Israel says it's killed an Iranian naval commander

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Global News Podcast 31 min 8 speakers 8 chapters transcribed 3 months ago
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Celia Hatton 0:00
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Celia Hatton 0:37
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Celia Hatton, and it's 1600 GMT on Thursday, the 26th of March. These are our main stories. Israel says it's killed an Iranian naval chief who was involved in operations to cut off the Strait of Hormuz.

What happened in the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian naval commander?

Celia Hatton 1:07
But will it make a difference? Inside Iran, people try to continue with their lives despite daily bombing attacks from the United States and Israel.
Artist in Iran 1:17
I'm afraid that one day the war will end and something good will not have happened. The problems I have are the same problems as all people. Basic needs.

How are everyday Iranians coping with the ongoing war?

Artist in Iran 1:25
I cannot provide them.
Celia Hatton 1:27
And disruption to oil shipments is having an effect on people and countries as far apart as Kenya and the Philippines. Also in this podcast, the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is on his first official visit to North Korea. Both countries are keen to show that they have friends in the world. We begin with the latest from the war in Iran. Israel says it's killed an Iranian Navy chief, Ali Reza Tangziri, who was believed to be overseeing Iran's operations in the crucial Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the U.S. military said his death makes the region safer. If confirmed, this would be the latest assassination of an Iranian leader. The death was announced by Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz.
Israel Defense Minister 2:19
Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF thwarted the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Navy, Tang Siri, along with several naval command officials. The man who is directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz was blown up and neutralised.
Celia Hatton 2:39
Despite suggestions from President Trump that the Iranians want to make a peace deal, with Pakistan saying it's acting as an intermediary, the war continues. There have been further strikes on Iran, with Tehran also targeting neighboring countries. Our security correspondent Frank Gardner is in the Qatari capital, Doha. I asked him about Ali Reza Tangziri.
Frank Gardner 3:01
according to the Israelis, he was directly responsible for this blockade. The problem is with all these assassinations that have taken place during this war is that these people are replaceable. Once a policy is laid down, there is a degree of autonomy and redundancy built into the Iranian system. That's what the Revolutionary Guards Corps have done. In Iran, it's almost like you've got two parallel militaries. You've got the conventional military, and then you've got the IRGC, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. And some years ago, the IRGC kicked out their country's conventional navy from the Gulf and said, we're taking over here. You guys can go and do something else, but we are in charge here.
Frank Gardner 3:43
And they've spent the last few years practicing and honing unconventional operations, so things like firefighting.

What impact does the Middle East conflict have on countries like Kenya and the Philippines?

Frank Gardner 3:50
fast torpedo attack boats, drone swarms, and black ops sneaking up and attaching limpet mines to tankers, things like that, as well as boarding and hijacking essentially tankers. So he will certainly have been involved in much of that, but he's replaceable.
Celia Hatton 4:08
Malaysia says Iran has let one of its tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Are other ships getting through?
Frank Gardner 4:16
They are, yes. Not most of them. I mean, this is the problem is that Iran is effectively acting like a maritime traffic policeman, deciding who gets to go through and who doesn't. And they are still exporting their own oil over a million barrels of oil a day. to customers in China, Pakistan, India, but most of the other stuff isn't getting through. And reportedly, Iran is charging $2 million a time for every tanker that goes through. So this is clearly a far worse, a far less satisfactory situation than the one that existed just a month ago, when Iran had no say really in who went through the Strait of Hormuz. I mean, it's got a big long coastline, but there was no question of it choosing who got through.
Frank Gardner 5:01
But after nearly a month of being battered by Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, Iran has become defiant and is no mood to compromise.

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