The Week: How Does Starmer Handle Trump, Grok and What's Going On In Iran?
Newscast
BBC
4.3 • 6.6K Ratings
🗓️ 9 January 2026
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today marks the thirteenth consecutive day of widespread anti-government protests in Iran.
Iran's top security body has warned that the Iranian judiciary and security forces will show "no leniency towards saboteurs", amid internet blackouts.
Adam is joined in the Newscast studio by BBC chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, to discuss the context and history of the unrest in Iran, plus President Trump’s warnings to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his response.
Also in the studio is New Statesman political editor Ailbhe Rea and The House Mag deputy editor Sienna Rodgers, to wrap up the first calendar week of UK Politics.
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New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Chloe Scannapieco and Jem Westgate. The social producer was Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello, we promised you that we would do a look back at some of the things happening in British politics this week, and we will do that. |
| 0:11.9 | But first of all, we're going to focus on the growing protests across Iran and the reaction to it by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, which we will do with Lise Doucette on this episode of Newscast. |
| 0:26.1 | Newscast from the BBC. |
| 0:28.5 | Fat boy sliver me in the classroom doing our violin lessons. |
| 0:31.4 | I was the tattletail in the class. |
| 0:32.7 | Can I have an apology, please? |
| 0:34.0 | I trust almost nobody. |
| 0:35.7 | Then daddy has to sometimes do strong language. |
| 0:38.2 | Next time in Moscow. |
| 0:39.8 | I feel delulu with no salulu. |
| 0:41.6 | Take me down to Downey Street. |
| 0:43.4 | Let's go have a tour. |
| 0:45.2 | Blimey. |
| 0:46.7 | Hello, it's Adam in the Newscast Studio. |
| 0:48.9 | And it's Liz Doucette with Adam in the newscast studio. |
| 0:51.8 | Right, let's talk about Iran. |
| 0:55.4 | And these protests have been bubbling away for almost a fortnight now. What started them? Every time there is a wave of unrest in Iran, |
| 1:03.0 | it is triggered by one set of demands or another. This time on December the 28th, it was sparked by shopkeepers shuttering their shops. |
| 1:14.6 | There's shops for mobile telephones and other electronic goods because the currency had collapsed |
| 1:19.6 | and it was impossible for them to remain open to do business. |
| 1:23.6 | They persuaded other... |
... |
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