Ambassador says Iran unbowed by Israeli and American attacks
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2026
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As Iran releases the new supreme leader's first statement, we hear from the country's UN ambassador, Ali Bahreini. We also track the expanding Israeli military assault on Lebanon, and ask how the insurance industry is handling the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies.
Also in the programme: British tourist among those arrested in Dubai for having missile photographs on his phone; and a tribute album for the jazz musician Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.
(Photo: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.4 | Hello and welcome to NewsHour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service studios in central London. I'm Tim Franks. |
| 0:16.6 | We're beginning with a war in Iran, a conflict which continues to extend well beyond Iran. |
| 0:22.5 | And whereas so often with wars, it's a question of trying to work out whether we can trust what we're being told, |
| 0:28.8 | and a question of trying to know where to look. |
| 0:31.4 | There are so many places, so many aspects to this war. |
| 0:35.0 | In about 10 minutes, we'll hear from our correspondent in Lebanon about the widening |
| 0:38.7 | and intensification of Israeli strikes in its effort to smash once and for all the Iran-backed |
| 0:44.4 | Hezbollah militia. We'll be trying to work out whether it's even possible to ensure ships that want |
| 0:49.7 | to dare to traverse the vital strait of Hormuz, and we'll be trying to gauge public opinion |
| 0:55.9 | in the United States. |
| 0:57.9 | First, though, we're going to bring you the latest from inside Iran, and from the very apex |
| 1:02.4 | of power there, because the new supreme leader, Moshaba Khanayi, who's been imposed for |
| 1:08.0 | four days after an airstrike killed his father, |
| 1:13.0 | has had a statement issued in his name. |
| 1:15.8 | He wasn't seen, he wasn't heard. |
| 1:21.0 | And that's Jermaine, because of all the reports that he was injured right at the start of the war. So, no visuals or audio, but rather his statement was read out on Iranian State TV by a female presenter. |
| 1:31.7 | Dear brothers of the armed forces, |
| 1:35.0 | the demand of the people is to continue this effective defense |
| 1:39.1 | that is making the enemy regret its actions. |
| 1:43.5 | The lever of blocking the strait of hormones should definitely be used regarding opening new fronts |
| 1:50.0 | in which the enemy has little experience and is vulnerable. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.