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[00:00:00] and
[00:00:00] world
[00:00:08] stay with us for the latest developments
[00:00:10] in the
[00:00:15] World Cup. We are with
[00:00:17] you.
[00:00:21] This is London, BBC Radio. 8 PM Tehran time.
[00:00:25] Most incoming and outgoing flights to Saudi Arabia canceled
[00:00:29] after Houthi attacks. What solution does Saudi Arabia
[00:00:32] have against the escalation of Yemen's attacks?
[00:00:35] I think it's around 500,000 Tomans, but it's not
[00:00:39] definite yet, but around 500,000. The promise
[00:00:42] to increase the value of food stamps in Iran. The parliament
[00:00:46] opposes the government's implementation method. Critics say
[00:00:50] it is not in line with inflation, and we will address the debate
[00:00:53] over women's hijab in stadiums, from the closure
[00:00:57] of sports complexes to the cancellation of competitions.
[00:01:01] We ask about women's issues in sports in Iran. How
[00:01:04] serious are the new restrictions? All this
[00:01:07] and more in the next half
[00:01:09] hour.
[00:01:18] Good evening. You are listening to BBC Radio. Today
[00:01:21] is Monday, October 20th, 1405. You
[00:01:25] are listening to the Jahan-Nama program,
[00:01:28] and I am Farnoush Amirshahi, along with Mina Joshqani,
[00:01:32] the producer of this program. In the next half hour, we will be your hosts.
[00:01:35] Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen have escalated, and now
[00:01:39] more countries are concerned about the escalation of tensions
[00:01:43] to regional countries. The Houthis continued their missile
[00:01:47] and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, causing widespread disruption
[00:01:50] to flights across the country. Riyadh International Airport
[00:01:54] has almost suspended all its flights. Saudi Arabia
[00:01:58] has promised a serious response. Inside Yemen, clashes
[00:02:02] between official government forces supported by Saudi Arabia
[00:02:05] have focused on the southern province. In
[00:02:09] another development, the British Prime Minister
[00:02:12] said that the suspicious plot that targeted Fairford
[00:02:15] Air Base in Britain was most likely, in his words,
[00:02:19] coordinated in Iran and almost certainly
[00:02:23] under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Farah
[00:02:26] Nasimi, my colleague, is here in the studio with us. Farah, let's
[00:02:30] start with the latest. What more information has the British
[00:02:34] Prime Minister provided? Andy Pham was speaking in the British
[00:02:38] House of Commons and said that this suspicious incident
[00:02:41] that occurred at Fairford Base, as you said, was most likely
[00:02:44] coordinated in Iran, but was definitely
[00:02:48] carried out by the Revolutionary that Britain will
[00:02:51] no longer tolerate such threats
[00:02:55] and will deal with Iran's use of criminal networks.
[00:02:58] He promised that more sanctions would be imposed against the Islamic
[00:03:02] Republic to limit the Revolutionary Guards' ability to harm Britain.
[00:03:06] We know that Fairford Base was
[00:03:09] used by the United States to direct its bombers for attacks
[00:03:12] on Iran from there. Admiral Bend, the British
[00:03:16] Foreign Secretary, also said that the ambassador of the Islamic
[00:03:19] to inform
[00:03:22] them of the condemnation of this attack. On
[00:03:26] this side, in Saudi Arabia and also in Yemen, tensions
[00:03:30] have escalated. What is the latest from that region?
[00:03:33] That's right, the attacks are still ongoing. A few hours ago, the Saudi
[00:03:37] Civil Aviation Authority said that they
[00:03:40] intercepted a ballistic missile
[00:03:43] that was fired towards the city of Khamis Mushayt
[00:03:47] in southwestern Saudi Arabia and destroyed it. Last
[00:03:51] night, King Fahd International Airport
[00:03:54] in Dammam was also attacked.
[00:03:57] The death toll from the Riyadh airport attack,
[00:04:00] which occurred on Saturday, has
[00:04:03] reached 14 people, and more than 300 people were injured.
[00:04:07] There have been many reactions from various countries, from China
[00:04:11] to Australia. Turkey has condemned it and said that it
[00:04:14] stands with Saudi Arabia. On the other side,
[00:04:18] Anwar Gargash, advisor to the President of the United
[00:04:21] Arab Emirates, has condemned these attacks and said
[00:04:25] that instability in Saudi Arabia will affect
[00:04:28] all countries in the Persian Gulf. He said it is a
[00:04:32] collective responsibility to end this issue.
[00:04:36] Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, has also spoken
[00:04:39] by phone with his Saudi counterpart and offered that Iran can
[00:04:43] mediate between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. But
[00:04:46] all these events have greatly disrupted Saudi
[00:04:49] airports, right? We constantly read
[00:04:53] in news agencies that flights are severely disrupted.
[00:04:57] The number of flights has decreased significantly. Satellite images
[00:05:00] or Flightradar24 show that if we look, we see
[00:05:04] very few planes over the map of Saudi Arabia. This is
[00:05:08] due to the increased tension. Riyadh
[00:05:11] airport is closed. The US Federal Aviation
[00:05:15] Administration has warned airlines to be cautious when flying
[00:05:19] over that region towards Saudi Arabia or passing
[00:05:22] through it. This warning continues until December
[00:05:25] 10th. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia also
[00:05:28] said on Monday that American personnel must
[00:05:31] obtain permission before using any of these airports
[00:05:35] in Saudi Arabia. On the other
[00:05:38] hand, an energy conference is also being held
[00:05:41] in Saudi Arabia near Riyadh, which has
[00:05:45] also had consequences. BP has withdrawn from attending
[00:05:49] it, and the Financial Times reported that three other
[00:05:53] companies that were supposed to participate in this conference
[00:05:57] have also withdrawn due to the existing tension.
[00:06:00] On this side, however, in the Strait of Hormuz,
[00:06:03] it seems that Iran and the US are still trying to
[00:06:07] continue diplomacy, right? Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary
[00:06:11] of the Supreme National Security Council, said that the US's
[00:06:15] response to Iran's seven proposals was insufficient
[00:06:18] and that the US must resolve the remaining ambiguities.
[00:06:20] Today, the spokesman for the Foreign
[00:06:24] Ministry, Ismail Baghaei, also spoke and said
[00:06:28] that Iran is still reviewing the US's response
[00:06:31] and may provide it to the US through mediators in the coming
[00:06:35] days. Of course, he said that contacts between
[00:06:38] Iran and the US are still being exchanged through mediators.
[00:07:12] Attacking civilian targets in a war is perhaps
[00:07:16] the easiest way to
[00:07:18] create fear and terror in a country. Saudi
[00:07:22] Arabia may have military superiority and be able to
[00:07:26] protect its bases and main military centers, but
[00:07:29] civilian targets such as airports,
[00:07:32] oil refineries, and other industrial
[00:07:35] centers are targets that are less than 100%
[00:07:39] defensible. Therefore, it is difficult
[00:07:42] for Saudi Arabia to fully defend
[00:07:46] these bases and airports.
[00:07:49] But the reality is that Saudi Arabia is now
[00:07:52] more inclined to form a broader coalition
[00:07:56] against the Houthis and its strategic interests.
[00:07:59] And here it's
[00:08:03] about how much its allies might
[00:08:07] want to enter the war, not just support
[00:08:11] it. The main
[00:08:18] allies of Saudi Arabia are Pakistan and Turkey.
[00:08:21] Pakistan has practically said that
[00:08:24] it is ready to help Saudi Arabia defend
[00:08:28] itself as much as possible within Saudi Arabia.
[00:08:32] But Turkey has explicitly stated that it does not
[00:08:35] want to send military forces and fundamentally
[00:08:39] does not want to directly intervene in the war
[00:08:44] send air defense forces and be
[00:08:48] able to help Saudi Arabia be more protected
[00:08:51] from Houthi attacks. But the reality is that
[00:08:54] the coalition of Turkey and Saudi Arabia
[00:08:57] is a coalition that still hasn't been able
[00:09:01] to protect Saudi Arabia as it should.
[00:09:04] The only solution Saudi Arabia has is to
[00:09:08] turn to Israel and collaborate with Israel
[00:09:11] on security. Only then can Saudi Arabia perhaps
[00:09:15] defend itself better. How
[00:09:17] do you see Iran's role? Today, Abbas
[00:09:21] Araghchi said that he is ready to mediate
[00:09:25] between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Do you think that Iran
[00:09:28] even wants to stop the Houthis or can it even
[00:09:32] do so? Well, the main source of the Houthis is Iran
[00:09:35] itself. Naturally, if Iran wants to, it can stop the Houthis,
[00:09:39] but the reality is that it is Iran that encourages
[00:09:42] them, incites them, arms
[00:09:45] them, and guides them to cause trouble
[00:09:49] for Saudi Arabia. But we must also keep in mind
[00:09:52] that even in the 1960s, between Saudi Arabia
[00:09:55] and that part of Yemen that was then called
[00:09:59] North Yemen,
[00:10:02] there was first support,
[00:10:05] then disagreement, and then these
[00:10:09] tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen without Iran's
[00:10:15] involvement. Even without Iran's involvement. But in recent
[00:10:18] years, after the tension between Saudi Arabia
[00:10:21] and Iran, which is and strategic in the region,
[00:10:55] the problems that Saudi Arabia had with northern Yemen
[00:10:58] and with various forces
[00:11:01] in Yemen also existed
[00:11:05] without Iran's involvement. Thank you very much,
[00:11:09] Abdullah Hejab, Middle
[00:11:10] East affairs analyst.
[00:11:17] The Planning and Budget Organization of Iran
[00:11:21] announced today in a statement that around 40 million
[00:11:28] people have been asked to increase the amount. Of course,
[00:11:32] it has faced many problems
[00:11:35] and encountered difficulties. An action that many say
[00:11:39] is not commensurate with inflation. This is
[00:11:42] Fatemeh Mohajerani's explanation, the government spokesperson.
[00:11:45] For Mehr, which will hopefully increase, has not yet
[00:11:48] been finalized. I think it will be around
[00:11:52] 500,000 Tomans, but it's not final yet.
[00:12:01] It is not clear whether the increased amount will
[00:12:05] be in cash or food stamps, an issue that
[00:12:08] is one of the disagreements between the parliament and the government.
[00:12:12] The government has not been able to settle
[00:12:15] the accounts of some shopkeepers who sell food stamp
[00:12:19] items. Let's hear from two shopkeepers in Iran.
[00:12:22] 23 billion goods. The government is not
[00:12:25] depositing money into our accounts. It's been
[00:12:28] almost 25 days. Almost 2 billion
[00:12:32] Tomans of my money has not been deposited into my account,
[00:12:36] and I cannot replace the goods I gave to people
[00:12:39] because the exchange rate has increased and goods
[00:12:43] have become expensive. Why should the government do something
[00:12:46] to take goods
[00:12:48] from me as a wholesaler and give them to people?
[00:12:51] With these conditions, it is not clear where
[00:12:55] the financial resources for the new increase will come
[00:12:58] from. Mr. Ghaibi, an economic journalist, is here in the studio
[00:13:02] with me. Welcome, Mr. Ghaibi. Let's start with this
[00:13:05] plan that the government has put forward. We know
[00:13:09] that the system it introduced
[00:13:11] has also faced problems. People cannot
[00:13:15] register in it and fill out this form. There
[00:13:18] are many ambiguities. What does the government really
[00:13:21] want to do? Besides, many people say
[00:13:25] that this method they are pursuing
[00:13:28] is not fair at all. Yes,
[00:13:30] look, regarding its fairness, let's
[00:13:34] go back to your last question. When
[00:13:37] you come and pay 30 to 50 percent
[00:13:41] of the subsidy or the same food stamp,
[00:13:44] and it specifically includes specific
[00:13:48] goods in a specific store in the field
[00:13:50] of food, and we go back to
[00:13:54] the statistics of the Central Bank and the
[00:13:57] Statistical Center, and we see that the inflation
[00:14:01] of basic food items is more than 120,
[00:14:04] and between 120 and 1300. That is,
[00:14:07] you have created a 130-point pressure,
[00:14:11] and now you want to compensate for
[00:14:15] 30 to 50 percent of it with
[00:14:18] a favor and with media propaganda.
[00:14:21] This is exactly the point you mentioned.
[00:14:25] The same goes for registration. In today's
[00:14:27] Iran, let's not forget that many of those
[00:14:31] who today need to strengthen their
[00:14:35] livelihoods are families in deprived
[00:14:37] areas who do not have access to the
[00:14:41] Internet or are in middle and old age and
[00:14:45] do not have Internet and digital literacy,
[00:14:48] and basically cannot register. Let's
[00:14:52] put this aside. The Islamic Republic is
[00:14:56] implementing a project solely for the purpose
[00:14:59] of advancing its media propaganda. But
[00:15:03] anyway, it intends to deposit
[00:15:06] about 500,000 Tomans to this group, as
[00:15:10] the government spokesperson said. Now, this
[00:15:14] is also a question whether it will be
[00:15:17] in cash or food stamps. But on the other
[00:15:21] hand, we see that the government cannot
[00:15:29] even settle with some shopkeepers right now.
[00:15:32] In these circumstances, where the government
[00:15:36] has repeatedly said it has no money,
[00:15:40] one of the criticisms is perhaps the
[00:15:43] funding of this plan. Regarding the
[00:15:47] issue raised for increasing expenses,
[00:15:49] that is, the payment of food stamps, the
[00:15:53] resources allocated for it are based
[00:15:56] on the approved law, which includes the
[00:16:00] increase in the preferential exchange rate, which
[00:16:03] leads to an increase in the price
[00:16:07] of medicine and many basic goods, including
[00:16:10] oil and rice, and other goods.
[00:16:13] Also, the price of bread has
[00:16:17] increased. Let's also
[00:16:20] consider this. When you or the Islamic
[00:16:23] Republic implement a system, a law, and gasoline,
[00:16:27] of course, which is imposing
[00:16:30] a double inflation on the people,
[00:16:34] and you only want to pay less
[00:16:38] than half of it to half of the
[00:16:41] people with a favor. This is
[00:16:44] very, very, no, completely unfair.
[00:16:47] The payment comes from these sources,
[00:16:51] from the increase in gasoline prices,
[00:16:54] the increase in the preferential exchange rate,
[00:16:57] and other issues that have been considered.
[00:17:01] But the main point is that the
[00:17:04] government is already struggling to meet
[00:17:32] the country's basic needs, to provide the necessary
[00:17:35] budget for running the country, for
[00:17:39] a thousand and one reasons, one of which
[00:17:42] may be confronting the US and naval blockade,
[00:17:46] but we should not forget the problems.
[00:17:48] The main disagreement is between these
[00:17:52] two. The parliament has an argument
[00:17:55] about the method of payment, and that when you add
[00:17:59] a number, a number that is weak,
[00:18:02] in a specific place, for a specific product,
[00:18:06] it does not necessarily lead to an
[00:18:10] increase in purchasing power. If you pay
[00:18:14] this money in cash, that person
[00:18:17] might have rent problems
[00:18:21] this month, not food problems. They
[00:18:24] might want to use this month's subsidy
[00:18:27] for rent and healthcare. But
[00:18:31] the government has specifically limited
[00:18:35] this to a few limited items
[00:18:38] and in limited places. The disagreement is about this.
[00:18:42] And there are many discussions
[00:18:45] behind it, and in the
[00:18:47] end, the government will proceed
[00:18:51] with its own plan, and the
[00:18:54] parliament will cooperate, because basically,
[00:18:58] there is no room for disagreement
[00:19:02] between the government and the parliament
[00:19:05] because there are so many problems
[00:19:09] that in the end, they will be aligned
[00:19:12] in implementing their own plan. If
[00:19:15] you can tell us very briefly,
[00:19:19] does this plan itself not create
[00:19:22] inflation? The issue of inflation, no,
[00:19:26] look, there is a hidden circulation
[00:19:30] that the government is implementing to
[00:19:34] strengthen people's purchasing power,
[00:19:38] but the point
[00:19:38] I mentioned is that
[00:19:43] it itself has reduced people's purchasing
[00:19:46] power by half, and now it wants
[00:19:50] to compensate for 20-30% of it,
[00:19:53] and since no new money is being injected,
[00:19:57] and as the report you broadcast said,
[00:20:01] the government basically doesn't even have
[00:20:05] money to pay its debt to the
[00:20:16] system. The inflation that is created
[00:20:19] is not so much that it will
[00:20:23] have an impact on the economy
[00:20:26] with this amount of inflation caused by
[00:20:30] money creation, caused by naval blockade
[00:20:34] and other problems. That is, its
[00:20:37] inflation will be very insignificant
[00:20:41] compared to other dimensions that we
[00:20:44] have in the economy. Thank you, Reza
[00:20:48] Ghaibi, economic reporter here in the studio
[00:20:52] with us. Now let's hear a few
[00:20:55] short news items and then
[00:20:59] we'll be back. Iran's judiciary
[00:21:03] says it has executed one person
[00:21:07] for collaborating with Jaish al-Adl.
[00:21:10] Iranian security and judicial
[00:21:14] bodies claim that Omar Durstani
[00:21:18] was providing
[00:21:24] ammunition and weapons for this armed
[00:21:27] Baloch movement and was identifying military
[00:21:31] bases. In separate news, Iranian police
[00:21:34] announced that members of a team involved
[00:21:38] in recent attacks on law enforcement
[00:21:41] centers in Sistan province.
[00:21:44] Following his dismissal and the local government's
[00:21:47] declaration of a state of emergency by Islamabad,
[00:21:51] Afridi and members of his government from
[00:21:55] the Tehrik-e-Insaf party led by Imran
[00:21:59] Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan,
[00:22:02] who is currently imprisoned, have been arrested.
[00:22:06] He had organized a protest rally
[00:22:09] for Imran Khan's release. The Tehrik-e-Insaf
[00:22:13] party called the declaration of a state of
[00:22:17] emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a coup.
[00:22:20] Islamabad, however, claims that it
[00:22:23] dissolved the local government due to
[00:22:27] its inability to control armed
[00:22:31] anti-government groups. Despite Donald Trump's
[00:22:34] statements about stopping the mutual attacks
[00:22:37] of Russia and Ukraine on each
[00:22:41] other's energy infrastructure, Kyiv says that the
[00:22:44] Kremlin has continued its attacks. According
[00:22:48] to Ukraine's oil and gas company, Russian
[00:22:52] night attacks on gas production facilities
[00:22:55] in Kharkiv caused fires and damage
[00:22:58] to equipment. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
[00:23:02] emphasized that the US should pressure Russia,
[00:23:06] not reduce its sanctions and give
[00:23:09] concessions to Moscow. He said an energy
[00:23:12] ceasefire could
[00:23:14] be a step towards ending the war,
[00:23:18] but only if the US ensures that
[00:23:22] Russia will adhere to it.
[00:23:25] That was some brief news, and
[00:23:28] now let's turn to another issue
[00:23:32] in Iran. After several confirmations and
[00:23:36] denials, the news of the closure
[00:23:39] of two sports complexes, Enghelab
[00:23:42] and Keshvari, due to non-observance
[00:23:46] of hijab, these two stadiums resumed
[00:23:50] their activities today. The company for
[00:23:54] the development and maintenance of sports
[00:23:57] facilities had announced their closure yesterday,
[00:24:00] citing the necessity of implementing religious
[00:24:03] regulations, but the Ministry of Sports
[00:24:07] denied this decision. Last week, the
[00:24:11] Iranian Women's Muay Thai Championship
[00:24:15] in Qom was canceled after a
[00:24:18] protest gathering by a group of individuals
[00:24:22] and chanting slogans and throwing stones.
[00:24:25] The mayor of Qom reacted today to
[00:24:28] the repercussions of this event, saying
[00:24:32] that by publishing incomplete images
[00:24:35] and narratives, the ground for "Qomophobia"
[00:24:38] and tarnishing the reputation of this
[00:24:42] city should not be provided. Two
[00:24:44] events, within a week, once
[00:24:48] again highlight social restrictions and
[00:24:52] the controversy over women's presence in
[00:24:55] Iranian sports, becoming a news-making topic.
[00:24:59] Saeideh Fathi, sports reporter from Vienna,
[00:25:03] Austria, is with us to discuss
[00:25:06] further. Welcome, Ms. Fathi. Let's
[00:25:10] start with this news of
[00:25:13] the closure of Enghelab Sports Complex.
[00:25:17] Can the company for the development
[00:25:21] of sports facilities even decide on behalf
[00:25:25] of the Ministry of Sports? They
[00:25:28] had ordered the closure of these
[00:25:32] two complexes. With greetings,
[00:25:36] unfortunately, we are now experiencing
[00:25:39] conditions in Iran where a specific
[00:25:42] organization seems to have no
[00:25:45] responsibility. That is, one group
[00:25:49] issues a permit, but another group
[00:25:52] can come and revoke that permit.
[00:25:56] And we see this happening
[00:26:00] at various times,
[00:26:07] and in various situations. The same
[00:26:10] incidents you mentioned, and this story
[00:26:14] of canceling the Enghelab complex,
[00:26:17] women's presence, and their closure,
[00:26:21] all stem from the fact that
[00:26:24] they have permits. That is, the
[00:26:28] Muay Thai competitions were held with
[00:26:32] the official permission
[00:26:39] of the Ministry of Sports and
[00:26:42] the Qom Municipality itself was the
[00:26:46] organizer of the competitions. But
[00:26:48] unfortunately, we see that a
[00:26:52] group, an organization, an institution,
[00:26:56] acts against the permit that has
[00:26:59] been issued, and no one holds
[00:27:03] that institution accountable for why they
[00:27:07] are interfering with this event, with
[00:27:10] this place that has a permit.
[00:27:14] And unfortunately, we see that