Military Buildup Around Iran, Board Of Peace Meeting, Former Prince Andrew Released

President Trump says we will know in about 10 days whether he chooses war with Iran.

The U.S. has enough military power in the Middle East for sustained airstrikes on the country.

How is Tehran preparing for a possible attack?

I'm Michelle Martin-Vesley Lafato, and this is up first from NPR News.

President Trump laid out his plan to rebuild Gaza and his global vision for his board of peace.

We're also going to maybe take a step further where we see hot spots around the world.

We can probably do that very easily.

Some leaders worry it could sideline the United Nations.

And British police are searching royal properties today after former Prince Andrews arrest

tied to the Epstein files. He's been released, but investigators are looking into whether he

passed confidential government information to the convicted sex offender.

Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

This message comes from Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe.

You can send, spend, and receive an up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps.

Be smart, get Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit Wise.com, TZNC's Apply.

This message comes from Rinse, who knows that mastering the perfect house party table spread

takes time. But so does Laundry. So Rinse takes your Laundry and hand delivers it to your door,

expertly cleaned. And you can take the time once spent sorting and waiting,

folding and queuing to finally pursue your real passion.

Rolling delicate roses of Capacola alongside meandering ribbons of Amon Serrano,

transforming a humble plank of weathered barnwood into a show-stopping charcootery spread.

Rinse, it's time to be great.

This message comes from Mint Mobile. Starting at $15 a month,

make the switch at MintMobile.com slash switch. $45 upfront payment for three months,

five gigabyte plan equivalent to $15 a month. Taxes and fees extra, first three months only,

see terms. The American military build-up in the Middle East has reached a critical mass.

That's right, it now appears the US could be capable of a sustained bombing campaign against Iran.

Yet President Trump remains non-committal about whether he will use force here he is yesterday.

Now we may have to take it a step further or we may not. Maybe we're going to make a deal.

You're going to be you're going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.

For more, we're joined by NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Maire. Good morning, Greg.

Hey, Linda. Okay, so this flow of US forces into the Middle East keeps expanding. Can you break

down what's now in the region? Yeah, this buildup has been underway for a month and more key

pieces are now moving into place and this includes a second aircraft carrier which will be in the

Mediterranean. Some 50 additional fighter jets have been arriving in recent days. The US has also

added defensive measures to guard against Iranian missile strikes. So it really is a critical mass

as you noted. This is way above and beyond what's needed to pressure Iran in nuclear negotiations.

It's the kind of force that looks capable of fighting for weeks if not longer.

So this might be a basic question but really fundamental one. What is President Trump trying to

achieve? Yeah, he really hasn't spelled that out in the negotiations. He wants Iran to effectively

give up its nuclear program and make other wide-ranging concessions. These are demands Iran has long

resisted. Yet he's also expressed support for regime change which would likely require a major

military operation. Now he hasn't made a major speech to the American public about the prospect

of a new Middle East war. His administration hasn't sought support from Congress or made the case

at the United Nations and aside from Israel he hasn't brought in US allies or built an international

coalition. How is Iran preparing for a possible attack and how might it respond? Yeah, this is the

question I put to Alex Vatanka, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute here in Washington.

I've been scanning the Iranian media for the last many days. They are predicting that yes there

will be some kind of a military conflict with the United States. It'll be something bigger than

the 12-day war that we had last summer but it won't be anything like the Iraq invasion by the

United States back in 2003. So Iran was certainly weakened by that war last summer but it still has

a large number of ballistic missiles. It can again fire at US military targets in Israel.

Now Vatanka says the main goal of the Iranian government is really just survival,

beating back any attempt to oust the Shiite Muslim clerics who've run the country for nearly a half

century. He believes the Iranians are worried about a conflict on two fronts. US and Israeli

strikes from the skies and from ordinary Iranians rising up in protest on the streets. As we know the

Iranian security forces crushed those protests last month and killed many people. We just don't know

if we'll see another uprising. Okay, so that's what we know from Iran a lot of uncertainty there.

Do we know what a US military campaign might actually look like? Yeah, Elena, we really don't.

The spectrum of possibilities range at one end from limited strikes on a few specific targets like

nuclear facilities. The other end would be a large open-ended campaign intended to topple the regime.

Now we should stress the US military forces built on navy ships and fighter jets. What you don't

see are US ground troops. If the US strikes, it will be with warplanes in the sky and ships firing

it see not a ground war. That's NPR's Greg Meyer. Thank you, Greg. Sure thing, Leyla.

President Trump made his remarks about Iran at a gathering of his new board of peace,

where members discuss plans to rebuild Gaza. And while the president's team unveils ambitious

plans for high-end condos and skyscrapers along the coastline, some world leaders are raising

concerns that the board of peace could up-end world order. NPR White House correspondent,

Frankl Ordoña is here to talk about the high stakes involved and what it means for Trump.

Good morning. Good morning, Leyla. So how much is the board of peace about Gaza? Because the

mandate appears to be growing and raising concerns. Yeah, I mean, I'd say the discussion was

mostly about Gaza. And we've been obviously reporting about the $10 billion the US is committing

to reconstruction efforts and the stabilization force being put together for security.

But Trump is not hiding the fact that he has a bigger vision for this board. And he's casting it

as a signature part of his administration, boasting that it will not only be a vehicle for

rebuilding Gaza, but could also be used for any number of global conflicts. This is something

very special and we're going to straighten out Gaza. We're going to make Gaza very successful

and safe. And we're also going to maybe take a step further where we see hot spots around the

world. We can probably do that very easily. And it's that idea that it's raised concerns because

some leaders see this as a potential rival to the United Nations. I mean, this is a system that's

allowed smaller nations to have a voice in major international decisions. But this board is going

to be run by Trump and those he hand picks. Okay, so that's why countries like France and the UK

and Sweden didn't show up for these meetings, right? Concerns about the charter. Yeah, I mean,

Trump has made no secret of his dislike for the UN and international organizations. I spoke to

Evo Dalder who served as ambassador to NATO and the Obama administration. And he called the board

of piece of vanity project for Trump, but one that is also raising legitimate concerns among world

leaders. I mean, they're watching the biggest power in the world and the largest contributor to the

United Nations set up this alternative system to see someone like the United States walk away from

the UN system represents a fundamental reversal of the last 80-some years of global politics. And

people are worried about that. They're worried about the general direction of American foreign policy.

But Trump and his team argue that the old way of doing things is just not working and specifically

could not do what they have done in Gaza and reaching the so-called ceasefire. Okay, so speaking

of that, the UN Security Council met just before the board of piece where it raised concerns

about ongoing violence in Gaza. I mean, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the

ceasefire. How would that impact this board's goals? Yeah, a lot. I mean, this week Israel said

Hamas had just 60 days to give up all its weapons or Israel would resume military operations, which

you know, just blow up Trump's already fragile ceasefire. Are there political implications with

the midterms ahead? Yeah, the timing is very delicate. I mean, we could be talking about an entirely

different situation in a few months as campaign season kicks in. And that's not even accounting

for the potential for military operations in Iran. I mean, Republican allies are already

worried that this effort could end up tying the administration into another Middle East crisis.

And that's the very kind of conflict that Trump's pledged to avoid. And Trump, of course,

is already been facing criticism for spending too much time on foreign policy and not enough time

on the issues he was elected on, which of course is immigration and reducing inflation.

That's White House correspondent Franco Ordonia's. Thank you, Franco. Thank you.

It's an unprecedented almost unthinkable site. Police are searching homes of the British

royals today. This after one of their own was arrested for the first time in nearly four centuries.

King Charles's brother Andrew was released from police custody last night, but police are still

investigating whether he illegally passed British government documents to the late sex offender

Jeffrey Epstein. For the latest, we're joined by NPR's Lauren Frayer in London. Good morning, Lauren.

Good morning, Leyla. Okay, so what is the latest in the investigation given he has been released

from police custody? Released after 11 hours, police say Andrew is still under investigation, though.

So that means he's neither been charged nor exonerated. Andrew hasn't commented on the latest

allegations. He did settle a lawsuit years ago with one of Epstein's underage victims and has

strenuously denied any wrongdoing all along. There are photos of him looking really shell-shocked

last night, hunched in the backseat of an SUV being driven away from a police station.

Police are searching those royal properties today. They're also doing digital searches of those

latest Epstein files which prompted this arrest. They're looking specifically at Andrew's emails

from the early 2000s when he was a UK trade envoy. And when he allegedly forwarded Epstein

government travel itineraries, investment plans, which could have violated the UK's official

secrets act. Misconduct in public office is what police say Andrews have suspected of,

and that carries up to life in prison. Okay, now I know this news is still so fresh,

but what impact could this have on the British monarchy? I'm actually at a briefing right now

with a group of anti-monarchy campaigners. I mean, they are hoping this leads the UK to get rid

of its royals. How significant is this anti-monarchy group? I mean, it's a movement that is

existed for decades, centuries even. It's too soon to say whether it's gathering steam in the wake

of Andrews arrest, polls taken before yesterday show most Brits still support the monarchy. We'll

see if that changes now. Campaigners want it too, but you know, the Palace's PR machine is also

in full force. I spoke to Andrews biographer. His name is also Andrew Launy before the arrest,

and he told me it looked the royals have long known Andrew was a liability. Royal bodyguards

accompanied him to Epstein's Island, and Launy says it just reached a tipping point.

Prince William doesn't want to inherit this problem. It's shaped the reign of Charles. It's a

distraction from all the other work they do. It's undermined the reputation of the members of

the family. It's pretty much destroyed the institution. They want to get rid of this problem.

And yesterday King Charles said, quote, the law must take its course that may mean

distancing himself from his own brother to try to save the monarchy. However, it's reacting.

Laila, if it's any indication, the Daily Mail, one of the biggest newspapers here, you actually

have to turn past 15 pages to get to any story today that's not Andrew. This has been the talk

of pubs across the UK, some call it the biggest royal crisis since Princess Diana's death,

or since the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII. So I'm going back further to Charles I. He was the

last royal to be arrested in 1647, and it didn't work out so well for him. He got tried and beheaded.

There's anger. There's sympathy for Epstein's victims. There's also some sympathy for Andrew,

at least on Air Force One. President Trump told reporters there, it's sad. It's a shame.

It's bad for the royals. King Charles is expected to travel to the US later this year.

I'll be watching for whether that actually goes ahead, given all the family turmoil at home.

Overall, I would say Brits are shocked. They're absorbing the idea that his majesty's police

are investigating his majesty's brother, who is still eighth in line for the throne as of today,

and he could be charged today. He could be charged a month from now or never. We'll just have to

wait and see. That's NPR's Lauren Frey or in London. Thank you, Lauren. You're welcome. Before you go,

don't forget to follow up first on your podcast app so you'll get coverage of the news you need

to start your day, delivered directly to you when you wake up.

And that's a first for Friday, February 20th. I'm Layla Faldon.

And I'm Michelle Martin for more Olympics coverage. Check out up first winter games and new

video podcasts from NPR. New episodes drop throughout the games every afternoon at youtube.com,

slash NPR. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Rebecca Mezzler, Tina

Kriah, Muhammadud Radisi, and H.J. Mai. It was produced by Ziyad Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director

is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from the Shahinis. Our technical director is

Carly Strange. And our executive producer is J. Shailer. Join us again on Monday.

This message comes from Mintmobile. Starting at $15 a month, make the switch at Mintmobile.com

slash switch. $45 upfront payment for three months. Five gigabyte plan equivalent to $15 a month.

Taxes and fees extra first three months only. See terms.

This message comes from mattress firm. Waking up stiff or sore, mattress firm sleep experts can

match you with a tempera-pedic adapt mattress designed to relieve pressure for a deeper rest.

For the great sleep you deserve, visit mattress firm. They make sleep easy.

This message comes from Mintmobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills,

bogus fees and free perks, Mintmobile might be right for you with plans starting from $15 a month.

Shop plans today at Mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for three month,

five gigabyte plan required. New customer offer for first three months only. Then full price

plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See Mintmobile for details.