Q&A: Trump’s Iran strategy, Putin’s gain and why allies are turning away

About this episode

Christiane and Jamie discuss the implications of the Iran war on the Republican primary and analyze Trump's foreign policy strategies.

In this week’s Q&A, Christiane and Jamie examine what the Iran war could mean for the Republican primary - and for two of its most prominent voices on foreign policy, Marco Rubio and JD Vance. They discuss the contradictions in Trump’s strategy, including the easing of sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil, and ask why Vladimir Putin appears to be benefiting while the US is drawn deeper into war. Plus they explore whether Trump has badly damaged America’s closest alliances, why countries like the UK and Australia are refusing to follow Washington’s lead, and what that says about US power, diplomacy and miscalculation.

People in this episode

Host: Christiane Amanpour

Guest: Jamie

Topics covered

• Iran war
• Republican primary
• Trump's foreign policy
• US alliances
• Putin's strategy
• sanctions
• diplomacy

Keywords

• Iran war
• Trump
• Putin
• Republican primary
• foreign policy
• alliances
• sanctions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UK, Australia, US

More episodes of Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

• Q&A: CBS under attack, Iran's ransom price and has Mamdani delivered? · June 11, 2026 · 25 min
• Is Israel trapped in a Forever War? · June 9, 2026 · 40 min
• Q&A: Trump’s dealmaking “mastery”, capitalism vs democracy & do sanctions work? · June 4, 2026 · 21 min
• Does Putin want to start a war with NATO? · June 2, 2026 · 39 min
• Q&A: The Pope’s AI warning, Iran at the World Cup & is Russia still meddling in US politics? · May 28, 2026 · 30 min
• Trump strikes Iran again: a sign of desperation? · May 26, 2026 · 36 min