About this episode

John Simpson discusses Iran's position against the US, the Russia-Ukraine war, and Israeli politics with BBC experts.

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC’s unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses the Iranian position in its confrontation with the United States in the Gulf, examines the state of play in Russia’s war with Ukraine, and looks at the chances of Benjamin Netanyahu surviving as Israeli Prime Minister after elections later this year. Producer: Kate Cornell Executive producer: Benedick Watt Commissioning editors: Silvia Costeloe and Paul Royall

People in this episode

Host: John Simpson

Topics covered

• Iran
• US relations
• Russia-Ukraine war
• Israeli politics
• Middle East
• Geopolitics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Places: Iran, United States, Gulf, Russia, Israel

More episodes of The Explanation

• The President's Path: Trump’s midterm messaging · May 8, 2026 · 25 min
• The Media Show: The accidental BBC News star · May 7, 2026 · 23 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Explanation podcast page.