BBCPERSIAN — broadcast
20261012 010000 UTC
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[00:00:22] Headlines. The
[00:00:25] number of attacks by Houthi ships on Riyadh airport yesterday increased to 13.
[00:00:28] Riyadh and Dammam airports were targeted again today.
[00:00:32] US army fires at a commercial ship
[00:00:35] in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM says it violated Iran's naval blockade
[00:00:39] despite warnings. Trump's claim about an agreement between Kyiv and
[00:00:43] Moscow on stopping reciprocal attacks on energy
[00:00:46] infrastructure. The Ukrainian president said he had no
[00:00:50] information. Russia attacked
[00:00:53] again.
[00:01:25] Hello and welcome to this news program. Saudi officials say
[00:01:29] that today, Riyadh and Dammam airports were again
[00:01:33] targeted, and a number of people were injured. This is while
[00:01:36] the number of Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport yesterday has
[00:01:40] reached 13, and more than 300 people have been
[00:01:43] injured. In these attacks, Riyadh airport's operations have been disrupted
[00:01:47] and it remains closed. Yemen's Ansar Allah movement,
[00:01:50] known as the Houthis, while claiming responsibility for yesterday's
[00:01:54] attacks, said that their attacks were a response to Saudi Arabia's military
[00:01:57] aggression. They had previously warned airlines and passengers
[00:02:01] not to use Saudi airports. More
[00:02:05] details in a report by Kasra
[00:02:06] Naji.
[00:02:10] Shortly after yesterday's attack on Riyadh International Airport in
[00:02:14] Saudi Arabia.
[00:02:16] At least 12 people were killed here. More than 300
[00:02:20] people were injured, and the condition of some of them has been reported
[00:02:23] as critical. An attack in broad daylight on the heart of the Saudi
[00:02:27] capital. These CCTV camera
[00:02:30] images show the moment of the explosion. It has been reported that the
[00:02:33] domestic flight terminal was targeted by at least
[00:02:37] one drone. This is the third drone and missile attack on
[00:02:41] this airport in the past 8 days, and the bloodiest
[00:02:44] on Saudi soil since a suicide terrorist attack
[00:02:47] 11 years ago, an attack that was
[00:02:51] attributed to ISIS. The Houthis have now claimed responsibility for this
[00:02:54] attack and say it was in retaliation for the renewed Saudi air
[00:02:57] strikes
[00:03:00] on Yemen. The Houthis have warned airlines not to
[00:03:04] enter Saudi airspace, with the
[00:03:07] exception of Mecca and Medina. King
[00:03:11] Khalid Airport will now be closed until 9 PM GMT
[00:03:14] tonight. It has been reported that some of the airport's equipment
[00:03:18] and facilities were hit. Flights to
[00:03:22] Riyadh were diverted to other parts of the country.
[00:03:24] The Saudi Health Minister
[00:03:28] visited the injured from the attack today.
[00:03:54] Many countries around the world condemned the Houthi attacks on the civilian
[00:03:58] airport.
[00:04:40] Yemen's third largest city, which has been under Houthi siege for two weeks, a city that is
[00:04:43] under the control of government forces supported by Saudi
[00:04:47] Arabia.
[00:04:50] Developments in and around the Strait of Hormuz are also
[00:04:54] worrying. Iran says that one of its supertankers
[00:04:57] in the east of the Strait of Hormuz was
[00:05:06] If Iran's report of it hitting a mine is true, it seems that
[00:05:10] the mines
[00:05:43] With the increase in tension between the Houthis of Yemen and
[00:05:46] Saudi Arabia, in which direction is the situation
[00:05:49] heading? I extend my greetings and respect to
[00:05:52] you and the viewers and listeners of BBC Persian. In
[00:05:56] my opinion, this should be seen within the larger picture. A larger picture
[00:06:00] in which the Islamic Republic,
[00:06:02] simultaneously with rejecting its own proposal for
[00:06:06] a seven-day and rapid reopening of the Strait
[00:06:09] of Hormuz, the passage of large quantities of oil through
[00:06:13] the Strait of Hormuz by the United States, the non-realization
[00:06:16] of the Islamic Republic's prediction of $150
[00:06:20] or $200 oil, all of these factors have combined
[00:06:24] to form a will in the Islamic Republic to go to war
[00:06:27] before the US midterm elections,
[00:06:30] without wanting to accept the legal
[00:06:33] and practical consequences of this issue.
[00:06:36] That is, because the cost of this would be high if the Islamic Republic
[00:06:40] were to act unilaterally,
[00:06:42] in the public opinion inside Iran, and this protesting
[00:06:46] society would attribute this to the Islamic Republic
[00:06:49] having instigated war. They have tried to do this
[00:06:53] through their proxy forces, the Houthis.
[00:06:56] Well, against the Houthis, there was a coalition
[00:07:00] led by Saudi Arabia. There was a legitimate government in Yemen.
[00:07:04] The legitimate government of Yemen, which in response,
[00:07:07] began repelling Houthi attacks. And the Houthis,
[00:07:11] in retaliation for these battlefield failures, meaning the capture
[00:07:14] and clearing of Bab el-Mandeb that happened in recent days by the legitimate
[00:07:18] Yemeni army, and also to help
[00:07:22] keep oil prices high and keep Bab el-Mandeb
[00:07:25] insecure, that is, essentially to keep the region insecure
[00:07:29] for energy transfer, they took this
[00:07:32] action to force the United States. In my opinion, Mr.
[00:07:36] Trump's reaction showed yesterday
[00:07:39] that he initially said, "I just heard the news. I need
[00:07:43] to investigate." Then he said, "I will probably intervene." And then finally,
[00:07:47] his decision was that Saudi Arabia has the ability to defend
[00:07:50] itself. Therefore, the Islamic Republic should not
[00:07:54] fall into this trap. The Islamic Republic must now decide
[00:07:57] whether to frankly, openly, clearly, and
[00:08:01] explicitly have the courage to face its own decision
[00:08:05] and directly confront the United States
[00:08:08] in the region, or it must decide to do so. But
[00:08:11] America has currently shown that in response to these
[00:08:15] provocative actions by the Islamic Republic, at least until the midterm
[00:08:19] elections, it has no intention of doing such a thing. Our report yesterday also
[00:08:23] showed that the Americans will even try to act
[00:08:26] indirectly if they want to, such as the request they made
[00:08:30] to Israel. Of course, Israel has not accepted. Well, Mr. Daneshgah, there are
[00:08:34] a couple of points here. First, it's still unclear who controls
[00:08:37] Bab el-Mandeb. These are the latest news we are monitoring.
[00:08:41] This shows this. And among
[00:08:45] these, the recognized government of
[00:08:49] Yemen, we call it that because its
[00:08:52] legal meaning is not clear here by many
[00:08:55] jurists. In any case, you mentioned
[00:08:59] that perhaps a trap had been set
[00:09:03] by the Islamic Republic. Very briefly, the Islamic Republic says that
[00:09:06] these are people who have had problems with Saudi Arabia for years,
[00:09:09] and now it is Saudi Arabia
[00:09:13] that has entered the internal conflict of the Yemenis.
[00:09:16] We don't have more than one minute. No, I think it's ironic.
[00:09:20] If you look at the statements of the officials of the Islamic Republic, the state broadcaster, official platforms,
[00:09:24] Friday prayer platforms, the imams of Friday prayer of the Islamic Republic, the official position
[00:09:27] of the Islamic Republic is that these are our proxies, our pressure card
[00:09:31] and our leverage in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, so that now that
[00:09:35] the Strait of Hormuz does not have its former effectiveness, we can raise
[00:09:39] the price of oil to the threshold that targets America's resilience
[00:09:42] in the energy sector. Therefore,
[00:09:45] they are proud and cheer, just as they cheered over the October
[00:09:49] 7 terrorist operation. No, these are just statements to
[00:09:52] evade responsibility. The reformist faction of the Islamic Republic's
[00:09:56] government has always drawn this line that these are proxies, but the Islamic Republic
[00:10:00] itself believes that these are its proxies and is proud of it. Mr. Gholam Ali
[00:10:04] Rashid was proud of it, Qasem Soleimani was proud of it, the commanders
[00:10:07] of the IRGC and the Quds Force. Read the statement of the Quds Force the day before yesterday
[00:10:11] to see that this entire resistance front, all of this,
[00:10:14] this is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the official military force of the Islamic Republic.
[00:10:18] It introduces the entire resistance front as a unified axis.
[00:10:22] Regarding the legitimate government, I also mean international law. You recognize the security of this government
[00:10:26] as the legitimate government of Yemen. Now, whether BBC Persian recognizes it or not is
[00:10:30] its own media policy. Thank you very
[00:10:33] much, Mr. Daneshgar. We are not in a position
[00:10:36] to recognize or not recognize a government, but
[00:10:39] of course, we raise legal
[00:10:42] and lawful issues. Thank you for
[00:10:45] your company, and we will continue the program with some short
[00:10:48] news. The head of Iran's Environment Organization says
[00:10:52] that US and Israeli attacks on energy facilities.
[00:10:58] Shina Ansari announced at a conference in Iran that as a result of these attacks,
[00:11:02] 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide have entered the Earth's atmosphere. She
[00:11:06] also said that more than 25 thousand tons of particulate matter, volatile
[00:11:10] organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides were also released
[00:11:14] into the air. Oil and gas facilities in the South Pars gas field
[00:11:17] and the Assaluyeh refinery were targeted on March
[00:11:20] 17th of last year. The
[00:11:22] United Nations
[00:11:25] says the death toll from the capsizing of a boat
[00:11:28] carrying migrants in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has
[00:11:31] increased to 139. The boat was
[00:11:34] traveling from Djibouti to Yemen. It is estimated that dozens
[00:11:38] of people are also missing. The boat, with around
[00:11:41] 350 passengers, capsized last night in waters near the city of Obock
[00:11:45] in northern Djibouti in the Red Sea. Search
[00:11:49] and rescue operations for survivors are ongoing. Some of the displaced people
[00:11:52] from the Houthi and government clashes have recently
[00:11:56] sought refuge in Djibouti.
[00:11:59] Islamabad suspended the local government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern
[00:12:03] Pakistan and declared a state of emergency in the province.
[00:12:06] Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, accused
[00:12:10] the local government of the region of incompetence in confronting
[00:12:13] Islamist militants. The dissolved government of this region was
[00:12:16] formed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. The leader
[00:12:20] of this party, Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has been
[00:12:23] imprisoned for two years. His supporters have protested
[00:12:26] in recent days, demanding his release.
[00:12:29] Ukraine
[00:12:32] says Russia has again attacked its energy infrastructure.
[00:12:36] Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a statement that the Kremlin carried out this attack
[00:12:40] precisely after US President Donald Trump claimed
[00:12:43] that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to stop attacks on each other's
[00:12:47] energy facilities. However, Volodymyr Zelensky told
[00:12:50] the American media Axios that he was unaware of such an agreement
[00:12:54] and asked the Trump administration to inform his country
[00:12:58] of its details. The Ukrainian President also announced that in case of a
[00:13:02] two-month ceasefire in Ukraine, presidential elections would be held.
[00:13:05] Khashayar Joneydi, my colleague from
[00:13:08] Washington, is with us. Khashayar, Mr.
[00:13:11] Trump has criticized Zelensky a lot, and he
[00:13:15] is also trying hard to bring down fuel prices.
[00:13:19] Is it really because of the limitations that the US
[00:13:22] is facing that Ukraine
[00:13:26] might be sacrificed or used as a bargaining chip in relation
[00:13:29] to Russia?
[00:13:32] Not only is Mr. Trump putting pressure on Ukraine and
[00:13:36] criticizing Mr. Zelensky, but Mr. Zelensky also said today in an interview with
[00:13:40] ABC that the reason is that they can't overpower Putin. Of course,
[00:13:43] Trump didn't mention Mr. Trump, but he said it this
[00:13:46] way. Rather, according to six Democratic and
[00:13:50] Republican senators who are members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
[00:13:54] in America, in a statement they just released
[00:13:57] a few moments ago, the agreement between Mr. Trump and Mr.
[00:14:01] Putin to supply Russian diesel
[00:14:04] to reduce its price is against
[00:14:08] the laws passed in America. They specifically refer to
[00:14:11] the 2002 law which
[00:14:14] prohibits the purchase of any oil
[00:14:18] derivatives and fuel from Russia,
[00:14:21] because they believe that when they passed
[00:14:25] the law, they believed that purchasing these products would
[00:14:28] help Russia's war against Ukraine. However, Mr.
[00:14:32] Trump had a phone call with Mr. Putin two days ago
[00:14:36] and agreed to release 300,000
[00:14:39] barrels of Ukrainian diesel, I mean Russian
[00:14:42] diesel, into the markets with the aim that Mr.
[00:14:45] Trump wants the price of diesel in global markets
[00:14:49] and especially in the US domestic market to come
[00:14:52] down. Part of the reason for the increase in diesel
[00:14:56] prices is the war in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, but another part
[00:14:59] is the attacks that Ukraine has carried out
[00:15:03] against Russian refineries, and Russia's refining capacity
[00:15:07] has decreased. In any case, Mr. Trump
[00:15:10] is looking to control the price of gasoline and diesel
[00:15:14] in some way before the congressional elections on November 3rd, because
[00:15:18] it's not just the high price of gasoline and diesel,
[00:15:22] but the negative impact of high diesel
[00:15:25] prices on the price of food
[00:15:28] and other essential goods that is
[00:15:31] worrying Republicans and Mr. Trump. However, these
[00:15:35] six senators who were mentioned
[00:15:38] said in their statement that the action taken was without consultation with Congress and
[00:15:42] is illegal. Well,
[00:15:45] can we say that the economic consequences of the war with Iran
[00:15:48] have led to this point? That's
[00:15:52] right. The consequences of the war,
[00:15:56] the concern about the continuation of the current situation in the Strait
[00:15:59] of Hormuz, is what ultimately led Mr. Trump
[00:16:03] to, despite his talks with
[00:16:06] Russia, ask Mr.
[00:16:09] Putin to
[00:16:11] release
[00:16:14] diesel into global markets, just as when
[00:16:17] the war started and Iran closed the Strait
[00:16:20] of Hormuz, the US issued a permit for
[00:16:24] Russia to sell some oil so that they could
[00:16:27] control oil prices, and
[00:16:31] this action, this event that is
[00:16:34] happening, has also
[00:16:37] drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress and has caused
[00:16:40] dissatisfaction in Ukraine, which eventually,
[00:16:44] with the pressure that Mr. Trump put on Mr. Zelensky, he
[00:16:48] also showed a positive signal.
[00:16:51] But today, after Mr. Trump initially wrote on
[00:16:55] Truth Social that an energy ceasefire
[00:16:58] would immediately be established between Ukraine and Russia, and expressed
[00:17:02] hope that both sides would adhere to this ceasefire,
[00:17:06] Mr. Zelensky said in an interview
[00:17:08] with Axios
[00:17:11] that this ceasefire issue was also news to him,
[00:17:15] meaning he was not aware of it. But he said that if
[00:17:18] Russia has agreed to a ceasefire, Ukraine will also welcome
[00:17:22] it. Of course, the ceasefire is in the area of attacks on energy
[00:17:25] infrastructure, but he said that he does not know when
[00:17:29] this ceasefire will be implemented and what
[00:17:33] its conditions are. In any case, it seems that Mr.
[00:17:36] Trump, based on the negotiations he had
[00:17:40] with Russia, and without consulting
[00:17:43] or informing the Ukrainians, announced this issue
[00:17:47] with the understanding that the Ukrainians will
[00:17:50] have to accept what is announced.
[00:17:53] Thank you, Khashayar Joneydi, our correspondent in
[00:17:57] Washington.
[00:18:00] A look back at the main headlines of this program.
[00:18:04] Following the deadly attack on Riyadh airport, the United Nations has
[00:18:10] condemned it, and the European
[00:18:13] Union has also called for an immediate halt to attacks by Iran's proxy forces. CENTCOM says it shot at a commercial ship for violating
[00:18:17] Iran's naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
[00:18:20] In the rest of this
[00:18:34] eyebrow transplants have become popular among citizens of
[00:18:38] Tajikistan, and dozens of private clinics offer
[00:18:41] such services. Advertisements for hair and eyebrow transplants on social
[00:18:45] media have also flourished. Sohrab Ziad in Dushanbe, the capital
[00:18:48] of Tajikistan, has examined the question of whether the flourishing
[00:18:52] of hair and eyebrow transplant clinics is a new cultural and
[00:18:55] social phenomenon in Tajikistan or the result of a beauty
[00:18:59] trend. I am
[00:19:01] young and want my hair to be
[00:19:05] good. This young Tajik has
[00:19:07] decided to get a hair transplant.
[00:19:11] He is ready to change his appearance and spends
[00:19:14] long hours on the clinic bed.
[00:19:31] However, only hair transplantation has gained
[00:19:34] popularity among young people. Recently,
[00:19:38] the interest of Tajik women and girls in eyebrow transplantation has also
[00:19:41] increased. I am happy that they did
[00:19:45] these eyebrows for us. It was
[00:19:47] important.
[00:19:49] With this.
[00:19:55] social, leading to an increase in demand for the beauty
[00:19:58] industry in Tajikistan, now
[00:20:02] in Dushanbe alone, around 20 private
[00:20:05] clinics offer such services.
[00:20:09] This sociologist believes that the new generation of Tajiks,
[00:20:12] improved and living in better conditions, consider
[00:20:15] it a valuable opportunity to pay attention to beauty and
[00:20:19] appearance. A cultural and social phenomenon
[00:20:23] that has no precedent in this former Soviet, but Muslim and
[00:20:26] traditional country. Decorating
[00:20:29] the
[00:20:30] face
[00:21:02] with high financial capabilities. No. Today, more
[00:21:06] people refer to private clinics for these services,
[00:21:10] but the increase in demand also raises
[00:21:14] another important question:
[00:21:17] to what extent are these services standardized?
[00:21:24] The Ministry of Health of Tajikistan grants licenses for hair and eyebrow
[00:21:28] transplantation to private clinics. Supervision over the
[00:21:31] activities of these clinics is carried out by
[00:21:34] the health services, a body affiliated with
[00:21:37] this ministry. According to this body, there are no
[00:21:40] centers in Tajikistan that operate illegally and without
[00:21:43] a license. Dr. Faridounov is
[00:21:47] one of the prominent Tajik surgeons who has been performing
[00:21:51] hair and eyebrow transplants for eight years.
[00:21:54] He gained experience in India and Iran, and mostly
[00:21:58] performs hair transplants for people who
[00:22:01] have congenital defects, or whose hair
[00:22:04] and eyebrows have been damaged due to burns or
[00:22:08] diseases. He does not
[00:22:11] recommend clinics that do not have a license for this.
[00:22:14] This Tajik specialist mentioned cases where patients
[00:22:18] in
[00:22:54] Tajikistan are mainly Iranian and Turkish
[00:22:57] specialists for planting. The common
[00:23:01] language, geographical distance, and history
[00:23:04] of activity in beauty
[00:23:07] and hair transplantation in Iran are among the factors
[00:23:10] for the presence of specialists from this country in
[00:23:13] private clinics in Tajikistan.
[00:23:17] It is said.
[00:23:20] There, we had different beauty seekers from other countries
[00:23:24] who were referring. After we saw that the demand of the people
[00:23:27] of Tajikistan for eyebrow transplantation was increasing, we decided to have
[00:23:31] an active branch here as well. The market
[00:23:34] for hair and eyebrow transplantation in Tajikistan is still
[00:23:37] young. Its growth shows
[00:23:41] that the demand for cosmetic and reconstructive services in this
[00:23:44] country is changing. For clients,
[00:23:48] the final result is important.
[00:24:20] He explicitly stated that Moscow played a role in that vote. He
[00:24:23] did not say who or what entity provided this assessment. Conservative governments
[00:24:26] in the past have always emphasized that there is no evidence of successful
[00:24:30] Russian interference in the referendum 10 years ago.
[00:24:33] In
[00:24:35] India, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, who opposes the government, described
[00:24:39] the prime minister as a shameful person. Ab
[00:24:42] Hij Debka, the leader of India's opposition movement, who has just been released
[00:24:45] from police custody, said there is no one more cowardly and at the
[00:24:49] same time more bullying than
[00:28:00] segment.
[00:28:58] it move from here. This is the
[00:29:01] actual size of this hand.
[00:29:28] They use fake names. Their phones are for
[00:29:32] one-time use and remain hidden from view, not to
[00:29:36] evade the law, but to expose lawbreakers.
[00:29:40] They are BBC World Service journalists,
[00:29:43] and this is Global
[00:29:46] Eye from BBC Persian.
[00:30:28] We just heard about this attack. We'll decide about it soon.
[00:30:31] We'll do it quickly.
[00:30:34] The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on Riyadh International Airport.
[00:30:38] Will the intensification of attacks on Saudi Arabia draw
[00:30:41] the US into the Yemen war? We ask a former British
[00:30:45] diplomat in the region what assessment he has of the current
[00:30:49] situation in the Arabian Peninsula. We ask a media
[00:30:52] activist close to the Houthis why they target
[00:30:56] civilian areas.