Strait Of Hormuz Shipping Crisis, Marijuana Reclassification, Georgia Wildfires

President Trump said he's prepared to wait for Iran to make a deal. He also ordered the navy to, quote, shoot and kill any boat laying mines in the Strait Of Hormuz. The Pentagon says clearing mines could take up to six months. I'm Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. The federal government is moving medical marijuana out of the category reserved for the most dangerous drugs. Medical cannabis will no longer be in the same category as as heroin. It's a major shift in federal drug policy that could reshape how marijuana is bought, sold, and studied, and a fast moving wildfire in South Georgia has destroyed nearly 90 homes. It's just a it's a heartbreaking thing to leave your home and not know what you're gonna come back to. The fires keep changing direction with the wind, and people are being told to evacuate with almost no notice. Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day. This week on sources and methods, the latest on a Pentagon controversy. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth takes the highly unusual step of personally intervening to block military promotions. Plus, the latest shut down. We digest the week's biggest national security headlines on sources and methods from NPR. President Trump says he is prepared to wait for the best deal to end his war with Iran, but he has also ordered the US military to, quote, shoot and kill any boat trying to lay mines in the Strait Of Hormuz. In a few minutes, we'll speak with John Bolton who served as national security adviser in the first Trump administration. But we turn first to how shipping through the strategic waterway is virtually at a standstill over fears of Iranian mines and attacks on ships. The crisis is driving up prices and shortages of valuable commodities worldwide. NPR international affairs correspondent, Jackie Northam, has been following all this, and she's with us now to bring us out today. Good morning, Jackie. Morning, Michelle. First, let's talk about news that's just breaking now that Iran's foreign minister may travel to Pakistan, which has been mediating talks between Iran and The US. What can you tell us about this? Well, Iranian state media says that foreign minister Abbas Arushi will be, traveling to Pakistan today. He's due to arrive in the capital Islamabad sometime tonight, local time. He will be traveling with a small team, and they're also gonna include on the trip, a visit to Russia and to Oman. While they're in Pakistan, they're gonna meet with officials there. But, you know, there was no mention of meeting with The US while the foreign minister, Arachi, is in Pakistan. President Trump is ordering the US Navy to target any ship, presumably from Iran, that's laying mines in and around the Strait Of Hormuz. How big a problem are mines? You know, there are no reliable figures as to how many mines are in and around …