Global News Podcast – Israel Says It's Killed Iran's Top Security Chief

BBC World Service | March 17, 2026 | Host: Oliver Conway
Recorded at 16:00 GMT

Overview

This episode covers major global breaking news, with the central focus on Israel's claimed targeted killing of Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security chief, during the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. The podcast examines the ramifications for Iranian leadership, US domestic politics, regional aftershocks, and developments in other world hotspots including Afghanistan and Venezuela. Additionally, there are segments on new findings in bioacoustics and a tribute to author Len Deighton.

Main Story: Death of Iran’s Security Chief Ali Larijani

Summary of Events & Israeli Claim

• Israel announces the assassination of Ali Larijani, Iran’s senior security figure and former nuclear negotiator, as well as Holom Reza Soleimani, head of the Basij militia.
• [02:22] Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz states:

  “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have instructed the IDF to continue to hunt the leadership of the terror and oppressive regime in Iran... the Secretary of the National Security Council, Larijani, and the head of the Basij... were eliminated overnight.”

Context: Who Was Ali Larijani?

• Larijani was among the most influential Iranian leaders remaining after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed at war’s outset (17 days prior). He was a former parliamentary speaker, IRGC commander, influential family member, and an experienced negotiator.

• [03:43] A previously recorded statement from Larijani:

  “The problem with Trump is that he's not intelligent enough to understand that Iranians are a mature and strong and determined nation…”

• Parham Gobadi (BBC Persian Service):

  • [04:03-06:32] Gobadi explains Larijani’s pivotal role:

    “He was seen as a bridge between the military, the Revolutionary Guards and different faction of powers. He was a conservative, but… a pragmatic conservative. However, his rhetoric changed tremendously after the war broke out... He threatened to kill the head of the International Energy Agency... Implying he would be killed because... IAEA’s report... paved the way for the first round of the war with Israel.”

  • Gobadi discusses the power vacuum and Larijani’s connection to the Supreme Leader’s family, noting the uncertainty over the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
  • Gobadi predicts that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, parliamentary speaker and former IRGC commander, is likely to be Iran's next most powerful figure.

The Role of the Basij

• The Basij is a youth-oriented paramilitary group, recruiting boys as young as 14 or 15, often seen on Iranian streets post-assassinations to demonstrate regime strength.
• [06:44] Parham Gobadi highlights:

  “We've received some reports that kids as young as 14 and 15... are holding rifles on the streets to be able to exert their power…”

Analysis: What Next for Iran

• With so many senior commanders killed, Iran’s power structure is rapidly shifting.
• The deaths mark another escalation in the US-Israel-Iran conflict, with further instability in Iran’s leadership.

US Domestic Fallout: Counterterrorism Chief Resigns

Key Facts

• Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned in protest, stating Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the US and arguing the war started due to Israeli and pro-Israeli lobbying.

Analysis & Reactions

• [07:58] Helena Humphrey (in Washington):

  “Joe Kent is the first senior Trump administration official to resign over the war in Iran... He argued this war was started under pressure from Israel and its allies in Washington. He claimed the president had been misled by… misinformation from Israeli officials and influential US voices. He was quite blunt… he says at one point that this was a lie.”

• Kent’s resignation exposes a split within the “America First” wing of the Republican Party, raising questions for Trump’s base as the US heads toward the midterm elections.

• [09:50] Helena Humphrey:

  “This resignation raises questions about internal dissent, whether others might follow. Because… Trump was campaigning against ending so-called ‘forever wars’ in the Middle East.”

Regional & Global Updates

Venezuela Post-Maduro

• US forces ousted Nicolás Maduro in January, but his regime persists.

• [11:05] Young Venezuelans at Caracas University gathered for “We Save Venezuela,” a political movement hoping for gradual peaceful transition—not overnight change.

• Some question US intervention, with one student saying:

  [11:37] “I feel intervention in any country isn’t the best thing, but it was the firm hand Venezuela needed... to be a free country with democracy, where everyone can raise their voice without fear of being arrested.”

• Widespread hardship continues, including power outages, inflation, and a climate of fear and surveillance.

  • Elena (public employee, name changed):

    [13:03] “The economy remains the same, the government remains the same. The fear of expressing yourself still exists because the figures that represent the most terror in government remain imposed.”

  • Anna (25, teacher):

    “I want to earn money and feel like I can live somewhere that actually has electricity. Most of my friends had to flee the country to pursue something better.”

Afghanistan: Pakistani Air Strike on Rehab Center

• Pakistani airstrike hits Kabul, killing over 100 at a drug rehab center.
• [18:23] Afghan Health Ministry’s Shadafat Zaman:

  “Unfortunately we have more than 400 civilian casualties... It was a health facility that they targeted.”

• First-hand reporting by the BBC’s Yama Bariz [19:04]:

  “It was a scene of total carnage. There were fires everywhere... over 30 bodies being carried... 3,000 drug addicts being treated in that facility... This bomb had hit one block and that block was completely reduced to [rubble].”

• Pakistani authorities deny targeting civilians, claiming only “militant” sites were bombed.
• [21:37] Caroline Davis (in Islamabad) explains the rapidly deteriorating relation between Taliban-run Afghanistan and Pakistan over cross-border militant activity.

Science & Tech: AI Firms Seek Chemical Weapons Experts

• The US AI company Anthropic is hiring a chemical weapons expert to safeguard against misuse of its AI products for WMD recipes.
• Other firms like OpenAI are also recruiting for similar roles, offering high salaries upwards of $400,000.
• [23:21] Zoe Kleinman, BBC tech editor:

  “Anthropic says it's trying to make sure its product is as safe as possible... Some people are saying, well actually we shouldn't be handing [experts] that information at all, especially as we know that this technology is evolving very rapidly…”

Obituary: Len Deighton (1929–2026)

• Acclaimed British author Len Deighton dies at 97.
  • Wrote iconic spy thrillers including "The IPCRESS File" (adapted into a Michael Caine film).
  • His books, often grounded in history and realpolitik, were bestsellers and shaped the modern spy genre.
  • [26:37] Notable exchange:

    “I'm sorry, I just don't feel like an Edmund Dorff.”
    “All the best English spies have foreign names. Much more convincing.”

Discovery: Earliest Known Recording of Whalesong

• Marine scientists unearth a 1949 recording (Bermuda) of humpback whales, showing how whale communication sounded before the oceans grew noisy with shipping.

• [28:09] Peter Tyack, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:

  “This recording was made well before people knew what sounds different species of whales make... During World War II... they had no idea what the source of sound was.”

• Over time, increased ocean noise has forced whales to raise the pitch of their calls—a change that provides insights into animal adaptation to environmental shifts.

  • [30:30] Tyack:

    “If you look at the frequency of the calls that right whales made in 1950 and compare them to 2000, they've basically switched from being basses to tenors.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• 02:22 Israeli Defense Minister (Katz):

  “...cut off the head of the octopus and not let it grow.”

• 03:43 Ali Larijani (archival):

  “The problem with Trump is... the more pressure he exerts, the stronger our nation’s willpower will become.”

• 04:03 Parham Gobadi:

  “He was seen as a bridge between the military, between the Revolutionary Guards and different factions of the powers.”

• 07:58 Helena Humphrey:

  “...this was a lie... he was quite blunt in that letter.”

• 13:03 Elena (Venezuela):

  “The economy remains the same, the government remains the same. The fear of expressing yourself still exists…”

• 19:04 Yama Bariz (Kabul hospital):

  “We got to the hospital. It was a scene of total carnage.”

• 23:21 Zoe Kleinman (AI risk):

  “What Anthropic says it’s trying to do is to make sure its product is as safe as possible…”

• 30:30 Peter Tyack (whale adaptation):

  “...they've basically switched from being basses to tenors.”

Conclusion

This episode underscores the accelerating volatility in the Middle East, deepening political rifts in Washington, and remarkable scientific discoveries. The assassination of Ali Larijani signals a further destabilization of Iranian leadership, while the US faces contested support for its involvement. Simultaneously, reports from Afghanistan and Venezuela reveal shifting crises and human costs. Notably, continuing efforts in technology safety and ecological research point to ongoing adaptation in a rapidly changing world.