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00:00:21The sound of several mighty explosions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
00:00:25says it intercepted ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis in
00:00:28the capital's sky.
00:00:32We speak with an analyst of Saudi affairs and ask what options Saudi Arabia
00:00:36has in confronting the Houthis. Also
00:00:39on tonight's program. I can confirm that our assessment is
00:00:43that it is very likely that this action was coordinated in Iran and
00:00:46almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
00:00:49The Iranian ambassador to London was summoned over
00:00:53the security incident at Fairford Air Base. The British Prime Minister pledged
00:00:57to impose more sanctions against Tehran. We speak
00:01:00with a former senior advisor to the
00:01:04United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East.
00:01:08We ask him that if the issue of Iran's involvement
00:01:12is so serious, why are the suspects free? You told us
00:01:16to deduct from the ration cards for us? We said, "Sir, the ration card didn't give us money."
00:01:19A month has passed. We swiped cards for almost 4-5 billion,
00:01:23and they gave 50 million. We don't have any more money. We don't have capital
00:01:26to earn. The problem of the lower deciles. Iran is struggling
00:01:30to provide essential goods. Will an increase of 500,000
00:01:34tomans in ration card credit alleviate the people's suffering?
00:01:37And
00:01:45the continuation of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities, despite
00:01:48the EU's alleged agreement, imposed stricter sanctions
00:01:52against Moscow's military industries.
00:01:54(sound of an explosion)
00:02:0660 minutes live from the BBC in
00:02:10London. The war between Yemen's Houthis and the Saudis has escalated.
00:02:13Moments ago, news broke that explosions were heard in Riyadh,
00:02:17the capital of Saudi Arabia. Officials say they intercepted Houthi
00:02:20ballistic missiles. Residents of
00:02:23the city have been warned of a missile attack. The main
00:02:27airport in the capital is still closed, and King Fahd Airport
00:02:31in Dammam has also faced delays and disruptions.
00:02:35The Saudi energy minister said that these attacks cannot force
00:02:38his country, which is a symbol of energy security in the world,
00:02:42to surrender. The fighting and skirmishes between forces loyal to
00:02:46the legitimate Yemeni government, which is an ally of Saudi Arabia,
00:02:49and the Houthis have continued. Intense clashes have been reported in Taiz
00:02:52province in the south, along with a continuing fierce battle
00:02:56for control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait.
00:03:00Global energy markets are watching the developments with concern.
00:03:03What options does Saudi Arabia have in confronting the Houthis? Are
00:03:07these conflicts part of a larger crisis in the region between Iran
00:03:11and America? We will talk more about this. First, a report from Baran
00:03:14Abbasi.
00:03:17New images of the moment a missile hit
00:03:20Riyadh International Airport on Saturday. The deadliest attack on Saudi soil
00:03:24in over a decade. An attack for which Yemen's Houthis, an Iran-backed
00:03:28military group,
00:03:30claimed responsibility. Yesterday
00:03:33afternoon, the second deadly attack in two days
00:03:36occurred at the same airport, and the Houthis pledged
00:03:40to expand these attacks.
00:03:42We warn all employees of oil facilities and
00:03:45airports in Saudi Arabia to stay away from these facilities,
00:03:49as these locations are legitimate targets for Yemen,
00:03:52especially as the situation is moving towards a comprehensive escalation of conflicts.
00:03:56Among the casualties of Saturday's incident
00:04:00was an American citizen. But will
00:04:02Washington intervene on behalf of its ally, Saudi Arabia,
00:04:06in this conflict? The answer
00:04:09so far has been no. The Saudis
00:04:13are capable fighters. They can defend themselves.
00:04:16But the attack was terrible.
00:04:20However, this has not prevented the Houthis' warning. If
00:04:24America participates in aggression against Yemen, we will not hesitate
00:04:27to decide. This is a response.
00:05:00It guarantees you. Your presence is important. The harder
00:05:03the situation becomes, the more important dialogue becomes.
00:05:07At the same time, the promise of responding to Houthi attacks and continuing the path that
00:05:11Saudi Arabia has taken.
00:05:42A city that has been besieged by this paramilitary group.
00:05:45In a continued effort by the Houthis to push back
00:05:49government forces and control more points in
00:05:52Yemen. The governor of Taiz says fuel and medicine
00:05:56are running out and warns of the possibility of a humanitarian
00:05:59catastrophe.
00:06:00The Yemeni government is also trying
00:06:04to expel the Houthis from the coastal cities of the Bab el-Mandeb
00:06:08Strait, which in recent weeks
00:06:11fell to this group.
00:06:13On the other hand, the Houthis' release
00:06:17of these images, they say, forced government forces
00:06:20to retreat.
00:06:23Iran, which financially and
00:06:25militarily supports the Houthis, has expressed concern over the escalation of conflict
00:06:29between this group and Saudi Arabia and declared its readiness
00:06:33to use
00:06:36its good offices
00:06:40to help facilitate dialogue between
00:06:43the parties. We believe that the continuation and
00:06:46escalation of tensions
00:06:48will only benefit
00:06:50the Zionist regime in the region.
00:06:53رژیم سهیونیستی در منطقه خواهد
00:06:55From Saudi Arabia's perspective, however, these
00:06:58scenes at Riyadh airport are a sign of the realization
00:07:01of the same threat that Iran had previously posed:
00:07:04that its response to US military action
00:07:08would be to destabilize the entire region and raise the cost
00:07:11of war for Washington's allies. Baran
00:07:15Abbasi,
00:07:18BBC. Robert Harward, former US Marine and former
00:07:22Deputy Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM),
00:07:25is joining us from Warsaw, Poland. Mr. Harward, welcome
00:07:29to the program. You know the region well.
00:07:32What options do you think Saudi Arabia has
00:07:35in confronting the Houthis?
00:07:37ها.
00:07:42I think they will resist strongly,
00:07:45but they will also form a coalition. They will ask Turkey
00:07:49and Pakistan for help because of
00:07:53the Mecca Pact they signed with them. They will try to form
00:07:57a coalition and solve the problem. Many compare the Houthis
00:08:01organizationally to the Taliban.
00:08:04If you remember, in Afghanistan, all of
00:08:08NATO was against the Taliban, but in the end,
00:08:11نهایت
00:08:42will defend itself. Do you mean that
00:08:45they probably
00:08:48don't see negotiation as
00:08:51a solution?
00:08:58No, I don't know. I can't speak for the Saudi Arabian government,
00:09:02but I know that they have a very large army,
00:09:05and they have a series of
00:09:08treaties and agreements to defend their country.
00:09:11I don't want to assume
00:09:15what Saudi Arabia will do or what its goal will
00:09:19be, but I can tell you that if they don't
00:09:22solve this threat now, this issue will become
00:09:26a problem for them later. You mentioned Saudi Arabia's
00:09:29strong army. Annually, Saudi Arabia buys billions
00:09:32of dollars worth of weapons. It buys the most advanced weapons
00:09:36from America.
00:09:39It also spends a lot of money on equipping them.
00:10:12If it targets, then this issue changes. Don't forget,
00:10:16Saudi Arabia was targeted by Iran
00:10:1910 years ago. Iran attacked their infrastructure.
00:10:23In any case, Iran has also supported the Houthis,
00:10:27and this is a very important point and a very important feature
00:10:31of the conflict. Saudi Arabia must
00:10:34devise a plan to resolve this issue, and
00:10:37I'm sure it's thinking about it now. You mentioned Iran.
00:10:41Do you think the Houthi problem can be solved without
00:10:44solving the bigger problem between Iran and America
00:10:48in the region?
00:10:49بشه.
00:10:56I think both issues are intertwined.
00:10:59One aspect of this issue
00:11:02has heavily involved the Saudis, and I think
00:11:06Saudi Arabia can ultimately solve the Saudi problem,
00:11:10although we haven't solved Iran's problem yet.
00:11:13But if you solve Iran's problem first,
00:11:17then all the support that the Houthis receive
00:11:21will eventually end. But I think now,
00:11:25even without solving Iran's problem, you can solve the Houthi problem. But if
00:11:28you can solve Iran's problem, then the Houthis
00:11:32will have a big problem because then they will no longer
00:11:36have Iran's support. And in
00:11:39the end, do you think
00:11:41that
00:11:43the damage that the energy market has suffered,
00:11:47global security has suffered,
00:11:50is repairable in the short term, because right
00:11:53now everyone is looking at the Bab el-Mandeb strait
00:11:57with concern, while we know that the Strait of Hormuz is also
00:12:01severely problematic?
00:12:03مشکله
00:12:08Yes, of course the problem
00:12:11can be solved. Look, the problem,
00:12:14in my opinion, is that for decades
00:12:17Iran has been building these capabilities,
00:12:20including the Houthis.
00:12:24But. If the problem we
00:12:28are facing today were to continue for
00:12:31another two or three years, it would be unsolvable.
00:12:35In any case, this is not a war anyone wants,
00:12:39but it is a war we must have
00:12:42to eventually eliminate this threat. A threat that exists against
00:12:46shipping and global trade, both in the Strait of Hormuz
00:12:49and in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In the final
00:12:52analysis, these two issues must be solved
00:12:56for global security and peace. Thank you very much, Mr. Harward. Robert Harward,
00:13:00former US Marine and former Deputy Commander of
00:13:04US Central Command (CENTCOM), from Warsaw, Poland.
00:13:06Jafar Hashemi,
00:13:09researcher on Middle East and Arab world issues, is also
00:13:13with us from London. Mr. Hashemi, our previous guest explained
00:13:17that Iran is also connected to these
00:13:20events. Now we heard about the situation in Riyadh.
00:13:23It seems missiles were fired at the sky of Riyadh.
00:13:27It is said that these were intercepted, but we are still
00:13:30at the very beginning of this. In your opinion,
00:13:33can the Houthi
00:13:36and Saudi problem be solved without
00:13:40solving the problem with Iran?
00:13:46it might be possible. Consider that
00:13:50the current discussion about Gaza
00:13:53ultimately means we cannot
00:14:25and to increase Iran's bargaining power
00:14:28with the United States of America
00:14:32through exerting pressure
00:14:35on energy issues and the energy market, and ultimately on regional
00:14:39countries and even the United States of America. However,
00:14:42a large part of it also depends
00:14:45on Yemen itself. We are now witnessing
00:14:48that even the attacks on energy centers in
00:14:52Saudi Arabia were perhaps partly carried out by Iraqi forces,
00:14:56not Houthi forces. The focus
00:14:59is now more on the airport. This might be
00:15:03a message, for example, that they are trying
00:15:06to convince Saudi Arabia to somehow resolve
00:15:10the issue of the
00:15:13aerial blockade and the blockade of Sana'a
00:15:16airports. Part of this conflict
00:15:20stems from the dilemmas and problems
00:15:23within Yemen, and part of it
00:15:27is linked to Iran. We cannot completely separate these
00:15:31in the current situation, but it seems that Saudi Arabia
00:15:35with the ruler.
00:16:07I was reading an analysis by a Saudi journalist who is very
00:16:11close to the government. He said that the issue is no longer just
00:16:14Saudi Arabia; it is energy security, political
00:16:17stability, economic stability of the region. There are huge
00:16:21investments made in the Gulf countries.
00:16:25But as soon as Iran was put under pressure regarding fuel,
00:16:29the east-west pipeline of Saudi Arabia was targeted.
00:16:31The Houthis claimed
00:16:35they hit the Yanbu facilities. And then, as soon as
00:16:38Iran's air blockade was imposed or attempted,
00:16:42now the sky of Saudi Arabia has become insecure.
00:16:44Don't you think these things cannot be
00:16:48coincidental and
00:16:51are perhaps more connected, these events,
00:16:54in comparison to your assessment?
00:16:57They are definitely connected,
00:17:01and in fact, very much so. I remind you that
00:17:05Mr. Qaani in Baghdad
00:17:08this past June said that the new
00:17:12regional strategy, the "new belt" as it is called,
00:17:15from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab el-Mandeb.
00:17:19brought this up,
00:17:22after a while, we witnessed these attacks. Ultimately, these
00:17:26are connected, and my
00:17:29point was that some of these Houthi actions
00:17:32are definitely in line with supporting Iran,
00:17:36especially in the area of energy. But even when they
00:17:40took control of Bab el-Mandeb,
00:17:43they didn't try to close Bab el-Mandeb to put more pressure
00:17:46on the energy market. They
00:17:49only said that Saudi ships cannot
00:17:53pass through Bab el-Mandeb, and this
00:17:56indicates that the Houthis' problem
00:17:59is more of a local problem. We don't really know
00:18:03what they will do in the future. However, I completely
00:18:06agree with you. Now the Houthis, with these
00:18:10actions, have entered a new challenge
00:18:14far beyond Yemen itself, and even the region and the world.
00:18:17We have another coalition that Saudi Arabia has formed.
00:18:21Several countries may be part of this
00:18:24naval coalition. In this regard, this is regardless
00:18:27of the Mecca coalition between Turkey
00:18:31and Pakistan. However, please note,
00:18:34the solution is always an exit.
00:18:37In Yemen, a political exit is what modern Yemeni history
00:18:41shows. None of these wars in
00:18:44Yemen have ever resolved the problems of the belligerents
00:18:48in Yemen, and everyone accepts this reality, whether Iran or the United
00:18:52States of America, and most of all, I think even
00:18:55the Saudis believe this. But
00:18:59they are interested in militarily weakening the Houthis
00:19:03to the extent that the Houthis accept their position
00:19:06and their social and political capacity
00:19:09as part of Yemeni civil society.
00:19:13Excuse me, it is acceptable,
00:19:16not beyond that, and not what the Houthis claim,
00:19:20because you know the sovereignty they have
00:19:24is based on an ideology
00:19:28almost similar to the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist
00:19:31in Iran, and they deny that others
00:19:34should participate in this rule. Hashemi.
00:20:02These new actions taken by Saudi Arabia
00:20:06and the official government of Yemen were mostly
00:20:08after that New York meeting,
00:20:12and such a decision was made. At the beginning of these military actions,
00:20:15we saw Donald Trump seemingly trying to distance
00:20:19himself from these currents, saying that
00:20:22Bab el-Mandeb is open, and nothing
00:20:25actually threatens the energy market or the United States.
00:20:29However, after the New York meeting with the leaders of
00:20:32these regional countries, it seems a new strategy
00:20:35has been adopted to initiate
00:20:39an international coalition
00:20:41against the Houthis.
00:20:45This will definitely be detrimental to Iran,
00:20:47and now
00:20:50Iran has placed them in a position where it cannot defend
00:20:53them in these circumstances, it cannot support
00:20:56them financially, and in this situation,
00:21:00we see Iran trying to raise this issue
00:21:04and declares its readiness to
00:21:07act as a mediator. I think Pakistan,
00:21:11in this regard, we have heard from Pakistani
00:21:14officials that they are also interested in a
00:21:18political solution. Turkey's Foreign Minister,
00:21:22when he made these statements in Saudi Arabia, I think
00:21:25the solution is a political solution, and even Saudi
00:21:29Arabia also supports this solution. Jafar Hashemi,
00:21:39the summoning of the Iranian ambassador to London. Referring to
00:21:42the security incident near Fairford Air Base, he said
00:21:46he would make it clear to the Iranian ambassador that Britain would not tolerate any.
00:22:04Our assessment is that it is very likely that this action was coordinated in Iran
00:22:07and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
00:22:11We will not tolerate these threats
00:22:14on our own soil. We will confront Iran's
00:22:18use of criminal gangs and target this network and its financial
00:22:22resources with all the powers we have.
00:22:25We will also impose more sanctions to limit the ability of Iran's
00:22:29Revolutionary Guard Corps to harm
00:22:30us. Andy Burnham was the British
00:22:34Prime Minister. Major General Chip Chapman, retired
00:22:38British Army officer and former senior military advisor
00:22:42to Britain at the United States Central Command (CENTCOM),
00:22:45is with us from Salisbury.
00:22:49Mr. The British government says the
00:22:53issue is serious, but at the same time, the individuals
00:22:56who were suspected are still free,
00:23:00albeit on bail. How do these two things reconcile?
00:23:03گیره؟
00:23:10When the Prime Minister spoke today
00:23:14about probabilities,
00:23:17he spoke about various things in different
00:23:21parts of his speech. At one point he said
00:23:24that it is highly probable
00:23:28that the Revolutionary Guard Corps
00:23:31was involved in this operation. This means that, in our language,
00:23:35we say 80-90 percent.
00:23:39And elsewhere he also said
00:23:41that we are almost certain that it was
00:23:4490 to 95 percent probable that Tehran had a role.
00:23:48And it seems that in this
00:23:50regard,
00:23:53the intelligence operation that was happening,
00:23:56میفته
00:24:00for example, in May 2025, they had arrested
00:24:03a number of people. In my opinion,
00:24:07there was a big difference between those
00:24:11arrests and these. Even at that time,
00:24:14the operation was an operation related to intelligence
00:24:18and security, not based on. not based on evidence.
00:24:22They were forced to release them,
00:24:25and at that time, for example, the fifth person they
00:24:28arrested, the evidence was different, and they were forced to keep
00:24:32him. And this issue
00:24:36this
00:24:38issue has also been applied
00:24:42to the arrest of these five people at Fairford base.
00:24:46But because the evidence and
00:25:20was used, and then he said that this base was one of
00:25:24its targets in the past. What do the
00:25:27rules of war say in this regard?
00:25:39Well, from the Iranian government's perspective,
00:25:42they look at military formations
00:25:46and the extent of the
00:25:49war. They know, for example, the bases that are used,
00:25:53therefore they also consider American bases in Europe
00:25:56as legitimate targets
00:25:59and think that there is no problem
00:26:03attacking them,
00:26:06and it is reasonable. But they do not use
00:26:09their own forces and territory and the forces of the Revolutionary
00:26:13Guard Corps, but rather use the same pawns against
00:26:17opponents of the Iranian
00:26:20regime in the West,
00:26:23or for example, Jewish targets against
00:26:27unknown individuals and proxy
00:26:30forces. They pay money
00:26:34and hire them to attack
00:26:37both foreign enemies and their own
00:26:40enemies, to target
00:26:44them so that they can deny
00:26:48it, and all
00:26:50foreign
00:26:54enemies, in fact, behave in this way through proxy
00:26:58forces.
00:27:00In such circumstances, the British government is truly effective.
00:27:35Such issues not being effective comes down to
00:27:38the security forces and their capabilities. And in my opinion, the security
00:27:42and domestic forces of Britain are very
00:27:45strong, and a large number of Iranian citizens
00:27:49here or citizens who were hired
00:27:53by Iran are now imprisoned. Most
00:27:56of these conspiracies, if we look at them, conspiracies
00:27:59that have been successful in Britain or
00:28:03in Europe were through individual
00:28:07actors
00:28:10and independent. And if
00:28:13there have been operations where they wanted
00:28:17to investigate and
00:28:20also intelligence operations they are carrying
00:28:24out, they have been identified, and
00:28:2699%
00:28:28of that one-tenth percent of them have all been arrested
00:28:31and detained. Thank you,
00:28:35Mr. Chapman. Chip Chapman, retired
00:28:38British Army officer and former senior military advisor
00:28:42to Britain at CENTCOM from Salisbury.
00:28:45باما
00:28:47Iranian media report that due to disruptions in the "My Government"
00:28:50system, a 500,000 toman increase
00:28:53in ration card credit will be deposited for 40 million people in October
00:28:57without requiring registration. Registration is still
00:29:01ongoing, and applicants must register their information
00:29:04so that after review and final approval, the increased ration card
00:29:08credit will be allocated to them. Mary Mofassang reports that
00:29:11the increase in ration card credit will not alleviate
00:29:14the suffering of people who are under the crushing pressure
00:29:18of unprecedented inflation.
00:29:20Every day, rising prices shrink
00:29:23the tables of Iranian families. The government
00:29:27has turned ration cards into one of the few hopes for people
00:29:31to secure essential goods. This support, which now with
00:29:34a 500,000 toman increase in its credit, is once again
00:29:38in the spotlight. But the main question
00:29:41is: can this increase keep pace with the wave of rising
00:29:45prices? The National Planning and Budget
00:29:49Organization has announced the details for registering
00:29:53for increased ration card credit. Based on this, for 18 million
00:29:56and 300 thousand household heads, equivalent
00:29:59to about 40 million people, a message
00:30:03inviting self-declaration will be sent, and registration
00:30:06in the "My Government" system is only possible by the head
00:30:10of the household. For October, which will hopefully see an increase,
00:30:14it has not yet been finalized. I think it
00:30:17will be around 500,000 tomans, but it's not yet
00:30:20definite. However, reports indicate system disruptions,
00:30:24either the system doesn't open or the code doesn't
00:30:27arrive, or citizens are wandering about
00:30:31where to register their request.
00:30:34Some citizens also reported that after receiving
00:30:38a text message about eligibility for ration cards,
00:30:41when they followed up, a fee was charged from them,
00:30:44and in the end, they were told they were not eligible.
00:30:47The fact that this money was taken for what services
00:30:51is also among the criticisms. In fact, nothing can be done without resources.
00:30:55That is, we believe that without resources, meaning a unified hope.