BBC Persian Mistranslates US Speech, Iranians Outraged

0:00On March 7th, the BBC Persian Service sparked controversy by mistranslating a speech from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the war with Iran. In the live broadcast, Hegseth targeted the Iranian regime, but translators used the Persian word for people instead, making it seem like he, threatened ordinary Iranians. Hegseth had said the regime, known for chanting death to America and Israel, faced consequences from both nations without calling it a regime change. The air happened during simultaneous live translation on Monday, and the BBC quickly fixed it afterward. Iranians online blasted the BBC for mixing civilians with the regime's actions and twisting the speech's intent. A Persian language expert from Haifa University called it a major shift in meaning that wrongly painted the U.S. as attacking all Iranians. Not everyone agreed, with some saying the word choice was close enough. Meanwhile, this fuels broader complaints about BBC impartiality, including a $10 billion

1:01lawsuit from President Donald Trump over a panorama. Program, he claims, defamed him by editing his January 6th speech. Trump's team accuses the BBC of bias against him ahead of the election. The broadcast to call it simple human error and corrected it on air and social media. As scrutiny over their Iran coverage grows, from protests to Gaza focus, questions linger on balancing accuracy in tense times.