03-28 00:00 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
The price of a wide range of goods - from food, to smartphones, to medicines - could be affected by the US-Israel war with Iran.
How the Hormuz closure could affect food, medicines and smartphones
The interruption of oil and gas supplied through the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Israel war with Iran has dramatically pushed up global energy prices.
Petrol has gone up already and UK domestic heating bills are almost certain to follow.
But it's not just fuel that's been impacted by the conflict. A host of other vitally important chemicals, gases and other products normally enter international supply chains via the Hormuz Strait.
BBC Verify has found that the price of a host of goods - ranging from food, to smartphones, to medicines - could be affected, as the number of ships passing through the Hormuz Strait has dropped from well over 100 a day before the war to just a handful.
Here is what could be impacted.
Fertilisers (Food)
Petrochemicals are derived from oil and gas and they are produced in great quantities for export by countries in the Gulf region.
And one of the most important is fertiliser, vital for global agricultural production.
Analysts have warned that a shortage of these ferilisers is likely to be particularly damaging to agricultural production now because March and April are the northern hemisphere's planting season and less fertiliser use now by farmers will impact yields for later in the year.
"A relatively brief closure could disrupt an entire growing season, with food security consequences that persist long after the strait reopens," according to researchers at the Kiel Institute.
The Institute's work suggests a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz could push up global wheat prices by 4.2% and fruit and vegetable prices by 5.2%.
Helium (Microchips)
It's a byproduct of the production of natural gas and is used in the manufacture of semiconductor wafers, which are then processed into the microchips used in computers, vehicles and household appliances.
Helium is also used to cool the magnets in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners used in hospitals.
Qatar's giant Ras Laffan plant, which produces the gas, has shut down production after Iranian missile and drone strikes.
And the Qatar government has warned it will take three to five years to repair the damage, raising fears about supplies.
"MRI machines require somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 liters helium to cool the magnets. Every time you do a scan, a little bit of that boils off or evaporates.
"People like to think helium's predominant use is in data centers, semiconductors and cooling for the AI and data industry. But we can't forget that helium is quite important for MRIs and for other medical users," he told BBC Verify.
Petrochemical derivatives (Medicines)
Derivatives from petrochemicals - such as methanol and ethylene - are vital materials in the global production of pharmaceuticals, including painkillers, antibiotics and vaccines.
The countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain - are estimated to account for around 6% of global petrochemical production capacity.
These nations primarily use the Strait of Hormuz to export these chemicals to the wider world, with around half going to Asia.
Sulphur (Metals/Batteries)
Its main use is as an agricultural fertiliser, but it is also vital for metal processing.
Sulphur is used to make sulphuric acid, which is used for processing copper, cobalt and nickel and also for the extraction of lithium.
All of those metals are needed for the production of batteries, which are used in everything from domestic appliances to electric vehicles to military hardware like drones.
Analysts warn that if sulphur supplies remain interrupted, the result will likely be higher prices for consumers of products containing batteries.
Additional reporting by Tom Edgington and Joshua Cheetham
Graphics by Phil Leake
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03-28 00:00 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
One month since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, Tehran residents tell the BBC their lives have been devastated.
'My daughter is under the rubble': Inside Tehran as civilian toll of strikes rises
A mother stands by the rubble, crying out for her daughter.
For days she has been waiting for rescue workers to dig through the flattened remains of what was once her daughter's flat in Resalat, a residential district in eastern Tehran.
"They don't have the manpower to get her out," the woman says.
"My daughter is under the rubble... she's afraid of the dark."
For a month, Iran has been at war with the US and Israel, which have been carrying out strikes across the country at targets linked to the regime.
But these attacks are also having a devastating impact on civilians living nearby.
They are now being caught between bombardment from the skies and a repressive regime that responded to anti-establishment protests with a deadly crackdown in January.
Since the start of the war, BBC Eye has gathered exclusive footage from independent journalists inside Tehran.
The BBC is rarely allowed into Iran and has not been given access since the war began.
We've gathered eyewitness testimony, filmed the aftermath of strikes and analysed footage from social media and satellite imagery.
Our analysis shows there has been a series of attacks on state-linked targets that are embedded in civilian neighbourhoods in Tehran, with deadly consequences for those living around them.
Dozens of families had lived in the multi-storey apartment building in Resalat before it was destroyed by an Israeli air strike on 9 March.
The daughter trapped in the rubble had been living in the complex with her husband and own young daughter.
Days after the strike, she and her daughter were found dead under the rubble. The husband survived.
Another apartment building, across the road, was also destroyed in the air strike.
A man, 55, living in an apartment there, said the strike was "so sudden" and he was "thrown across the room".
He says everything he owns is now buried beneath the debris.
"I don't have anything now… All my documents, everything, it's gone."
Local authorities and residents say between 40 and 50 people were killed in this single attack.
Those made homeless are currently staying at a hotel nearby.
"This was our life," the man adds.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC in a statement that it "directs its strikes exclusively against lawful military objectives" in accordance with international law.
It also said it "can confirm the casualties are substantially lower than stated".
The IDF says it targeted a military building used by the Iranian Basij, a paramilitary force linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
But analysis of the aftermath suggests the impact extended far beyond that single site.
Satellite imagery taken in the days after the strike shows at least four buildings destroyed in quick succession.
While one was well known to be associated with the Basij, surrounding structures appear to have been residential.
Footage from the scene, verified by BBC Eye, shows widespread destruction across the neighbourhood. Our analysis indicates that buildings up to 65m away were heavily damaged by the blast.
Residents also describe multiple explosions within seconds of each other.
"They hit three times," one survivor says.
"Maybe three or five seconds between them… I tried to stand up, but the rubble came down on my head."
Military experts told BBC Eye that the Israeli air force is likely using particularly large bombs across Tehran from the Mark 80 series, which are often fitted with precision guidance systems.
They added that the scale and spread of the damage observed in Resalat is consistent with the use of the Mark 84, the largest of the series, weighing 2,000lb (907kg).
Unexploded bombs matching these types have been photographed in the city.
The UN has previously urged countries and armed groups at war to avoid using powerful bombs in highly populated areas because of the danger to civilian lives.
BBC Eye has spoken to two international humanitarian law experts, who believe that the use of such a heavy bomb in a densely populated area would be disproportionate, considering the potential harm to civilians, and possibly unlawful.
Resalat is not an isolated case.
Since the start of the conflict, the IDF said it had dropped more than 12,000 bombs across Iran and 3,600 bombs on Tehran alone.
US Central Command says it has struck more than 9,000 targets across Iran.
Many of these US and Israeli strikes have targeted police stations, Basij militia buildings, police headquarters, military and police universities, safe houses, IRGC homes, as well as potential ammunition stores and checkpoints.
Often, these targets are located within busy civilian neighbourhoods.
On 1 March, an Israeli strike hit the Abbasabad police station near Niloufar Square, where families had gathered after breaking their Ramadan fast.
Eyewitnesses describe seeing at least 20 people killed, though the BBC has not verified this number.
Witnesses described a "terrifyi
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03-28 00:00 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
Attendees at the annual CPAC conference in Texas are conflicted about Operation Epic Fury, which was launched by the US and Israel on 28 February.
One month in, what do American conservatives make of the war in Iran?
Attendees at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas were conflicted when asked about the US and Israel's war with Iran, which launched one month ago under the name 'Operation Epic Fury'.
Some younger conservatives noted how Trump had reneged on his election year promise of 'no new wars', while other attendees lauded the president for having 'the willingness and power to do what he's doing'.
Video by Meiying Wu
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03-27 05:47 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
The price of a wide range of goods - from food, to smartphones, to medicines - could be affected by the US-Israel war with Iran.
How the Hormuz closure could affect food, medicines and smartphones
The interruption of oil and gas supplied through the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Israel war with Iran has dramatically pushed up global energy prices.
Petrol has gone up already and UK domestic heating bills are almost certain to follow.
But it's not just fuel that's been impacted by the conflict. A host of other vitally important chemicals, gases and other products normally enter international supply chains via the Hormuz Strait.
BBC Verify has found that the price of a host of goods - ranging from food, to smartphones, to medicines - could be affected, as the number of ships passing through the Hormuz Strait has dropped from well over 100 a day before the war to just a handful.
Here is what could be impacted.
Fertilisers (Food)
Petrochemicals are derived from oil and gas and they are produced in great quantities for export by countries in the Gulf region.
And one of the most important is fertiliser, vital for global agricultural production.
Analysts have warned that a shortage of these ferilisers is likely to be particularly damaging to agricultural production now because March and April are the northern hemisphere's planting season and less fertiliser use now by farmers will impact yields for later in the year.
"A relatively brief closure could disrupt an entire growing season, with food security consequences that persist long after the strait reopens," according to researchers at the Kiel Institute.
The Institute's work suggests a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz could push up global wheat prices by 4.2% and fruit and vegetable prices by 5.2%.
Helium (Microchips)
It's a byproduct of the production of natural gas and is used in the manufacture of semiconductor wafers, which are then processed into the microchips used in computers, vehicles and household appliances.
Helium is also used to cool the magnets in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners used in hospitals.
Qatar's giant Ras Laffan plant, which produces the gas, has shut down production after Iranian missile and drone strikes.
And the Qatar government has warned it will take three to five years to repair the damage, raising fears about supplies.
"MRI machines require somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 liters helium to cool the magnets. Every time you do a scan, a little bit of that boils off or evaporates.
"People like to think helium's predominant use is in data centers, semiconductors and cooling for the AI and data industry. But we can't forget that helium is quite important for MRIs and for other medical users," he told BBC Verify.
Petrochemical derivatives (Medicines)
Derivatives from petrochemicals - such as methanol and ethylene - are vital materials in the global production of pharmaceuticals, including painkillers, antibiotics and vaccines.
The countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain - are estimated to account for around 6% of global petrochemical production capacity.
These nations primarily use the Strait of Hormuz to export these chemicals to the wider world, with around half going to Asia.
Sulphur (Metals/Batteries)
Its main use is as an agricultural fertiliser, but it is also vital for metal processing.
Sulphur is used to make sulphuric acid, which is used for processing copper, cobalt and nickel and also for the extraction of lithium.
All of those metals are needed for the production of batteries, which are used in everything from domestic appliances to electric vehicles to military hardware like drones.
Analysts warn that if sulphur supplies remain interrupted, the result will likely be higher prices for consumers of products containing batteries.
Additional reporting by Tom Edgington and Joshua Cheetham
Graphics by Phil Leake
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