Global News

Trump urges nations to secure Strait of Hormuz

President Trump calls on other nations to send warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz which Iran has largely blocked, driving up global energy prices. Mr Trump has told a US television channel that while Tehran appears ready to make a deal to end the war, its "terms aren’t…

15 Mar 12AM 28 min

The Happy Pod: Turning my toddler's tales into tunes

Stephen Spencer has set his daughter's stories to music. What started as something he posted for his few followers has turned into a social media sensation, with fans around the world left smiling, laughing or even crying by the catchy tunes and often bizarre lyrics. Also: how a chance conversation…

14 Mar 4PM 27 min

Iran says US Kharg Island attack a failure

On Friday President Trump said the US had obliterated military targets on the Iranian oil hub island of Kharg and threatened to target the oil infrastructure there if Iran stopped ships going through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran accused Washington of a failed mission and warned that any attacks on…

14 Mar 10AM 20 min

US strikes Iran’s key oil island

President Donald Trump says the United States has carried out strikes against military targets on Kharg island, Iran's main export terminal for oil in the Gulf. Writing on social media, he said he'd decided not to destroy the oil infrastructure on the island. US media report that amphibious ships carrying…

14 Mar 1AM 33 min

Highest daily strike total on Iran, says US

As the bombardment of Iran continues, the American defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, says the US is decimating Iran's military, as it plans to carry out more strikes than on any other day so far. There is growing criticism in Europe of Washington's decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil in…

13 Mar 12PM 31 min

US aerial refuelling plane crashes in western Iraq

US officials have said a KC-135 refuelling plane that went down in western Iraq was not the result of hostile or friendly fire. They said it had involved a second refuelling aircraft that landed safely. Six crew members were reported to be on the plane that crashed. We also hear…

13 Mar 1AM 30 min

Iran's new leader in defiant first message

Iranian state television has broadcast a message in the name of the newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. The message was read by an announcer and gave no clue as to the state of the leader's health. Some reports say he was injured on the first day of US and…

12 Mar 12PM 31 min

UN Security Council demands Iran halt attacks

At a meeting in New York, the UN Security Council has backed a resolution calling for Iran to stop its strikes on Arab Gulf states and Jordan, but making no mention of the US-Israeli bombardment of Iran. It also condemns the blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Iran's allies…

12 Mar 1AM 34 min

Three ships hit in the Strait of Hormuz

Three commercial ships were damaged by 'unknown projectiles' in the Strait of Hormuz, as 32 members of the International Energy Agency agree release of largest ever oil reserves. The IEA said it will release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves to tackle rising prices. Israel says it has…

11 Mar 1PM 36 min

Iranian residents tell BBC about US and Israeli bombardment

The BBC hears from Iranian residents about life under bombardment, as the US says its military campaign is a "resounding success" - and ahead of schedule. Tehran accuses its enemies of targeting civilians. We also hear from one of the world's biggest shipping companies about how it's unwilling to risk…

11 Mar 1AM 28 min

Hegseth: Today ‘most intense’ day of US strikes on Iran

The US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, says Tuesday's attacks on Iran will be the most intense day since the war began. Echoing the words of President Trump, he said America would continue to fire missiles until Iranian forces were, as he put it, "totally and decisively" defeated. The world's biggest…

10 Mar 12PM 31 min

Oil price drops after Trump hints at short Iran war

Oil price falls and stock markets rally after President Trump hints that war with Iran could be shorter than he'd previously said. But he also says America hasn't yet won enough. We also look at how the war is continuing to affect Lebanon, and how the Iranian women's football team…

10 Mar 1AM 30 min

Iran war: Oil prices soar

The benchmark oil price has passed $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022. But Donald Trump says the economic fallout from the US-Israel war with Iran is "a very small price to pay" for world peace. After Iran named a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, heavy explosions have…

9 Mar 12PM 32 min

Mojtaba Khamenei named as Iran's new supreme leader

Supporters of the Iranian regime have taken to the streets to celebrate the selection of the country's new spiritual leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. He will replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war. Shortly after the announcement, Iran launched a…

9 Mar 1AM 30 min

Bonus: War and climate

How do conflicts like the US-Israel war with Iran impact our planet? In this special bonus episode of The Climate Question podcast, we answer listeners’ questions about the environmental cost of armed conflict, from Gaza to Ukraine. We examine the carbon footprint of battle itself - the jets, the bombs,…

8 Mar 4PM 26 min

Iranian clerics reach consensus on new supreme leader

Members of the Iranian clerical body tasked with choosing a new supreme leader says there's consensus on a replacement for the late Ali Khamenei. In Iran, oil depots have been hit by intense US-Israeli aerial bombardment, with locals speaking of multiple explosions. Residents in Teheran report a blackened sky from…

8 Mar 10AM 19 min

US and Israel hit Iranian oil depot

The US and Israel target Iranian oil facilities for the first time since start of war - but Tehran remains defiant. It continues to retaliate, launching drones and missiles on neighbouring countries. Also, Lebanon continues to count the cost after Israel carries out huge strikes on what it says are…

7 Mar 11PM 30 min

The Happy Pod: My friends made me a new hand

Lois, 14, and her classmates used a 3D printer to create her new hand as part of a school project. Now they want to make prosthetic limbs for other people who need them, using the same method. Also: We find out how a new drug is transforming the lives of…

7 Mar 3PM 28 min

Iran president apologises for striking neighbours

The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said Iran will stop striking its neighbours as long as no attacks originate from them; he's apologised for Tehran's attacks on those countries in the past week. President Trump has referred to that apology in a post on social media, saying "this promise was…

7 Mar 9AM 22 min

US: 'achievable objectives' in Iran in four to six weeks

President Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, didn't give details of what these objectives were. But she said that when the goals of the war were realised, "Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not". We hear from Iranians on life during…

6 Mar 11PM 32 min