The BBC is facing backlash after altering a speech from Pete Hegseth where he spoke about military action against Iran. The change appeared to make seem like the US was targeting the Iranian “people” rather than the country’s regime.
The incident occurred during a live broadcast by BBC Persian, the network’s Persian-language service that broadcasts directly to the Iranian people. During the translation of Hegseth’s address from the Pentagon on Monday, the network mistranslated the word “regime” to “mardom,” the Persian word for “people.”
In his speech, Hegseth said, “It turns out the regime that chanted 'death to America and death to Israel' was gifted death from America and death from Israel. This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it."
The translation aired by BBC instead translated his remarks as, “It turns out the people that chanted 'death to America and death to Israel' was gifted death from America and death from Israel.”
The mistranslation appeared to shift the meaning of the statement, suggesting the United States was targeting civilians rather than Iran’s governing authorities. Both Hegseth and Donald Trump have called on the Iranian public to overthrow their government. Hegseth reiterated that message Monday, urging civilians to “take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”
The mistranslation comes amid an ongoing dispute between the BBC and Trump. In December, Trump filed a lawsuit against the broadcaster totaling $10 billion that alleges defamation and violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit was in response to a 2024 Panorama documentary about the president’s January 6, 2021, speech, which omitted the moment where Trump called on protesters to protest peacefully.
According to The Telegraph, a BBC spokesperson responded to the mistranslation, saying, “This mistranslated word was a mistake, as a result of human error, during the live simultaneous translation of a speech. We issued a correction to Persian audiences on air and on social media."
The incident occurred during a live broadcast by BBC Persian, the network’s Persian-language service that broadcasts directly to the Iranian people. During the translation of Hegseth’s address from the Pentagon on Monday, the network mistranslated the word “regime” to “mardom,” the Persian word for “people.”
In his speech, Hegseth said, “It turns out the regime that chanted 'death to America and death to Israel' was gifted death from America and death from Israel. This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it."
The translation aired by BBC instead translated his remarks as, “It turns out the people that chanted 'death to America and death to Israel' was gifted death from America and death from Israel.”
The mistranslation appeared to shift the meaning of the statement, suggesting the United States was targeting civilians rather than Iran’s governing authorities. Both Hegseth and Donald Trump have called on the Iranian public to overthrow their government. Hegseth reiterated that message Monday, urging civilians to “take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”
The mistranslation comes amid an ongoing dispute between the BBC and Trump. In December, Trump filed a lawsuit against the broadcaster totaling $10 billion that alleges defamation and violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit was in response to a 2024 Panorama documentary about the president’s January 6, 2021, speech, which omitted the moment where Trump called on protesters to protest peacefully.
According to The Telegraph, a BBC spokesperson responded to the mistranslation, saying, “This mistranslated word was a mistake, as a result of human error, during the live simultaneous translation of a speech. We issued a correction to Persian audiences on air and on social media."
