Iran protests: hundreds feared dead
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Mm-hmm.
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Chris Barrow, and at 4GMT, these are our main stories. A picture of violence and horror is emerging in Iran as anti-government protests continue across the country.
What are the latest developments in the Iran protests?
The US military has carried out strikes in Syria against the Islamic State as revenge for the killing of two American soldiers. We hear from Venezuelans who fled to Colombia after the capture of the President Nicolas Maduro.
Also in this podcast... I get some very funny stories of owners telling me they were thinking of ordering a pizza and they were talking between them and then the dog ran into the room with their toy named pizza.
How dogs learn to understand words by eavesdropping.
And later... I actually got to hold it in my hands. It was an incredible thrill as a comics fan all my life to have this piece of history in my hands. They did take it off me again, mind.
Find out what makes a Superman comic worth $15 million. Large crowds have returned to the streets of Iran's capital, Tehran, as anti-government protests spread across the country, despite increasingly severe warnings from the authorities.
Witnesses say families, including children, are taking part. In his latest comments, President Trump has said Washington, in his words, stood ready to help. So what could a US intervention look like? David Petraeus is a former CIA director.
There are numerous options, all the way from diplomatic and informational. Even just getting Starlink dishes in on the ground would help them communicate with each other and with the outside world. There can be economic sanctions of various types against individuals, against Iran's ability to export oil. There's humanitarian options. And then, of course, there are many military options. And I was also the former commander of U.S. Central Command, which is the greater Middle East. That would be the regional combatant command that undoubtedly has been developing the menus of options for the president and others to consider. There can certainly be strikes on the headquarters of the security force organizations that are violently putting down these protests.
these demonstrations that have been killing the people in very substantial numbers. He could go after the missile capability that they have, which, of course, was heavily damaged during the Israeli strikes against Iran, which concluded with a U.S. substantial bombing as well. They've been trying to reconstitute those missile arsenals that would be useful. It could prevent some of the retaliation that might be of a concern. Again, a number of different activities that wouldn't require boots on the ground, many of which could even be done with unmanned systems, cruise missiles and the like.
For an update on the latest situation on the ground in Iran, I spoke to our US-based BBC Persian correspondent, Bahman Kalbasi. And a warning, you may find some of what he shared distressing.
The numbers that we're seeing in terms of casualties are increasing by the hour. We have a BBC Persian confirmed horrific accounts of tens of bodies being sent to hospitals in city like Rasht and also Tehran, Karaj. Mashhad. And the numbers are now very much in the hundreds, dead and injured, many of them with live ammunition. Hospitals are struggling to cope. Most can't really help those arriving with gunshot wounds. And the government is even restricting families from receiving the identifying them and not allowing them to take them for burial. So it's a scene of horror in many of these cities where the security forces have opened fire on protesters. The jaw-dropping reality of all of this is that the shootings have happened on Thursday night and Friday night.
And despite it all, Saturday saw even more protests in the city like Mashhad, the second largest city in Iran, also in Tehran. Parts of it was overtaken by protesters. So it's a scene and reality of a extremely violent crackdown while protesters are persisting.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:09
2
What are the latest developments in the Iran protests?
1:09–7:30
3
How is the US military responding to threats in Syria?
7:30–8:05
4
What challenges are Venezuelans facing after Maduro's capture?
8:05–10:19
5
What impact did the Greece train crash have on political sentiment?
10:19–13:00
6
What are the implications of the Google employee's harassment claim?
13:00–14:50
7
How did a rare Superman comic sell for $15 million?
14:50–18:34
8
What insights do dogs have by eavesdropping on humans?
18:34–29:06
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Global News Podcast
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