Iran Special: Q&A
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. This is a special edition of the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Will Chalk. Iran has warned Donald Trump it's prepared to teach him an unforgettable lesson. It's after the US president warned he was considering very strong options. Clearly, what started last month as a demonstration in Iran's capital, Tehran, about the country's faltering economy has already grown into something much bigger.
What prompted the recent protests in Iran?
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed as the protests continue to spread across the country and internet blackout is still in place, making it difficult to get information. The BBC has been taking questions from our audience about what this all means and what's at stake. So let's hear from my colleague Matthew Amroliwala, who's been speaking to two of the BBC's diplomatic correspondents, Caroline Hawley in London and Paul Adams in Washington, as well as Siavash Adelan from BBC Persia.
Sivash, to you, first of all, as I say, we're into the third straight week of this. From the fragments of information that's coming in, what can you tell us?
The main fragment of information that came out was a video clip, a very heart-wrenching and horrific image of people at a mortuary outside Tehran, the capital, where hundreds of bodies were piled upon each other and relatives or families of these people searching for their loved ones. Now, we hadn't known the scale of the killings until this video had come out. And then from the fragments of information we're getting from people via Starlink sending us messages telling us the grim atmosphere right now prevailing in Tehran and other cities after that massive crackdown.
How has the Iranian regime responded to the protests?
Everyone knows someone who has been killed. So the situation is one that you would associate with the Syria civil war or with Gaza today in Iran for the authorities to quell one of the biggest protests that took place over the past years.
Caroline, is this the biggest threat to the Islamic Republic since its inception?
It's certainly a huge threat and they have responded in kind. They've clearly felt that they are fighting for their life. They, as you know, have blamed this on on rioters inspired by Donald Trump and Israel. But we've had many cycles of unrest before and uprisings. There was 2009 over disputed elections, 2019 over fuel prices, 2022, of course, over women's rights. And after the death in custody of a young woman, Massa Amini, who was accused of not wearing her hijab properly. And then these began on December the 28th as an economic protest. But it very, very quickly spiraled into people expressing their anger over everything. everything that they hate about the Islamic Republic and their economic, political, social problems.
What are the implications of Donald Trump's warnings regarding Iran?
And I think what is different this time is that the Iranian regime is under pressure from inside and out. It has been weakened by the war in June when Israel attacked with the US the nuclear facilities. So it is a moment of great peril for the Islamic regime, or has been, and they have been using what I've been told is really unprecedented force to try to control the streets. So it has come at a huge cost to Iranians. We don't know, as Siavash said, the full picture because we're only getting little pieces of the jigsaw. The Iranian regime is trying to kind of control the narrative now, putting out pictures of its own supporters on the streets. But we we just don't know the full picture. And I think a lot is yet to emerge about what's been happening over the past few days.
Paul, to you in Washington, a number of questions about whether Donald Trump will intervene, giving some of the recent warnings he's given to the regime. What is Donald Trump saying?
Yeah, Matthew, before the latest reports of mass casualties emerged, he did indeed warn that there could be an American response and that it would be dependent on how the Iranian authorities responded.
How do the protests compare to past uprisings in Iran?
He also has spoken about his desire to rescue the protesters, as he's put it. Now, he flew back to Washington from Florida yesterday and aboard Air Force One.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:11
2
What prompted the recent protests in Iran?
1:11–2:26
3
How has the Iranian regime responded to the protests?
2:26–3:38
4
What are the implications of Donald Trump's warnings regarding Iran?
3:38–4:57
5
How do the protests compare to past uprisings in Iran?
4:57–5:30
6
What role does the internet blackout play in the current situation?
5:30–6:50
7
What are the potential consequences of U.S. intervention in Iran?
6:50–8:43
8
Who are the key figures in the opposition to the Iranian regime?
8:43–27:52