Trump warns "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless Iran reaches a deal — BBC News

[0:00] The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned they would retaliate beyond the Middle East [0:04] and deprive Washington and its allies of oil and gas if the United States crossed what it called [0:12] red lines. There is so much to dissect with our Chief International Correspondent Lise Doucette [0:17] and Khazra Najee from BBC Persian. Khazra, really good to have you with us. Thank you for coming [0:22] down and joining us. A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. [0:27] Intense pressure from President Trump now. How does Iran tend to react to threats like this? [0:34] We will have to wait and see. This whole civilisation is going to die. It's pretty [0:40] sort of dramatic, this. And obviously, a lot of Iranians are very concerned that what might happen [0:50] tonight after this deadline is over, praying that there will be some kind of a [0:57] crisis. [0:57] Beforehand, there are signs that things might be moving in that direction. There is an Iranian [1:06] ambassador in Islamabad has been tweeting positively, saying that these talks are at the [1:14] critical and sensitive stage, as he puts it. So there are diplomatic efforts by the Pakistanis to [1:25] mediate and others, I must say. [1:27] But for the moment, there seems to be something moving. [1:32] Maybe, hopefully, something will come out. [1:35] And in fact, what President Trump is saying is basically he's hoping that something will in fact happen on the diplomatic front in the next few hours before the 8 o'clock deadline that he has set. [1:49] Lise, your thoughts on this comment, a whole civilisation will die tonight. [1:53] And also the fact that he keeps talking, President Trump, about what he calls a complete and total regime change, which is not the case in Iran. [2:00] President Trump keeps ramping up the rhetoric, seeming to confirm that he has this idea that if he scares Iran enough in its leadership, if the threats get louder and louder, that Iran will eventually buckle. [2:14] He doesn't seem to have anyone around him, which makes it clear that Iran will not buckle under these threats. [2:20] It's watching this as the world is shocked by some of his statements. [2:24] Which, at the very least, are violations of international humanitarian law, and if carried out, are possible war crimes. [2:32] Those more experienced negotiators would say that if he really did want to make progress in negotiations, if he was really serious about it, he would quietly move away military assets away from the region. [2:44] To send a signal to Iran that he wants serious negotiations, and that he's not really bent on escalation and using this all as a subterfuge, as he did. [2:53] There are other ways that President Trump could act, as the U.S. President and Commander-in-Chief, to get Iran to change its behavior, to get Iran to try to show flexibility on its side. [3:08] But by using the language of surrender, and by giving documents the 15-point plan, which is akin to a surrender document, that's not the way to negotiate. [3:19] President Trump was asked about his deal yesterday. What did he say? [3:22] I want a deal that's... [3:23] That's acceptable to me. [3:25] That is never going to work as a negotiating stance. [3:29] And it just underlines not just his fundamental misunderstanding of Iran, but never mind that he wrote a book, The Art of the Deal, that a fundamental misunderstanding of how to conduct negotiations. [3:40] I've just been sent a tweet from Mr. Pazeshkian, the president. [3:46] More than 14 million proud Iranians have so far registered to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran. [3:52] I, too, have been am and will remain... [3:54] I will remain devoted to giving my life for Iran. [3:58] So, Khasra, that's the first bit of official response we've had, I think, to what President Trump has had to say. [4:05] Yes. And obviously, the Iranians think that they have the upper hand in this war. [4:13] Because of the Strait of Hormuz. [4:14] Because of the Strait of Hormuz and the fact that they can inflict serious damage to the economies of the Persian Gulf countries in the south. [4:24] The Arab countries in the south of the Persian Gulf. [4:28] And that is up to a point is correct in a sense that for the moment the Strait is closed and Iran has still the capability to attack these targets, economic targets, anywhere they want in the region. [4:48] And that is a serious threat. [4:52] And I would have thought... [4:54] I think President Trump and his advisers are pretty much aware that if he starts a huge campaign of attack on critical infrastructure in Iran then Iran does have the capability to attack critical infrastructure in the Gulf countries and that is going to be uppermost in the minds of many people, not just Iranians. [5:22] not just Iranians. [5:23] not just Iranians. [5:24] not just Iranians. [5:24] not just Iranians. [5:25] not just Iranians. [5:25] not just Iranians. [5:26] not just Iranians. [5:26] not just Iranians. [5:27] not just Iranians. [5:27] not just Iranians. [5:28] not just Iranians. [5:28] not just Iranians. [5:29] not just Iranians. [5:29] not just Iranians. [5:30] not just Iranians. [5:30] not just Iranians. [5:31] not just Iranians. [5:31] not just Iranians. [5:32] not just Iranians. [5:32] not just Iranians. [5:33] not just Iranians. [5:33] not just Iranians. [5:34] not just Iranians. [5:34] not just Iranians. [5:35] not just Iranians. [5:35] not just Iranians. [5:36] not just Iranians. [5:36] not just Iranians. [5:37] not just Iranians. [5:37] not just Iranians. [5:38] not just Iranians. [5:38] not just Iranians. [5:39] not just Iranians. [5:40] not just Iranians. [5:40] Mr. Pazashkian doesn't suggest, though, that he's prepared in any way to compromise. [5:46] And responding to President Trump's comments saying more than 14 million proud Iranians have so far registered to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran, [5:54] I too have been, am and will remain devoted to giving my life for Iran. [5:58] For a moment, just if we think about this deadline, Lise, there are some people saying, well, he has deflected before President Trump. [6:04] He's extended these deadlines. He's done it quite a few times since the conflict started. [6:08] Maybe that will happen again. [6:09] But I know, Kasri, you've been hearing from people inside Iran. [6:14] It's so desperate there. They're filling up water cans with water. [6:18] They're worried about the infrastructure being attacked. [6:20] Some people have tried to leave their homes and even people going to pharmacies looking for iodine in case there's a leak. [6:25] Yes, I find this pretty sort of surreal, actually. [6:29] When I read the report yesterday in one of the local newspapers in Bushehr in southern Iran, [6:39] the 10 kilometers away from this city of 300,000 is Iran's only nuclear power plant that was built by the Russians there on the shore of the Persian Gulf. [6:52] And the report, the local newspaper report, was saying that the people at pharmacies are inundated by people rushing for iodine tablets [7:05] because they fear that there may be some... [7:09] radioactive, spread of radioactive radiation there should there be an attack on that power plant. [7:18] And that power plant came on the fourth time. [7:22] It was the fourth attack in the last four weeks, five weeks in Iran. [7:29] And the Russians, who have a lot of technicians and staff there, [7:35] they, the other day, they pulled out 200. [7:39] And, you know, a lot of them, a lot of them, how many of them from the power plant, saying that the developments around the power plant and the fact that it was attacked four times in four or five weeks was in there was aligned with the worst case scenario. [7:58] So things are really sort of scary, actually, in many respects. [8:05] And people are obviously not just in Bushehr and other places are pretty. [8:10] scared pretty stressed pretty angry and and they don't know what they have done to deserve all this [8:17] please you get the sense of course that we are counting down to this deadline tonight so what's [8:22] happening because in terms of diplomacy and capitals all over the world there will be the [8:27] sense of urgency particularly now we've had these comments from president trump but take us to [8:32] pakistan and what exactly we know because that seems to be the best chance at the moment of [8:36] something being agreed like what's happening yes and if um if our viewers were with us for the past [8:42] hour when we saw jd vance at this press conference with victor orban in in hungary and he teases the [8:48] the journalist there he takes out of his pocket on live television and says oh i've just received a [8:53] text from steve whitcoff which of course is about what's happening in the negotiations is what time [8:58] is it in america and of course you could smile at that but the fact of the matter is that as we [9:05] discussed before [9:06] the iranians made it clear that the the channel with steve whitcoff and jared kushner for them was [9:11] burnt they see it as a trojan horse when they when they were involved in negotiations in june [9:16] of 2025 in february of this year both times that the diplomacy the progress in the talks was [9:23] shattered by israel american-backed israeli attacks so they see uh steve whitcoff and jared [9:29] kushner is too close to israel so they had asked for jd vance to become involved and we hear this [9:35] from pakistan [9:36] from pakistani officials who as you say have become the main channel of mediation egypt and [9:41] turkey are also involved oman and to a certain extent and that jd vance is involved in these [9:48] indirect talks if so as the clock ticks down what is he doing in hungary that doesn't seem to send [9:54] a signal that he is as you know as focused on what is happening um and the need to make quick [9:59] quick progress but we do know we heard that statement when this the first reports came through [10:06] of a proposal from the mediators for a 45-day ceasefire and then a move to a permanent end to [10:12] the war between 10 to 15 days iran rejected it doesn't want to cease fire it had a ceasefire [10:18] last year it just was precursor to yet another war but the reports which came out said that the [10:24] pakistanis had been up all night talking with jd vance talking with kushner talking to the iranians [10:30] but trying to push this forward and we have to underline is not really completely clear what is [10:36] going on in iran and we have to understand that there is a situation in iran where some of the [10:40] negotiators we understand including the speaker of parliament including the president masoud [10:45] peshishkian who you just quoted from that they've been given immunity from assassination for mr [10:50] arachi as well so that they can continue the talks but they can't meet in these kinds of [10:55] circumstances because they could come under attack and of course their security doctrine is is as [11:01] being made up as they go along now lise thank you for that and casra just before we let you go of [11:06] the strikes have continued iran striking as well as many strikes from the idf today as well inside [11:12] iran but what are you hearing from saudi arabia because there are some reports on um fars this [11:18] the iranian news agency that a huge petrochemical plant has been hit there which would be very [11:22] significant yes that's what i saw on the internet on twitter actually a few moments ago before i [11:30] came here and there were reports that the biggest petrochemical complex [11:36] in saudi arabia it's one of the biggest in the world has come under attack part of it is on fire [11:44] and that is um long and basically um what we expected in a sense that iranians had said that if [11:53] our infrastructure comes under attack we will attack other people's infrastructure in the region [11:59] america's the u.s's allies in the region but as i say all this [12:06] escalation in a major way but at the same time i'm just seeing that as jd wentz has been saying [12:12] that we feel confident we can get a response from iranians by eight tonight so he is is [12:20] is expecting or he's hopeful that and the diplomatic uh efforts that this was uh [12:27] talking about talking about might come to some kind of a fruition but we just wait i have to wait and [12:36] see really um whether something decent is going to come after this it doesn't look like well i have [12:42] to just say we've just got a senior source close to reuters it's just come through in the past 10 [12:47] seconds or so saying there are no negotiations with the u.s this is a senior iranian source [12:52] no negotiations with the u.s which wants iran to surrender under pressure so we will continue the [12:57] discussions uh as this deadline looms the iranian ambassador in islamabad was saying that there are [13:03] negotiations reaching reaching its sensitivity [13:07] stage there's an off-ramp if president trump wants it there's an off-ramp [13:11] okay yeah there's an offer if he wants it but israel is telling him [13:15] don't don't go for a ceasefire that was already on social media too