israel, and two Israeli troops killed by explosives. Israel is still occupying a big part of Southern Lebanon and destroying infrastructure that it says belongs to Hezbollah. At least a million people have been displaced from their homes in Lebanon overall. It's unclear when the two sides will return to talks, but they've said they want to negotiate a full peace agreement, including resolving a border dispute.
SCHMITZ: So, Durrie, you're in Van, on the Turkish side of the Iranian border. You've been talking to Iranians who have left their country to stay in Turkey. What are they saying about all of this?
BOUSCAREN: Rob, I mean, I think what has struck me the most is how many Iranians I speak to who want these peace talks to fail.
SCHMITZ: They want these peace talks to fail.
BOUSCAREN: To fail. And, I mean, not everybody. We've definitely talked to people who support the regime or people who point to the 3,500 people who were killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes and want that to end. But here in Turkey, there are a good chunk of Iranians who are so angry at the regime. They literally want another country to bomb their home...
SCHMITZ: Wow.
BOUSCAREN: ...The place where their families live.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
BOUSCAREN: We spoke with this young man, who asked to remain anonymous for his safety. He told us that he's gotten to the point where he thinks foreign intervention is the only way to get rid of this regime. He pointed to the massacre of at least 7,000 protesters in January and the continuing arrests and executions. He said, "it is so easy for Iran's regime to kill anybody who opposes it. It's like they don't see us as human." He sees the Iranian regime as a bully, and he says, the only way to have a match for that is another bully. He sees hope in Trump.
SCHMITZ: That is reporter Durrie Bouscaren on the ground in Van. Durrie, thank you.
BOUSCAREN: Thank you, Rob. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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