Everything We Know (And Don't Know) About The Mandelson Files

Today, the new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, gave his first statement pledging to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz.This was delivered not by Khamenei himself, but by a newsreader on Iranian state TV speaking over a photo of him, sparking further speculation as to his health and whereabouts.Alex and James are joined by Jane Corbin, Panorama film maker, and Baran Abbasi, reporter and presenter for BBC Persian, to discuss what to make of the new Supreme Leader’s statement.Plus, diplomatic correspondent, James Landale, joins Alex and James from Kyiv to analyse what the US-Israeli war with Iran means for the war in Ukraine and how President Zelensky and President Putin have responded.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi and Harry Craig. The social producers were Joe Wilkinson and Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The government releases documents about appointing Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador.

Today, President Trump has told reporters Iran war will be over “very soon”, but not this week.Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says this will be the “most intense” day of US strikes on Iran so far. So how close is the war to ending?Alex and James are joined by Caitríona Perry, Chief Anchor of BBC News in Washington, to try to decode what Trump might mean.Meanwhile, Trump has also threatened Iran with "death, fire, and fury" if it continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of global oil supplies.Michelle Wiese Bockmann, senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward, joins Alex and James to explain why the Strait is so vital.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Harry Craig. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, the Iran war has pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.James and Alex are joined by Dharshini David, deputy economics editor, and Katya Adler, Europe editor and Brexitcast veteran, to discuss what the war means for the global economy and how the surging oil price might lead to higher inflation.Katya’s new series ‘Europe on the Edge’ is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.Meanwhile, in Iran Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the previous supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been named as his successor. Siavash Ardalan, senior reporter for BBC World and BBC Persian, joins James and Alex for a profile of the man now in charge of the Islamic Republic.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Alex Forsyth and James Cook. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi, Jem Westgate and Harry Craig. The social producer was Grace Braddock. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor was Jack Maclaren. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at the extent to which the lessons learned from the Iraq war has shaped the UK's response to the war in Iran.Keir Starmer has taken a position somewhere between full support of Donald Trump’s actions, and direct criticism of them.In a post on Truth Social, the US president criticised the UK for being less than 100% supportive, saying ‘we will remember’ and "We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!"On Friday, former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair told a private event that the UK should have backed the strikes from the beginning.But is Keir Starmer’s decision making being guided by some of the failures of the 2003 Iraq war, which Blair led the UK into?You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXdNewscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Chloe Scannapieco. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Phil Bull. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Iran’s president has apologised to Gulf states for attacking them. He has also warned that Iran will not attack its neighbours "unless attacked first".Laura asks Iran’s ambassador to the UK, Seyed Ali Mousavi, about the events of the past week, and what the apology really means. Paddy’s been talking to an Iranian woman who has fled the country about her views on the regime and their actions over the past few months.They get together to discuss what they’ve heard, and have a look at how seriously we should take dire economic warnings with Gillian Tett, a columnist for the Financial Times and the head of King's College, Cambridge.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXdNewscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Laura Cain. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

We answer your questions about the US-Israel war with Iran.Adam and Chris are joined in the studio by Panorama film maker Jane Corbin and Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet to answer Newscasters questions. Have the US underestimated Iran? Will Keir Starmer’s approach work? What role could the Iranian army play?You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Jem Westgate. The social producer was Beth Pritchard . The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, Keir Starmer has defended his response to the Iran war and announced he will send four additional fighter jets to Qatar.Adam is joined by Jane Corbin, Panorama film maker; Lucy Fisher, Whitehall editor for the Financial Times, and Mikey Kay, military analyst for the Security Brief, to discuss Starmer’s press conference, and to take a deeper look at the weaponry being used by both sides in this conflict.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Harry Craig and Kris Jalowiecki. The social producer was Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US will strike deeper into Iran, but how has Iran responded to US-Israeli strikes so far? Adam is joined by Jane Corbin, Panorama Film Maker, and Siavash Ardalan, Senior Reporter for BBC World and BBC Persian, to discuss the Pentagon releasing a video of the sinking of an Iranian warship plus the challenges in reporting what’s going on inside Iran. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Shiler Mahmoudi and Kris Jalowiecki. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, President Trump has publicly criticised Keir Starmer saying “This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with”.The comments came during a press conference at the White House alongside the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. President Trump said he was “not happy with the UK” because of the initial refusal from London to let Washington use the British base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean during its first strikes on Iran.It comes as the UK government has announced it is sending “helicopters with counter drone capabilities” and a warship to the region, after attacks on it’s base in Cyprus. Financial markets have also reacted to the uncertainty with oil and gas prices rising, and share prices down. Adam and Chris are joined by Jane Corbin, Panorama Film Maker and Dharshini David Deputy Economics Editor. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can take part in the Newscast census here - https://bbc.in/newscastcensusYou can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi and Kris Jalowiecki. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.