Economist Podcasts From bad to awful: Trump’s four options in Iran
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Mar 23, 2026 
Gregg Carlstrom, The Economist’s Middle East correspondent, maps Donald Trump’s grim choices in Iran as war risks widening. Alizée Jean-Baptiste, an Asia senior podcasts producer, reports on Thailand’s scandal-hit Buddhist monkhood, where money, status and hierarchy complicate reform. Plus, a look at gene-edited fruit and the strange future of seedless, stoneless produce.
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Why A US Iran Deal Looks Implausible Now
- Diplomacy looks least likely because both sides distrust talks and remain far apart on what any deal would contain.
- Iran wants reparations, fewer American bases, and Hormuz arrangements, while America demands nuclear rollback and an end to proxy funding.
Leaving Iran Could Still Leave The Worst Risks Intact
- Simply declaring victory and leaving could backfire because Iran would still retain dangerous leverage after the fighting stops.
- Gregg Carlstrom notes Iran may still hold 400-plus kilograms of highly enriched uranium and keep a chokehold on Hormuz.
Escalation Could Spread The War Across The Gulf
- Continuing or escalating the war may not reopen Hormuz and could widen the conflict across Gulf infrastructure.
- Iran warns that attacks on its power plants would trigger strikes on Gulf power and desalination sites, a doomsday scenario.