Global News Podcast - Intelligence chief of Iranian Revolutionary Guard killed

Episode Date: April 6, 2026

The intelligence chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, general Majid Khademi, has been killed in a US-Israeli air strike. An Iranian statement said he'd been "martyred" in an attack at dawn. His unit had been accused by the United States of violently suppressing anti-government protests in January. Israel has claimed responsibility for the strike, and defence Minister Israel Katz says general Khademi was a key target. Also, NASA's Artemis Two mission has crossed a key threshold in space on its journey to slingshot around the Moon - the lunar "sphere of influence". It means the Moon's gravitational pull now takes over the trajectory of the Orion spacecraft. And India's Border Security Force has asked security officials on the border with Bangladesh to look at the feasibility of deploying crocodiles and snakes to prevent illegal migration and smuggling. 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: [e-mail]

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This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Ankara, and at 15 hours GMT. On Monday the 6th of April, these are our main stories. The Iranian authorities say the intelligence chief of the powerful revolutionary guards has been killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike. Israel, meanwhile, says it's launched an attack on Iran's largest petrochemical plant. Three people have been killed by a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Odessa, including a mother and her two-year-old child. Also, in this podcast, when we show this show, a lot of guys who are in war right now, they know after they're injured and they all can do whatever they want. The injured Ukrainian soldiers who overcome the horrors of war on a theater stage.

and India's border security force is considering an unusual method to combat illegal migration and smuggling. But first, the clock is ticking and the threats are ramping up between Donald Trump and Iran, with the US President's deadline to open the strait of Hormuz a matter of hours away. More on that in just a moment. First news that the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has been killed in a US-Israeli airstrike, according to Iranian state media. The organization said General Majid Khademi was martyed at dawn. Israel has claimed responsibility,

and Defense Minister Israel Katz says he was a key target. I was informed by the chief of staff that last night in Tehran, the IDF Army eliminated Majid Khademi, head of the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence, one of the direct perpetrators of these war crimes, and one of the top three of the three of the United Khademi, officials in the organization. The Revolutionary Guards fire at civilians and we eliminate the head of terrorists. Iranian leaders live on a sense of persecution. We will continue to hunt them one by one.

I got some analysis from Giala of the BBC Persian Service. He was appointed to this post as a head of IRGC intelligence organization in June last year after his predecessor was killed in another strike by Israel during 12 days' war in June. And before that, he was the head of counterintelligence in Revolutionary Guard. And I think he was close to Iran, former Supreme Leader, who was killed also on 28th of February this year. He has been appointed since then, and it seems on Monday at dawn, he has been targeted an Iranian forest news agency,

which is the mouthpiece of Iranian Revolutionary Guard, has confirmed he has been killed. How much of a blow is this, then, for the Iranian regime? another senior figure and a growing list of leading regime figures targeted and killed by the U.S. and Israel. Obviously, his organization was in charge of countering Spanage and spy agents around the kind. I think he himself being killed definitely adds a blow to the intelligence community inside Iranian regime. But having said that we know in the past also, whenever a commander of revolutionary guards are being killed immediately in a short period of time, he has been replaced by another person.

And in the past few weeks, it seems to me, it's a more hardline commanders are taking position after those commanders are being killed. When one is replaced, yeah. Exactly. That's interesting. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, we're seeing reports coming through that Tehran are formulating some sort of a diplomatic response to the US,

which they say they will announce in due time. That's something we're just seeing reported at the moment. But in terms of Iran standing firm, despite pressure from the US and Donald Trump to open the strait of Hormuz, How much will this death impact and weaken its resolve? I don't think the death of General Khademi has any impact on the negotiation or a peace plan. We know there is a pressure from the United States and also mediated by Pakistanis.

They are hoping to persuade Iranian to agree to a peace plan, possibly open the Strait of Hormuz, and in 15 to 20 days be able to talk to Iran, reached an agreement with the United States, on nuclear program in the same time, to lift some sanctions against Iranian. But I think right now Revolution Guards Commander are in charge, and I think they call the shot in the country. So far, at least we know the Iranian trying to depict this image that they are not in a hurry to agree to any peace deal. Just very briefly before you go, how crucial is it the role of Pakistan or any other intermediaries in trying to help resolve this conflict? Obviously, Pakistan is important. It's trusted by both

side. It seems to me the U.S. for the first time President Trump trusting this Pakistani general, General Awesome, and it seems also Egypt and Turkey are backing this peace process or peace plan. BBC Persians, Gargoal. Well, the Israeli Defence Minister also says they're continuing to strike Iranian infrastructure with full force, hitting the largest petrochemical facility in the country located in Islauia, worth tens of billions of dollars to Tehran. It comes as Donald Trump is issuing threats of his own, saying the U.S. will target civilian infrastructure and will unleash hell

if Iran doesn't open the strait of Hormuz. Iran's deputy foreign minister says President Trump's threats constitute war crimes and says its retaliation will be devastating and widespread if the US and Israel were to strike civilian targets, according to state media. Well, over the last 24 hours, we've received messages from members of the public inside Iran. For their security, their words have been voiced up by our colleagues at BBC Persian. It feels like we're sinking deeper and deeper into a swamp. What can we do as ordinary people?

We can't stop him. I keep thinking about a situation where in a month I'm sitting with my family with no water, no electricity, nothing. And someone blows out the candle and we go to sleep. We're worried about Donald Trump's threat to unleash all hell on Iran if Iran does not make a deal. We're stocking up on water and essentials. I don't see a bright future for Iranians at the end of this. With all these attacks, Iran won't be a place we can live in anymore. So many small businesses have already disappeared and the others will fade away too.

So what hopes are there of a diplomatic solution to halt the escalation? Greg Kalsstrom is the Middle East correspondent for the news magazine, the economist, and he's in Doha. There is not much optimism, which has been the case with every announcement of diplomacy between America and Iran over the past few weeks. As you say, the idea is to start with an initial truce of a few weeks and buy some time for negotiations. about a permanent ceasefire. This has been brought about by Pakistan essentially passing messages between the two sides. There aren't even proper talks going on between the U.S. and Iran. There's Pakistan playing a game of telephone here. But on the substance of it, the idea that Iran would reopen the strait in exchange for only a temporary truce, it's hard to see them doing that.

The Iranians want to not only end this war, but secure some kind of guarantee that they won't be attacked again, either by America or by Israel. They view their control of Hormuz as essential to that. They're also hoping to monetize their control of Hormos and turn that into a revenue stream by charging tolls on ships that use the waterway. And so to relinquish that control, to give up that very valuable card in exchange for only ending the war for a few weeks and a promise of negotiations that may not go anywhere for a permanent ceasefire, it's hard to see the Iranians agreeing to that. Greg Kahlstrom of The Economist.

And we have more on the main stories on our YouTube channel. Just search for BBC News on YouTube, and you'll find Global News Podcast in the podcast section. Next, three people have been killed by a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Odessa, including a mother and her two-year-old child. That's according to the Ukrainian military. Meanwhile, more than 40 miners in occupied Ukraine

have been trapped underground after their mine was hit. Here's our global affairs reporter, Paul Moss. The scenes from Odessa are horribly familiar. An apartment block in a residential area with part of its side completely destroyed. The remains of a family home left dangling as firefighters anxiously searched through the debris. Russia has recently stepped up its strikes on this key port, apparently trying to stop its continued use as an import-export hub, from which Ukraine still manages to export its grain.

but its civilians who are bearing the brunt of these attacks. Three died in Odessa at the early hours of Monday morning. Speaking outside the destroyed building, the Orthodox Church Archdeacon Andril Paltchuk described what happened as simply evil. On the eve of a great holiday such as Easter, he said, they continue to commit these acts and can't get enough of human blood. Ukraine has been striking back at Russia, The country's military said they'd hit a Russian warship in occupied Crimea, as well as a drilling rig.

They also hit a coal mine in the Russian occupied region, the Donbass, according to local Russian-installed officials. The latest reports say 41 miners have been trapped underground, but that rescuers have managed to make contact with them and supplied them with drinking water. Paul Moss reporting, while the casualties mount on both sides, Ukrainian theatre audiences have been treated to, a unique experience watching wounded army veterans who have never acted before, performing a Ukrainian adaptation of Virgil's NA. Their production offers injured soldiers, some with amputations and severe burns, an opportunity to bond, communicate and discover hidden talents after the horrors of war. A correspondent Paul Adams has been to watch members of the Theatre of Veterans

rehearsing for their next performance. On a Kiev stage, figures emerge out of a source. smoky haze, soldiers moving slowly, bowed down, burdened, thirsty, exhausted, fleeing war, searching for a place of safety. Their injuries aren't immediately obvious, but soon you see them, the prosthetics, the burned faces, the stumps where hands should be. The story is ancient, Virgil's wandering Aeneas, reimagined as a Cossack warrior by the Ukrainian poet Ivan Cotlior at the end of the 18th century. But in this production, there's never any doubt about where we are.

This is here. This is now. We join the cast for a midweek rehearsal. Theatre of Veterans is a remarkable organization, giving soldiers who have experienced extreme physical and mental trauma a taste of life on the stage as an aid to recovery, acting as therapy. For each member of the cast, it's intensely personal. First of all, it's for rehabilitation, for mind, for soul, for body.

Ivan Voinov was hit by a glide bomb in May 24, near the city of Vovchansk, close to the Russian border. The explosion killed and wounded several of his colleagues. Ivan lost his left leg below the knee. He has two metal plates in his skull and a keen desire to see beyond his wounds. When we show this show, a lot of guys who in Wurban, war right now, they know after they injured, it's not the end. Life keep going and they all can do whatever they want. I think that I'm changing myself because all of us changing because of something. Ina Korolyenko's wounds are less visible, months of ferrying dead and wounded soldiers from the

front line and an explosion in her vehicle which sent her to hospital for two months left her traumatized and alone. This project was a very big chance for us to return to our life, not to scare to say something to people about myself. Putting this inexperienced but enthusiastic cast through its paces is theater director Olga Samyoshkina. She says it took time to coax the veterans out of themselves. came to us very withdrawn. We couldn't touch them. It was too much for them to handle. The first thing we did was establish contact. Then we started to trust each other and open up. We joke a lot. We crack some of the darkest jokes in rehearsals. The show has already played to enthusiastic audiences. Now they're taking it on the road around Ukraine. The veterans all play the same central character

Aene, a broken man going through hell, looking for a place to settle. Somehow, through theatre, they've found it. I still don't think that I'm actor. But step by step, we do something new in the theatre life of Ukraine. And to be a part of it, it's very cool. Well, Adam's reporting from Kiev in Ukraine. Still to come in this podcast, NASA's Artemis. Miss Two Mission enters uncharted areas in space.

The Orion spacecraft and its crew have officially entered the lunar sphere of influence. The gravitational forces of the moon are now greater on the Orion spacecraft than that of Earth. At Britbox, character is everything. Stream the iconic characters defining British TV on Britbox, including Ludwig. I think I might just have solved a murder. Vera. Now we're getting somewhere. Agatha Christie's Poirot.

and more beloved favourites. I'm a policeman. I'm professional. I'm a time lord. Once you know them, you never quite forget them. I being vain. I just am special. Stream the best of British TV on Britbox. Watch with a free trial today at Britbox.com. For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are travelling to the moon.

And 13 minutes, the BBC Space podcast is following this epic endeavour every step of the way. We're telling you the story of Artemis 2 as it happens. And chatting with some of the people making it possible. 13 minutes presents Artemis 2 from the BBC World Service. Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. On Big Lives, we take a single cultural icon. People like Jane Fonda, George Michael, little Richard. And we pull apart the story behind the image.

And we do this by digging through the BBC's vast archives. Discovering forgotten interviews that change exactly how we see these giants of our culture. We're here for the messy, the brilliant, the human version of our heroes. I'm Immanuel Jochi and Kai Wright. And this is Big Lives. Listen to Big Lives, wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to the Global News Podcast. To East Asia now, where tensions have been flaring between North and South Korea.

In January, drones were launched from the southern side of the border into North Korea's airspace, with Pyongyang accusing Seoul of a serious provocation. South Korea's president, Li J. Mung, has now expressed regret to Pyongyang about the incursions, saying his government did not approve them. Mr Lee said the reckless behavior of individuals had caused unnecessary military tensions. I spoke to our correspondent in Seoul, Jake Kuan, about North Korea's reaction to the drones. Pyongyang, I mean, they immediately condemned it. North Korea doesn't normally differentiate between action by the government and civilians, perhaps

because there isn't much of a difference in North Korea, a totalitarian society there. So when South Korea claimed that this was something that they didn't know about, this perhaps was by a civilian, North Korea didn't really believe it. Only when South Korea's ministry that deals with North Korea accepted responsibility and promised to never let it happen again, North Korea softened. And we heard from the North Korean leader's sister, Kim Jong, who is really the defect of spokesperson, said she evaluates this message highly, but she also followed with the usual threat of retaliation in case of repeat offense. The South Korean government say they did not approve the drone. So who, in effect, launched them?

So as far as we understand, there was a man in his 30s who is identified by his last name, O. And I spoke to a few people who do humanitarian activism regarding North Korea here, and they told me that O has been reaching out to them, has been hanging around the circle of North Korea analyst and NGO. So he's someone who is very much interested in North Korea, whether that means trying to send leaflets over or simply learning about North Korea. And the investigation shows that O has been sending these drones over the border. And these drones are some of those that are sold in the commercial market. You can buy them online. And they would be taking pictures of North Korea. And there had been a few military officers and spy agency employees who gave him some advice

or asked to see the footage afterwards. But the government investigation concluded that these officers acted on their own and there was no government involvement on the organizational level. What does the correspondence and also what's happened over the past few months, say for the relationship between the two countries? Is it unusual for a South Korean president to directly express regret to Pyongyang like this? It is highly unusual for a South Korean leader to apologize to Pyongyang. Well, expressing regret. which is the lightest form of apology. And in fact, it's almost never done by either countries to express any regret.

I think it appears weak to the voters or supporters at home and when the leader's core duty as the leader of the country that is technically at war. But South Korea is right now trying to thaw the tension. And this message really shows significant commitment by I Jemong to really build a good and better relationship with Pyongyang. Jake Kwan reporting from Seoul. Next, we head to space to check in on the progress of NASA's Artemis II mission. We recently received confirmation that the Orion spacecraft and its crew have officially entered the lunar sphere of influence.

That milestone taking place at a mission elapsed time of four days, six hours, two minutes and 54 seconds into the Artemis II mission. By reaching this milestone, it means that the gravitational forces of the moon are now greater on the Orion spacecraft than that of Earth. As you heard there earlier on Monday, the crew entered what's known as the lunar sphere of the moon. influence, where the moon's gravitational pull is stronger than us. Now, the four astronauts have been preparing to fly the spacecraft around the far side of the moon, which will see them break the record for the furthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. Our science correspondent, Georgina Renard, told us more. I think this is the most exciting day of the 10-day mission, apart from the launch and the

return. They'll get their closest to the moon during this flyby. There'll be 250,000 miles from our planet and at the closest to the moon, there'll be about 4,000 miles from the lunar surface. But for about 50 minutes, they'll lose contact with Earth because the radio and laser signals that usually allow back and forth communication between the spacecraft and Earth will actually be blocked by the moon itself. So during those minutes, the astronauts will only have each other's company. It's been described by other astronauts who've lost contact with Earth as a moment of complete loneliness. They're at this such distance from Earth. They can, perhaps see it really, really far away, but also sometimes respite from the constant radio

contact they have with mission control normally. Yeah, in a strange way, complete loneliness, but not entirely alone either as well. It's a unique experience, no doubt. And just reminds to the purpose as well of flying all the way around the moon, especially on the far side, which we don't know a great deal about. So, yeah, the far side is much more mysterious region. We never see it from Earth. It has a thicker crust than other parts of the moon. and many more craters than the ones we were used to seeing, you know, when we look up at the moon in the night sky. So the crew will spend time taking photographs of the surface, looking for unusual features, making a note of anything they didn't expect to see. It's not unexplored, though. NASA is making a big deal of the astronauts seeing this area with human eyes.

They'll be the first humans to see some firsthand. It's actually quite well mapped by robotic explorers, including one sent by India and China, who've even taken samples. of that region. So not a new place to humans, but still somewhere, a place to discover new things. But it's also a place that countries might want to build a lunar base in the future or use some resources there like water to sustain a human presence. So strategically it's very important for the US to understand more about it. Because of course, this Artemis mission is part of the global space race to reach the moon and these countries want to reach Mars in the future after we get to the moon. Georgina Renard, India's border security force is considering an unusual method to combat illegal migration and smuggling.

The government authority has asked local teams to look at the feasibility of deploying crocodiles and snakes along the India-Bungladesh border. Officials say criminals and smugglers are exploiting unfenced sections of the boundary. I spoke to our global affairs reporter Umbarasan Etirajan about this idea to use reptiles for border security. Usually when you talk about border security, you talk about cameras, infrared or high-tech gadgets, but now the Indian border force seem to be going back to one of the oldest techniques when people used to have crocs around the moat or the castles in the olden days. This border is about 4,000 kilometers, two-thirds of which have been already fenced. The reason why it is triggering tensions between the two countries is because of what India says,

human trafficking, smuggling of weapons as well as drugs across the border. But some areas have not been fenced. They are unfenced because of the geography, you know, rivers and marshy regions and swamps. So they want to release crocodiles and snakes in these areas. This plan has not been implemented, but one of the officers was saying, you know, there are many issues here. First of all, where can you obtain them? Where can you buy them?

And second, what impact this will have on the ecology as well as for the local people? Okay, so the story you've covered before, how big an issue is this cross-border crime between the two countries? This has been a very violent area for many decades, and I was there about 15 years ago, reporting on the increasing number of border killings. Just listen to what I was saying in 2011. I'm right now on one of the most bloodiest borders in the world.

Dozens of people, mainly Bangladeshi civilians, are killed along these border areas every year. And human rights groups in Bangladesh say about a thousand people have been killed in the world. the last to 10 years. This issue has got very little attention on the international media, I should say, because this issue has also triggered political tensions between the two countries about this, what India calls infiltration, whereas Bangladesh human rights groups say many civilians are getting killed. And there have been a number of proposals how to reduce this illegal immigration between the two countries.

And also it becomes an election issue. But many people would say, you know, even if you release crocodiles or even snakes along the border to determine. this cattle smugglers and others. When one person whom I met in the border, he would always say, well, with given an appropriate bribe, the borders are always open. And Barasan Etirajan. Highly exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices

and intensifying climate change, island nations around the world are starting to ask, could they make a fortune from the gusty seas that surround them? Advances in offshore wind technology are prompting communities from the Channel Islands to Mauritius to consider whether they can become energy independent or even electricity exporters. But not everyone's convinced. Tyler Dunn reports from the Channel Island of Jersey, just off the northwest coast of France.

Type Jersey into a search engine, and there's a good chance you'll see an image of what I'm walking around at the moment. Corvier Lighthouse. It's a striking white lighthouse perched on jagged rocks at one end of a sweeping 8-kilometer-long bay. But this view could one day look quite different because early proposals for an offshore wind farm would see dozens of turbines each reaching a maximum height similar to the Eiffel Tower, clustered in the sea about 15 kilometres southwest of it. Away from the coastline in the island's capital, St Helia, the logos of some of the world's biggest finance firms adorn the office buildings.

I'm on my way to the quaintest surroundings of the Royal Square, the location of Jersey's Parliament, where I meet the island's environment minister, Steve Luce. We think that we could return somewhere in the region of four times every pound we spend over the course of the wind farm, which is a considerable length of time, so we're looking 30, 40 years ahead.

Not everyone is blown away by the potential of making more than half a billion dollars. Down the road in St Helia's harbour, local fisherman Stephen Viny invites me onto his boat. There's a lot going on with environmental impacts of fishing in areas that we're being displaced from. It's a very worrying time because it seems that fishermen are being pushed to the side for big business. I've been in the offshore wind industry for about 18 years and I've been working across the world in offshore wind.

This is Mark Laybourne. His company, Diner Energy, is based in Jersey and wants to develop the island's offshore wind farm. There's a big long list of islands that are looking at this, different levels of maturity. So we've got the Channel Islands very much moving ahead with offshore wind. Bermuda, Malta, also Mauritius, Sri Lanka as well. As we've seen in recent years with the macroeconomic shocks, we've seen islands that are really struggling to pay for their energy consumption because they're having to import it. We're seeing volatile prices.

And they need security not only from their actual supply of energy, but the cost of that energy as well. Mauritius is in the early planning stage of developing offshore wind. Professor Khalil Alahi from... the University of Mauritius is the chairman of the country's renewable energy agency. He says a wind farm could help cut the island's reliance on imported fossil fuels. We always have to add probably 10, 30, even, say, 40% extra, because we should do the project, for instance,

a particularly large-scale project in China, or probably if you want to get more realistic costing in Europe or elsewhere, it's going to be less. But when you do try to do the same thing in Africa, or in the context of a small island state, you do have additional costs to take care. I think that we have challengers in terms of logistics. We have challenges in terms of transport.

We have challenges in terms of capacity building and people who have to be training in this area. Back here in Jersey, it occurs to me that islands have been buffeted by the will of larger nations, almost as long as they've been buffeted by the wind. Whether they can harness the last. to become more independent, grow their economies, cut their emissions,

would depend in part on them having the political will to take a risk and on a global industry outside their control. Tyler Dunn, reporting. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at global podcast at bbc.com. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service, use the hashtag Global NewsPod. And don't forget our sister podcast called the Global. story which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story.

This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Charlotte Hadroj Tojimskar. And the producers were Stephanie Tillotson and Oliver Berlal. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm on criticise. Until next time, goodbye. At Britbox, character is everything. Stream the iconic characters defining British TV on Britbox, including Ludwig. I think I might just have solved a murder. Vera.

Now we're getting sore. Agatha Christie's Poirot. Bonjour. And more beloved favourites. I'm a policeman. I'm professional. I'm a time lord. I'm the Duchess of York.

Once you know them, you never quite forget them. I being vain. I just am special. Stream the best of British TV on Britbox. Watch with a free trial today at Britbox.com.