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The Global Story

What do Iranians think of the war?

The Global Story

BBC

News, Daily News

3.8666 Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Iranians living in Tehran tell us what they think of the war and reveal how the conflict has affected their day to day lives.   In recent days, attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz has raised fears that an already fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran could collapse.   Donald Trump's "Project Freedom", which began on Monday, aims to use the US military to escort cargo ships out of Strait of Hormuz. Iran, however, insists that it controls the key waterway and has warned that it is “just getting started” in the Strait of Hormuz. This escalation of hostilities risks tipping the region back into full-scale war.    As the conflict enters its third month with no clear end in sight, there has been mounting anxiety about what comes next. But what is the view inside Iran?    In today’s episode we speak to the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet who recently returned from a ten day trip to Tehran where she spoke to government officials and ordinary Iranians about their fears and expectations as this war continues.    Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Aron Keller    Executive Producer: Richard Fenton Smith    Mix: Travis Evans   Senior News Editor: China Collins   Photo: Daily life in Tehran amid continued tensions over Strait of Hormuz. Credit:  Abedin Taherkenareh/ EPA/Shutterstock.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

If these days,

0:02.2

Music, radio, podcasts,

0:05.8

if these days you have been struggling to keep up with the state of negotiations

0:10.2

in ceasefires regarding the Iran war or the closures of the Strait of Hormuz,

0:14.7

you're not alone.

0:16.2

We're all hearing a lot of it.

0:18.6

Iran wants to make a deal. What I don't like about Iran is they'll talk

0:23.8

to me with such great respect. And then they'll go on television. They'll say, we did not speak

0:29.6

to the president. We did not. I just spoke to, we did not speak to the president. So they play

0:37.3

games.

0:37.9

I mean, the top people in that government are, to say the least, you know, they're insane

0:44.3

in the brain.

0:46.1

What we're not hearing a lot of is what Iranians are thinking and hoping for.

0:52.2

Since the war in Iran began more than two months ago, Iranians

0:55.9

have been under a near total internet blackout, as hardliners have become more deeply entrenched

1:02.0

in the country's leadership.

1:03.5

Few Western journalists have been permitted to operate in the country. But in recent

1:08.1

weeks, the BBC's chief international correspondent, Lee Doucette,

1:11.7

has been reporting on the ground in Tehran. From the BBC, I'm Tristan Redmond in London.

1:17.8

And I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. And today on the global story, the view of the war from

1:23.7

inside Iran.

1:30.4

Lise. Hello. from inside Iran. Let me get ready.

...

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