Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files Escalate or negotiate: what will Trump do next?
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Mar 24, 2026 They debate whether recent US statements signal real talks with Iran or a setup for strikes on power plants. They raise the risk that attacks on civilian infrastructure could be war crimes and describe life in a blackout. They examine how market shocks and fractured NATO trust shape responses and consider the wider regional and nuclear fallout of further escalation.
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Energy Shock Creates Sanctions Holiday For Adversaries
- Unintended energy market consequences have empowered Russia and Iran by allowing sanctioned oil to find buyers and pushing prices up.
- Christiane Amanpour highlights that sanctions relief occurs de facto because tanked Iranian oil is being bought amid the crisis.
Mossad Miscalculation Created A False Regime Change Expectation
- Israel's Mossad and leadership made strategic miscalculations assuming regime collapse in Iran, similar to pre-October 7 errors.
- Jamie Rubin warns tactical intelligence successes don't equal correct strategic judgment, and Israel overpromised regime change.
On The Risk Of Striking Bushehr Nuclear Plant
- Christiane recounts being in Busher in 1995 when Russia helped build Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant to illustrate how catastrophic hitting it would be.
- She warns an attack on Bushehr risks radiation, hospital collapse, and would likely be a war crime according to Senator Murphy.