Newscast The Week: Jeremy Bowen On The Iran War
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Mar 13, 2026 
Jeremy Bowen, BBC international editor and veteran Middle East correspondent. He reflects on lessons from the Gulf Wars and how past decisions shaped today’s Iran conflict. They discuss regional proxy networks, threats to shipping and global supply lines. The conversation also covers asymmetric attacks on Gulf infrastructure and the political and economic ripple effects worldwide.
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Ceasefire Left A Time Bomb In Iraq
- Leaving Saddam Hussein in power after Gulf War I created unfinished business that seeded later conflict.
- Jeremy Bowen recounts being in Baghdad at the 1991 ceasefire and watching regime officials revert and uprisings be crushed with helicopters, causing mass deaths and exile.
On The Ground In 1991 Kurdistan
- Bowen witnessed the aftermath of the 1991 uprisings in northern Iraq with thousands killed and hundreds of thousands fleeing.
- He describes being in cold Kurdistan where children were dying and a mass exodus unfolded.
Past Wars Reshaped Regional Power Dynamics
- The two prior Gulf Wars set conditions for a third by reshaping regional power balances.
- Bowen argues 2003 removal of Saddam boosted Iran's influence because many new Iraqi leaders had lived in Iran and favoured Shia-majority rule.