This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
I'm Helena Merriman and in a new BBC series,
I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story.
What did they miss the first time?
The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs.
Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to News Hour from the BBC World Service.
I'm Gary O'Donohue.
We begin, of course, in Iran.
After days of protest across all 31 provinces of the country and hundreds of deaths,
the regime says it has brought the demonstrations under what it terms, total control.
The government is still blocking the internet and phone calls,
though information and videos are still trickling out via some satellite links.
After calling on people to support the regime,
Iran's super Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued a statement,
hailing a day of rallies, for which he said we're in support of the government.
Now, it's not been easy to speak to people in Iran.
That's not just true for media organisations like the BBC,
but also for thousands of Iranians who live abroad.
In a moment, we'll hear from someone who's just returned from the country.