BBCPERSIAN — broadcast
20260920 153000 UTC
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[00:00:21] Headline News
[00:00:24] Iran warns of possible US attack supported
[00:00:27] by regional countries. Headquarters.
[00:00:32] It threatened Washington's allies with military retaliation.
[00:00:34] On the one hand, a threat,
[00:00:38] on the other hand, a welcome for a possible meeting with Peskyan
[00:00:41] in New York. The US President spoke of a big decision
[00:00:45] about Iran.
[00:00:47] Deepening Iran's economic recession.
[00:00:51] Gross domestic product decreased by about
[00:00:53] 11% compared to last spring.
[00:00:57] Tagging sharks in the coasts. British
[00:01:00] scientists are tracking their growth and movement.
[00:01:22] Hello to you, welcome to another news section of BBC Persian TV.
[00:01:26] I am Majid Afshar. In Iran, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central
[00:01:30] Headquarters says it has obtained information that the US, with the support
[00:01:33] of some Middle Eastern countries, is preparing to resume
[00:01:37] attacks on Iran. This supreme military institution has warned
[00:01:41] about the consequences of such an attack. Fox News says Donald
[00:01:44] Trump has also said that he is making very big decisions
[00:01:48] regarding Iran. He has also welcomed
[00:01:52] the idea of meeting with Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the
[00:01:55] UN General Assembly, but at the same time said he is
[00:01:58] thinking about whether he should blow up Iran or not,
[00:02:02] or when and how. Shabnam Majidi says in the report
[00:02:06] that in these circumstances, diplomatic efforts are still continuing
[00:02:09] to end
[00:02:10] the conflict.
[00:02:14] Donald Trump cut short his weekend vacation at Camp
[00:02:17] David last night and returned to the White House
[00:02:21] earlier than expected, without announcing a reason
[00:02:24] for this decision. Fox News says he said he has a big decision
[00:02:28] ahead of him. On the one hand, he
[00:02:34] threatened that his question is when to blow up all of Iran and warned Tehran to behave properly, and on the other hand,
[00:02:37] he said he welcomes the idea of meeting with the Iranian president
[00:02:40] on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
[00:02:43] session. At the same time, a number of US embassies
[00:02:47] in West Asia issued emergency security
[00:02:49] warnings. Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters had
[00:02:53] also previously issued a warning statement regarding recent
[00:02:56] movements. If the United States commits a mistake against Islamic
[00:03:00] Iran, then all its facilities and interests in the region
[00:03:03] will be targeted by continuous, effective, and painful
[00:03:07] attacks without any restrictions or considerations. These warnings are
[00:03:11] issued while yesterday the Houthis announced that they had attacked
[00:03:14] sensitive targets in Riyadh with missiles and drones. This
[00:03:17] was the first retaliatory attack by Ansarullah of Yemen on Riyadh.
[00:03:21] Agence France-Presse says a fuel depot of the Aramco oil
[00:03:24] company near the airport has caught fire. But Saudi
[00:03:28] Arabia says the missile was fired.
[00:03:33] The United States has so far avoided direct involvement in this
[00:03:36] front, but now with the threats reaching the Saudi capital,
[00:03:39] new questions face this ally of Riyadh.
[00:03:43] The strategic point of
[00:03:46] Mokha port, which the Houthis have captured a few weeks ago,
[00:03:50] may now witness renewed clashes.
[00:03:53] Residents are also more concerned.
[00:03:56] They are working to end the
[00:04:30] war. The Pakistani Interior Minister is also scheduled to travel
[00:04:34] to Tehran today.
[00:04:36] Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council,
[00:04:40] said yesterday in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic that
[00:04:44] Iran's conditions, including an end to the war on all fronts,
[00:04:47] the release of Iranian assets, and an end to the naval
[00:04:50] blockade, have been announced to the US, and we are awaiting their
[00:04:53] response. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament,
[00:04:57] also said that the dichotomy of war or negotiation is not real
[00:05:04] The path of deception and unilateral imposition
[00:05:06] is closed, and until these conditions
[00:05:10] are met and the legitimate rights
[00:05:13] of the Iranian nation are recognized
[00:05:17] and the commitments of the Americans
[00:05:20] are implemented, there will be no opening
[00:05:23] for a return to the previous conditions of negotiation
[00:05:27] and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz,
[00:05:31] and it seems that this waterway, to which the fate of the global
[00:05:34] economy is tied, will remain closed until that day.
[00:05:37] Shabana
[00:05:38] Majidi
[00:05:41] my colleague, Shida Hooshmandi, is with us from Washington.
[00:05:44] I know that Mr. Trump has now also spoken to Fox
[00:05:48] News and provided explanations that might clarify the situation.
[00:05:51] What did he say?
[00:05:54] He told a Fox News reporter that he
[00:05:58] is at a stage where he wants to make
[00:06:00] a decision and will make an important
[00:06:03] decision in the very near future and big
[00:06:07] things will happen. He says there are three options:
[00:06:10] one is to reach an agreement second
[00:06:13] is for Iran to be destroyed or blown up,
[00:06:16] and the third is for this economic
[00:06:19] bottleneck to collapse
[00:06:22] and crumble. It seems that the statements
[00:06:26] that Mr. Trump made to the Fox reporter
[00:06:29] somehow show that he
[00:06:32] wants to keep all options on the table,
[00:06:36] in that when he is asked whether Masoud
[00:06:39] Pezeshkian's trip to New York
[00:06:43] means he is ready to meet with him, he gives
[00:06:46] a positive answer,
[00:06:49] and it seems that at least so far his strategy
[00:06:52] has been to leave all these options open
[00:06:56] and somehow keep everyone guessing
[00:06:59] so that perhaps this period
[00:07:03] before the midterm elections passes and then he makes
[00:07:06] a final decision. When
[00:07:09] I saw his interview with Fox, it almost
[00:07:13] reminded me of his interview three days ago with Axios, where he said he is at a stage
[00:07:17] where he wants to decide whether he should
[00:07:20] attack Iran with a full-scale
[00:07:24] attack or not.
[00:07:26] Therefore, this is the point where Mr. Trump is, and this is the decision he has
[00:07:30] made so far to keep all options open for now
[00:07:33] for everyone. Another point is the discussion
[00:07:36] about his shortened trip
[00:07:39] to, excuse me, his shortened trip.
[00:07:56] The US government has decided to choose a path
[00:07:59] anyway, and this
[00:08:03] weekend Mr. Trump has been busy reviewing
[00:08:07] these options. As some reporters,
[00:08:10] such as a CNN security analyst, report, he has returned
[00:08:14] to the White House. It is even said that Pitkas has also returned to Washington
[00:08:18] to discuss these issues. At the same time, we see
[00:08:21] that the head of the CIA, John
[00:08:24] Ratcliffe, goes to Egypt to meet with Sisi
[00:08:28] to discuss Iranian issues,
[00:08:30] and
[00:08:32] at the same time, we hear from Mike Walls, the US
[00:08:36] representative to the UN, who is speaking with Dina
[00:08:39] Bash on CNN, asking him about
[00:08:42] US action regarding the Houthis. He is asked if the US wants
[00:08:46] to enter into a direct confrontation. He does not rule it out
[00:08:49] and says that a final decision in this regard must
[00:08:53] be made soon. In any case, all these
[00:08:57] events show us that
[00:09:00] decisions are probably underway,
[00:09:03] maybe not so soon, but it seems that the White
[00:09:07] House is moving in this direction to choose a path
[00:09:10] anyway, to be able to actually
[00:09:14] deal with the Houthi issue in Yemen.
[00:09:17] Thank you to Shida Hooshmandi, my colleague
[00:09:20] from Washington. Hamid Reza Azizi, senior analyst
[00:09:24] of Iranian affairs at the International Crisis Group, is with us. Mr. Azizi,
[00:09:28] in a situation where the signs indicate a kind
[00:09:30] of resumption of conflict, at least
[00:09:34] it was said that perhaps between the US and Yemenis, meaning
[00:09:37] the Houthis, and then some speculations regarding
[00:09:41] Iran were also raised, and Khatam
[00:09:45] al-Anbiya headquarters had also warned about this.
[00:09:48] However, Mr. Trump today speaks of being ready to meet with Donald Trump
[00:09:52] and speaks of the possibility of an agreement.
[00:09:55] How seriously should his words be taken, or
[00:09:59] is it possible that there is still a difference between his words and actions?
[00:10:01] Here, I think the experience of the past
[00:10:05] year and a half, from the period leading up to the 12-day war
[00:10:08] and after that, and then the 40-day war, shows us
[00:10:12] that we should base our analysis on developments
[00:10:15] on the ground, and not on the political stances of any of the parties,
[00:10:19] especially Mr. Trump, because similar
[00:10:22] statements were made before both wars in the form
[00:10:31] of the same statements he has been making all this
[00:10:34] time that he
[00:10:37] can target Iran, its facilities,
[00:10:40] its infrastructure, even destroy the entire country,
[00:10:44] or negotiate and reach an agreement.
[00:10:47] He is repeating the same statements today in a different way.
[00:10:50] What, in my opinion, makes the importance of these
[00:10:54] statements greater this time are the developments that occurred
[00:10:57] before that. These were mentioned in your colleague's
[00:11:00] report, from the new travel warnings issued by the US
[00:11:04] State Department to the recent statements
[00:11:07] of Iranian officials. The statement of the Khatam
[00:11:11] al-Anbiya headquarters suggests that there is an expectation,
[00:11:14] at least at the political level, on both sides, both Iran and the United States,
[00:11:18] In the current situation, do you think there is a possibility of such an escalation
[00:11:22] of conflict, and should these signs be taken
[00:11:25] more seriously? The signs should be taken seriously. In my opinion,
[00:11:29] what can still be said
[00:11:32] is that there is no consensus analytically about where this
[00:11:36] escalation of tension is going to happen and in what form
[00:11:40] and at what level. That is, we should not forget
[00:11:42] that we currently have two active fronts. One is the Yemeni
[00:11:46] front, where the Houthis have expanded
[00:11:48] their conflict with Saudi
[00:11:52] Arabia. Now. Again, it has become
[00:11:56] a target, and in these circumstances, although the United
[00:11:59] States, after the ceasefire agreement it reached separately
[00:12:03] with the Houthis, and also after
[00:12:06] the recent talks that are said to have taken place between
[00:12:09] the Houthis and the United States, does not have
[00:12:12] much desire to get involved, it may eventually
[00:12:16] get involved due to the long-term threat, especially
[00:12:19] with regard to Bab al-Mandeb. And of course, the issue of Iran
[00:12:23] is clear here. On the other
[00:12:26] hand, some discussions are raised about whether the military
[00:12:30] readiness of the United States, for example, is not as good as before the 40-day war,
[00:12:34] but it should be considered that most likely, if the United
[00:12:38] States wants to directly take action against Iran,
[00:12:41] this action will be different from the 40-day war. It might
[00:12:45] be looking to carry out a major action, for example, attacking Iran's main facilities,
[00:12:49] and then declaring victory and taking another path.
[00:12:52] Therefore, the situation is variable and the variables are very
[00:12:55] many. How much can the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis
[00:12:58] be separated from what is happening between Iran and the US?
[00:13:01] My question is about this issue:
[00:13:04] Is it possible that in a possible conflict between Iran
[00:13:08] and the US, the regional countries, which were also mentioned
[00:13:12] in the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters statement,
[00:13:15] countries like Saudi Arabia, will act in support
[00:13:18] of the US? In the current situation,
[00:13:22] at the political level, I don't see
[00:13:26] anyone among the Arab countries in the region, even in Saudi Arabia,
[00:13:29] willing to return to war with Iran,
[00:13:33] unless there is a clear path to victory
[00:13:36] and to change the situation positively
[00:13:39] for them. That's why I think that
[00:13:43] although the sensitivity of the situation causes a significant
[00:13:46] reaction from the Iranian side to such meetings,
[00:13:49] it does not necessarily mean that
[00:13:52] they will align with the United States.
[00:13:56] Because, for example, let's consider a scenario
[00:13:59] where Trump wants to increase pressure
[00:14:02] and ultimately force Iran to surrender
[00:14:06] or agree to target its infrastructure.
[00:14:10] Well, this was observed during the 40-day war,
[00:14:13] for example, in the case of Ras Laffan, Qatar,
[00:14:17] that Iran would react strongly. And now the Houthis
[00:14:21] are in a position to threaten Bab al-Mandeb more than ever before.
[00:14:25] Therefore, there is no clear path to victory. At least,
[00:14:28] I cannot imagine that the Arab countries would
[00:14:32] be very comfortable with this issue. But again, we have the United States
[00:14:36] and Trump's electoral considerations. We have Israel
[00:14:39] and, in any case, the constantly changing
[00:14:42] regional situation. These increase the risk of an accidental
[00:14:46] escalation of tension. And the fact that Mr. Trump claims that the Houthis
[00:14:49] are in contact with him and they have promised,
[00:14:52] it seems that there are some contacts between him and the Houthis.
[00:14:56] Mr. Trump has repeatedly said
[00:14:58] in the past two or three
[00:15:00] days that we can reach an agreement with the Houthis. How likely
[00:15:04] do you think this is?
[00:15:07] So far, in my opinion, what can be inferred
[00:15:11] from the scene of the conflict in Yemen and Saudi Arabia
[00:15:15] is that the Houthis do not want
[00:15:17] to expand the war and especially do not want
[00:15:21] to involve the United States. They had this experience once.
[00:15:25] They were subjected to continuous attacks by the United States
[00:15:29] and Britain, and at the same time, sporadically by Israel. Although
[00:15:33] those attacks could not strategically change the position and capabilities
[00:15:36] of the Houthis, they also have land that they want
[00:15:40] to maintain control over. Therefore, they have no desire
[00:15:44] or interest in involving the United States in this situation,
[00:15:48] and it seems that the reports about contacts being established
[00:15:51] are also correct. But in any case, if the United
[00:15:54] States, as a result of its commitment to its ally, which
[00:15:58] is Saudi Arabia, or as a result of an action
[00:16:01] against Iran that activates another
[00:16:05] front in the region, eventually enters.
[00:16:43] This plan, since the approval of its generalities, has faced criticism
[00:16:53] and opposition from various parties, including the government.
[00:16:55] Iran's Ministry of Information
[00:16:58] says it has dismantled three operational cells related
[00:17:01] to opposition groups in Kerman, Alborz, and West
[00:17:05] Azerbaijan provinces. The ministry claims that
[00:17:07] operations and destroy individuals who were members
[00:17:11] of these groups intended to carry out assassination
[00:17:17] infrastructure, but they were arrested in an operation that it called
[00:17:21] preemptive. According to the Ministry of Information, one of them
[00:17:23] was killed
[00:17:25] in a clash with security forces
[00:17:29] in Piranshahr. Mostafa Tajzadeh, an Iranian political activist,
[00:17:33] has been released from Evin Prison for a few days'
[00:17:36] furlough. Previously, it had been reported that despite
[00:17:40] initial agreement for furlough and bail, he was not
[00:17:43] allowed to leave prison. Fakhrolsadat
[00:17:46] Mohtashamipour, Mr. Tajzadeh's wife, had said
[00:17:49] that the opening of a new case against him during
[00:17:53] his imprisonment prevented the furlough.
[00:17:57] Mr. Tajzadeh has been in prison since July
[00:18:01] 2022, which is three or four
[00:18:05] years ago. Iran's judiciary
[00:18:09] has announced the sealing of a French language
[00:18:13] center in Tehran known as CFI,
[00:18:16] and has called its activities illegal.
[00:18:19] This institution claims that this center, which is affiliated
[00:18:23] with the French embassy, has carried out activities
[00:18:27] against national security under the guise of language
[00:18:31] education and has networked for the emigration of Iranian
[00:18:35] elites. CFI Tehran is the only center for conducting official
[00:18:41] exams. These two certificates are especially required
[00:18:45] for applicants studying in French universities.
[00:18:47] Official statistics show
[00:18:52] that Iran's economy is grappling with
[00:18:55] a deep recession. According to the quarterly
[00:18:59] report of the Statistical Center of Iran, the gross domestic product in the spring
[00:19:03] of this year was 10.8%
[00:19:07] less than in the spring of last year. The sharp decline
[00:19:10] in oil production and the more than 35% decrease in export revenues
[00:19:13] were the main factors behind the negative economic
[00:19:17] growth. Behrang Tajdin, our economic reporter, is here with
[00:19:20] us. What do these new statistics tell us about the economic
[00:19:24] situation in Iran? Look, the statistics
[00:19:28] and the quarterly report of the Statistical Center
[00:19:31] actually show that this war between the US and Israel
[00:19:35] with Iran, the naval blockade of Iran's southern
[00:19:37] ports, and the intensification of economic sanctions
[00:19:41] against Iran have all contributed to plunging
[00:19:45] Iran's economy into a deep recession. Perhaps
[00:19:49] the sector that has suffered the most, according to these
[00:19:52] statistics, is the oil and gas extraction
[00:19:56] sector, which has shrunk by more than 26%.
[00:19:59] That is, the value of its revenues
[00:20:02] has decreased, and the country's export revenues
[00:20:05] in total were 35% less than last spring.
[00:20:09] But it's not just these sectors; for example, if you look
[00:20:13] at other mines and industries, they also
[00:20:17] experienced a 5% decline
[00:20:20] compared to last year, a decrease, their
[00:20:23] revenues decreased, which is partly
[00:20:26] due to the attacks on steel and petrochemical
[00:20:29] factories and similar industries. And then when you
[00:20:33] look closely at these statistics, you see
[00:20:36] that government consumption,
[00:20:40] or the money that the government has been
[00:20:43] able to spend, compared to last year,
[00:20:47] if we remove the effect of inflation, has decreased by 17%.
[00:20:50] But private sector consumption
[00:20:53] is 40. What does that mean? It means that the impact
[00:20:56] of this recession on the private
[00:20:59] sector has been much more severe than
[00:21:02] on the government. Overall, what we are seeing
[00:21:06] may not be very surprising, but this 10.8%
[00:21:10] decline in gross domestic product means a 10%
[00:21:14] to 11% decline in gross national
[00:21:17] income and gross domestic product. It's like
[00:21:21] the entire Iranian economy has become
[00:21:24] poorer under the influence of the war, and people
[00:21:28] can see its effect in their daily lives
[00:21:31] because the result of this story is that, in any case,
[00:21:34] people's purchasing power also decreases. This is
[00:21:38] the seasonal report of the Statistical Center,
[00:21:41] and now Iran is facing a naval
[00:21:44] blockade, which practically
[00:21:47] completely deprived Iran of the possibility
[00:21:51] of exports and perhaps in many cases imports, at least
[00:21:54] in the southern coasts
[00:21:56] of Iran. Under what conditions, if we assume
[00:22:00] the naval institution ends, how long will this recession
[00:22:03] take to return to its previous state?
[00:22:06] Look, the recovery of
[00:22:09] production for the oil and gas industry does not
[00:22:13] take much time, meaning that Iran will probably
[00:22:16] be able to quickly improve that
[00:22:18] sector if the conditions open up again and the possibility
[00:22:22] of exporting crude oil and petroleum products
[00:22:26] and condensates to China becomes available.
[00:22:29] It will return to its previous state.
[00:22:33] But the repair of other industries and the repair
[00:22:37] of other sectors takes time,
[00:22:40] especially in a situation where inflation is at
[00:22:43] its highest level in 80 years, and the government
[00:22:47] is facing a severe budget deficit. Recovery
[00:22:50] and bringing the economy back to its normal
[00:22:53] state takes time and is not an easy task at all
[00:22:57] because the necessary capital, in fact,
[00:23:00] providing the necessary capital for the repair of Iran's
[00:23:03] economy is a very difficult task. But pay attention,
[00:23:07] to reach that point,
[00:23:10] first it is necessary for the politicians of Tehran
[00:23:13] and Washington and other capitals to make a political
[00:23:17] decision to end the war, which, as we have heard
[00:23:21] throughout this program, does not seem that we are close
[00:23:24] to it. My take on this solution, in any
[00:23:28] case, is political, not economic. Thank you
[00:23:32] to my colleague, Behrang Tajdin,
[00:23:34] here. However, more than 40
[00:23:38] species of sharks live in the waters around
[00:23:41] Britain and Northern Ireland, but there is still not much
[00:23:45] information available about their breeding, life,
[00:23:48] and movement patterns. Now, scientists.
[00:25:05] Since scientists cannot do all these things, they have asked local people for help. This is one of the trained boats for this work.
[00:25:09] Daniel, who is the captain of this boat, tags sharks every time he goes fishing,
[00:25:13] and this is Ben Seiad, the experienced and skilled member of this team.
[00:25:16] I love what's down there. I've always loved fishing.
[00:25:22] The absence of sharks has certainly affected
[00:25:25] the entire food chain. This year, their numbers
[00:25:29] have decreased, and their average size has decreased.
[00:25:33] I don't know if it's due to overfishing or rising
[00:25:36] water temperatures. Understanding these things was one of the reasons
[00:25:39] I joined this project. Two graduate students
[00:25:43] from Kent are also in this project. These two, who have recently
[00:25:47] finished their studies, can pave their professional path
[00:25:50] in marine biology with this project. It's rare
[00:25:53] to find an opportunity in marine studies that
[00:25:57] is both close to your home and very useful.
[00:26:00] Yes, being able to work
[00:26:10] in this area near my region extends to France and has become
[00:26:13] a protected area with important natural indicators, and
[00:26:17] the presence of sharks in these waters will soon be drawn
[00:26:21] into international policy-making as well. Our goal is to
[00:26:24] bring this entire area under the umbrella of a geopark
[00:26:27] that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and we hope to achieve
[00:26:30] this goal next year. The purpose of creating geoparks is to study
[00:26:34] the geology of a region in the world and how it relates
[00:26:38] to everything else in its environment, including the biodiversity
[00:26:41] we witness in this region. On this day, 31 sharks
[00:26:44] were tagged, and 11 of them were tagged. Now, each
[00:26:48] of them can help scientists find the best way to protect
[00:26:52] these important species.
[00:26:53] Hanna Room, BBC News. And Ed Sheeran,
[00:26:57] the British singer, apologized to his fans
[00:27:01] at his first concert
[00:27:03] after American rapper Macklemore was dropped from the US tour,
[00:27:07] saying that mistakes were made in managing
[00:27:10] the situation. Sheeran said at his concert
[00:27:13] last night in Philadelphia that he never intended to
[00:27:17] become a politically active singer, but now he finds
[00:27:20] himself in the middle of a serious debate
[00:27:24] about freedom of speech. Macklemore was dropped
[00:27:27] from the US tour for his statements
[00:27:30] in support of Palestinians,
[00:27:32] and after that, a number of other artists also withdrew
[00:27:35] from performing at Sheeran's concerts in protest
[00:27:39] of this decision. Sheeran had repeatedly spoken
[00:27:42] in support of Ukraine after the Russian attack.
[00:27:46] We have reached the end of this news section. Thank you