Iran widens retaliatory attacks in Gulf countries

On the fourth day of the US and Israel's war against Iran, Tehran has widened its retaliatory attacks in the Gulf region, with two of its drones hitting the US embassy in Saudi Arabia. Iran has threatened to ''set fire'' to any ship passing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil and gas shipping route. The cost of hiring an oil supertanker from the Middle East to China has doubled since last week, reaching an all-time high of more than $400,000 a day. In the US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells journalists "the hardest hits" on Iran are "yet to come". Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance insists that the conflict will not drag on for years. As the Trump administration seeks to justify its military campaign, what do Americans make of the decision to attack Iran? We hear from voters in Texas.

Also: US lawmakers have released Bill and Hillary Clinton's video testimonies about Jeffrey Epstein, totalling around nine hours' worth of footage. A long-lost painting by the Dutch Master Rembrandt has been traced and authenticated by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. And Ethiopia unveils Africa’s first unmanned smart police station, powered by artificial intelligence.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: [email protected]

US says Iran war will not be 'endless'

The US and Israel strike targets across Iran for a third day. The American Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, says Washington's objectives won't be achieved "overnight" - but promised conflict with Iran would not lead to an "endless war". The violence has now spread across the region, as Iran launches its own attacks on several Gulf states. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, exchanges strikes with Israel. Israel's President, Isaac Herzog, tells us that the future of the Middle East hinges on Iran losing the war. And our chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, reflects on what might come next.

Trump warns of more US deaths in Iran war

President Donald Trump has warned that more American military personnel are likely to be killed as the US and Israel continue their attacks on Iran. Three US service members have already died after Iranian retaliatory strikes on military sites. Trump says Operation Epic Fury could last weeks. Also: the conflict widens as Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire, with the IDF hitting targets in Beirut's southern suburbs. Oil prices surge after Iran warns tankers to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. The UK says it will allow the US to use British bases. And we look at Mossad and the CIA's intelligence efforts to carry out the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Image credit: Truth Social/Reuters

The Happy Pod: The chance encounter that became a lasting friendship

We meet two women who have forged an unconventional friendship after meeting by chance more than four years ago. Neena found Carol's lost subway card in New York and they went on to build a close intergenerational bond. They say their 58 year age gap allows them to learn from each other, slow down and appreciate what's important.

Also: How decades of work have brought giant tortoises back to an island in the Galapagos for the first time in nearly two hundred years. The Floreana Tortoise became extinct after the arrival of humans, but now dozens of young reptiles bred from a closely related species have been released there.

Across the Pacific, we meet the Gen Z women working to restore damaged coral reefs on an Indonesian archipelago. The underwater gardeners recover broken fragments and help them grow.

Plus, the science behind why getting out into nature can boost our well being; the veterans reunited more than eighty years after they fought together in World War Two; and how an unwanted bike in Scotland has opened up new possibilities for para-cyclists in Kenya.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Photo: Neena and Carol, who became friends after Neena returned Carol's lost subway card. Credit: Neena Roe

Israel continues to strike Iran after Ayatollah's death

Israel is launching strikes on Iran for a second day after initial joint attacks with the US killed the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran says it has a duty to retaliate. Also in this special podcast, we hear how the Iranian people view the strikes on their country. We have a report from Israel, where there's been a barrage of Iranian missiles. We look at how the attack on Iran could turn into a wider regional conflict. And we ask how President Trump's decision to attack Tehran has been received at home — and whether it was legal under international law.

Iran's Supreme Leader killed in US-Israeli strikes

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in his office by US and Israeli strikes - ending his 36-year iron rule of the Islamic Republic. As the government announces a 40 day mourning period, many Iranians have reportedly taken to the streets to celebrate. The Revolutionary Guard has promised to punish the "murderers", and is carrying out retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region. There have been strong reactions at the UN Security Council and on Capitol Hill. So who's now in charge of Iran? And what does this mean for the rest of the world? We get analysis from BBC Persian and our international correspondents about the significance of this moment.

Image credit: Iranian supreme leader's office handout/EPA/Shutterstock

US and Israel carry out joint attacks on Iran

President Donald Trump confirms that "major combat operations" are underway against targets in Iran in a joint operation by the US and Israeli military. The office of Iran's supreme leader, and the presidential office in Tehran, were reportedly targeted, as well as military sites across the country. In response Iran launched strikes at US military targets across the region - with damage reported in Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: [email protected]

Trump blacklists Anthropic in AI battle

President Donald Trump says he will direct every federal agency to immediately stop using technology from AI developer Anthropic. The company behind the AI assistant Claude is mired in a row with the White House after refusing demands to give the US military unfettered access to its AI tools. Anthropic says “no amount of intimidation or punishment” will shift its opposition to its technology being used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, and says it will challenge the White House decision in court.

Also: the former US President, Bill Clinton, tells a Congressional committee he did nothing wrong during his acquaintance with Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump says he's "not happy" with the outcome of the third round of nuclear negotiations with Iran, but the Omani mediator says "peace is within reach" and calls for more time to be given to diplomatic efforts. We look back at the career of the American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, who has died aged 86. Argentina's president Javier Milei tries to scrap laws protecting glaciers from the mining industry, promising the changes will lead to one million new jobs. And why the English Premier League is to launch its first direct-to-customer streaming platform next season.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories.

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Photo: YURI GRIPAS/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

Pakistan says it's killed almost 300 Afghan Taliban

Latest attacks mark escalation in long-running tensions between the two South Asian neighbours. Islamabad has repeatedly blamed the Afghan Taliban for supporting militants accused of attacks in Pakistan. Also: Nine senior officers of the Chinese military have been officially removed as delegates to the country’s annual parliamentary session, just days before it's due to start. US says it will ease its economic blockade on Cuba, if oil is sent to the island’s private sector. Epstein files reveal the late convicted sex offender tried to buy a multimillion-dollar palace in Morocco, the day before his arrest in 2019. And the British supermarket chain, Waitrose, suspends sales of mackerel because of overfishing.

Pakistan strikes Afghan capital

Pakistani military jets have hit targets inside Afghanistan, bombing parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, as open military conflict surged between the two countries. Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, said Islamabad's patience had run out and declared the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes and heavy losses for both sides. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies.

Also: the BBC has obtained a video that shows how Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian boy and stood around as he bled to death. Netflix drops out of the bidding war for Warner Brothers Discovery, leaving Paramount as the top contender to acquire the legacy studio. As former US President Bill Clinton prepares to testify before a Congressional committee investigating the fall-out from the Epstein files, his wife Hillary, who appeared before the panel on Thursday, says her husband's connection with Epstein ended several years before anything about the sex offender's criminal activities came to light. In a landmark trial in Los Angeles, the woman at the heart of a case against social media giants says she became addicted to their platforms aged six. The British Labour government suffers a by-election defeat in key political test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. How Pokémon's 30th anniversary is being marked worldwide. And we test our spelling skills after a survey reveals the words British pupils most struggle with.

US and Iran hold crucial talks mediated by Oman

Iran's president says Tehran isn't pursuing nuclear weapons and has no intention of doing so, as a third round of crucial talks with the US continues in Geneva. Also: former US secretary of state and first lady, Hillary Clinton, appears before a Congressional committee investigating the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his country "could get along well" with the United States, if Washington recognises Pyongyang as a nuclear power. US condemns the use of drones by both sides in the conflict in Sudan. And a new study reveals why some older people's minds are as sharp as they were when they were young.

A special report from Mexico on the deadly drugs trade

We hear from a Mexican city in Sinaloa state where one of the big drug cartels is locked in its own civil war. Our correspondent Quentin Sommerville visited the state capital, Culiacán, where he witnessed scenes of brutal violence that have brought pain and terror to residents. Also: Cuba says its coastguard has killed four people on board a US-registered speedboat, in an exchange of fire off the Cuban coast. It said those on the boat were Cubans, living in the US, with a history of violent activity - and "terrorist" intentions. The American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, called the shootout "highly unusual" and said the US would conduct its own investigation into the incident and not rely on the Cuban version of events. A British clinical trial on more than 500 people across 15 countries found that a new tablet to treat HIV - which combines two current treatments - is highly effective at keeping the virus suppressed. A BBC Eye investigation has revealed that Nepal’s top police officer gave the order allowing the use of live fire during last year’s deadly crackdown on Gen Z protests - one of the worst in the country's history. And the robot that conducted Denmark's National Symphony Orchestra. We have the verdict on its performance.