Intelligence chief of Iranian Revolutionary Guard killed

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1:05Subject to change. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Ankur Desai and at 15 Hours GMT, on Monday the 6th of April, these are our main stories. The Iranian authorities say the intelligence chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards has been killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike. Israel, meanwhile, says it's launched an attack on Iran's largest petrochemical plant. Three people have been killed by a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Odessa, including a mother and her two-year-old child. Also in this podcast... When we show this show, a lot of guys who are in war right now, they know after they're injured and they all can do whatever they want.

1:55The injured Ukrainian soldiers who overcome the horrors of war on a theatre stage. And India's border security force is considering an unusual method to combat illegal migration and smuggling.

2:13But first, the clock is ticking and the threats are ramping up between Donald Trump and Iran. With the US president's deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz a matter of hours away, More on that in just a moment. First news that the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has been killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike, according to Iranian state media. The organization said General Majid Khademi was martyred at dawn. Israel has claimed responsibility, and Defense Minister Israel Katz says he was a key target. I was informed by the chief of staff that last night in Tehran, the IDF army eliminated Majid Khademi, head of the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence, one of the direct perpetrators of these war crimes and one of the top three officials in the organization.

3:04The Revolutionary Guards fire at civilians and we eliminate the head of terrorists. Iranian leaders live on a sense of persecution. We will continue to hunt them one by one. I got some analysis from Zia Gol of the BBC Persian Service. He was appointed to this post as a head of IRGC intelligence organization in June last year after his predecessor was killed in another strike by Israel during 12 days war in June. And before that, he was the head of counterintelligence in Revolutionary Guards. And I think he was close to Iran's former supreme leader, who was killed also on 28th of February this year.

3:46He has been appointed since then. And it seems on Monday at dawn, he has been targeted. And Iranian force news agency, which is the mouthpiece of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, has confirmed he has been killed. How much of a blow is this then for the Iranian regime, another senior figure and a growing list of leading regime figures targeted and killed by the US and Israel? Obviously, his organization was in charge of countering Spanish and spy agents around the country. I think he himself being killed, definitely adds a blow to the intelligence community inside Iranian regime. But having said that, we know in the past also whenever a commander of revolutionary guards are being killed immediately, in a short period of time, he has been replaced by another person.

4:33And in the past few weeks, it seems to me, the more hard line commanders are taking position after those commanders are being killed. When one is replaced, yeah. Exactly. That's interesting. And Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, we're seeing reports coming through that Tehran are formulating some sort of a diplomatic response to the US, which they say they will announce in due time. That's something we're just seeing reported at the moment. But in terms of Iran standing firm despite pressure from the US and Donald Trump to open the Strait of Hormuz, how much will this death impact and weaken its resolve?

5:05I don't think the death of General Khademi has any impact on the negotiation or a peace plan. And we know there is a pressure from United States and also mediated by Pakistanis. They are hoping to persuade Iranians to agree to a peace plan, possibly open the Strait of Hormuz, and in 15 to 20 days, be able to talk to Iran, reach an agreement with the United States on nuclear program, and at the same time, to lift some sanctions against Iranians. But I think right now, Revolutionary Guards Commander are in charge, and I think they called a shot in the country. So far, at least we know the Iranian trying to depict this image that they are not in a hurry to agree to any peace deal.

5:45Just very briefly before you go, how crucial is it the role of Pakistan or any other intermediaries in trying to help resolve this conflict? Obviously, Pakistan is important. It's trusted by both sides. It seems to me the U.S. for the first time, President Trump trusting this Pakistani general, General Asim. And it seems also Egypt and Turkey are backing this peace process or peace plan. BBC Persians, J.R. Gore. Well, the Israeli defense minister also says they're continuing to strike Iranian infrastructure with full force, hitting the largest petrochemical facility in the country located in Islawiya, worth tens of billions of dollars to Tehran.

6:21It comes as Donald Trump is issuing threats of his own, saying the U.S. will target civilian infrastructure and will unleash hell if Iran doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's deputy foreign minister says President Trump's threats constitute war crimes and says its retaliation will be devastating and widespread if the US and Israel were to strike civilian targets, according to state media. Well, over the last 24 hours, we've received messages from members of the public inside Iran. For their security, their words have been voiced up by our colleagues at BBC Persian. It feels like we're sinking deeper and deeper into a swamp.

6:58What can we do as ordinary people? We can't stop him. I keep thinking about a situation where in a month I'm sitting with my family with no water, no electricity, nothing, and someone blows out the candle and we go to sleep. We're worried about Donald Trump's threat to unleash all hell on Iran if Iran does not make a deal. We're stocking up on water and essentials. I don't see a bright future for Iranians at the end of this. With all these attacks, Iran won't be a place we can live in anymore. So many small businesses have already disappeared and the others will fade away too. So what hopes are there of a diplomatic solution to halt the escalation?

7:37Greg Karlstrom is the Middle East correspondent for the news magazine The Economist and he's in Doha. There is not much optimism which has been the case with every announcement of diplomacy between America and Iran over the past few weeks. As you say the idea is to start with an initial truce of a few weeks and buy some time for negotiations about a permanent ceasefire. This has been brought about by Pakistan essentially passing messages between the two sides. There aren't even proper talks going on between the U.S. and Iran. There's Pakistan playing a game of telephone here. But on the substance of it, the idea that Iran would reopen the straits in exchange for only a temporary truce, it's hard to see them doing that.

8:23The Iranians want to not only end this war, but secure some kind of guarantee that they won't be attacked again, either by America or by Israel. They view their control of Hormuz as essential to that. They're also hoping to monetize their control of Hormuz and turn that into a revenue stream by charging tolls on ships that use the waterway. And so to relinquish that control, to give up that very valuable card in exchange for only ending the war for a few weeks and a promise of negotiations that may not go anywhere for a permanent ceasefire, it's hard to see the Iranians agreeing to that. Greg Karlstrom of The Economist.

9:00And we have more on the main stories on our YouTube channel. Just search for BBC News on YouTube and you'll find Global News Podcast in the podcast section. Next, three people have been killed by a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Odessa, including a mother and her two-year-old child. That's according to the Ukrainian military. Meanwhile, more than 40 miners in occupied Ukraine have been trapped underground after their mine was hit. Here's our global affairs reporter, Paul Moss. The scenes from Odessa are horribly familiar. An apartment block in a residential area with part of its side completely destroyed.

9:38The remains of a family home left dangling as firefighters anxiously search through the debris. Russia has recently stepped up its strikes on this key port, apparently trying to stop its continued use as an import-export hub from which Ukraine still manages to export its grain. But it's civilians who are bearing the brunt of these attacks. Three died in Odessa at the early hours of Monday morning. Speaking outside the destroyed building, the Orthodox Church Archdeacon Andril Palchuk described what happened as simply evil.

10:14On the eve of a great holiday such as Easter, he said, they continue to commit these acts and can't get enough of human blood. Ukraine has been striking back at Russia. The country's military said they'd hit a Russian warship in occupied Crimea, as well as a drilling rig. They also hit a coal mine in the Russian occupied region, the Donbass, according to local Russian installed officials. The latest reports say 41 miners have been trapped underground, but that rescuers have managed to make contact with them and supplied them with drinking water. Paul Moss reporting. While the casualties mount on both sides, Ukrainian theatre audiences are being treated to a unique experience, watching wounded army veterans who have never acted before performing a Ukrainian adaptation of Virgil's NA.

11:05The production offers injured soldiers, some with amputations and severe burns, an opportunity to bond, communicate and discover hidden talents after the horrors of war. Our correspondent, Paul Adams, has been to watch members of the Theatre of Veterans rehearsing for their next performance.

11:31On a Kiev stage, figures emerge out of a smoky haze. soldiers moving slowly, bowed down, burdened, thirsty, exhausted, fleeing war, searching for a place of safety.

11:47Their injuries aren't immediately obvious, but soon you see them, the prosthetics, the burned faces, the stumps where hands should be. The story is ancient, Virgil's wandering Aeneas, reimagined as a Cossack warrior by the Ukrainian poet Ivan Kotliarevsky at the end of the 18th century. But in this production, there's never any doubt about where we are. This is here. This is now. We join the cast for a midweek rehearsal. Theatre of Veterans is a remarkable organisation, giving soldiers who have experienced extreme physical and mental trauma a taste of life on the stage as an aid to recovery, acting as therapy.

12:32For each member of the cast, it's intensely personal. First of all, it's for rehabilitation, for mind, for soul, for body. Ivan Voinov was hit by a glide bomb in May 2024 near the city of Vovchansk, close to the Russian border. The explosion killed and wounded several of his colleagues. Ivan lost his left leg below the knee. He has two metal plates in his skull and a keen desire to see beyond his wounds. When we show this show, a lot of guys who are in war right now, they know after they're injured, it's not the end. Life keeps going and they all can do whatever they want.

13:22I think that I'm changing myself. Because all of us are changing because of something. Ina Korolenko's wounds are less visible. Months of ferrying dead and wounded soldiers from the front line and an explosion in her vehicle, which sent her to hospital for two months, left her traumatised and alone. This project was a very big chance for us to return to our life. Not too scared to say something to people about myself.

13:56Putting this inexperienced but enthusiastic cast through its paces is theatre director Olja Semyoshkina. She says it took time to coax the veterans out of themselves.

14:09The guys and girls came to us very withdrawn. We couldn't touch them. It was too much for them to handle. The first thing we did was establish contact. Then we started to trust each other and open up. We joke a lot. We crack some of the darkest jokes in rehearsals. The show has already played to enthusiastic audiences. Now they're taking it on the road around Ukraine. The veterans all play the same central character, Ene, a broken man going through hell looking for a place to settle. Somehow, through theatre, they've found it. I still don't think that I'm an actor. But step by step, we do something new in the theatre life of Ukraine.

14:59And to be a part of it, it's very cool.

15:09Paul Adams reporting from Kiev in Ukraine. Still to come in this podcast, NASA's Artemis II mission enters uncharted areas in space. the Orion spacecraft and its crew have officially entered the lunar sphere of influence the gravitational forces of the moon are now greater on the Orion spacecraft than that of earth

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17:27You're listening to the Global News Podcast. To East Asia now, where tensions have been flaring between North and South Korea. In January, drones were launched from the southern side of the border into North Korea's airspace, with Pyongyang accusing Seoul of a serious provocation. South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung has now expressed regret to Pyongyang about the incursions, saying his government did not approve them. Mr. Lee said the reckless behavior of individuals had caused unnecessary military tensions. I spoke to our correspondent in Seoul, Jake Kwon, about North Korea's reaction to the drones.

18:03Pyongyang, I mean, they immediately condemned it. North Korea doesn't normally differentiate between action by the government and civilians, perhaps because there isn't much of a difference in North Korea, totalitarian society there. So when South Korea claimed that this was something that they didn't know about, this perhaps was by a civilian, North Korea didn't really believe it. Only when South Korea's ministry that deals with North Korea accepted responsibility and promised to never let it happen again, North Korea softened. And we heard from the North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong, who is really the de facto spokesperson, said she evaluates this message highly.

18:41But she also followed with the usual threat of retaliation in case of repeat offence. The South Korean government say they did not approve the drones. So who, in effect, launched them? So as far as we understand, there was a man in his 30s who is identified by his last name, Oh. And I spoke to a few people who do humanitarian activism regarding North Korea here. And they told me that Oh has been reaching out to them, has been hanging around the circle of North Korea analysts and NGOs. So he's someone who is very much interested in North Korea, whether that means trying to send leaflets over or simply learning about North Korea.

19:16And the investigation shows that Oh has been sending these drones over the border. And these drones are some of those that are sold in commercial market. You can buy them online and they would be taking pictures of North Korea. And there had been a few military officers and spy agency employees who gave him some advice or asked to see the footage afterwards. But the government investigation concluded that these officers acted on their own and there was no government involvement on the organizational level. What does the correspondence and also what's happened over the past few months say for the relationship between the two countries?

19:47Is it unusual for a South Korean president to directly express regret to Pyongyang like this? It is highly unusual for a South Korean leader to apologize to Pyongyang. Well, expressing regret, which is the lightest form of apology. And in fact, it's almost never done by either countries to express any regret. I think it appears weak to the voters or supporters at home and when the leader's core duty as the leader of the country that is technically at war. But South Korea is right now trying to thaw the tension. And this message really shows significant commitment by Lee Jae-myung to really build a good and better relationship with Pyongyang.

20:20Jae Kwon reporting from Seoul. Next, we head to space to check in on the progress of NASA's Artemis 2 mission. We recently received confirmation that the Orion spacecraft and its crew have officially entered the Lunar Sphere of Influence. That milestone taking place at a mission elapsed time of four days, six hours, two minutes and 54 seconds into the Artemis II mission. By reaching this milestone, it means that the gravitational forces of the moon are now greater on the Orion spacecraft than that of Earth. As you heard there earlier on Monday, the crew entered what's known as the lunar sphere of influence, where the moon's gravitational pull is stronger than Earth's.

21:00Now, the four astronauts have been preparing to fly the spacecraft around the far side of the moon, which will see them break the record for the furthest humans have ever travelled from Earth. Our science correspondent, Georgina Renard, told us more. I think this is the most exciting day of the 10-day mission, apart from the launch and the return. They'll get there closest to the moon during this flyby. They'll be 250 ,000 miles from our planet. And at the closest to the moon, they'll be about 4 ,000 miles from the lunar surface. But for about 50 minutes, they'll lose contact with Earth because the radio and laser signals that usually allow back and forth communication between the spacecraft and Earth will actually be blocked by the moon itself.

21:42So during those minutes, the astronauts will only have each other's company. it's been described by other astronauts who've lost contact with Earth as a moment of complete loneliness. They're at such distance from Earth, they can perhaps see it really, really far away, but also sometimes respite from the constant radio contact they have with mission control normally. Yeah, in a strange way, complete loneliness, but not entirely alone either as well. It's a unique experience, no doubt. And just reminds us of the purpose as well of flying all the way around the moon, especially on the far side which we don't know a great deal about so yeah the far side is much more mysterious region we never see it from earth it has a thicker crust than other parts of the moon and many more craters than the ones we were used to seeing when you know when we look up at the moon in the night sky so the crew will spend time taking photographs of the surface looking for unusual features making a note of anything they didn't expect to see it's not unexplored though So NASA is making a big deal of the astronauts seeing this area with human eyes.

22:45They'll be the first humans to see some firsthand. It's actually quite well mapped by robotic explorers, including one sent by India and China, who've even taken samples of that region. So not a new place to humans, but still somewhere, a place to discover new things. But it's also a place that countries might want to build a lunar base in the future or use some resources there like water to sustain a human presence. So strategically, it's very important for the US to understand more about it, because, of course, this Artemis mission is part of the global space race to reach the moon. And these countries want to reach Mars in the future after we get to the moon.

23:25Georgina Renard. India's border security force is considering an unusual method to combat illegal migration and smuggling. The government authority has asked local teams to look at the feasibility of deploying crocodiles and snakes along the India-Bangladesh border. Officials say criminals and smugglers are exploiting unfenced sections of the boundary. I spoke to our global affairs reporter, Ambarasana Thirajan, about this idea to use reptiles for border security. Usually when you talk about border security, you talk about cameras, infrared or high-tech gadgets. but now the Indian border force seem to be going back to one of the oldest techniques when people used to have crocs around the moat or the castles in the olden days.

24:11This border is about 4 ,000 kilometers. Two-thirds of it have been already fenced. The reason why it is triggering tensions between the two countries is because of what India says, human trafficking, smuggling of weapons, as well as drugs across the border. But some areas have not been fenced. They are unfenced because of the geography, rivers and marshy regions and swamps. So they want to release crocodiles and snakes in these areas. This plan has not been implemented, but one of the officers was saying there are many issues here. First of all, where can you obtain them? Where can you buy them?