STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed out an army general who oversees planning at the Pentagon. The general lost his job, just as the U.S. and Israel are preparing for a possible new round of attacks against Iran. NPR's reporting finds that possible attack would come after the midterm elections. Coming up, we'll hear from a former deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command. We begin with the details.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
We're joined now by NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre. Greg, tell us about this general.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Yeah. He's Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia. Now, he was part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he was in charge of strategy, planning and policy. And, A, we should stress, this is a very senior position, but his role was long-term planning, not day-to-day planning for the Iran war. Now, the Pentagon says it's carrying out a leak investigation, but it hasn't provided details.
Still, Sylvia's dismissal should be seen against the backdrop of these widespread ousters that have taken place under Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon. He's fired more than two dozen generals or admirals since taking over last year. In many cases, no reason has been given for these firings, and these dismissals have created disruptions at senior levels of the military.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. Anything new on those U.S. plans for a renewed attack on Iran?
MYRE: Well, Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, spoke yesterday at the Middle East Institute in Washington. He said he was among lawmakers recently briefed on possible military plans. Here's how he described it.
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CHRIS MURPHY: I will just say this. Their plan is insane. It will lead to devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law.
MYRE: Now, Murphy declined to offer details beyond noting there's been public talk about the possibility of striking civilian infrastructure in Iran. His comments and remarks by other people inside and outside the administration have created this strong sense that major military action could be on the horizon after the midterms.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So so far just talk. Anything tangible, though, on that in the region?
MYRE: Well, the U.S. already has two aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea, and a third one, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, is on the way. It's unusual for the U.S. to have two aircraft carriers in the same region. Extremely rare to have three. According to U.S. Central Command, the last time the U.S. had three aircraft carriers stationed in the Middle East for any length of time was 2003, and that was the year the U.S. invaded Iraq. Also, the U.S. has drawn down diplomats in a number of embassies, U.S. allies are carrying out training exercises and the public discussion among U.S. partners from Israel to the Arab Gulf States is that fighting is likely to resume.
MARTÍNEZ: Are there any clues about what Iran might do to respond?
MYRE: Yeah. Iran's been very clear about this. It says that if attacked, it will target U.S. military bases and oil and gas facilities in Arab states. And we know Iran has already inflicted a good deal of damage in months prior, and it has some capacity left, but we don't know exactly how much. Iran has certainly been weakened. Its military and economy have both taken major blows, and the U.S. continues to block Iran's export of oil. And we know inflation in Iran is around 90%, but it's not clear what it would take for Iran to make concessions on key issues, namely, its nuclear program and control over the Strait of Hormuz.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Greg Myre. Greg, thanks.
MYRE: Sure thing, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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