Global News Podcast Can the US really take control of Iran's oil?
65 snips
Mar 30, 2026 
James Landale, BBC diplomatic correspondent, tracks Washington's Iran strategy and the fight over Kharg Island. Joe Inwood, conflict reporter, paints daily life in battered Tehran. Jonathan Head, longtime Southeast Asia correspondent, follows Min Aung Hlaing's grip on Myanmar. Dr Lindsay Browning, sleep specialist, explores why night owls clash with modern schedules and mood.
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Why Khark Island Matters More Than Military Optics
- James Landale says seizing Khark Island could give Washington leverage because it controls a major stream of Iranian revenue.
- He also warns taking and holding it would be costly, exposed to Iranian fire, and unclear as an exit strategy.
Tehran Shows Defiance While Private Messages Tell Another Story
- Joe Inwood shows Tehran projecting normality in public while private messages describe shuttered businesses, fear, and people learning to live with war.
- The near-total internet shutdown blocks both outgoing reporting and outside information, sharpening the split between official imagery and lived reality.
Russia's Cuba Oil Shipment Brings Relief Not Clarity
- Mimi Swaby says Russia's 700,000-barrel shipment eases Cuba's crisis but does not clearly end Washington's three-month oil blockade.
- The cargo may cover roughly a week of fuel for hospitals, transport, and a failing power grid after repeated blackouts.