The Debate

What does succession look like in Iran? The wait continues after last Saturday's assassination of the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader of nearly 41 years. We ask about calculations and delays in the nomination, as Israeli and US bombs continue to rain down and Tehran continues to put up a fight, with drones and missiles launched at Saudi oil fields and in the direction of a NATO base in Turkey.

It's only Day 4 and already, an under-attack Iran has drawn in the whole Middle East: targets include the US embassy in Saudi Arabia, oil and gas installations up and down the Gulf and France’s military base in Abu Dhabi. It's all part of Iran's strategy to employ cheap homemade drones to shut businesses, spook markets and scare away tourists as it defends itself against an existential threat that saw its leader eliminated in the opening hours of the US and Israeli bombing campaign. 

What's the plan and does it go beyond dropping bombs from the sky? On Day 3 of the US and Israeli campaign that's killed Iran's supreme leader, the United States insist there will be no boots on the ground. But while the US defence secretary talks of nuclear installations and missile launchers, the US president has spoken of laying the groundwork for regime change. Already, the escalation has gone well beyond last June's 12 days of bombing raids.

What would it take for Donald Trump to call off air strikes against an Iran that's told Omani mediators it sees a pathway to compromise over its nuclear programme? We delve into where the veteran Tehran team of veteran negotiators can entice US envoy Steve Witkoff, whose red lines sometimes include the Islamic Republic's missile programme, sometimes less so.