The Middle East is dominating this week's headlines.

On Consider This, we dive into what's at stake in a war between Israel and Iran.

Plus, we take a look back at the Iraq War and Lessons from 2003.

Listen now to Consider This Podcast on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Okay. wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he got a call today from his Iranian counterpart

and that they agreed to accelerate negotiations between European powers and Iran over

its contested nuclear program. MPR. Eleanor Beardsley reports, it's a sign of progress after

EU-Iranian talks in Geneva yesterday went nowhere. Writing on X, after his conversation with Iranian

President Massoud Peseshkian, Macron said Iran must never acquire

nuclear weapons, but that it was up to Tehran to prove its intentions are peaceful.

I'm convinced there is a way out of the war, said Macron.

But international calls for de-escalation and the European diplomatic push have had little

consequence on the air war raging between Israel and Iran.

And on Saturday, Iran's foreign minister warned that U.S. involvement in the Israeli attacks would be, quote, extremely dangerous for everyone.

Eleanor Beardsley in Pierre News, Paris.

Rhode Island may soon become one of the only states in the country to ban the making and selling of assault weapons.

As M.Pier-Snetta Ulibe reports last night, the state's House of Representatives passed a bill that is now headed to the governor.

Rhode Island's Democratic governor said on social media that he intends to sign the bill into law.

That will make Rhode Island one of only

11 states that has some sort of ban on semi-automatic rifles. The bill in Rhode Island

applies only to the sale and manufacturing of such rifles rather than possession. Such high-powered

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