BBCPERSIAN — broadcast
20261012 183000 UTC
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[00:00:24] Hearing the sound of several massive explosions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia says
[00:00:27] it intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles from Yemen in the
[00:00:31] sky over the capital. We speak with
[00:00:34] an analyst on Saudi affairs and ask what options Saudi Arabia has
[00:00:38] in confronting the Houthis.
[00:00:45] that it is highly likely that this action was coordinated in Iran and
[00:00:49] almost certainly directed by the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
[00:00:52] The Iranian ambassador in London was summoned
[00:00:55] over a security incident at Fairford Airbase. The British Prime Minister
[00:00:59] promised to impose more sanctions against Tehran.
[00:01:14] so serious, why are the suspects free? He told us
[00:01:18] to reduce the food stamps for us. We said, sir, the food stamp hasn't paid us
[00:01:21] money. A month has passed. We swiped cards for nearly 4-5 billion,
[00:01:25] and they gave us 50 million. We don't have any more money or capital to
[00:01:29] invest. The problem of lower-income groups in Iran in
[00:01:32] obtaining essential goods. Will an increase of 500,000
[00:01:36] Toman in food stamp credit alleviate the suffering of the people?
[00:01:39] کند؟
[00:01:48] And the continuation of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, despite
[00:01:51] claims of an agreement. The European Union imposed
[00:01:55] tougher sanctions against Moscow's military
[00:01:57] industries.
[00:02:14] of Yemen and the Saudis has escalated. Just moments ago, news arrived that
[00:02:17] explosions were heard in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
[00:02:21] Officials say they intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles.
[00:02:24] Residents of the city have been warned of a risk of
[00:02:28] missile attack. The main
[00:02:30] airport in the capital is still closed, and flights to King
[00:02:33] Fahd Airport in Dammam have also faced delays and disruptions.
[00:02:37] The Saudi Energy Minister said that these attacks cannot
[00:02:41] force his country, which is a symbol of energy security in the world,
[00:02:44] to surrender. The skirmishes between forces loyal to
[00:02:48] the legitimate government of Yemen, which is allied with Saudi Arabia,
[00:02:51] and the Houthis have continued. Intense clashes have been reported in Taiz
[00:02:55] province in the south, along with a continuing fierce
[00:02:58] battle for control of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
[00:03:02] Energy markets worldwide are following the developments with concern.
[00:03:05] What options does Saudi Arabia have in confronting the Houthis?
[00:03:08] Are these conflicts part of a larger
[00:03:11] crisis in the region between Iran and
[00:03:21] a missile hit Riyadh International Airport.
[00:03:24] Saturday. The deadliest attack on Saudi soil
[00:03:28] in over a decade. An attack for which the Yemeni Houthis, an
[00:03:32] Iranian-backed militant group, have claimed responsibility.
[00:03:35] Yesterday afternoon, the second deadly attack
[00:03:39] in two days on the same airport, and the Houthis' promise
[00:03:42] to broaden these attacks.
[00:03:45] ها.
[00:03:47] We warn all employees of oil facilities and Saudi airports to stay away from these
[00:03:51] facilities. Because these places are legitimate targets for Yemen.
[00:03:55] Especially since the situation is moving towards an all-out escalation of conflicts.
[00:03:59] ها پیش میره.
[00:04:15] The Saudis are capable fighters. They can defend themselves,
[00:04:19] but the attack was terrible.
[00:04:22] But this has not prevented the Houthis' warning.
[00:04:26] If America participates in the aggression against Yemen, in the decision.
[00:05:00] The country is safe, and with all its might, it guarantees your safety.
[00:05:03] Your presence is important. The harder the
[00:05:06] conditions become, the more important dialogue becomes.
[00:05:09] At the same time, a promise to respond to Houthi attacks. And to continue the path that
[00:05:13] Saudi Arabia has taken for economic
[00:05:16] progress.
[00:05:18] The events of recent weeks are serious, and our reaction must be just as
[00:05:22] serious. At the same time, we must focus on the future.
[00:05:26] The implementation of the BC Vision program must continue. Also,
[00:05:29] investment must also continue.
[00:05:31] کنه.
[00:05:36] The official Yemeni government, which has Saudi Arabia's support, has released
[00:05:40] these images. It says with.
[00:05:51] government forces control more areas of
[00:05:54] Yemen. The governor of Taiz says fuel and medicine
[00:05:58] are running out and has warned about the possibility of a
[00:06:01] humanitarian catastrophe.
[00:06:02] داده.
[00:06:07] The Yemeni government is also trying to drive the Houthis out of
[00:06:11] the coastal cities of Bab al-Mandeb,
[00:06:13] which fell to the group in recent
[00:06:16] weeks.
[00:06:19] On the other hand, the Houthis' release of these images says
[00:06:23] that they forced government forces to retreat.
[00:06:25] کردند.
[00:06:28] Iran, which financially and militarily supports the Houthis, has expressed concern about
[00:06:32] the escalation of conflict between this group and Saudi Arabia.
[00:06:35] We have declared our readiness for
[00:06:38] برای
[00:06:40] using our good offices
[00:06:42] to help facilitate dialogue between the parties.
[00:06:46] We believe that the continuation and escalation
[00:06:49] of tensions will solely lead to the
[00:06:53] exploitation
[00:06:55] by the Zionist regime in the region.
[00:06:57] شد
[00:07:00] From Saudi Arabia's perspective, however, these scenes at Riyadh airport
[00:07:03] are a sign of the fulfillment of the very threat that Iran had previously
[00:07:07] raised: that its response to U.S. military action
[00:07:10] would be to destabilize the entire region.
[00:07:14] and increase the cost of war for Washington's
[00:07:34] well. What options do you think Saudi Arabia has
[00:07:37] in confronting the Houthis?
[00:07:39] ها؟
[00:07:45] I think they will face Egypt with strength,
[00:07:48] but they will also form a coalition. They will ask
[00:07:52] Turkey and Pakistan to help because of the
[00:07:55] Mecca Agreement they signed with them. They will try to form
[00:07:59] a coalition and resolve the issue. Many compare the Houthis
[00:08:03] in terms of their organization to the Taliban.
[00:08:06] If you remember, in Afghanistan, all of NATO was
[00:08:10] against the Taliban, but in the end, they were forced
[00:08:14] to leave. How likely is
[00:08:17] it that such an event will
[00:08:20] happen in Yemen?
[00:08:25] Well, the scale is different, the situation
[00:08:29] and circumstances are different. Afghanistan was a much
[00:08:33] larger country with a larger population. There were some
[00:08:36] similarities, but there are also many differences.
[00:08:39] You said that
[00:08:43] Saudi Arabia will defend itself with strength. Do you mean
[00:08:47] that they
[00:08:49] probably don't see negotiation as a
[00:08:53] solution?
[00:09:00] No, I don't know. I can't speak on behalf of the Saudi government,
[00:09:04] but I know that they have a very large
[00:09:07] army. They have certain treaties
[00:09:11] and agreements for defending their country.
[00:09:13] I don't want to assume
[00:09:17] what Saudi Arabia will do or what its goal
[00:09:21] will be, but I can tell you that if they don't solve
[00:09:24] this threat now, this issue will become a problem
[00:09:28] for them later. You mentioned the
[00:09:31] strong Saudi army. Annually, Saudi Arabia
[00:09:34] buys billions of dollars of weapons, the most advanced
[00:09:37] weapons from the U.S.
[00:09:41] It also spends a lot of money on equipping and training
[00:09:45] its military forces.
[00:09:48] Isn't it surprising that it has been so vulnerable?
[00:09:51] بوده؟
[00:09:56] Well, all countries are vulnerable to
[00:10:00] such attacks. We now have a
[00:10:03] drone war, not just a missile war.
[00:10:06] After all, if this many
[00:10:10] drones enter a country, they can
[00:10:13] target the facilities of a country. Well, that changes the issue. Don't forget,
[00:10:17] Saudi Arabia was attacked by Iran
[00:10:20] 10 years ago. Iran attacked their infrastructure.
[00:10:24] After all, Iran also supports the Houthis,
[00:10:27] and this is a very important point and a very important
[00:10:31] feature of the conflict. Saudi Arabia must
[00:10:34] devise a plan to solve this problem, and
[00:10:38] I'm sure it's thinking about this now. You mentioned Iran.
[00:10:42] Do you think the Houthi problem can be solved
[00:10:46] without solving the larger problem
[00:10:49] between Iran and the U.S. in the region?
[00:10:52] بشه.
[00:10:58] I think both issues are interconnected.
[00:11:01] One aspect of this
[00:11:04] issue has really involved the Saudis, and I
[00:11:08] think Saudi Arabia can ultimately solve the Saudis' problem,
[00:11:12] even though we haven't solved Iran's problem yet.
[00:11:15] But if you solve Iran's problem first,
[00:11:18] then all the support
[00:11:21] that the Houthis receive will eventually cease.
[00:11:25] But I think you can solve the Houthi problem even
[00:11:29] without solving Iran's problem. But if you can solve Iran's problem,
[00:11:32] then the Houthis will have a big problem
[00:11:36] because then they won't have Iran's support
[00:11:39] anymore. And finally, do you think
[00:11:43] that the
[00:11:46] damage to the energy market
[00:11:50] and global security
[00:11:52] is repairable in the short term?
[00:12:19] For years, Iran has been developing
[00:12:22] these capabilities, including.
[00:12:55] Ultimately, you must solve these two issues for global security and peace.
[00:13:19] that Iran is also connected to these
[00:13:22] issues. We just heard about the situation in Riyadh,
[00:13:25] where missiles were apparently fired into Riyadh's sky.
[00:13:29] It is said that these were intercepted, of course. We are still very
[00:13:32] at the beginning of this. In your opinion,
[00:13:36] can the problem between the Houthis and
[00:13:39] Saudi Arabia be solved without
[00:13:42] solving the problem with Iran?
[00:13:45] Greetings and salutations to you. Yes,
[00:13:48] it might be possible. You should note that
[00:13:52] the current discussion about Gaza.
[00:13:55] Ultimately, we cannot consider it part of what is happening between the
[00:13:59] United States and Iran in the current situation. Even the issue of Lebanon
[00:14:03] is moving towards dialogue between the two
[00:14:06] countries, namely Israel and Lebanon. Also, in
[00:14:10] Iraq, now
[00:14:13] there might be some differences in Yemen,
[00:14:17] and perhaps it might be harder because
[00:14:20] some of these attacks by the Houthis were carried out
[00:14:23] in support of Iran and
[00:14:27] to increase Iran's
[00:14:29] bargaining power with the United States
[00:14:32] through and by putting pressure
[00:14:36] on energy issues and the energy
[00:14:39] market, and ultimately the countries of the region and even the United States.
[00:14:43] However, a large part also depends on Yemen itself. We
[00:14:47] are witnessing now that even the attacks on energy
[00:14:50] centers in Saudi Arabia
[00:14:53] were probably partly carried out by Iraqi forces,
[00:14:56] not Houthi forces. Now the focus
[00:15:00] is more on the airport.
[00:15:03] This might have a message, for example, that they
[00:15:07] are seeking to compel Saudi Arabia
[00:15:10] to resolve the issue
[00:15:14] of the aerial blockade and
[00:15:17] the blockade of Sana'a airports
[00:15:21] in some way. Part of this conflict
[00:15:25] goes back to internal problems and issues
[00:15:28] in Yemen. Part of it is related to Iran. We cannot completely
[00:15:32] separate these in the current situation. But it
[00:15:36] seems that Saudi Arabia, with
[00:15:39] the recognized and official government of Yemen, is trying
[00:15:43] to implement a military solution based on a
[00:15:46] six-stage plan, of which the first
[00:15:50] stage is currently being implemented. They are moving
[00:15:54] towards putting pressure on the Houthis and criticizing them
[00:15:58] in order to resolve Yemen's
[00:16:00] problems through political negotiations,
[00:16:04] both domestically in Yemen and in the
[00:16:08] relations between Yemenis and Saudi Arabia. Today, I was reading an analysis by a Saudi
[00:16:11] journalist who is very close to the government.
[00:16:14] He said that the issue now is not just Saudi Arabia. It is
[00:16:18] energy security, political stability, economic
[00:16:21] stability of the region, and massive investments that have been
[00:16:25] made in the Gulf countries. But as soon as Iran came under
[00:16:29] pressure regarding fuel, the East-West pipeline
[00:16:33] of Saudi Arabia was targeted. The Houthis claimed
[00:16:36] that they attacked the Yanbu facilities, and
[00:16:40] then as soon as Iran's aerial blockade was imposed or
[00:16:43] attempted, now the skies of Saudi Arabia have become unsafe.
[00:16:47] Don't you think that these cannot
[00:16:51] be coincidental and are perhaps more
[00:16:55] connected to each other
[00:16:58] compared to your assessment?
[00:17:01] کردید
[00:17:03] It is definitely related, and in fact, it is very much related. I recall
[00:17:07] that Mr. Qaani, in Baghdad in June
[00:17:10] of this year, said that the new regional strategy
[00:17:14] of the new belt, what he called the resistance front,
[00:17:18] extends from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab al-Mandeb.
[00:17:21] Exactly, when he brought this up, after
[00:17:25] a while, we witnessed these attacks. Ultimately, these
[00:17:28] are related, and my
[00:17:31] point was that some of these Houthi actions
[00:17:35] are definitely in support of Iran, especially
[00:17:38] in the area of energy issues. But even when
[00:17:42] they took control of Bab al-Mandeb,
[00:17:45] they didn't go about closing Bab al-Mandeb to put more
[00:17:49] pressure on the energy market. They
[00:17:52] only said that Saudi ships cannot
[00:17:56] pass through Bab al-Mandeb, and this indicates
[00:17:59] that the Houthi problem is more of a local problem.
[00:18:03] We don't really know what they will do in the future.
[00:18:07] In conclusion, I completely agree with you. Now, with these
[00:18:11] actions, the Houthis have entered a new challenge
[00:18:14] far beyond Yemen itself, and even the region and the world.
[00:18:18] We have another alliance that Saudi Arabia has formed.
[00:18:21] Several countries may be part of this
[00:18:25] maritime alliance. In this regard, this is regardless of the Mecca
[00:18:28] alliance between Turkey and Pakistan.
[00:18:32] Nevertheless,
[00:18:35] see, the solution
[00:18:37] has always been a political solution in Yemen.
[00:18:41] The contemporary history of Yemen shows this. None
[00:18:44] of these internal Yemeni wars
[00:18:48] have resolved the problems
[00:18:50] of the belligerents in Yemen, and everyone accepts this reality,
[00:18:54] be it Iran, be it the United States, and above
[00:18:57] all, I think even the Saudis believe
[00:19:01] this. But they are interested in weakening the Houthis
[00:19:05] militarily
[00:19:07] to such an extent that they accept their position and
[00:19:11] their social and political capacity
[00:19:15] as part of civil society.
[00:19:18] Sorry, Yemen is acceptable, not beyond this,
[00:19:21] and not what the Houthis claim. Because as you know, the rule they
[00:19:25] have is based on an ideology almost
[00:19:29] similar to the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in Iran,
[00:19:32] and they deny that others should be
[00:19:36] in this government.
[00:19:54] makes itself more difficult and
[00:19:58] suffers losses. I
[00:20:00] imagine it has suffered losses so far
[00:20:04] because these new actions by Saudi Arabia
[00:20:08] and the legitimate Yemeni government have mostly occurred after
[00:20:11] the New York meeting, and such a
[00:20:14] decision was made. In the early stages of these military actions,
[00:20:18] we saw Donald Trump trying to distance himself
[00:20:21] from these developments, saying that Bab el-Mandeb was open
[00:20:25] and that nothing was actually threatening the energy market
[00:20:29] or the United States. However, after the New York
[00:20:32] meeting with the leaders of these regional countries,
[00:20:36] a new strategy was, it seems,
[00:20:39] adopted to pave the way for
[00:20:43] the beginning of an international alliance
[00:20:45] against the Houthis, and this will certainly
[00:20:48] be to Iran's detriment. And
[00:20:52] now Iran has put them in a position where it cannot defend
[00:20:55] them in these circumstances. It cannot financially
[00:20:59] support them. And in the meantime, we
[00:21:02] see Iran trying and raising the issue,
[00:21:06] declaring its readiness to
[00:21:10] act as a mediator. I think
[00:21:13] we have heard from Pakistani officials
[00:21:16] that they are also interested in a
[00:21:20] political solution, and even the Turkish Foreign
[00:21:24] Minister, when he made these statements in Saudi Arabia,
[00:21:27] therefore, I think the solution
[00:21:29] is a political one, and even Saudi Arabia
[00:21:41] announced the summoning of the Iranian ambassador in London. Referring to the
[00:21:45] security incident near Fairford Airbase, he said
[00:21:48] he would make it clear to the Iranian ambassador that Britain will
[00:21:52] not tolerate any threat on its soil. Previously, the British Prime Minister
[00:21:55] also said in a speech in Parliament that it is very likely
[00:21:59] that the recent security incident was directed by Iran.
[00:22:02] باشد.
[00:22:05] I can confirm that our assessment is that it is highly likely that this
[00:22:08] action was coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by the
[00:22:12] Revolutionary Guard Corps.
[00:22:14] کرده.
[00:22:17] We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will confront Iran's use
[00:22:21] of criminal gangs and, with all the powers we
[00:22:24] have, target this network and its financial resources.
[00:22:28] We will also impose more sanctions to limit Iran's and the Revolutionary Guard Corps'
[00:22:31] ability to harm
[00:22:33] us.
[00:22:54] the British government says the issue is serious, but on the other hand,
[00:22:57] the suspects are still free,
[00:23:01] albeit on bail. How do these two things
[00:23:05] coexist?
[00:23:06] میگیره
[00:23:14] The Prime Minister today spoke about probabilities.
[00:23:18] He spoke about it in different
[00:23:21] parts of his speech. He said different things.
[00:23:25] At one point he said that
[00:23:28] it is very probable that
[00:23:32] the Revolutionary Guard Corps is involved in this operation.
[00:23:36] And this means that we, in our language, say
[00:23:39] 80-90%. And elsewhere he
[00:23:42] said we are almost certain that he was talking about
[00:23:46] a 90-95% probability of Tehran's involvement.
[00:23:49] And it seems that in this
[00:23:53] regard,
[00:23:55] the intelligence operation that was taking
[00:23:59] place
[00:24:02] was that, for example, in May 2025, they had
[00:24:06] arrested a number of people, which in my opinion was very
[00:24:09] different from those arrests at the time.
[00:24:13] That was also an operation regarding intelligence and...
[00:24:16] عملیاتی بود که عملیات در مورد اطلاعات و...
[00:24:33] They had to keep him, and the
[00:24:37] same issue
[00:24:40] also applies
[00:24:43] to these arrests of these five people at
[00:24:46] Fairford Airbase. But because of.
[00:25:20] used in military operations against Iran,
[00:25:23] and then he also said that this base is one of its
[00:25:26] targets. In the past, what do the
[00:25:30] rules of war say in this regard?
[00:25:41] Well, from the perspective of the Iranian government,
[00:25:45] they look at military formations
[00:25:48] and the expansion of
[00:25:51] war. They know, for example, which bases are being used.
[00:25:55] Therefore, they consider American bases in Europe
[00:25:59] to be legitimate
[00:26:01] targets. And they think
[00:26:04] that there is nothing wrong with attacking
[00:26:08] them and it is reasonable. But they don't use their
[00:26:12] own forces and territory, and the forces of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
[00:26:15] Instead, they use the same pawns that they have
[00:26:18] used against the opponents of the Iranian regime
[00:26:22] in the West, or for example, they pay
[00:26:26] money to Jewish targets, unknown individuals,
[00:26:30] and unknown proxy forces,
[00:26:33] and hire them to
[00:26:36] attack both foreign
[00:26:40] enemies and their
[00:26:43] own enemies. They target them
[00:26:47] so that they can deny it,
[00:26:50] and all foreign
[00:26:53] adversaries
[00:26:56] actually behave this way through proxy
[00:27:00] forces.
[00:27:02] In such circumstances, to what extent can the British government really counter
[00:27:06] Iran's threat? For example, listing
[00:27:09] the Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group,
[00:27:13] or now summoning the ambassador
[00:27:16] and sanctioning some Revolutionary Guard Corps figures.
[00:27:20] How effective are these?
[00:27:33] The limitation of
[00:27:37] the ineffectiveness of such issues
[00:27:40] goes back to the security forces and their capabilities, and in my opinion,
[00:27:43] the internal security forces
[00:27:46] of Britain are very strong,
[00:27:50] and a large number of Iranian citizens here,
[00:27:53] or citizens who were recruited by Iran, are now
[00:27:57] imprisoned. If we look at most of these plots,
[00:28:01] plots that they succeeded in
[00:28:04] Britain or in Europe
[00:28:06] were carried out by
[00:28:09] lone
[00:28:12] actors and independently. And if
[00:28:15] there have been operations where they wanted
[00:28:19] to spy and
[00:28:23] also intelligence operations they are carrying
[00:28:26] out, they have been identified, and
[00:28:28] 99% of the remaining 0.1%.
[00:28:51] Due to a system malfunction, the government
[00:28:54] is increasing food stamp credit by 500,000 Toman in October, without
[00:28:58] the need for registration, for 40 million people.
[00:29:01] Registration is still ongoing, and applicants must register
[00:29:05] their information so that after review and final
[00:29:08] approval, the increased food stamp credit will be allocated
[00:29:11] to them. Maryam Afshang reports that the increase in food
[00:29:15] stamp credit will not alleviate the hardship of people
[00:29:18] who are under the crushing pressure of unprecedented inflation.
[00:29:22] دوان نمی کنند.
[00:29:24] Rising prices are shrinking the dinner tables of Iranian households
[00:29:27] every day. The government has turned food stamps into one of
[00:29:31] the few hopes for people to obtain essential
[00:29:35] goods. This support, which has now increased by 500,000
[00:29:39] Toman, has once again come into focus.
[00:29:42] But the main question is: Can this increase keep
[00:29:45] up with the wave of price increases?
[00:29:49] The country's Planning and Budget Organization has announced
[00:29:53] the details of registration for the food stamp credit increase.
[00:29:57] Accordingly, for 18 million and 300 thousand household
[00:30:00] heads, equivalent to approximately 40 million people,
[00:30:04] an invitation SMS will be sent, and registration
[00:30:08] in the My Government system is only possible through
[00:30:11] the head of the household. For October, which will hopefully
[00:30:15] see an increase, it has not yet been finalized.
[00:30:18] I think it will be around 500,000 Toman, but
[00:30:22] it is not yet definitive. However, reports indicate system
[00:30:26] malfunctions. Either the system does not open, or the code
[00:30:29] does not arrive, or citizens are confused about
[00:30:33] where to register their application.
[00:30:37] Some citizens also reported that after receiving an SMS
[00:30:40] for food stamp eligibility, they went to follow up
[00:30:43] and were charged an amount, and ultimately
[00:30:47] told they were not eligible. The question of what
[00:30:50] services this money was taken for is also among the criticisms.
[00:30:54] Frankly, nothing can be done without resources.
[00:30:57] We believe that without resources, it's a false hope
[00:31:00] and means performing once.