Transcript of US and Iran Trade Attacks Again, Sen. Lindsay Graham Dies, Congress Returns

The U.S. war in Iran went back into high gear over the weekend.

Iran attacked another commercial ship and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. U.S. Central Command says it struck dozens of targets and insists Iran does not control the strait.

I'm Jimmy Martinez. That's Michelle Martin. And this is Up First from NPR News. Senator Lindsey Graham was a tough critic of candidate Trump who became one of President Trump's strongest allies in Congress. He died suddenly this weekend at the age of 71. What legacy does the South Carolina Republican Republican leave behind.

And Congress returns to session today. Senate Republicans already had a long to-do list. With Graham's death and Senator Mitch McConnell's absence, their thin margins are even thinner. How will they pass their agenda? Stay with us, we'll give you news you need to start your day. The U.S. and Iran continue to vie for control over the Strait of Hormuz, that crucial international waterway.

A new wave of U.S. strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone launchers and coastal radar sites late Sunday night. That's according to U.S. Central Command.

Iran responded by targeting U.S. bases in the Gulf and Jordan. For the latest, we turn to NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi, who is in Istanbul. Hadil, good morning.

Good morning.

So it's been almost a week since this back and forth of strikes over the Strait of Hormuz started. What is the U.S. government saying about this latest round?

That's right. So U.S. Central Command released a statement late Sunday Eastern time, and they said, quote, "The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it." U.S. CENTCOM also said that they had hit dozens Iranian targets at multiple locations with precision munitions, claiming it had degraded Iran's ability to continue attacking international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran did not respond to that claim, but said that one person was killed in the US air— US strikes, and an agricultural water pumping station was targeted in central Iran, killing a guard. Iranian officials say that brings the total number of deaths to 17 since the recent strikes began. Iran, on the other hand, said Monday it was targeting US bases in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. It also targeted Oman over the weekend. Oman, of course, is a mediator in the ceasefire talks. Sirens were sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait, and the countries said they were intercepting hostile attacks.

Now, you know, Hadil, Iran and the US are almost at the halfway point of this 60-day interim deal that was meant to take us to talks to end the war permanently. So where are we with those talks?

I mean, honestly, the status of the talks is kind of unknown at this point. A couple of weeks ago, the Qatari foreign minister, who's a mediator, said that they would continue after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Khamenei's funeral, which ended last week. But that was also before the U.S. and Iran began to trade all of this fire. And then last week during the NATO summit, President Trump declared the ceasefire over, but then he didn't rule out further talks. And then just now, the Iranian foreign minister at a press conference said that Iran is in touch with mediators, including Oman, Qatar, and Pakistan. He said that their role was to de-escalate the situation, and then he said, quote, "Diplomacy has no day off." Both sides are also making competing claims over the status of the strait, and we're all feeling the consequences. The benchmark global oil price jumped more than 4% when markets opened on Monday.

Have we seen or heard from Iran's current leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is, you know, the son of the previous leader? Have we seen or heard from him since this recent exchange of strikes began?

We did not see him publicly, but we did hear from Mojtaba Khamenei. Well, we heard from him through a news anchor who broadcast a message from the current leader on Iranian state TV. He also didn't appear on camera. This was his second second audio address to Iranians since the war began. And Bashar al-Assad called his father's killers, quote, criminals, and promised to uphold the legacy of the late Supreme Leader who was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February.

Let's take a listen.

We pledge to take revenge for your pure blood, he said, and all the martyrs of these two wars. He said it again via an anchor. He referred to Iran's war with Israel in June in 2025. And the current war with the U.S. and Israel. Iranian officials said Mostafa Khamenei was injured earlier in the war, that his legs were hurt. But again, his status is unknown because we haven't seen him publicly since he took power in March.

That is NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Istanbul. Hadeel, thanks.

You're welcome.

Early findings from the D.C. medical examiner show that Senator Lindsey Graham died from a tear in his aorta, which is caused by heart disease. He was 71 years old.

The South Carolina Republican was a committed advocate of U.S. military intervention abroad and also a close ally of President Trump.

NPR Congress reporter Eric McDaniel is here to talk about his legacy. Good morning, Eric.

Hey.

So Graham served for more than 20 years in the U.S. Senate. What would you say he was known for?

I mean, he was one of the last standard-bearers of a bygone Republican idea that the U.S. should be the world's protector. He He supported the U.S. military campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, as well as robust military aid for Ukraine and Israel. He, in fact, just returned from an overseas trip to bolster security relationships with U.S. allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Graham had visited the country 10 times since its war with Russia began.

And what would you say would he was known for on domestic issues?

Well, as chair of the Judiciary Committee during Trump's first term, Graham shepherded the confirmations of scores of federal judges. He was instrumental in getting Trump's 3 Supreme Court nominees all the way to the bench. And last year, as chair of the Budget Committee, he successfully steered Trump's signature tax policy legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, through a briar patch of negotiations with his colleagues and Senate procedural staff to get the package across the finish line without any Democratic support. Not to mention, his close relationship with President Trump made him a key go-between in crucial moments, including publicly lobbying his Senate colleagues to acquit Trump on impeachment charges after the president attempted to remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.

Well, let's go back Let's talk for a minute. How did he get into politics to begin with?

According to his campaign biography, Graham was born in the town of Central, South Carolina, and lived in a single room with his family adjoining his parents' bar, liquor store, and pool house. His parents died when he was still in school, and he became his sister's primary caretaker. He eventually adopted her. After finishing law school, Graham served 6 years active duty in the Air Force before entering politics. He remained in the South Carolina Air National Guard and then the Air Force Reserves until 2015. So that's more than 3 decades of military service. It's a story he told a lot when he was seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.

Right. That's a little-known chapter. I don't think many people remember that. Yeah. So what do we know about who might replace him in the Senate?

The state's Republican governor, South Carolina's Republican governor, will appoint someone to serve for the remainder of this year. In early August, a special Republican primary election will be held to decide on a Republican general election candidate for November, and the winner will go on to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election come November. They'll be sworn in in January.

That is NPR Congress reporter Eric McDaniel. Eric, thank you.

Thanks, Michelle.

Congress returns from their July 4th recess today. With the death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Mitch McConnell's continued absence, Republicans face even tighter margins.

President Trump's nominee for attorney general has his confirmation hearing set for this week.

Joining us now to talk about all this is NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales. Claudia, good morning to you.

Good morning, Michelle.

So Congress was already coming back to a pretty long to-do list this week before the sudden death of Senator Graham. What is on that agenda?

Right. Senate Republicans scheduled a hearing for President Trump's attorney general nominee. This is Todd Blanche. But since Graham was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee set to hear from him, what exactly comes next is unclear, given some Republicans' existing concerns about Blanche. Separately, Trump's nominee to be the top intelligence chief— this is Jay Clayton— he is due before another Senate committee for his bid for confirmation. And two Supreme Court justices are also slated for rare testimony as part of an annual appropriations process. And in the midst of all this, lawmakers are also facing questions about the Iran war, the funding, and more broadly, their oversight.

Does Graham's death change the calculus on these priorities?

Yes. To start, he was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, which will need to recalibrate their plans. And of course, he had this outsized role in foreign policy. Lawmakers in both Senate chambers say they're now anxious to tackle a Russia sanctions bill that Graham, in his last press conference on Friday, said the White House had signed off on. And he also said he was more optimistic than ever that they had found a formula to end Russia's war with Ukraine. I talked to Texas GOP Congressman Michael McCaul about this, and he said he's determined, along with other members, to rename the bill in Graham's honor and start moving it this week. Graham was also set to play a key role in pushing the annual defense policy bill, so his absence will be felt as lawmakers try to address this. And of course, South Carolina will have to sort out what to do with the vacancy that Graham leaves.

So I think it's fair to say that the Republicans' agenda was at a standstill before the recess over Trump's proposal for this new voting law, something we've been reporting on extensively. So what's happening with that?

Right. We especially saw that in the House last month. A group of hard-right GOP lawmakers brought work there to a halt over Trump's demand that they pass the Save America Act. That's the voting bill that would require proof of citizenship and photo ID in order to vote. And that's It's not the only thing Trump's push for the SAVE Act derailed. You might remember he canceled a signing ceremony for landmark housing legislation that passed with huge bipartisan majorities. But it doesn't look like Trump is letting go of the SAVE Act. On NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Trump said it came up in a conversation with Graham hours before his death. Graham was on his flight back to the U.S. after a trip to Ukraine.

Think of it, he's traveling for many, many hours That's a long flight.

That's a long trip.

And he, you know, calls me about the Save America Act. Uh, he, he thought we were going to get it passed.

Do lawmakers expect President Trump to keep his hand so heavily involved on Capitol Hill?

They really hope not. However, Speaker Mike Johnson has been trying to thread the needle between his demands and the party's broader agenda ahead of the midterms. We should be clear, the SAVE Act was already going nowhere in the Senate because it does not have the votes. So while Trump has shown this greater appetite to insert self and congressional plans, there's hope in Congress for a new sense of unity to get all these priorities done as the midterms loom.

That is NPR's Claudia Grisales. Claudia, thank you.

Thank you.

Don't forget to catch up on the Up First Sunday story. If you're one of those people who feels overwhelmed by constant headlines about how the world might end, you're not alone.

I've been keeping a notepad, a tally of ways the world could end. It has 141 entries so far.

On the Sunday story, how to separate the doomsday hype from the real threats. Listen now, right here in the Up First podcast. And that's Up First for Monday, July 13th. I'm Michelle Martin.

Edime Martinez. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Tina Krya, Anna Yukhaninoff, Jason Breslow, Ziyad Baj, Mohammed Elbardisi, and H.J. Mai. Was produced by Paige Waterhouse and Mia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hynes. Our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.