Iran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after renewed US strikes

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Hello and welcome to News Hour Live from the BBC World Service in London. I'm Rebecca Kesby. And we begin the programme in the Gulf, where both Bahrain and Kuwait have come under attack again from drones and ballistic missiles fired from Iran. In the past few hours sirens have been activated across Bahrain The government urging public the public to remain calm, but also to take shelter from what the Foreign Ministry described as Iran's blatant aggression.

ספاه פاسداران انقلاب اسلامی اعلام کرد.

That's the message from Tehran today. Well shortly before these latest strikes began, President Trump indicated that he remains upbeat about the chances of coming to a deal with the Iranians. This is him speaking in Wisconsin on Friday evening.

We're at a point we're going to come out of Iran very quickly and it's going to be very strong, one way or the other, whether it's a piece of paper or the uh very tough way, okay? The very tough way is maybe the easier way.

That's President Trump speaking on Friday, but since he made those comments, the attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain have continued. Kuwaiti officials have described the attacks today as a flagrant violation of sovereignty and a

But it's not a surprise if this uh aggression continues by the Iranians for a number of reasons. We think that uh they are actually frustrated with the negotiations stalled and not moving forward. And secondly, they are under a lot of pressure because of the financial situation as they are deprived of daily income of roughly half a billion dollars.

You mentioned those foiled attacks recently. Kuwaiti officials have got a number of people under arrest for. I mean, there is a suspicion that a number of Kuwaiti citizens may have also been part of those plots, possibly on behalf of Hezbollah or Iran itself. What can you tell us about that and how much of a concern it would be if Kuwaitis are involved?

Well there were cells discovered in uh five of the six G C countries in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, uh UAE and Saudi Arabia and those cells were actually made and created and recruited by Hezbollah and by the Revolutionary Guards inside the GCC countries. so as to commit terrorist acts or to activate those sleeping cells when need be. Uh those were apprehended, they were caught and they are put on trial. And Iran is asking for their unconditional release and that is not going to happen at all.

I mean Iran does see Kuwait as a legitimate target, mainly because it hosts so many US bases and personnel on its soil. I think it's got the most numbers of US ground forces in the whole Gulf, around thirteen thousand or so. And I suppose the suspicion from Iran is that if there was to be any US invasion of Iran, it would largely come from Kuwait.

Kuwait along with all G C C countries have refused this war and refused to be part of this war. and have also refused to allow the United States of America to use the bases to attack Iran. Now the Iranians are targeting Kuwait for different reasons. They haven't only attacked Kuwait, they've attacked Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, eight countries actually were attacked by the Iranians and they were unprovoked attacks.

It still leaves Kuwait in a really difficult position, doesn't it? And does your country see the USA as a protector still as it has been since ninety one or actually is it a a threat, a liability to the security of Kuwait?

The Kuwaiti Air Forces have shown marvelous proficiency in intercepting ninety five plus, you know, percent of the drones and the ballistic missiles the Iranians have been barraging against our country.

Has that care of Kuwait's diplomacy been totally compromised by the current US administration? It's made it more complicated, hasn't it?

Well actually uh and I'm quoting actually an American friend of mine who said that you are nice guys in a bad neighborhood and that that is actually the truth because of the i Iran Iraq aggression against Kuwait back in nineteen ninety. And nowadays as we speak

That's interesting. I mean i it was clear that Kuwait was giving this message before the war started, but since the war has been uh underway and particularly maybe in the past few weeks since we've had this sort of little bit of a lull in the fighting I I guess. Is Kuwait is the government being heard more clearly in the Oval Office? Would that be your understanding at the moment?

Well there is a sort of an impression that uh Tel Aviv is more listened to in the Oval Office than the the Arab allies of the United States.

You say that, you know, you live in a bad neighbourhood and I suppose as you say, you know, when this does die down, will the Kuwaiti government still be keen to allow US bases on its territory in the future or will it be more cautious about allowing the Americans to have such influence over your country or in your in your country? What is the alternative in terms of protecting Kuwait? If you do turn against the United States

Well that's a very good question, but I don't think that anyone has an answer to but it depends on the outcome of this confrontation and this conflict.

You said that Iran was frustrated with the peace talks at the moment. How is Kuwait feeling about that? Are you optimistic that these uh talks can reach some kind of conclusion?

It's very interesting because the Iranians consider themselves the masters of procrastination and d delay and frustrating the other partner or the other party with whom they negotiate. But this time seems that Mr. Trump has actually over procrastinated them and is winning the waiting game of this uh of this negotiation. What we know is that there is a negotiation to arrive at.

What do you make of the Trumpian style of negotiating during this crisis?

statements are deliberate and that it is to cause confusion against their

Side.

by giving conflicting signs and conflicting statements and a statement after another, a statement withdrawing another statement or refuting it or, you know, j just just canceling it and saying something else. Some analysts, some observers think that this is a uh calculated strategy to confuse the Iranian.

That Saad Bentifla Alajmi, their former Information Minister of Kuwait. Let's cross live to our Middle East analyst, Sebastian Usher, who joins us from Israel. Um Seb, just a a point of clarification first. Uh the minister there said they weren't getting help from the USA. Technically US forces have been intercepting these Iranian missiles, haven't they? Uh can you give us a fuller picture on the current fighting?

Yeah, I mean that's our understanding, although Kuwait has said uh that that it that it has been involved in the in the firing down Or some of the missiles and drones but have been uh fired at them. I mean what we've had In the past twenty four hours there's been really two separate kind of incidents, the latest flare up. I think the fourth big one, since the ceasefire between the US and Iran was brought in, we saw uh first of all the US Central Command says that four drones were fired.

And Seb you are in Israel right now, as I mentioned that we can hear some of the traffic in the background.

Yeah, I mean Hebron.

Okay, so I mean the the US Israeli government relationship has also been under the spotlight this week after that reportedly expletive laden phone call between Trump and Netanyahu over the Iran issue. Are is there tension between these two now?

Yes. I mean there definitely is tension, essentially because there are divergent interests between President Trump, his administration and the Israeli government and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Um and and there have been testy conversations before and in fact I mean uh last year during the twelve day war if if people remember

Sebastian Usher there live. You with News Hour live from the BBC, I'm Rebecca Kesby, next to France, one of many countries in the grip of so called culture wars at the moment, and the battleground this time food. Over the past couple of years there's been a sudden craze for staging mass popular banquets where participants feast on local food and wine and sing along to well known songs.

So we've just arrived outside the Parc des Expositions here in Colmar where the Alsacian, the Alsatian banquet is about to take place, and I am staggered by the number of people over here. The line goes right way round this huge building. We've been told there are more than 3,000 people waiting to take part in this event. It really is enormous. I'm surprised. Let's go inside.

living the good life. We're going to eat together, drink a bit, have fun, think together and that's gonna be it, you know, and then we we head back home.

Oh a lot of music, a lot of dance and a lot of smile.

les copains, l'alcool et la nourriture.

Atmosphere, f friends, alcohol, food. And the vibes. And the vibes. In the space of a few years, these banquets run by a company called Le Canon Français have become a spectacular success. The idea, as I heard from founder Pierre Alexandre de Bois, is to tap into the French tradition for the good things food, wine, company, chat.

What we love the most with my associates is when we see uh you know the lawyer sitting next to the baker who is s sitting next to the the butcher. I mean sometimes we are alone at home surfing on internet losing a lot of time but we don't speak each other anymore. So if we have a huge banquet, uh it's good it's good because people can be together again.

All this fun, but there's a snag. The radical left wing party LFI now has Le Canon Français in its firing line. It says that these banquets are all white affairs designed to exclude people of different origins, that there's racist chanting, that it all helps promote the hard right national rally.

S'ils étaient de bonne foi, ils auraient dit nous nous...

If they were in good faith, they would never have accepted Terrain as an investor.

C'est dommage de toujours politiser les choses et de faire des politiques.

For founder Pierre-Alexandre Deboisse, it's all just pre-election point scoring.

I bring employment, I create job, I create uh happiness to the people that are coming to my event. So if you are a politician you need to help me. You cannot attack a private company because you don't like the shareholders, because you don't like the people that are coming inside the party, because you don't like my name, it's not your problem. If you don't like me, do your politics outside my event and leave me alone. Please.

Hugh Schofield with that report from France.

Now following international news at the moment can feel a bit relentless to be honest, even depressing on some days, given the number of wars going on, the poverty and suffering in many areas, corruption, human rights violations. But a new book featuring stories from around the world, including from war torn countries, highlights uplifting stories of human affection, care and humanity, even in the bleakest of moments.

This is basically a book of love stories reported from nine different countries dealing with nine different crises. And I'm w work as a journalist as as you do obviously and as someone who's spent more than a decade reporting on horrific situations, human rights abuses and exploitation and cruelty.

Well that's right. Love does take so many different forms, doesn't it? And your book does highlight that. Um you're currently in Lebanon, in fact, which has been the focus of so much of our news over the past week and months. Um you do have a story from Lebanon in the book and this is about a son's love for his father. Can you give us the brief details?

This is by Bassam. The the chapter is actually about the economic crisis, um, more than the current war, but I mean it all kind of

Yeah. I mean I I'm always amazed at how brave some people are, um, in the most frightening, awful circumstances. And I guess one of the things that does make people brave is love. I mean you say the book isn't really about romantic love, but there is a lovely story of a Ukrainian couple um that's included. They've been divided by the war and uh their whole sort of relationship is about romantic. trying to stay connected and strong for each other while they're separated.

So there is romantic love in the book. It's just not the only type. This is the story of Irina and Sergei who are a couple. You know, I went to Ukraine, I wanted to meet the partners of people who've ended up on the front lines.

So uh how do you want people to to feel reading your book and what what does it tell us about humanity?

I didn't want to sugarcoat things or or diminish the problems in the world, but I think it is important to remember that love exists and that kindness exists. empathy exists and that these are all very important

That's writer Sally Hayden there on her book This is also a love story speaking to me earlier.

The Signal Awards recognize the podcasts that define culture, and being honored by the Signal Awards sets your production team apart with recognition. The industry's top experts and access proof that your work is a standard bearer for podcasting worldwide. By entering your work is heard by the Signal Awards Judging Academy, an invitation-only body of podcasting. Podcast professionals from acclaimed organizations to

Welcome back to NewsHour. Now wherever we live in the world, most of us rely on fast food sometimes, whether we buy it or make it. Many of us are always in a rush when it comes to food. Now across Africa a new idea is taking root. Slow food, locally grown ingredients cooked from scratch and leisurely enjoyed with no distractions.

I'm here to meet Victoria Chatambalala, who teaches both biology and agriculture. She has made it her mission to teach her students about slow food.

As you can see here we have examples of the local plants.

Around fifteen students are seating in rows of desks. In front of them is a table loaded with local crop. A year ago, Hasko joined the Slow Food Gardens in Africa scheme. The Malawi branch provided them with seeds, equipment and advice on how to create their own sustainable garden. Victoria takes me outside to show me the results. I'm standing right in the middle of of this beautiful garden with about 20 beds with assorted vegetables. Sixty students volunteered to look after the garden.

The gross circureth, cassava, pumpkin.

Yeah.

Yeah.

In most communities here in Malawi, most people like growing exotic plants. they contain a lot of chemicals you talk of pesticides having the bodies of many people so here they have taken the skill of growing local plants which is something that is lawful is encouraging

Their produce is used in school lunches and lots of the children say they have been inspired to start a garden at home. It seems the project has been very successful in inspiring the next generation. Do we have anyone among us that would like to be a farmer?

Yes.

Twenty farmers. Slow Food has also started up something called an earth market right on my doorstep in Blantar in southern Malawi. It's actually a store in the middle of the main market. On the morning I visit, it is being run by Steve Banda, who shows me around.

Everything you see here is the local variety. We have customers here from lodges and big restaurants that give us orders to supply local vegetables. Before this we could only farm for consumption with no profit at all. Now we're able to realise profits.

The store is shared by five rotating communities and sells produce from around 100 farmers over the years.

Marie Sagula there with that report from Malawi, but as I say, it's an idea that's taking off across Africa.

You're listening to NewsHour live from the BBC, I'm Rebecca Kesby. Now let's go to India's capital, Delhi, where protesters have been out on the streets today. Now this was a real life protest by supporters of a political party that's began online as a bit of a joke really. The Cockroach Janta Party or C J P isn't actually an official party but it does have.

There are youngsters like cockroaches. They don't get any employment. They don't have any place in profession. Some of them become media. Some of them become social media. Some of them become RTI activists. Some of them become another activist. And they start attacking everyone.

Well young people didn't take uh too well to those comments. Let's speak to our South Asia correspondent Azude Mashiri, who uh joins us live. Tell us more about this movement.

Yes, it's worth uh adding that the the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who whom you just heard right there, he did go on to say later on, when this did become particularly controversial that uh he wasn't actually referring to India's youth and that he was actually referring to people with fake degrees. Um but you can imagine in a country where unemployment is double digits

Yeah.

He'd initially told me that he um that he didn't think he didn't think this would become what it has become. That he initially thought it was a bit of a joke.

Well indeed. And a as you say that he's the sort of leader figurehead of this movement. But I uh spoke just before we came on air to one of those who participated today. Uh she's a D T she's a president of one of the students' unions in Delhi. This is what she told me.

The citizenry of all kind is uh unfortunately not happy and not satisfied under this regime and the regime has been doing all its politics on the basis of hate. All the hatred was directed towards Muslims. But now the time has come that the government is selling all the possible things. Everything has become about money making. Even education.

Uh you describe the government as a regime, but it is uh elected um a and does uh you know, maybe its majority has lessened slightly, but it does have a lot of uh support across the country.

The government is very much authoritarian and the media also is very hostile.

So is this an anti BJP movement or an anti all political parties movement?

No, this is uh according to m my understanding, this is an anti BJP movement. Because um uh to answer the first question very precisely, if you would look at the slogans and poster of this uh particular mobilization, you would see that people have been demanding resignation of the uh Minister of Education, Dharmindra Pradhan.

Right. Just for clarification, you're talking about exam papers. So so the a allegation is that some people have been uh leaking exam papers which give some students an unfair advantage if they pay to get to see those exam papers ahead of time.

Yeah, that has been. So in India, uh when le when well I was growing up, the union government exams were very much reliable. People had had a faith. And for most of the people, for most of the youth also, curing these competitive exams is a way of upward mobility for them and their family. But we see that ten years ago, the government brought in national testing agency.

So I mean we've been talking about education here, but uh around fifty percent of India's population is under the age of twenty five and apparently unemployment among young people is also very high. Is that also one of your Aims to draw attention to that.

Yeah, definitely. So look, the government, the system is the one who is uh very structurally keeping the youth unemployed. There are no uh government jobs, there are no jobs and uh secure jobs. And no security in those jobs. Every job is being contractualized. Education is being privatized. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has several times said that why do you need to demand public jobs from the government? Look, I have digitized.

That's Aditi, their student union leader we spoke to just uh just before we came on air, um Azade Mashiri is still with us, our correspondent. I mean one of the things that's really interesting about this movement Azade is the speed with which it has sort of taken off. And we mentioned there it's mainly in Delhi at the moment, but I mean if this goes nationwide, how problematic for the governing BJP could it be?

Yeah, I mean there's a lot to unpack in what she just said and it's th it's worth remembering that she isn't officially part of the the CJP uh and that she represents a student union with its own views. And yes The CJP does have images of Narendra Modi all through its account. It has a lot of AI messages.

Certainly one to watch Azadeh, thank you so much for bringing us up to date with that in India. That's the BBC's Azadeh Mashiri. That's it for this edition of News Hour from me and the whole team here in London. Thank you very much for joining us. Do stay tuned for the latest world news up next.

The Signal Awards recognize the podcasts that define culture, and being honored by the Signal Awards sets your production team apart with recognition. The industry's top experts and acts as proof that your work is a standard bearer for podcasting worldwide. By entering your work is heard by the Signal Awards Judging Academy, an invitation-only body of podcasting.