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[00:00:24] Headline news:
[00:00:26] Continued reactions in Iran to the defeat of Trump's allies
[00:00:30] in the congressional elections, from burning posters of the US
[00:00:33] president to advising his deputies to prevent another
[00:00:37] attack. Consultations by the Israeli
[00:00:41] president to appoint a new prime minister.
[00:00:45] According to predictions, Eisenkot has a higher chance than
[00:00:49] Netanyahu. US Federal Court
[00:00:53] agrees to continue hearing the case of Parviz Sabeti,
[00:00:56] a former SAVAK official, for involvement in torture
[00:01:00] during the Pahlavi regime. Accused.
[00:01:02] And
[00:01:05] the disclosure of the secrets of the espionage network against Hungarian
[00:01:08] citizens during communism. Secret
[00:01:11] police files were released
[00:01:15] after about four decades.
[00:01:34] Hello and welcome to this news section of BBC Persian Television. I am Baran
[00:01:38] Abbasi. Following the victory of Democrats in the US
[00:01:42] midterm congressional elections, leaders of this party
[00:01:45] say that ending the war with Iran will be one of the priorities
[00:01:48] of the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, in Iran, there is still talk
[00:01:52] of preparation for the possibility of another
[00:01:56] attack by America. Iranian officials consider themselves effective
[00:02:00] in the victory of Democrats, but they say that there is no difference
[00:02:03] in the hostility of the two parties towards the Iranian government. Siavoush Ardalan
[00:02:07] reports.
[00:02:11] Democrats in America, who are mostly against war with
[00:02:14] Iran, are now elated by their victory
[00:02:17] in the midterm congressional
[00:02:19] elections.
[00:02:21] But for now, on the other side of the world, in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, nothing
[00:02:25] has changed. Last night, in two separate
[00:02:29] incidents, the Revolutionary Guard still reports attacks and incidents
[00:02:33] that occur in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the coasts of Arab countries
[00:02:36] in the region for oil tankers. Today,
[00:02:40] the commander of the IRGC Ground Force visited the Iranian islands
[00:02:43] of the Persian Gulf. His goal
[00:02:46] is to maintain readiness against a possible US
[00:02:49] attack.
[00:02:51] The question everyone is asking now is whether Donald Trump still
[00:02:55] intends to attack Iran or not. While he was
[00:02:59] in doubt
[00:03:00] diplomatic news is that the Iranian Foreign
[00:03:11] about military recommendations for attacking Iran, nothing
[00:03:15] is clear now. The latest
[00:03:19] Minister has spoken with his Omani counterpart. But that's it. Iranian officials feel
[00:03:22] victorious about the defeat of the Republicans. Because they believe
[00:03:26] that by resisting the pressures of the Trump administration,
[00:03:30] they have turned most Americans away from him.
[00:03:33] Although the victory of the Democrats also, as stated in a message attributed
[00:03:37] to the Iranian leader, makes no difference to the Islamic Republic
[00:03:40] and he views the two ruling parties of that country
[00:03:44] with the same eye in terms of hostility.
[00:03:46] On the other hand, Trump's deputy, who officially confessed that the reason
[00:03:50] for the Republican defeat was the war with Iran, became the target of
[00:03:54] sarcasm and blame from Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, who told
[00:03:58] him to go tell these things to...
[00:04:12] who decides the fate of the war with Iran.
[00:04:15] Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary continues
[00:04:19] the economic pressure campaign against Iran. He announced
[00:04:23] sanctions against foreign individuals and companies that help
[00:04:26] Iran circumvent sanctions.
[00:04:30] But the Democrats are preparing for what they have called
[00:04:33] one of their priorities: ending the war with
[00:04:37] Iran. Siavoush Ardalan, BBC.
[00:04:40] My colleague Mahnoush Pourzayyahi
[00:04:42] from Washington is with us. Mahnoush,
[00:04:46] the Democrats said that one of their main priorities is ending the war in Iran.
[00:04:50] What practical tools do they have
[00:04:53] to fulfill this promise?
[00:04:56] In the short term, before the new Congress enters
[00:05:00] Washington, that is, until January, there are 2
[00:05:04] months left, and in these two months, Democrats will practically
[00:05:07] be in Congress with the same
[00:05:10] previous structure and composition. However, the difference is that the Republicans
[00:05:14] who are there for these two months can
[00:05:17] use this opportunity and many
[00:05:20] of them are now expressing their opposition,
[00:05:24] at least unofficially, without
[00:05:27] names in interviews or even
[00:05:30] by name in the media. They are
[00:05:34] pointing out and making their criticisms
[00:05:38] public. During this two-month period,
[00:05:41] Mr. Trump still has a lot of leeway
[00:05:44] to direct operations in any direction he wants.
[00:05:47] But if Democrats
[00:05:50] can continue to resist
[00:05:54] the approval of new funding, which the
[00:05:57] Pentagon is seeking, and not vote for
[00:06:00] it, they can, in a way,
[00:06:03] make US military operations,
[00:06:06] at least their expansion, conditional and limited.
[00:06:10] After the new Congress takes office,
[00:06:13] it will naturally be different,
[00:06:16] and they will have more leeway for
[00:06:20] impeachment, for example, of officials
[00:06:22] involved in the war from those who
[00:06:26] were in the White House. The main issue might be
[00:06:29] how far Democrats want to confront Mr.
[00:06:32] Trump, engage themselves in a political
[00:06:36] war, or as you and Siavoush said
[00:06:40] in the report, focus more on
[00:06:43] the goals that were identified in the polls,
[00:06:47] which are ending the war and ending inflation.
[00:06:51] How they want to end the war is a serious issue, because
[00:06:54] in any case, Mr. Trump will be in power for two
[00:06:58] years. Historically, it has usually been said
[00:07:01] that presidents, after possibly even
[00:07:05] losing their majority in Congress, their party
[00:07:09] focuses more on foreign policy in the last years of their
[00:07:12] presidency. How true can this be and how much can it be related
[00:07:16] to Iran? Mr.
[00:07:18] Trump has never adhered to political traditions
[00:07:22] in Washington in any matter, and it is really
[00:07:26] difficult to predict what he will do in the next two years.
[00:07:29] Will he continue
[00:07:32] on the path of prioritizing his personal interests,
[00:07:35] or will Republicans somehow surround
[00:07:39] him and convince him
[00:07:42] to save the party from its current situation, or will
[00:07:46] Republicans completely give up hope
[00:07:49] in him and seek
[00:07:52] to save the party? These are all very important
[00:07:56] questions that depend a lot on Mr.
[00:07:59] Trump's unpredictable behavior. What we
[00:08:03] saw in 2006, which can perhaps be compared
[00:08:07] to the current situation,
[00:08:09] although it was not completely identical,
[00:08:12] is the defeat of Republicans
[00:08:16] in the 2006 midterm elections coincided with
[00:08:20] Mr. Bush's presidency and the war in Iraq,
[00:08:23] which in its first 3 or 4 years
[00:08:27] had created a lot of
[00:08:31] opposition, both gradually in Congress and
[00:08:35] among the American people and the international community.
[00:08:38] In practice, after that election, Mr. Bush removed Defense
[00:08:42] Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but he strengthened
[00:08:46] his military operations, so to speak,
[00:08:50] and increased his military forces
[00:08:53] in Iraq. That Mr.
[00:08:56] Trump can change
[00:08:59] the war situation at this juncture
[00:09:03] is naturally different. The war with Iran
[00:09:07] is incomparable to that situation,
[00:09:09] and Iran has shown that it is not very willing
[00:09:13] to dance to the tune of the White House.
[00:09:17] Thank you, Mahnoush Pourzayeh from
[00:09:19] Washington.
[00:09:26] With the victory of the Democrats in the US midterm congressional
[00:09:29] elections, all eyes are on this party. Clive Myrie reports
[00:09:33] on the priorities and policies of the Democrats
[00:09:36] in the new phase of confrontation with the Republicans over the next
[00:09:40] two years.
[00:10:12] We have gathered experienced observers of US politics to discuss
[00:10:16] the path forward for the Democrats. Ophira from the Democratic
[00:10:20] Governors Association. Michael, former spokesman for
[00:10:23] Hakeem Jeffries, the new leader.
[00:12:01] once again accused Israeli Arab parties of supporting
[00:12:05] terrorism and questioned the integrity and legitimacy
[00:12:09] of last week's elections. Nafiseh Ko90, BBC's senior
[00:12:12] Middle East correspondent, is with us from Beirut. Nafiseh, tell
[00:12:16] us a little about this process of government formation and the challenges
[00:12:19] facing both sides.
[00:12:22] Baran, since yesterday, the Israeli
[00:12:25] president has started consulting with parties
[00:12:28] that were in the elections. Whoever
[00:12:32] has the most nominations, meaning
[00:12:35] whose name is proposed as the most
[00:12:39] likely prime minister or
[00:12:43] responsible for forming the cabinet by these parties,
[00:12:46] will be tasked by the president to form
[00:12:50] the government. But to form the government, they must also have a coalition
[00:12:54] that
[00:13:12] However, considering that one of the main Arab
[00:13:16] parties, Ra'am, which was one of the main Arab
[00:13:19] coalitions, has announced that they are willing to support
[00:13:23] Mr. Eisenkot.
[00:13:55] Netanyahu will probably
[00:13:57] not support him. From the opposite side, they will also not support him.
[00:14:01] The main reason they abandoned Mr. Netanyahu, despite
[00:14:04] the past, is that, in their opinion,
[00:14:07] Mr. Netanyahu failed to cancel
[00:14:11] compulsory military service for all Israelis.
[00:14:15] Well, this religious
[00:14:18] group is not willing to join the army
[00:14:21] because of their views. As a result,
[00:14:25] both sides' work seems difficult, but Mr. Eisenkot's
[00:14:28] chances are higher given that the Arabs
[00:14:31] will probably announce their support
[00:14:35] for him. However, Mr. Eisenkot
[00:14:38] had emphasized before being elected
[00:14:41] that he was not willing to form a coalition
[00:14:45] with Arab parties, which makes his job difficult,
[00:14:49] although he has not commented much on this
[00:14:52] since the elections. Another possibility is
[00:14:56] that a coalition between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Eisenkot will
[00:14:59] be formed, something Mr. Netanyahu is pushing for a lot,
[00:15:03] but that also seems very difficult because the coalition
[00:15:07] led by Mr. Eisenkot in fact
[00:15:10] appeared in these elections with one of their
[00:15:14] main arguments being that Mr. Netanyahu's era is over,
[00:15:17] and their opposition to Mr. Netanyahu was practically
[00:15:19] the main reason that brought them votes.
[00:15:23] As a result, it is a very complex situation, and if
[00:15:27] someone is elected on the 28th, they will have 28
[00:15:31] days to form a cabinet, but they must first form
[00:15:34] that coalition, and if they don't succeed, the president
[00:15:37] must choose someone else. That person also has another
[00:15:41] opportunity to form a government, but if they can't,
[00:15:44] elections must be held again next year,
[00:15:48] something the Israeli president says he wants to prevent.
[00:15:52] How much might Mr. Netanyahu questioning the integrity of the elections
[00:15:56] affect this decision that elections might be held
[00:16:00] again? Look,
[00:16:03] so far, Mr. Netanyahu and his supporters, despite
[00:16:07] constantly accusing Arab parties of receiving money from Qatar
[00:16:11] or Turkey and
[00:16:15] questioning the integrity of these elections
[00:16:18] due to the remarkable or surprising success
[00:16:22] of Arab parties, have apparently not
[00:16:25] been able to provide any evidence to the election
[00:16:28] commission. The election commission officially announced
[00:16:31] yesterday that despite all the investigations they
[00:16:35] conducted, they found nothing contrary to election principles
[00:16:38] that would question the integrity of the elections. However,
[00:16:42] in addition, Shin Bet, which is Israel's domestic
[00:16:45] security organization and whose head is
[00:16:48] a supporter of Mr. Netanyahu, has announced that they are still
[00:16:52] investigating. Despite this, since
[00:16:55] no specific evidence has been presented so far, it seems
[00:16:59] very difficult, and the fact that the Israeli president
[00:17:03] has practically started consultations to choose the person
[00:17:06] responsible for forming the cabinet is another seal of approval
[00:17:10] on the election results. As a result, it seems
[00:17:13] very difficult, unless Mr. Netanyahu's front
[00:17:17] can present very strong
[00:17:20] evidence and show that,
[00:17:23] for example, a foreign country was involved in
[00:17:27] the Arab parties getting more votes. But
[00:17:31] currently, Mr. Netanyahu's task seems difficult.
[00:17:35] Thank you, Nafiseh.
[00:17:37] My colleague Nafiseh Kounerd from Beirut is with us. We are currently watching live
[00:17:41] images of the meeting that the Israeli
[00:17:45] president has convened to appoint the prime
[00:17:48] minister. The live images are from Jerusalem.
[00:17:52] The Israeli president has until the middle
[00:17:55] of next week to task one of the leaders of the two
[00:17:59] main blocs, Benjamin Netanyahu or Gadi Eisenkot,
[00:18:02] with forming the government. Arab parties
[00:18:06] have also won seats that could be decisive,
[00:18:09] but both parties have said that they will not form
[00:18:13] a coalition with Arab parties, and
[00:18:16] we will have to see what the outcome will be. The images you are seeing
[00:18:20] are live images from the meeting that the Israeli president has convened
[00:18:23] to decide which party will be
[00:18:27] given the first opportunity to form
[00:18:30] a government.
[00:18:31] Let's
[00:18:35] take a look at the most important news of
[00:18:38] this program. In response to Trump's deputy
[00:18:41] who attributed the war as the reason for the Republican
[00:18:45] defeat in the elections, Ghalibaf warned him against another
[00:18:48] attack on Iran. The Israeli president is consulting
[00:18:52] with representatives of various parties to appoint a new
[00:18:56] prime minister. Later in
[00:18:58] this program: Disclosure of the secrets of the
[00:19:01] espionage network against Hungarian citizens during
[00:19:04] communism.
[00:19:08] In the latest development in the case of three torture victims'
[00:19:12] lawsuit against Parviz Sabeti, a senior official of the
[00:19:16] SAVAK organization, the Florida state court, in a new
[00:19:19] ruling, agreed to continue judicial proceedings and stated
[00:19:23] that the plaintiffs' fear of retaliation and Sabeti's
[00:19:26] secret life were the reason for years of delay in filing
[00:19:30] the lawsuit. The Florida court also referred to the history
[00:19:33] of torture in SAVAK and that in both the Pahlavi
[00:19:37] regime and the Islamic Republic, democratic conditions did not
[00:19:40] prevail in Iran for victims to be able to take action
[00:19:44] to assert their rights. Raha Bahreini, human rights lawyer
[00:19:47] and researcher for Amnesty International, is with us from London.
[00:19:50] Ms. Bahreini, how important is this ruling by the Florida
[00:19:54] court? Can it be said that a major obstacle has been
[00:19:58] removed from the path of the plaintiffs?
[00:20:01] Greetings to you and dear viewers. In these days when
[00:20:04] news of crime, execution, and torture...
[00:20:11] not only for addressing tortures that have remained
[00:20:15] without judicial review and accountability for decades,
[00:20:18] but also an encouraging message to torture
[00:20:21] victims who, during the Islamic Republic and afterwards,
[00:20:25] want to file a complaint, if individuals accused
[00:20:28] of torture are identified in the
[00:20:32] US, even years or decades after the incident
[00:20:35] occurred. In this ruling, the court explicitly stated
[00:20:39] that the issue of statute of limitations cannot be raised
[00:20:43] because oppressive and anti-human
[00:20:46] rights regimes have always existed
[00:20:50] in Iran, and there have been no courts that could even address
[00:20:53] the plaintiffs' complaints, and there has been a continuous
[00:20:57] chain of repression. That is, it not only addresses
[00:21:01] torture during the Pahlavi regime, but also takes a firm
[00:21:04] stance on torture and crimes that become even
[00:21:08] more severe during the Islamic Republic. It states
[00:21:11] that given this situation, as long as such oppressive
[00:21:15] regimes govern inside Iran,
[00:21:19] courts outside the country can hear plaintiffs' complaints
[00:21:23] without any debate. This point is important because
[00:21:26] according to the Torture Victims Protection Act in the
[00:21:29] US, such a complaint generally must be filed
[00:21:33] within a 10-year period after the incident
[00:21:36] occurs. But in extraordinary circumstances, this
[00:21:39] time limit can be delayed, and the court has practically
[00:21:43] stated here that this delay was justified
[00:21:46] due to the situation of repression, as well as the secrecy
[00:21:51] of Mr. Sabeti, according to the court.
[00:21:54] This ruling does not mean that Mr. Sabeti's responsibility
[00:21:58] has been proven. He himself denies these accusations. But what
[00:22:01] evidence must the plaintiffs present to prove his personal
[00:22:05] responsibility? What obstacles are in their way? Now, this case
[00:22:09] enters the substantive review phase. That is, until
[00:22:13] now, the focus has been on whether this complaint
[00:22:16] can even be reviewed or not, because
[00:22:23] since it was filed late, the complaint should
[00:22:27] be dismissed altogether. Then the discovery
[00:22:30] process begins, meaning the parties must
[00:22:34] present their claims, documents, and evidence, and prove
[00:22:37] their claims. On the plaintiffs' side, they must prove
[00:22:41] that they were subjected to torture, and
[00:22:45] prove the responsibility of the official, Mr. Sabeti.
[00:22:48] And both sides will have the opportunity
[00:22:52] to interrogate each other.
[00:22:56] The testimony of victims and probably the testimony
[00:22:59] of experts will be presented, and a timetable
[00:23:03] for presenting documents and trial sessions
[00:23:06] will be announced by the court. I might emphasize here
[00:23:10] that this ruling is important because it is once
[00:23:14] again a wake-up call for human
[00:23:17] rights defenders that torture and the capability of society
[00:23:21] that torture is a severe crime
[00:23:24] and must always be held accountable, regardless
[00:23:28] of the passage of time and the political beliefs of the accused
[00:23:31] or the plaintiffs, and political debates should not
[00:23:35] prevent the understanding of torture as
[00:23:38] a crime, and being with the plaintiffs
[00:23:42] and torture victims. Therefore, Amnesty International
[00:23:45] has welcomed this ruling. It is a hopeful
[00:23:48] ruling for everyone.
[00:24:05] human in law, and
[00:24:08] we should move towards a future where torture
[00:24:12] is never justifiable and has no place. Thank you, Raha Bahreini,
[00:24:16] human rights lawyer and researcher for Amnesty International from London.
[00:24:23] The British government has described bomb threats on commercial
[00:24:27] flights in Europe as fake and sabotage,
[00:24:30] but said it takes all matters seriously. Following the latest round
[00:24:34] of threats, at least 19 passenger flights were forced
[00:24:38] to make emergency landings or divert. Italian
[00:24:41] and French fighter jets escorted at least two planes until
[00:24:45] landing. Four flights also landed safely in Prague.
[00:24:49] No explosives were found on these planes.
[00:24:53] This is the second wave of similar threats in
[00:24:56] Europe this week.
[00:25:00] Riot police in France fired tear
[00:25:04] gas at protesters. This is the latest round of protests against the rising
[00:25:07] cost of living and declining public services in France.
[00:25:11] Labor unions, who are demanding higher
[00:25:14] wages, say they expect 800,000 people
[00:25:18] across the country to take to the
[00:25:20] streets. In Paris, before the official march began, protesters
[00:25:24] built barricades with garbage cans and clashed with
[00:25:28] police. There were also reports of a fire at a school
[00:25:32] near Toulouse.
[00:25:36] From France, let's go to Hungary, because tens of thousands
[00:25:39] of files related to the secret police of the communist
[00:25:43] era in Hungary have been released. These files reveal a network
[00:25:47] of informants who spied on citizens. Peter
[00:25:50] Magyar, the Prime Minister of Hungary, said that this action
[00:25:54] will help citizens to come to terms with their country's
[00:25:58] totalitarian past. However, this decision also has opponents.
[00:26:01] Nick Thorpe
[00:26:15] Previously, each
[00:26:17] person could only search for their own file, but
[00:26:21] now you can find anyone's name. I
[00:26:24] think this can be an opportunity to learn more about people
[00:26:28] and confront the past more deeply, not just on an individual
[00:26:35] The release of these files was one of the election promises of Peter
[00:26:38] Magyar, the Prime Minister of Hungary.
[00:26:41] These wounds should not be hidden or swept under the carpet, but
[00:26:45] we should talk about them so that a collective process of healing
[00:26:48] and reconciliation can begin.
[00:26:50] There were many reasons why some
[00:26:54] agreed to spy on family members and friends. Some
[00:26:58] faced pressure and threats. Some
[00:27:01] were in...
[00:27:47] Scientists, television presenters, and politicians are also
[00:27:51] on this list, and the consequences of this revelation are still
[00:27:55] ongoing.
[00:27:55] Thank
[00:30:43] now, on BBC Persian Television, current
[00:30:47] affairs.
[00:30:51] An election that completely overturned the balance of
[00:30:55] power in the US, the composition of the future Congress and the situation...