Global News Podcast - Israel holds off attacking Iranian gas infrastructure

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said Israel will hold off future attacks on Iranian gas fields after being asked to do so by President Trump. An Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars gas field on Wednesday, followed by Iranian attacks on Qatari gas installations caused steep rises in the price of gas and oil. Also, we get the view from Iran from our BBC Persian correspondent. We hear how life has changed in Jerusalem's Old City now that its most sacred Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites are closed to the public. And we talk to the scientist behind a new documentary about microplastics - and fertility.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]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. You're not at the office. You're solving murders in the Scottish Highlands. You're not in your car. You're in a candlelit carriage on the way to the ball. This winter, see it differently when you stream the best of British TV with Britbox. Catch a new original series like Riot Women. New seasons of fan favourites like Shetland. The body's been found. And on paralleled collections of Jane Austen, Arthur Christie and Moore.

It's time to see it differently with Britbox. Watch with a free trial now at Britbox.com. How does growing up in war affect the way your brain works? It's a question that Fergal Keen, one of the BBC's most experienced foreign correspondents, has been wrestling with for almost 40 years. He's reported from some of the most violent wars around the world and spoken to the children caught up in them.

You can hear him on the global story. Listen on BBC.com. or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Ankara and in the early hours of Friday the 20th of March, these are our main stories. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will hold off attacking Iranian gas infrastructure at the request of President Trump.

The strikes and retaliation from Iran have caused steep rises in the prices of gas and oil. Also in this podcast, we find out how life has changed in Jerusalem's old city now that its most sacred Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites are closed to the public. And... I feel it's just the start of this journey to make people aware of all the various sources of toxins in their environment that are affecting their reproductive health. We hear from the scientists behind a new documentary about microplastics and fertility. It's been an alliance which has stood for.

firm on the global stage, first during the war in Gaza and more recently against Iran. But are we starting to see some cracks in the relationship between the U.S. and Israel? Donald Trump was quick to distance himself after reports suggested that Washington knew about the Israeli attack on Iran's largest gas field, which led to retaliatory strikes across the Gulf. I told them, don't do that. We're independent, we get along great. It's coordinated, but on occasion he'll do something.

and if I don't like it. And so we're not doing that anymore. Benjamin Netanyahu has now backed up the U.S. President's assertion, but insist the Allies are still working together to achieve their goals at lightning speed. Israel acted alone against the Slauya gas compound. Fact number two, President Trump asks us to hold off on future attacks, and we're holding out.

One other fake news, and that is that Israel somehow dragged the U.S. into a conflict with Iran. Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on. Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared keen to show a strong united front in that press conference. But are the US and Israel aligned in their war objectives? I put that question to our Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson, who's in Jerusalem. I think you have to divide up the coordination and the ultimate war goals.

I mean, there's certainly a lot of overlap in terms of their war aims. but I do think there are a couple of areas where potentially they could start to diverge. One is on the targeting of energy sites, and we've seen that recently. The other is on the regime change and the sort of priority that each side puts on that and the price they're willing to pay. Israel has seemed to be much firmer in its urging of the Iranian people to overthrow their government. Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated that again and again, whereas the US administration much less so.

And there's widespread speculation here as well about whether Israel is going to use the very deep intelligence assets it has inside Iran to try and support that process as the war goes on. And certainly speaking to officials here, they talk about surprises that are lined up later in the war. There's been a lot of briefing about cracks in the regime appearing not so much at the top level on the surface, but at the local level and how some of the security forces are unwilling to. to show up for duty at the moment. This is all coming from the Israeli side. But there is also talk about many more weeks planned, about thousands more targets, and yes, surprises in store later on.

How has this all been viewed in Israel? When the initial conflict began against Iran, I can imagine a lot of people there thinking, oh gosh, not another conflict, not another war. Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused in the past of sometimes beginning conflicts because he wants to stay in power as long as possible. What's the view being held by Israelis at the moment? There was certainly a lot of war weariness here.

People have been doing many rounds of reserve duty. The economy was suffering. There was a sense that people were tired of conflict. But there was still a lot of support for this war, partly because it was framed by the Prime Minister as the kind of culmination of two years. of conflict against Iran and its network of proxies around the region. Iran is a critical supporter of Hezbollah in Lebanon, of Hamas, other armed groups around the region that are committed to Israel's destruction.

And so Benjamin Netanyahu framed the conflict with Iran. And I think the public has largely stayed with him on that. And he's talked about Israel's power having changed in the region. He's talked about the Middle East having changed, about Iran not being able to produce ballistic missiles anymore or enrich uranium. So he is signaling that a lot of the war goals have been achieved. But of course, the regime is still in power. It is still firing missiles day and night.

And it does still have that stockpile of enriched uranium. Lucy Williamson, reporting from Jerusalem. Are we on the same page here? That's an idiom the governments of the US and Israel have had to ponder over the last 24 hours. Very few people would invite the wrath of Donald Trump, but Israel's attack on the South Paz gas field prompted a quick rebuke from the US president. So is Mr Netanyahu leading the charge and will Mr Trump let go of the reins? I asked our North America correspondent, Simi Jolla, also,

how people in the US are reacting to this war? So it's still very mixed amongst the public. Amongst Republicans, around 70% have polled to support this war, but amongst MAGA specifically, that's even higher. And that was strengthened with a quick killing of the late Ayatollah Haminae. But overall, U.S. opinion is quite negative with half of the public being against the war. And there is little appetite for ground troops for this war to drag on. And we're already seeing warning signs that the public is becoming increasingly skeptical.

I think the real tipping point would be the timing and the cost of the war. Historically, US public opinion has shifted when casualties rise. And we've seen, even if it's a relatively small number, we've seen 13 US service members have been confirmed dead. And also when that sort of economic pain hits home, we're already seeing an increase in oil prices and an increase in the cost of living. So a lot of people have said that they don't want a forever war and that they want a clear endgame. And that messaging hasn't been clearly defined by the Trump administration to the public here.

And so me just finally, President Trump, could he have miscalculated or maybe underestimated the Iranian response in terms of how they could regenerate and continue fighting as well? And is there a concern maybe that they could be even more hardline than the previous generation? There is a growing consensus amongst analysts that, yes, President Trump likely misjudged key aspects of Iran's response, particularly its willingness to escalate. He has said he was very surprised that they hit facilities in Gulf states. Perhaps the core assumption by the Trump administration behind these strikes was the killing of the Ayatollah that would lead to a sort of fracture in the Iranian system or collapse. and we're seeing that the Iranian state is perhaps more durable than they anticipated. And we could hear that frustration from President Trump recently. Yes, analysts would say that President Trump misread Iran's escalation doctrine and also potentially misjudged the length and cost of this war.

Now, the Pentagon has said it plans to request an extra $200 billion for this war from Congress and that has brought mixed reaction from both sides of the political spectrum. It is likely to receive all the votes it's needed to be approved. But Democrats have criticised the size of this request. And there are worries amongst Republicans that it's going to severely affect the party come the November midterm elections. Simi Jolla also reporting from Washington. Well, Mr. Trump's public criticism of Mr. Netanyahu,

but the markets in freefall yet again. So how is all this playing out in the US economy? I put that question to our business correspondent in New York. Michelle Flurry. We continue to see volatility stocks falling. Brent crude briefly sort of touched about $119. But then we had language later on in the day from the Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. And that seemed to sort of signal to traders that maybe there was an attempt to try and step back from what some had seen as an escalation.

and that meant that oil prices fell back down to around $107 a barrel. With Donald Trump appearing to distance himself from those comments from Benjamin Netanyahu, I guess going on what you said, it can help in the coming days, depending on how long this continues for. Look, I mean, it helps sentiment. The focus initially had been on the Strait of Hormuz, but now you were seeing potentially the battlefield expand to economic attacks on energy products. and that is a different ballgame. I mean, Qatar, for example, is responsible for 20% of the world's gas supply. In retaliation, Iran attacked their facility at Raus Lafan. Now, when the shipping blockade lifts, you can see tankers return quickly. Rous LaFan, that attack means that there is no return to normal supply quickly. You know, rebuilding the infrastructure that was damaged in those attacks. You know, that's, we're not talking

days or weeks here. We're talking months, possibly years. That is supply that is lost much longer term to the market that is going to put pressure on prices for much longer. And so the idea of any escalation or de-escalation really changes sentiment in terms of what we're seeing with the oil price. And how much is this war affecting the US economy and the damage it's doing to Donald Trump, especially with midterms on the horizon later this year? Yeah. I mean, you know, these national elections here in America were all meant to be about affordability. We know that the price of oil has gone back. That has led to an increase at the petrol prompt. If that is sustained, Americans could find themselves out of pocket by an extra thousand dollars, depending on where

they live over the course of the rest of this year. Every time they go fill up their car, they are reminded that they are paying more. So if this election is about affordability, you can see how that sort of isn't the ideal optics that you want to go into. The longer term, economic impact still has yet to show America is more insulated than other countries because it is a net oil exporter or energy exporter. But that being said, you know, it's still going to see higher prices because supply chains are affected. That's going to push up the price of goods down the road. It could, we know that fertiliser prices are higher. If it costs more to plant a crop six months to a year from now, you could see higher prices in grocery stores. Michelle Flary reporting from

New York. Let's get the view from Iran now. BBC Persians Kashir, John Adi, gave me this assessment of the current strength of the regime. When he was meeting the Prime Minister of Japan, President Trump said that there are defections within the system. And also, Benyamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, was talking about chaos within the command and control apparatus of the regime. But the truth is the regime is trying to show that it is defiant towards external forces. at the same time, it's in control within the country. They've expanded the battlefield, they're attacking energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf area

in order to put pressure on President Trump's decision-making. And on the other hand, the Thursday morning, it was announced that three young men who were arrested during the January protests in Iran were executed. So the government is trying to show that it's strong and it's functioning. The problem is that there is a big mystery, and the mystery is there is Moshaba Khomeini

who replaced his father as leader of the Islamic Republic. There are rumors that he's been heavily injured during the attacks that led to the death of his father and his other family members. The U.S. intelligence organ community believes that he's been injured. There has been no video or audio produced from him after he was announced to be the new leader of the regime, only four series of statements have been announced,

and frankly, many people even doubts that the statements were produced by Moshaba Khomeini himself. There are lots of rumors going on circulating. But one thing that happened on Thursday is that Iranian media, for the first time, published an unseen video of one of Moshabah Khamenei's theology classes where he taught at the GOM seminary. And frankly, although for years he's been considered as a possible replacement for his father, people hadn't heard from him. People are unfamiliar with his voice.

They've seen pictures of him, but no audio of him had been published before. And this is the first time. Maybe the state media is trying to fill in the void of him not being seen or heard of. And I have to mention Friday, is the Persian New Year, Norus. And every year on Norus, the leader and the president issue televised speeches, issuing messages towards the nation on the occasion of the new year. Yes.

We have to see whether such message will be published by the new leader on Friday. BBC Persian's Kasha Janedi. Still to come in this podcast. A story about radio. radio stations with mysterious frequencies and lots of numbers. How does growing up in war affect the way your brain works? It's a question that Fergal Keen, one of the BBC's most experienced foreign correspondence, has been wrestling with for almost 40 years.

He's reported from some of the most violent wars around the world and spoken to the children caught up in them. You can hear him on the global story. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcast. This is the Global News podcast. The war in Iran has brought a halt to tourism across much of the Middle East. In Jerusalem, the streets of the walled old city are now largely deserted, with its most sacred Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites closed to the public.

A Middle East correspondent, Yulan Nell, went to look. I've just come into Jerusalem's old city at what would usually be a peak time of year for visitors. And honestly, I've not seen anything like this since COVID times. Most of the shops are shuttered up. Tourism had been hit by two years of war in Gaza, but the war in Iran is another blow. I meet Basil Hajazi, who came to check on his leather goods store, and it's just locking it back up.

How has the war impacted you here? The first war with the Gaza and Israel war, start, everything is disappeared, and during the second world also, it's getting more worse now. So we close up our shops and all city it's empty also from pilgrims, Christians and Muslims. You know, it's Ramadan also for the Muslims here. And they were coming up to the Easter for the Christian pilgrims as well. So celebrations and prayers for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan

have really been hit by the timing of this war. The Israeli authorities don't allow large crowds of people to gather in places where there's no protection. That includes the holy sites here. Because Palestinian Muslims can't pray in Alaksa Mosque, Haramashirif as they call it, they have been praying on the streets by the old city walls at night. At Damascus Gate, Amina is buying vegetables from one of the few market stalls that's open. I ask her how Ramadan has felt for the community here. Thank God for Ramadan, but the whole situation is dead.

There's nothing. Shutting the Alexa Mosque, that kills us. Chapnel has hit inside the old city after Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted by Israeli ones. Israeli police say it's fallen inside the mosque compound, which is also holy for Jews, who call it Temple Mount. And it hit an important church building very close to the Holy Sepulchre Church,

where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Even after many conflicts in the region, it's unusual to see something like this at the holy sites. And now with some reports that Israel is preparing for at least another month of war, it looks increasingly likely that Jewish and Christian holidays, celebrations of Passover and Easter, will also be muted. Yelan Nell reporting from Jerusalem. A TV show following couples as they try to get pregnant isn't perhaps typically where you'd go for rigorous science.

But the new Netflix documentary Plastic Detox claims to offer just that about the threat of microplastics to our health. The couples involved try and reduce their daily exposure to plastic-related chemicals in their everyday lives to see if it will help them conceive. The lead scientific figure in the documentary is Dr. Shanna-Swan, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahans School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

in New York. Dr. Swan, who is 89, has devoted much of her career to the study of chemicals and fertility. The BBC's Ben Chu asked her whether this film marked the culmination of her life's work. I feel it's just the start of this journey to make people aware of all the various sources of toxins in their environment that are affecting their reproductive health and the fact that they can do something about it. That will take time to get that message out. and this is a great step along that journey, but definitely not the end. In terms of the impact you hope it will have, is it to raise awareness or to get people to directly reduce the amount of plastics in their lives? What's the end result you hope from this?

Well, I think those two things are closely related because awareness of the chemicals and their harms and showing them how to reduce their exposure, together will reduce their exposure, right? And that's one part of it. The other part is to make people aware that we need to do more than what we can do by ourselves. You know, it's not the job of individuals to do this. This is something that we would like the government to help us with or to take care of or to protect us from. And that's not really happening in the U.S. Is it a scientific program or is it more entertainment? Because it does follow individual couples, doesn't it?

and it's quite dramatic results as a result of them taking plastics out of their lives. How literally should we take this as a piece of scientific evidence, would you say? It's very small. And I would say it's an important start. But I want to add that the data from this small study has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal, scientific journal. So it passes the mark that way. and we're using these data as pilot data for a much larger controlled trial, actually a randomized control trial, that we're proposing to get funding from NIH.

So who knows? And, you know, it's quite difficult to get funding these days. But that's our hope that we can now do this in a much larger sample. I'm a pretty, you know, rigorous scientist. I'm a statistician and I'm trained, you know, gotten grants for years and had conducted many large, studies that are highly respected and I know what I'm doing and all the boxes were checked for a study but now we have to make it bigger. Dr. Shannon Swan.

Now earlier I mentioned a story about radio stations and mysterious numbers. Well, it's come from our reporter, Will Chalk, and he spent the last few hours in the office irritatingly excited about it all. Picture the scene. You're in a cold, dark room with shadows creeping across the walls. You turn on the radio for comfort and hear it. this. Well, that's not a crazy far-fetched scenario. In fact, it could well actually happen, provided you own a shortwave radio. That was just one example of what's been picked up on various

shortwave frequencies over the past 50 or so years. They're what's known as numbers stations, and to make it even more exciting, no one can be certain what they are or why they're there. And to make it even even more exciting, since the start of the Israel-U.S. War with Iran and on the 28th of February, a new numbers station broadcasting in Farsi from somewhere in Europe has appeared. Now when something like this usually happens, the explanation is disappointingly mundane. But not in this case. Because although no one can be certain what number stations are, lots of people have hazarded a pretty good guess. It's there to send messages from an espionage.

agency or a government agency to agents who are in the field who have domestically available shortwave radios. That's Akeen Fernandez, a number station superfan who got into them after accidentally hearing one himself many years ago. Now you might be thinking, why, if these are spy messages, would they be using technology invented a century ago? Well, some things simply can't be improved on. The beauty of radio frequencies is that it's impossible to tell where they're being picked up. So provided your spy has a shortwave radio, they can hear their instructions without revealing their location. Plus, in theory, as long as only your spy has the means to decode the message, written on a bit of paper, they can swallow when courts say, it's also completely secure. It doesn't

actually matter whether any enemies, or even members of the public hear it, they can't decipher it. So that's its purpose, to send messages in a way that doesn't reveal the location of the recipient and in a way that prevents the breaking of the message by people who are listening to the station. So if you're a James Bond fan and you want to experience potentially the real thing, get yourself a shortwave radio and start twisting the dial. You never know what you might hear. That was Will Chalk reporting on the Global News Podcast. And that's all from us for now.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at Global Podcast at BBC.co.uk. And you can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global NewsPod. And don't forget our sister podcast. It's 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 Masud Ibrahim Kael and the producers were Will Chalk and Wendy Urquhart.

The editor is Karen Martin and I'm Ankara Desai. Until next time, goodbye. How does growing up in war affect the way your brain works? It's a question that Fergal Kean, one of the BBC's most experienced foreign correspondents, has been wrestling with for almost 40 years. He's reported from some of the most violent wars around the world and spoken to the children caught up in them. You can hear him on the global story.

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.