Iran’s ‘whole civilization’ and heritage threatened by war
The World
PRX
4.6 • 943 Ratings
🗓️ 7 April 2026
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As US President Donald Trump threatens to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” we take a look back at Iran’s heritage over the centuries. Also, opposition politician Cheng Li-wun visits China to bolster Taiwan’s ties to the mainland as the war in Iran raises concerns about the US’s military bandwidth. And, people in South India are creating mechanical elephants to replace real ones during Hindu religious services. Plus, a visit to Akira Comics in Spain, which attributes its success to immersive fantasy.
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| 0:00.0 | Key sites in the history of Iran are already being destroyed, regardless of what happens tonight. |
| 0:11.6 | These monuments become locations of memory. |
| 0:14.4 | I'm Carolyn Beeler. |
| 0:16.0 | And I'm Marco Wurman. |
| 0:17.0 | Today, going back to the dawn of Persian civilization for perspective on that loss. |
| 0:21.5 | Also, Taiwan has its eye on what's happening in the Middle East and is planning accordingly. |
| 0:26.6 | Taiwan will feel a lot more exposed at this time and be very wary of any potential military |
| 0:33.2 | buildup that China might actually undertake in the near future. |
| 0:36.9 | And in India, our reporter gets a close-up look at an elephant robot. |
| 0:42.3 | Head, ear, eyes, tail. |
| 0:44.4 | What's his name? |
| 0:45.1 | Not yet decided. |
| 0:46.5 | These robots are helping solve a serious problem. |
| 0:49.8 | That's all ahead. |
| 0:50.8 | Today on the world. |
| 0:56.5 | This is the world. I'm Marco Wurman. |
| 0:59.0 | And I'm Carolyn Beeler. |
| 1:00.5 | 8 p.m. Eastern Time. |
| 1:02.4 | That is when President Trump has threatened to destroy Iran's bridges and power plants if the country did not make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. |
| 1:10.9 | A threat he reiterated today saying, quote, |
| 1:13.3 | an entire civilization will die tonight. |
| 1:16.4 | In response, Iranian official Ali Reza Rahimi issued a video message, |
... |
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