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Episode details

World Service,14 Mar 2026,23 mins

Iran War: Life under bombardment

From Our Own Correspondent

Available for over a year

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Iran, Qatar, Ukraine and Nepal. For people living in Iranian cities under attack, it’s not at all clear when, or how, the US-Israeli war with Iran might end. More than 1300 Iranians have so far been killed, after bomb, missile and drone strikes across the country. A widespread telecommunications blackout has made it hard to see or hear at first hand what civilians are going through, but several Iranians tell BBC Persian's Sarah Namjoo they are struggling to lead a normal life. Qatar is among several Gulf states that have faced Iranian strikes on military and civilian sites since the war began. Many of these countries tried to stop the war, and intercede between Iran and its enemies - but that hasn't stopped Iran from hitting hotels, oil infrastructure and shipping in the region. Barbara Plett Usher gauges the mood in Doha. Several Gulf nations have turned to Ukraine for advice on downing Iranian drones. So far, teams of Ukrainian drone experts have arrived in Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to help. James Landale, the BBC diplomatic correspondent, explains from Kyiv how a new global role may lie ahead for Ukraine. Nepal has just held an historic election. Last year, anti-corruption protests led by young Nepalis turned violent, prompted a lethal backlash from the police, and led to the fall of the former government and the resignation of the Prime Minister. Young voters have handed rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah and his party, the RSP, a landslide victory - the first in decades. Can he satisfy their demands for change? Our South Asia Correspondent Azadeh Moshiri has been in Kathmandu. Producer: Polly Hope Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-Ordinator: Katie Morrison (Image: An Iranian woman gestures while standing on the ruins of a building destroyed during the U.S.-Israeli military campaign , in Tehran, Iran. Credit: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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