logo
episode-header-image
Today
27 m

Iran: Is diplomacy dead?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

As the US-Israeli strikes on Iran continue and the death toll continues to rise, so too does the war of words.

President Trump has described Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's choice for new supreme leader, as "unacceptable". He has also said he believes the war will be over “pretty quickly”, but it’s not clear how - or when.

Nate Swanson, a former State Department official who spent nearly two decades in the US government working on American policy towards Iran, answers our questions on how the next stage of the conflict is likely to unfold - and whether a negotiated peace with Iran is still an option.

Producers: Chris Benderev, Cat Farnsworth and Valerio Esposito

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Studio managers: James Piper and Mike Regaard.

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: People walk past a banner depicting the Iran's supreme leaders since 1979. The late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini; the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; and his son, the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters.

Up next
Yesterday
Are oil prices determining the course of the Iran war?
Oil prices surged to a four-year high on Monday, before dipping after President Trump said the Iran war will end “very soon”. Just days ago, Trump said that he would not stop the war until Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.Turmoil in the region had led to the near complete shutdow ... Show More
26m 29s
Mar 9
Spain stands up to Trump
As European leaders have struggled to find a unified response to the US-Israel war in Iran, Pedro Sanchez has stood out as a voice of dissent. He said in a televised address last week: “The position of the government of Spain can be summarised in three words: no to war.” The Span ... Show More
27m 46s
Mar 6
Do Trump and Netanyahu have conflicting end goals on Iran?
For Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the war on Iran is the culmination of a long-standing political ambition. On Sunday, Netanyahu said he was finally doing what he had “hoped to achieve for 40 years – to crush the regime of terror completely.” Polling suggests the w ... Show More
27m 16s
Recommended Episodes
May 2025
The Sunday Read: ‘This Is the Holocaust Story I Said I Wouldn’t Write’
<p>When Taffy Brodesser-Akner became a writer, Mr. Lindenblatt, the father of one of her oldest friends, began asking to tell his story of survival during the Holocaust in one of the magazines or newspapers she wrote for. He took pride in telling his story, in making sure he fulf ... Show More
1h 6m
Jan 2025
A History of Auschwitz
<p>On January 27th 1945, the Red Army liberated the concentration camp at Auschwitz unveiling its almost unspeakable horrors to the world.&nbsp;</p><br><p>The concentration camp system began almost immediately after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. It was an int ... Show More
58m 31s
Jan 2024
Holocaust history
Historians continue to unearth documents, interpret new records accounts and reinterpret old ones in their light. In doing so they expand our understanding of unfolding antisemitism and the holocaust. Anne McElvoy speaks to Barbara Warnock the senior curator of the Wiener Holocau ... Show More
45m 23s
Aug 2024
Anne Frank: life of the week
Anne Frank was one of six million Jews to be murdered by the Nazis. A number of these victims' lives were lost to history. But Anne had left behind a diary – a diary that would become a global sensation. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Clare Mulley shares the teenager's ... Show More
31m 36s
Mar 2024
An Unfinished History of the Holocaust
<p>The Holocaust is much discussed, much memorialized, and much portrayed. But there are major aspects of its history that have been overlooked.</p> <p>Spanning the entirety of the Holocaust, this sweeping history deepens our understanding. Dan Stone—Director of the Holocaust Res ... Show More
1h 36m
Jan 2025
Auschwitz Commandant: Rudolf Höss
<p>Every day Rudolf Höss oversaw the killing of thousands of people at the death camp and then went home and acted like a doting father to his family. Höss was brought in by top Nazis to pioneer the industrialisation of the mass murder of Europe's Jews and others. He lived in a h ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 2024
Heart and Soul: The Arab Holocaust museum
Twenty years ago, one man took it into his hands to educate Arab-Israelis about the Holocaust and its ongoing psychological effects. Khaled Kasab Mahameed, a lawyer from Nazareth, opened what is believed to be the first ever Arab-led Holocaust museum. His aim: to open the eyes of ... Show More
26m 29s
May 2025
Episode 33 - The Holocaust survivor who leads pro-Palestine protests | Stephen Kapos | UNAPOLOGETIC
Stephen Kapos survived the Holocaust as a child in Nazi-occupied Hungary. In this candid interview, he recalls his time in a Jewish refugee home—hiding his identity with other children to avoid Nazi detection.He reflects on memory, survival, and the different paths his family too ... Show More
2h 2m