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US President Donald Trump says he’s not ready to make a deal with Iran because the terms for one aren't good enough yet. We'll hear from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who says his country has never even requested a ceasefire with the US and get the latest on the situation in Iran from a BBC Persian journalist.Also on the programme: Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine tells us concerns for his safety have prompted him to leave the country two months after the disputed presidential election; and who's in the running ahead of this year’s upcoming Oscars...

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait all reported attacks overnight, with air defences working to intercept them, though the frequency is much less than in the early days of the conflict. Earlier the Iranians urged the UAE to evacuate the port zones of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah. We hear about Iran's strategy. Also in the programme: Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of crossing a red line by launching drones into its airspace; and how an Oscar-nominee picked a fight with the worlds of ballet and opera. (Photo: Smoke rises in the Fujairah oil industry zone, caused by debris after...

The US president has called on the UK and other allies to join the United States in sending ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. His comments come after he said US forces had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s key Kharg Island - a commercial lifeline for the Iranian regime. Should Western allies send ships to support that effort? We discuss it with Mark Kimmitt, former US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs under George W. Bush.Also on today’s programme: an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon has killed twelve medical workers. We speak to Nada Homsi fr...

The US military has given more details about its strikes last night on Kharg Island, where most of Iran's oil exports are shipped from. It said it had struck more than 90 military sites, including missile storage facilities. Video on social media showed multiple explosions, including at an airfield. Also in the programme: our correspondent has been to a Kurdish Peshmerga mountain base in Iraq; and we meet the man who did the make-up and prosthetics for the new film Frankenstein. (Photo: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Credit: Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

European leaders have reacted with alarm to a US plan to ease some oil sanctions on Russia. The intention, in Washington, is to tackle surging energy costs caused by the war in the Middle East, in particular the blockage by Iran of tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 per cent of the world's oil usually transits. With her country at war with Russia, a Ukrainian MP gives us her reaction to this development. Also on the programme: a look at the current state of Iran’s military capabilities as war continues to rage; how spider’s silk...

The massive bombardment of Iran is continuing with explosions heard across Tehran. Iranian state television reported a major blast near where thousands of Iranians are taking part in a Quds Day rally - an annual march in support of Palestinians and opposing Israel. One person is reported to have been killed. There is also growing criticism in Europe of Washington's decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil in a bid to counter rising oil prices caused by the US and Israel's war with Iran.Also, how the White House is selling its war on social media. And we look ahead...

As Iran releases the new supreme leader's first statement, we hear from the country's UN ambassador, Ali Bahreini. We also track the expanding Israeli military assault on Lebanon, and ask how the insurance industry is handling the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies. Also in the programme: British tourist among those arrested in Dubai for having missile photographs on his phone; and a tribute album for the jazz musician Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.(Photo: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep blocking Strait of Hormuz in his first statement released by the regime after more attacks on cargo ships in the Gulf in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, causing another spike in oil prices.Can American naval power keep those shipping lanes open? We'll assess the options and hear what people in America's heartland think about the war.Also in the programme: Will a new "ethnic unity" law in China lead to more disunity?; and a piece of rock music history goes up for a sale - a rather battered guitar that belonged to...

Three vessels have been hit by 'unknown projectiles' in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime authorities say. We are joined by Dr Harry Broadman, a former US Assistant Trade Representative to discuss how disruption in the shipping channel might affect global supply chains.Also on today's programme: Chile sees its biggest shift to the hard right in decades with the inauguration of Jose Antonio Kast as president. British organ preservation charity Pipe Up says five pipe organs are sent to a landfill each week. Plus, as Iran says it will not play in the World Cup, we hear from Afshin Ghotbi...

Israel has launched more attacks against suspected Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including an apartment building in the capital Beirut. The Hezbollah militia is an ally of Iran.It comes as the Lebanese health ministry has announced that 570 people have been killed in Lebanon since strikes began on 2nd March as part of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israel's evacuation orders have driven more than three quarters of a million people from their homes. We'll hear from the Lebanese capital and we'll hear from Dubai and Riyadh about the disruption to energy shipments from the region.Also in the programme: Russia's...

The White House press secretary warns that US combat operations in Iran are intensifying while Iran's defence capabilities are in decline.Also in today's programme: Tehran residents describe intense bombing in the city. With oil prices soaring across the globe we hear from Mark Menezes, CEO of the US Energy Association, who previously served as Deputy Energy Secretary in President Trump's first administration. And we also discuss Iran's world heritage sites under threat from US-Israeli attack.Plus, to mark the 150 years since the first ever telephone call we hear from Marty Cooper, the inventor of mobile phone. (Picture: A dredger...

The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has insisted America's war aims are clear, at a Pentagon press conference. We'll hear from those inside Iran caught up in the bombardment, and from our correspondent, Tom Bateman, who attended that news conference.Also on the programme: Authorities in the US state of New Mexico have launched a search of a ranch previously owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and the German carmaker Volkswagen has said it will cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as its profits fell by over 40 percent in 2025.(Photo: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during...

G7 finance ministers have said they're ready to take measures to support the global energy supply, after meeting to discuss the economic turmoil caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran. Oil prices eased back below 100 US dollars a barrel, after they indicated this could include the release of strategic reserves. But they're still about 40 percent up since the start of the war, which has halted most exports from the Gulf. Concerns about the impact on the global economy have caused stock markets to fall in America, Europe and Asia.Also in the programme: Reports that members of Iran's women's football...

As the US and Israel's war on Iran enters its second week, concerns are rising about surging oil prices.Crude has jumped above $100 a barrel and stock markets slumped over the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran. What are the effects likely to be?Also in the programme: We'll profile Iran's new Supreme Leader, the son of the former cleric; we'll hear how the war is affecting daily life in the Gulf state of Qatar; and how the master artists of ancient Egypt may have invented correction fluid.(Photo shows smoke rising following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery on...

The United States and Israel have continued their bombardment of Iran for a ninth day. Thick plumes of black smoke were seen in the skies above Tehran as the US and Israel struck an oil refinery and depot in the capital. We'll bring you the latest in the war including from the second front in southern Lebanon.Also in the programme: a high-ranking executive at OpenAI has resigned over the company's deal with the US government; and India has retained the men's T20 cricket World Cup title. (Picture: Thick plumes of smoke rise above the Shahran oil refinery in Tehran...

Iran says it’s chosen a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed last week in US-Israeli airstrikes – but the name has yet to be revealed. Meanwhile Israel and the US continue to strike Iran, with oil depots hit, and Iran carries out more strikes on its Gulf Arab neighbours: we hear from Kuwait.Also in the programme: scientists find a mountain range and huge "blue hole" in the deep Caribbean Sea, with life never before seen; and the American gospel musician finally getting recognition after more than fifty years.(IMAGE: A demonstrator holds an image of Iran...

We hear how a week of war is changing Iran. And the attacks in southern Lebanon's Bekaa valley continue, after Israel warned Lebanon that it will pay a "very ​heavy price" if it does not rein in attacks by Hezbollah.Also on the programme: Nepal's rapper turned Prime Minister; and the NASA mission that's shown how we can defend ourselves against a speeding asteroid.(Photo: Smoke rises after an Iranian drone was intercepted over the Bahrain Financial Harbour towers, which houses the Israeli embassy, in Manama, Bahrain Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.

President Trump says only Iran's unconditional surrender will end American and Israeli bombardment. The US and Israel say much of Iran's capability has been destroyed but Iran is fighting back. We speak to one of the few international journalists in Iran about the latest attacks.Also in the programme: Ukraine and six European nations boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics because of Russian and Belarusian athletes taking part; and a firefighter in Texas recounts how his team rescued two people whose hot air balloon got entangled in a 300-metre tower. Photo: US-Israeli attacks continue in Iran amid escalating...

Israel and the United States have continued their heavy attacks on Tehran and other cities across Iran, while Israel has stepped up its bombing of Lebanon.Also in the programme:  a report from Caracas as the US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum became the latest senior American official to visit Venezuela; and we hear from a youth mentor in Haiti's gang-ravaged capital Port-au-Prince, whose film has just won a best documentary award.(Photo: US-Israeli attacks continue in Iran amid escalating conflict, Tehran on 6 March 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock)