US strikes Iran’s key oil island

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1:14This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Charlotte Gallagher. And in the early hours of Saturday, the 14th of March, These are our main stories. President Trump says the US has carried out strikes against military targets on Haag Island, Iran's main export terminal for oil in the Gulf. There's defiance in Tehran as thousands of protesters turn out for a pro-government rally. And we hear from Iranian Kurds in Iraq who want to return to Iran.

1:51also in this podcast Cuba confirms that negotiations with the US are underway and we hear how in a medical first spider silk has been used to repair broken nerves it bridges the gap that's made between these new two nerve ends and then the new nerves try and grow out it's almost like a plant sprouting from the ground but they attach to the silk and then they grow along it our silk dissolves and the nerve is able to then regenerate

2:21Haag is an island only eight kilometers long, located just off the coast of Iran. It's small in size, but not in significance. It's Iran's main export terminal for oil, and tonight President Trump announced the US had obliterated military targets on the island. It comes as reports swell that the White House is preparing to send reinforcements to the Middle East, including thousands of Marines. The war is now entering its third week, something President Trump was asked about before boarding Air Force One. How long now do you think the war is likely to last? I can't tell you that. I mean, I have my own idea, but what good does it do?

3:01It'll be as long as it's necessary. Our North America correspondent, David Willis, told me more about the significance of Haag Island. It lies, Charlotte, about 25 kilometres off the coast of Iran in the northern Gulf. And around 90 % of Iran's oil exports come from there, making it potentially very significant. It hasn't been targeted up to now. And oil tankers have been seen filling up with oil there since the conflict began. It's been described as the economic lifeblood of the Iranian regime. And in a post on Truth Social, President Trump said that the U.S. military had destroyed every military target in what he called Iran's crown jewel, Khag Island, excluding its oil infrastructure.

3:54But he went on to say that should Iran do anything to impede the safe passage of vessels through the vitally significant Strait of Hormuz to the southeast of Hag Island, he would, as he put it, reconsider that decision. In other words, he's using a potential attack on Hag Island as leverage, if you like, in an attempt to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to international shipping. And what more do we know about these media reports, David, about President Trump potentially sending thousands of Marines and other personnel to the region? That's right. A naval task force made up of additional troops and machinery is being deployed to the Middle East from its base in Japan.

4:41And that's between 2 ,500 and 5 ,000 Marines and sailors, apparently, members of an expeditionary unit. and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli will be accompanying them and form part of the deployment. An amphibious ready group typically includes, I'm told, vessels capable of carrying landing craft as well as large numbers of helicopters. And the deployment suggests that the United States is considering perhaps an expanded range of options, possibly occupying Haag Island, possibly protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and conceivably some kind of limited amphibious landing.

5:25Now, the Pentagon has declined to comment on these reports, as you probably expect, but it's thought the deployment does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or about to take place, although President Trump himself hasn't ruled that out. And throughout this time, President Trump and the Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, have said quite contradictory things. Do we get a sense now that this operation is nearing an end, or maybe it's the opposite completely? Well, it might be the opposite. I mean, President Trump again insisted today that the United States was, as he put it, way ahead of schedule in regards to its operation in Iran.

6:05But he wouldn't be drawn on how much longer the conflict would last, saying simply that it would go on for, as he put it, as long as it's necessary. But this is now about more than simply attacking Iran. The Trump administration has its work cut out defending the Strait of Hormuz, through which, what, 20 % of the world's oil is transported. And President Trump conceded that the US could start escorting oil tankers through the strait soon, as he put it. David Willis. There were explosions in the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday, while thousands of people were taking part in a rally in support of the regime.

6:46The country's health ministry says at least 1 ,300 people have been killed since the start of the war. Iran has also continued to attack its Gulf neighbours. Qatar has, in the past few hours, issued an evacuation order covering parts of Doha, saying it's a precautionary measure. Here's our diplomatic correspondent, Caroline Hawley. From an embattled Iranian regime, a show of defiance, loyalists came out in large numbers, just as their new supreme leader had asked. And many carried his image, though Mujtabakh Manei himself has still not been seen. State-run TV showed Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, out on the streets, even looking relaxed.

7:31and another very powerful figure in the regime who had a message for Donald Trump. The problem with Trump is that he's not intelligent enough to understand that Iranians are a mature and strong and determined nation. The more pressure he exerts, the stronger our nation's willpower will become. This is the Al-Quds rally held every year to oppose Israel. Suddenly, an explosion nearby. Another airstrike took place as state-run TV was interviewing Iran's hardline head of the judiciary. People are not afraid of these attacks, he says. We will not back down in any way.

8:15But many Iranians are very afraid as the human cost of this war and the humanitarian consequences grow. The Red Crescent says nearly 20 ,000 homes have now been damaged, along with businesses, schools and 16 of its own facilities.

8:34Iranians are continuing to flee. More than three million of them have left their homes so far, according to the UN. At Turkey's border with Iran, one man said bombs were raining down on his homeland. Near the central city of Isfahan, one glimpse into the intensity of the bombardment.

8:57The man filming is clearly happy to see regime targets hit.

9:08Duck down, someone says, as airstrike follows airstrike.

9:17And Donald Trump says Iran will continue to be hit very hard. Caroline Hawley. But what do we know about the overall destruction in Iran from Israeli and US attacks? The US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, says Iran has no functioning Air Force, Air Defence or Navy and that its missile volume is down by 90%. But two weeks on, Iran is still firing missiles and drones. The BBC's John Sudworth has been verifying the damage in Iran so far. What we can say with certainty is that for 14 straight days now, Iran has been hit by a huge and sustained bombardment. The US and Israel say they've struck more than 15 ,000 targets so far.

10:05In terms of what's being hit, the list is a long one. Across multiple cities and other towns, other locations, The targets include military bases, missile launch sites, weapons factories and the Iranian Navy, of course, with more than 60 ships damaged or sunk so far. And the targeting in recent days of the citywide checkpoints set up by the Basij, Iran's feared volunteer militia out on the streets to crack down on any hint of dissent. But beyond the military targets, the strikes are also aimed at civil infrastructure, such as government leadership facilities. That's how Ayatollah Khomeini was assassinated on the first day of the war, of course.

10:49But those civil targets also include state media, airports and energy facilities. And what about the effect on Iranians, the loss of life? Well, Iran says that more than 1 ,300 people have been killed so far, including 175 people in a school, most of them children, in a strike now widely believed, of course, to have been the result of a US targeting error. Iranian state TV has been broadcasting footage of some damaged apartment blocks with rescue workers on site, making the point that civilians are being targeted. So independent information is far harder to come by. Some of the big US-based satellite data companies, it's been interesting to watch them.

11:33They provide high-resolution imagery of the kind that was once only available to spy agencies, but it's now readily available for little or no cost. But they have now introduced a time delay up to 14 days at the current time of speaking for their imagery of the Middle East. That's to stop Iran using it for surveillance, intelligence and targeting purposes. But it also makes it much harder, of course, for journalists and analysts to assess the scale of the destruction. Although I think we can say without too much guessing that it's likely, of course, to be extensive. John Sudworth speaking to Paddy O 'Connell.

12:09The Lebanese health ministry says an Israeli strike has hit a health centre in the south of the country, killing at least 12 medical personnel. It says it was the second medical facility to be hit in a matter of hours. Nearly 800 people have been killed in the current campaign, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Aid agencies say the country is nearly at breaking point. Our correspondent, Wira Davis, sent this report from Beirut. The Israeli military dropped leaflets over parts of Beirut, not areas of particularly strong Hezbollah support, calling for people to rise up and help ensure that Hezbollah is disarmed.

12:48It was a blunt attempt by Israel to capitalise on the clear divisions and tensions in Lebanese society over the damage being done by the war and Hezbollah's decision to continue firing rockets against Israel in support of Iran. The leaflets also had QR codes that people were warned to avoid scanning for fear that their phones or other devices might be compromised. Two locals in the Hamra district of Beirut gave us their reaction. We were sitting when we heard a very loud sound, like a strike. We looked up and saw two batches of leaflets being dropped, one in front of us and another further ahead.

13:29There were a lot, you could say, about the size of a car. That's how many there were. If they wanted this to affect us, it would have long ago. No matter what they do, we remain steadfast, working, carrying on with our lives and earning our livelihood. Israel says it's been expanding the scale and scope of its bombing campaign, hitting targets across Lebanon in a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah's weapon stores, control centres and financial institutions. It has bombed targets in southern Beirut, the Bekar Valley and an expanded exclusion zone in south Lebanon, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes.

14:11The Norwegian Refugee Council says that at least 800 ,000, or one in seven people in Lebanon, have been displaced by the war, a number set to rise further and create severe humanitarian challenges as Israel bombs more towns and villages in its attempt to destroy Hezbollah as a military force. Weira Davis. In Iraq, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups say their fighters are prepared to cross the border and join the war against Iran. Many Iranian Kurds have loved ones who were killed by the Iranian regime. The fighters want the United States to give them a no-fly zone so they can return. Our senior international correspondent, Orla Gurren, reports from one of their mountain bases.

14:57Across the border, war is raging inside Iran. Here in northern Iraq, we're heading to meet those hoping to join in. Iranian Kurdish fighters, some in exile here for decades.

15:19Eager to return to their homeland with the weapons they have to hand. Woman, life, freedom. The slogan of the protest movement brutally crushed in Iran. These Kurdish fighters are called Peshmerga, meaning those who face death. Donald Trump has blown hot, then cold, on their guns coming into the fight. Very difficult to come up now. Hello, hi. Hello, hi. Orla from BBC. My name is Shaho. Nice to meet you. Shaho Bluri hopes to return home soon to honour all the dead. One of your brothers was hung. Yeah, yeah, hung. Many of our family were one by one killed and hanging. How many members of your extended family have been killed by the regime?

16:20I think directly 18. 18? 18. If you are able to go home, what is the first thing that you want to do?

16:47The fighters here now joining forces with other Kurdish-Iranian groups. but in need of US support. Do you think there's a danger that President Trump could suddenly say, I'm finished with this war now, it's over?

17:06Personally, I don't trust Trump. I think he may decide to stop the war. No one can predict what Trump will do.

17:18Suddenly, the commander, Amjad Panahi, gets news of a strike on one of their bases, sparking fears of an attack at our location.

17:31Spread out, he warns. Now, man. There's a cave up there, guys. OK, let's move. We've just been asked to disperse, to spread out a bit. They're worried about too many people being in the same place and being a bigger target. They've had some intelligence that there may be a drone strike. These camps are being hit very regularly.

18:01So the Peshmerga watch the skies and urge us to leave. They remain in position. Still on the sidelines for now. Ola Garen reporting. Still to come in this podcast, a Russian teacher who smuggled footage from his school could be in line for an Oscar. Regarding the Oscar speech, it will be written by my students. They are already working on it. And if we win, it's going to be their speech.

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21:02This week on Good Bad Billionaire, how Toto Wolff made his billions. Listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts. The US authorities have said the Lebanese-born man who rammed a truck into a synagogue on Thursday in the state of Michigan died after shooting himself. No one else was killed, though a security guard was injured. Reports say he carried out the attack soon after several members of his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. The US authorities called it a targeted act of violence and would not be drawn on a motive. Jennifer Runyon is the FBI special agent in charge of the investigation.

21:44Our team has been working around the clock to ensure that we remain focused on providing confirmed facts about this investigation rather than uncorroborated speculation. The FBI has forensically confirmed that the assailant responsible for carrying out this attack was Eamon Mohamed Ghazali, age 41, from Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He has no previous criminal history and no registered weapons. He also has never been the subject of an FBI investigation. Our correspondent Helena Humphrey reports from Michigan. Temple Israel's congregation north of Detroit is coming to terms with an attack that could have claimed the lives of worshippers and children at an on-site preschool.

22:26Eamon Mohamed Ghazali, a naturalised US citizen born in Lebanon, rammed his truck through the synagogue's doors and drove down a hallway. The mayor of Dearborn, where Ghazali lived, said he had recently lost several family members, including a niece and nephew, in an Israeli strike in Lebanon. A Lebanese official told the AP News Agency that they were killed last Thursday as they were having their fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. While the motive is still under investigation, a rabbi at Temple Israel says the congregation had practiced an active shooter drill just weeks earlier.

23:04Look, American Judaism is such these days that every synagogue is a target and every synagogue is well aware that we need to take precautions to keep our people safe. So we have regular active shooter drills. We offered one a few weeks ago for our clergy, our staff, our security team, and our teachers run by the FBI that walked us through over and over again what to do in case of an active shooter situation. And I can honestly say that that protocol saved lives. Amid the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, President Trump says he's not worried about the threat of domestic terrorism. But for many American Jews going about their daily lives, their sense of safety has been shaken.

23:45That was Helena Humphrey reporting from Michigan. There was a significant announcement on Cuban national television on Friday.