Iran’s Supreme Leader issues threat after cargo ship attacks
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2026
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep blocking Strait of Hormuz in his first statement released by the regime after more attacks on cargo ships in the Gulf in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, causing another spike in oil prices.
Can American naval power keep those shipping lanes open? We'll assess the options and hear what people in America's heartland think about the war.
Also in the programme: Will a new "ethnic unity" law in China lead to more disunity?; and a piece of rock music history goes up for a sale - a rather battered guitar that belonged to Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.
(Photo shows the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree on fire after being hit by Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on 11 March 2026. Credit: Royal Thai Navy)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.5 | Hello and welcome to News Air from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:12.5 | We're coming to you live from London. |
| 0:14.2 | I'm James Menendez. |
| 0:15.7 | It could end soon. |
| 0:17.1 | The war is very complete, pretty much. |
| 0:20.2 | Those were President Trump's words at the start of the week as he tried to offer reassurance |
| 0:23.7 | following a day of turmoil on global stock markets and a spike in oil prices. |
| 0:28.9 | But he also told reporters, we're going to go further. |
| 0:32.7 | And so it has proved with more US and Israeli attacks on Iran and continued retaliation by Iran against those |
| 0:39.8 | countries' interests in the region, in particular on shipping in the waters between Iran and the Gulf |
| 0:46.0 | Arab states. Further strikes on cargo ships cause the price of a barrel of oil to surge past the |
| 0:52.4 | $100 mark earlier today before falling back. |
| 0:57.2 | And in the past hour, we've had a defiance statement from Iran's new supreme leader |
| 1:02.5 | pledging to continue those attacks. Let's speak to our chief international correspondent |
| 1:08.6 | Lee's Tussi, who joins us on the line. |
| 1:11.4 | Lees, very good to have you with us. What else did that statement say? |
| 1:16.7 | Yes, the emphasis is on statement because questions are being asked with greater urgency. |
| 1:24.6 | Ever since Mushabah Khomeini was chosen as Iran's new supreme leader. |
| 1:30.6 | He, nothing has been seen of him. |
| 1:32.3 | In fact, there's been no sign of him since the very first day of the war about February the 28th, |
| 1:38.0 | the Saturday morning with the first Israeli-American Salvos, which killed Mushabahameh's father, |
... |
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