The inside story: What it's like to run SAS operations in Iraq

With a ceasefire between Israel and Iran appearing to hold - for now - how much have the events of the past two weeks changed the Middle East in the longer term? In this week's episode, The Crisis Room team discuss the seismic shifts we've seen in the region, and they consider whether Iran will ever agree to return to the negotiating table after attacks from the US and Israel in the last fortnight.They're also joined by Sir Simon Gass - a former British Ambassador to Tehran who helped to negotiate the Obama nuclear deal - who reveals what it's really like to negotiate with the Iranians.And they look at this week's NATO summit and question how real Sir Keir Starmer's commitment is to the UK soon spending 5% on defence and security, and whether President Donald Trump is truly committed to Article 5. For more content, please follow us:https://x.com/CrisisRoomPodhttps://bsky.app/profile/crisisroompod.bsky.socialhttps://www.youtube.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1AuBXweSJe/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.instagram.com/crisisroompod/?hl=enhttps://www.threads.com/@crisisroompod?hl=en

What conversations are taking place in the White House Situation Room right now? How will the British government be responding to the war between Iran and Israel in its own Crisis Room, COBRA? Amber, Mark, and Marc recreate those scenes by dissecting the political, military, and intelligence aspects of this issue, and assess whether the US is likely to join in with Israeli strikes on Iranian sites - and whether it should.The team also looks in detail at President Donald Trump's handling of this crisis. Why is he failing to bring peace to the world's conflicts, as he promised to during his election campaign? Is there still any path to a negotiated deal between Israel and Iran? And are there major divisions between Trump and other G7 leaders?Plus: you've probably heard that MI6 has appointed its first-ever female chief. But what is Blaise Metreweli really like? Marc Polymeropoulos reveals his personal experience of working with the new C, and Amber and Mark explain what the in-tray looks like for the new boss of the Secret Intelligence Service. For more content, please follow us:https://x.com/CrisisRoomPodhttps://bsky.app/profile/crisisroompod.bsky.socialhttps://www.youtube.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1AuBXweSJe/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.instagram.com/crisisroompod/?hl=enhttps://www.threads.com/@crisisroompod?hl=en

In the first-ever emergency edition of The Crisis Room, Mark, Amber, and Marc unpack Israel’s dramatic overnight attacks on Iran, and what they could mean for global security. The situation is so urgent, Marc joins the conversation from a plane. Yes, really. The team dissect Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s latest military gamble, question what President Trump may have known in advance, and take you inside the high-stakes decision-making playing out right now in real-world crisis rooms across the Middle East and beyond.Plus, they’re joined by Eric Brewer, former National Security Council official and leading Iran expert, to assess one of the biggest questions looming over this moment: Will Iran now pursue a nuclear weapon?For more content, please follow us:https://x.com/CrisisRoomPodhttps://bsky.app/profile/crisisroompod.bsky.socialhttps://www.youtube.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1AuBXweSJe/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.instagram.com/crisisroompod/?hl=enhttps://www.threads.com/@crisisroompod?hl=en

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be part of Special Forces operations during the Iraq War? In an exclusive interview, former SAS Commanding Officer Richard Williams reveals what it was like to run those units in Baghdad at a time when Al-Qaeda were detonating 100 suicide bombs every month - and just how big an impact his men had on restoring some sense of order to the Iraqi capital.For the first time, Richard also publicly shares his strong views on the controversial public inquiry into SAS operations in Afghanistan, while Mark and Amber discuss their experiences of working - and going out on operations - with the world-famous regiment.Plus Marc Polymeropoulos is back to give his view on the recent political upheaval in Syria, a country he lived and worked in during his long career with the CIA. Tune in to hear Marc admit that President Trump has finally made a foreign policy decision he can support! For more content, please follow us:https://x.com/CrisisRoomPodhttps://bsky.app/profile/crisisroompod.bsky.socialhttps://www.youtube.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1AuBXweSJe/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.instagram.com/crisisroompod/?hl=enhttps://www.threads.com/@crisisroompod?hl=en

Is the UK ready to take part in an armed conflict? Do the British people understand what being war-ready really means? And is the government willing to cough up and pay what it takes to keep the public safe in the long-term?This week, Amber and Mark discuss Britain's war-readiness in light of the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, and they speak to Dr. Fiona Hill, one of the authors of that review.They also ask Fiona whether the US can be seen as a reliable ally under her old boss Donald Trump, and even though there's no Marc Polymeropoulos this week, there's still a 'ding-dong' in there to keep him happy. For more content, please follow us:https://x.com/CrisisRoomPodhttps://bsky.app/profile/crisisroompod.bsky.socialhttps://www.youtube.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1AuBXweSJe/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.instagram.com/crisisroompod/?hl=enhttps://www.threads.com/@crisisroompod?hl=en

Step into The Crisis Room. In this first episode, Amber, Mark, and Marc unpack the controversial move by Merseyside Police to reveal key details about the Liverpool incident suspect. Smart transparency, or a risky precedent?They also dive into the war in Ukraine: has Europe let Ukraine down? Why is Trump so dismissive of the intelligence community? And are world leaders scared of provoking Vladimir Putin?Amber shares insider stories from her time as Home Secretary during the Skripal poisoning and the Trump years, while Mark and Marc clash over how far the West should go to support Ukraine.For more content, please follow us:https://x.com/CrisisRoomPodhttps://bsky.app/profile/crisisroompod.bsky.socialhttps://www.youtube.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@crisisroompodhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1AuBXweSJe/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.instagram.com/crisisroompod/?hl=enhttps://www.threads.com/@crisisroompod?hl=en