Israel continues to strike Iran after Ayatollah's death
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What triggered the recent strikes on Iran by Israel and the US?
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Alex Ritson, and at 14 hours GMT on Sunday 1st March, we're looking at the continuing fallout from US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The country has come under attack for a second day following the death of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Many Iranians have been celebrating the demise of the man they blame for thousands of deaths despite an official declaration of mourning. In this edition, we'll hear the latest from the strikes in Iran and Tehran's strikes on Israel and across the Middle East. We'll ask what legal basis President Trump had to launch these attacks and how it's being seen by his supporters and rivals.
And we'll find out what happens next in Tehran now that the regime is without its supreme leader. In the last edition of the Global News podcast, we reported that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in his office in the first wave of US-Israeli strikes on Saturday. In the hours since then, loud explosions have again been heard across Tehran as Israel maintains its operations against the Iranian capital. Many Iranians inside and outside the country celebrated the news that the man who held absolute power for 40 years was dead. but others mourned his death, including these people on the streets of the Iranian capital. Several high-ranking officials were also killed in Saturday's attacks.
The Israeli military named seven senior Iranian defence officials among the dead. The Iranian president, Massoud Peseshgian, said the killing of the Ayatollah was a declaration of war against Muslims and said it was Iran's legitimate duty to avenge him. Our Middle East analyst, Sebastian Usher, told me just how significant a moment this is.
From the perspective of the U.S. and Israel, I mean, there couldn't have been a better start to this campaign to have taken out the supreme leader in the opening hours. I mean, it seems clear now that that was the reason why the attack took place when it did, because the opportunity presented itself. I mean, last summer during the 12 day war, President Trump had spoken about it. The U.S. and Israel's ability to kill Khamenei if they wanted to, but there seemed a sense then that Trump was holding back from that. The fact that they have targeted him and done so successfully shows the huge gulf between what happened then and what's happening now, that this is aimed at a complete root and branch change in the way that the Iranian regime is functioning, if it continues to function at all.
How are the Iranian people reacting to the strikes and the death of Khamenei?
As far as the regime itself is concerned, I mean, obviously, it's a huge blow practically and symbolically. But I mean, it has to be taken into account that Khamenei wasn't a dictator as such. He was the main authority. He was the final decision maker in Iran. He held the true reins of power. But the kind of system that had involved under the decades of of his supreme leadership was one in which a number of regime institutions have become extremely powerful beneath him and around him. And as far as the regime is concerned, they will be hoping that those can withstand this blow and that they will be able to Sebastian Usher.
Gauging the mood in Iran is difficult during these extraordinary times in the history of the Islamic Republic. The country is under an almost total internet blackout and few Western journalists are allowed into Iran. But we are seeing reports of casualties in the country. The Iranian Red Crescent says more than 200 people have been killed and more than 700 injured in airstrikes. State media has reported that strikes killed at least 148 people at a school in southern Iran, including children. parents and teachers. The U.S. military says it's looking into these reports, while the IDF of Israel says it was not aware of any operations in the area. It is clear in Iran, though, that the assassination of the supreme leader has convulsed the country in a way millions of Iranians have never felt before.
BBC Persian is monitoring developments, and Kazra Nagy told me more about the public reaction.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What triggered the recent strikes on Iran by Israel and the US?
0:00–2:48
2
How are the Iranian people reacting to the strikes and the death of Khamenei?
2:48–5:17
3
What potential consequences could arise from the attack on Iran?
5:17–6:15
4
What legal justifications did President Trump use for the attacks on Iran?
6:15–7:30
5
How is the situation in Iran expected to evolve without its Supreme Leader?
7:30–9:30
6
What are the implications of Iran's retaliatory strikes across the region?
9:30–29:48