Iran

The Pentagon provided few details on the deployment. The announcement appears to indicate that the president has not made a decision about whether to take military action against Iran.

The Trump administration ordered new sanctions on Iran, in response to the attack in Saudi Arabia that temporarily cut off nearly 6% of the world's oil supply. The sanctions' effect may be limited.

"This attack did not originate from Yemen despite Iran's best efforts to appear so," said Saudi Col. Turki al-Malki. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called it an "act of war" against the kingdom.

Military and intelligence officials say it looks like Iran launched the airstrikes but the U.S. has been slow to respond.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of launching an "unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply."

An Iranian space rocket appears to have exploded on the launch pad at the Imam Khomeini Space Center. It would be the third such failure this year.

The Iranian capital remains vibrant. But inflation has soared, and in a week of reporting in Tehran, NPR's Steve Inskeep found some residents openly critical of their government.