US launches fresh strikes on Iran

**Charlotte Gallagher** (0:00)
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Charlotte Gallagher, and in the early hours of Sunday, the 12th of July, these are our main stories. The US launches more airstrikes against Iran, as Tehran says it shut the Strait of Hormuz again. What next for the diplomatic efforts to resolve this? The Trump administration issues subpoenas to several journalists after an article questioned how safe the new Air Force One is. And we'll get the latest on the wildfires ripping through southern Spain.
Also in this podcast, we're in the western Canadian province of Alberta as people there consider breaking away.

**Corey Hogan** (0:47)
I think we're all very worried that Alberta's politics could be consumed by this forever if it's a little close, and it looks like maybe there's a trend towards separatism.

**Charlotte Gallagher** (0:57)
And we hear about a bid by a satirical website to convert the right-wing conspiracy platform Infowars into a parody of itself.
We begin with the news that the US has launched another round of strikes against Iran. The US Central Command said it was in response to an Iranian attack on a container ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
A little earlier, Iran said it had closed the strait until further notice. State media said the Revolutionary Guards Navy had fired a warning shot at a vessel. It said it attempted to sail an unapproved route. Meanwhile, talks aimed at opening up the strait have been held in Oman, attended by the Iranian Foreign Minister, but not the US. Kashayar Janady of BBC Persian is following developments. He told me more about the US strikes.

**Kashayar Janady** (1:50)
According to CENTCOM, the US Central Command in the Middle East, at 7.15pm Eastern Time, American forces started their third round of strikes this week against Iranian positions in the northern shores of the Persian Gulf. And these attacks were in response to an earlier attack by Iranian forces against a container ship with a Cypress flag called GFS Galaxy.
Apparently, the attack has resulted in a missing of one of the crew members, and the ship is not able to move because the engine room is on fire. So the Americans announced that in retaliation to this attack, they've hit several positions along the Iranian shoreline.
This attack comes as the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, issued a statement announcing that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed till further notice. That's after these talks between Iran and Oman and Qatar. In Muscat, it actually ended without any solution, any agreement. The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi was in Oman for these talks, but apparently there has been no agreement between both sides. The Omani side is insisting that there should be two sea lanes open, one on the Omani side, one on the Iranian side, and the Iranians are insisting on a joint management.

**Charlotte Gallagher** (3:15)
Is there a route out of this? Because it seems at the moment we're going backwards, not forwards with any kind of diplomatic plan to end this.

**Kashayar Janady** (3:24)
Definitely, and you know, by this, Iran is sending a two-fold message on the situation of Strait of Hormuz. Now they believe that the Strait of Hormuz is their most powerful weapon, and they're trying to use it to exert the highest level of pressure on the Americans. So they're showing that they're open to both diplomacy and escalation if needed. Right now, what they're doing is like they're trying to escalate on purpose, testing the Americans. The Americans are of course showing that they're serious. This is the third time American forces have hit Iranian positions on the northern shores of the Persian Gulf. Of course, each time Iran responds by attacking US bases in the neighboring countries.
President Trump has announced that the ceasefire between Iran and the US is over, but the talks will continue. Of course, talks today, the first step of talks after the weeklong pause, which was because of the funeral of Ali Khamenei. The talks were not fruitful, but it seems that both sides have decided that the talks will carry on.

**Charlotte Gallagher** (4:33)
Kashiar Jenedi from BBC Persian.
Not so long ago, the Qatari government gave President Trump a plane, which he then had kitted out as his brand new Air Force One. Donald Trump flew to the NATO Summit in Turkey in the new plane, but unexpectedly swapped it for the old Air Force One when he travelled to Britain on Wednesday. The New York Times reported that security on the new plane was not up to scratch and quoted an anonymous source. But now the Trump administration has summoned the journalist to appear before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday. Mark Sheff Jr. of the National Press Club had this to say about the subpoenas.