Will Iran retaliate or capitulate?
The United States has struck Iranian soil, hitting three of the country's nuclear facilities.
US President Donald Trump is threatening more strikes if peace is not achieved. list of 3 items list 1 of 3 list 2 of 3 list 3 of 3 end of list
But Iran has hit back, striking central and northern Israel.
So is this a major escalation in the conflict between Iran and Israel?
Is there a real danger of nuclear fallout?
How likely is Iran to strike US bases?
And is the Middle East moving closer to a regional war?
Presenter: Imran Khan
Guests:
Zohreh Kharazmi – Assistant professor in the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran
Tariq Rauf – Former head of the Verification and Security Policy Coordination Office at the International Atomic Energy Agency
Matthew Bryza – Former US National Security Council official at the White House and diplomat
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This effort to squash potential dissent is more than a distraction from the Epstein files controversy or America's economic troubles. Locally, it is a partial end to the District of Columbia's half-century of home rule, which otherwise makes the city independent of direct federal oversight. Nationally, it is an open question about whether DC can remain a site of protest, a place where marches and other gatherings can effect change or even occur at all in the current autocratic climate. Trump's executive order announcing his takeover of DC's police force on August 11 should not have come as a surprise, especially given his attempts to bring the federal government's power to bear in California back in June. 'Crime is out of control in the District of Columbia', the order reads, stating that the 'increase in violent crime in the heart of our Republic… poses intolerable risks to the vital federal functions that take place in the District of Columbia'. 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Washington, DC, is a great stage for beta-testing how willing the rest of the US is to go to achieve Trump's dream of autocratic rule. DC remains a majority-minority city, with Black Washingtonians making up a plurality (43 percent) of the population, despite 30 years of middle-class (mostly white) gentrification – white Washingtonians make up 39 percent of DC's population. So, it is not that surprising Trump would attempt such heavy-handed tactics in a soft occupation of DC, particularly in a city that was once famously nicknamed 'Chocolate City'. In a capital where more than 90 percent of voters chose former Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election, Trump is also sending the unvarnished and racist message that Black folk, and especially Black youth, are criminals. Imposing a heightened police presence and hundreds of National Guard soldiers on a multiracial city is nothing but a wannabe strongman's attempt to appear strong to his anti-Black supporters. DC is also known as a place that holds significance for Queer Americans. One out of every seven adults in the nation's capital identifies as LGBTQIA+, roughly 80,000 Washingtonians in all. Northwest DC, particularly communities like Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, and parts of Shaw and Columbia Heights, became a relatively safe space in the 1960s and 1970s for Queer culture and businesses to thrive. The inaugural National March for Lesbian and Gay Rights began in DC in 1979. It should not shock anyone that an anti-Queer Trump administration would also target DC's Queer and migrant spaces. 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Tracking US and NATO support for Ukraine: A full breakdown
After a week of high-stakes diplomacy aimed at halting the war in Ukraine, United States President Donald Trump says he is set on arranging a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Following separate meetings with both leaders, Trump has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine, but pledged security guarantees to Kyiv and indicated that Washington could provide air support to reinforce a potential deal. Ukraine, in turn, told reporters at the White House it would obtain US-made weapons purchased by Europeans for an estimated $90bn as part of the effort to bolster its defences. Which countries are aiding Ukraine? At least 41 countries have contributed to Ukraine's war efforts monetarily, either through military, humanitarian or financial assistance, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank. Military assistance includes weapons, equipment and financial aid for the Ukrainian military. 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NATO defence spending In a news briefing, the White House said the US could help coordinate a security guarantee for Ukraine. However, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal. In June, NATO leaders signed a deal to increase defence spending, which is to be achieved over the next 10 years, and is a jump worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the current goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 5 percent. Currently, 23 of the 32 member countries have met this target, with the alliance as a whole spending 2.61 percent of its combined GDP on defence last year. NATO countries bordering Russia, such as Estonia and Lithuania, have significantly increased their defence spending – from less than 1 percent of their GDP just 10 years ago.
