NPR Staff

As the war in the Middle East enters its fourth week, President Trump says the U.S. is considering "winding down" military efforts, as it also seeks to ease the energy crisis by lifting sanctions on Iranian oil stranded at sea.

The USS Boxer, carrying thousands of Marines, has left California and will reach the Persian Gulf in about three weeks. This, as the energy crisis pushes the Trump administration to lift sanctions on Iranian oil stranded at sea.

The Trump administration says it is seeking a huge budget to refill and expand its munitions.

International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said Iran's nuclear program is heavily damaged, "but the material will still be there and the enrichment capacities will be there."

U.S. counterterrorism official Joe Kent became the first senior Trump administration member to resign over the Iran war. Israel killed two top Iranian officials, dealing another blow to the regime.

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With the Iran war entering a third week, Israel said it plans for at least three more weeks of war, while President Trump demanded other countries help the U.S. secure the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Israel announced a barrage of new strikes on western Iran on Sunday, while Iran's foreign minister said the country has not asked for a ceasefire as President Trump had claimed.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump claimed the U.S. had "destroyed 100% of Iran's Military capability." The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, meanwhile, urged Americans to "leave Iraq immediately."

President Trump said on Friday the U.S. military had "totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island." This, as all six crew members on a refueling plane that went down in western Iraq were confirmed dead.