What does President Trump hope to achieve in Iran – a quick show of force, or long-term regime change?

The US and Israel's long-threatened air strikes on Iran have materialized, and the Middle East is facing widespread disruption and a mounting death toll as the war spills across borders.

In this episode of Chatham House's international affairs podcast, our expert panel analyses the Trump administration's many stated motivations for the attack, whether there can be a clear-cut end game, and who is likely to take over in Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

They also discuss the effect of the war on President Trump's popularity at home as mid-term elections loom, and the criticism levelled at UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer for doing, his detractors say, too little, too late.

Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme; General Sir Richard Barrons, senior consulting fellow with the International Security Programme; and Laurel Rapp, director of the US and North America Programme.

Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

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Chatham House's latest:

Comment | Trump, the polls, and the war with Iran: What happened to the 'President of Peace'?

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Comment | Netanyahu's biggest gamble

The US Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump on his first justification for tariffs, but he says he will push them through by other means.

On this week's Independent Thinking podcast, our experts analyse why Trump is wedded to tariffs as an economic and political tool, and what effect they will have on the US and global economies.

They also discuss whether tariffs have ended globalization for good even after the Trump era ends.

Joining regular host Bronwen Maddox are Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance programme at Chatham House, and down the line from Washington, Heather Hurlburt, a consulting fellow in our US and North America Programme.

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.

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Chatham House's latest:

Comment | Trump's tariff strategy is alive and well by Jennifer Lind

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Video | Al Carns – Acting on the SDR: Britain's defence in 2026 at Chatham House's Security and Defence conference

Negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war do not appear to have made significant progress. In the meantime, the focus of US President Donald Trump's 'lighthouse diplomacy' appears to have switched to Iran.

Chatham House analysts discuss the state of the talks, and whether Europe will step up to provide the weapons and military support that Ukraine needs. They also examine how the Russia-Ukraine conflict fits into the wider superpower competition between the US, Russia and China.

Joining host Bronwen Maddox are Grégoire Roos, director of Chatham House's Europe, Russia and Eurasia programmes; Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine Forum; and Natalie Sabanadze, Senior Research Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme.

This episode comes as we look ahead to two major upcoming Chatham House events: a conversation with General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, marking four years since Russia's full-scale invasion, and our annual Security and Defence conference.

Both events are now fully booked for in-person attendance, but audiences will be able to watch General Zaluzhnyi's appearance and some of the defence conference events online.

Full details are available on our website: https://www.chathamhouse.org/events/upcoming

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.

Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts.