US strikes Iran after accusing Tehran of targeting shipping

**Celia Hatin** (0:00)
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Celia Hatin, and in the early hours of the 8th of July, these are our main stories. The US has carried out a series of strikes against Iran in response to what it calls renewed Iranian targeting of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The French hard right leader, Marine Le Pen, says she's still running for president next year, despite losing her appeal against a conviction for misuse of European Parliament funds.
Also in this podcast, we look ahead to the quarterfinals of the Men's World Cup and some mouthwatering clashes and…

**Miles Grant** (0:41)
I mean, I saw the state of that building.
It was a lot of construction going on. The building was pretty old. I mean, I hope they get it fixed.

**Celia Hatin** (0:52)
The New York City skyscraper that shut down a large part of Manhattan.
The United States and Iran are supposed to be working out a peace deal, but the conflicts between them is heating up around the Strait of Hormuz. US. Central Command says the powerful American strikes hitting targets in Iran came after reported Iranian attacks on commercial ships transiting through the Strait. It says it struck over 80 targets, including Iranian air defense systems. Iranian media is reporting hits in multiple locations in the south of the country. Our North America correspondent Peter Bose told me the latest.

**Peter Bose** (1:33)
Iranian media has reported several explosions in the southern port city of Sirik as well as Kesham Island and Bandar Abbas, and these do in fact appear to be the heaviest US strikes since the ceasefire came into effect. The statement from US. Central Command is strongly worded. It says, American forces have launched a series of powerful strikes to impose what it describes as heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway. Now, those attacks described earlier by a US official as wholly unacceptable. It was earlier also that the British military said that three tankers had been hit in the Strait of Hormuz within a 24-hour period on Monday and Tuesday. No casualties were reported. The US said Iran's actions were a clear violation of the ceasefire and that it had demonstrated, it says, unwarranted and dangerous aggression.

**Celia Hatin** (2:36)
And it's not just strikes going back and forth, is it? The US has also reimposed oil sanctions on Iran?

**Peter Bose** (2:42)
Yes, the U.S.'s initial response when we heard about this really just before those later strikes was to revoke a license which temporarily lifted some sanctions on Iran as part of the memorandum of understanding into the cessation of hostilities. That's when these sanctions were first brought into effect. But the sanctions waiver had allowed the Islamic Republic to produce, sell and deliver oil. So it was a key part of the process to get to the next stage of the negotiations between the US and Iran with the big issues, nuclear weapons, still to be resolved. Iran's foreign ministry has called the move a breach of the memorandum and it said that it proved the bad faith, inconsistency and unreliability of the US government. And it added that Tehran would take whatever measures it considers necessary to safeguard its national interests and national security.

**Celia Hatin** (3:39)
Peter Bose in Washington.
Iran's top joint military command has said Iranian armed forces would deliver a crushing response to the US. They added that they wouldn't allow US interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the only safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait was a route determined by Iran. While NATO leaders who are currently meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara, won't just be discussing Iran at their gatherings. They'll also want to talk about Vladimir Putin and what he plans to do next. The Russian leader is not getting it all his own way in his war with Ukraine. His country is experiencing widespread fuel shortages as Ukrainian missiles and drones continue to strike Russian oil refineries. Will that encourage Mr. Putin to talk or fight back?
Our diplomatic correspondent James Landell in Moscow sent this report.

**James Landell** (4:35)
If you want to get a sense of the fuel crisis gripping Russia, take a drive around Moscow.
There are queues at most petrol stations, some short, some long. And if there are none, it means there's no petrol left. Little wonder some folk are feeling frustrated. Yekaterina tells us she's not happy.

**SPEAKER_6** (4:55)
I think it's a point of panic because everybody thinks that there will be no oil.

**James Landell** (5:05)
Valerie says he thinks it's a bit strange having to queue for fuel in a country that extracts so much oil. Andrei accepts things could get worse, but he's not afraid. We survived through the 90s, he tells us. We remember times which were more difficult. It doesn't scare us.