Iran War: Lives under bombardment
From Our Own Correspondent
BBC
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 14 March 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Kate Adie presents stories from Iran, Qatar, Ukraine, the US and Nepal
For people living in cities under bombardment, it’s not clear how the US Israeli war with Iran will end. More than 1200 have so far been killed, amid attacks across the country. Iranians tell BBC Persian's Sarah Namjoo they are struggling to lead a normal life.
Qatar is among several Gulf states that have faced Iranian strikes on military and civilian sites since the war began. As a major oil and gas exporter, it’s reliant on the Strait of Hormuz, but shipments through it have now stopped due to attacks on tankers. Barbara Plett Usher has been gauging the mood in Doha.
Gulf nations have turned to Ukraine for advice amid Iranian drone strikes - their expertise and technology are considered top-class. To that end, teams of Ukrainian drone experts have arrived in Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. James Landale, the BBC diplomatic correspondent, has been in Kyiv.
At a US air base in Delaware, the bodies of six US soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait have been returned, attended by President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and top military officials. It was a moment of quiet solemnity amid a week where the US President has oscillated as to what the war goals are in Iran, says Bernd Debusmann.
Nepal has witnessed an historic election this week. Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah is set to be the next prime minister. He campaigned on a platform of reform and job creation, after anti-corruption protests led by young Nepalis last year led to the resignation of the former PMr. Our South Asia Correspondent Azadeh Moshiri has been in Kathmandu
Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello. Today, projectiles hit several tankers in the strait of Hormuz this week. We hear how the conflict with Iran is being seen in Doha. |
| 0:16.8 | Ukraine's military expertise has become a much sought-after asset. |
| 0:21.6 | We hear how Gulf states turn to Kiev for advice on Iran's Shahid drones. |
| 0:27.7 | We're in Delaware, where U.S. soldiers killed in the U.S. Israeli conflict were returned |
| 0:33.4 | in the presence of Donald Trump and their families. |
| 0:37.4 | And in Nepal, a former Kathmanduane |
| 0:39.9 | mayor and rapper sweeps to victory in the general election in a shake-up of the political |
| 0:45.5 | landscape. But first, U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran have intensified this week, and although both |
| 0:53.0 | governments say they are targeting military sites |
| 0:55.9 | and government buildings, those are largely situated in crowded residential areas. |
| 1:02.1 | The U.S. administration has also come under intense scrutiny over an attack on a school |
| 1:07.6 | in the Iranian city of Minab, which Iranian officials say killed 168 people. |
| 1:15.3 | US military investigators believe American forces were likely to be responsible, but have not |
| 1:21.3 | reached a final conclusion. The Pentagon said it is still investigating. For people on the ground in cities under bombardment, |
| 1:30.4 | it's not clear how this war will end, or indeed whether the outcome will lead to greater freedoms |
| 1:36.2 | for Iranian people. The appointment of the Ayatollah son, Muchtabar, as the new leader, |
| 1:42.9 | suggests a continuation of the status quo. |
| 1:46.5 | More than 1,200 have so far been killed, according to human rights groups. |
| 1:52.2 | BBC Persian Sarah Namjou has been speaking to people in Iran. |
| 1:57.3 | I want the children to wake up to the smell of cake in the house. |
| 2:00.7 | I want them to have |
| 2:01.7 | a moment of normality after a long night of heavy bombardment. Negar, not her real name, gave up |
... |
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