The Global Story

Roughly 10,000 additional US troops have now arrived in the Middle East, giving President Trump options ranging from an invasion of Kharg Island to an elaborate special forces operations to seize Iran’s ‘nuclear dust’.
For years, the Pentagon has run war games to try and plan for what might happen if the US went to war with Iran. Our guest, Ilan Goldenberg, was in the room during the Obama years, taking part.

Ilan Goldenberg is Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at J Street. Previously, he was an adviser on Iran for President Barack Obama, and for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Producers: Lucy Pawle and Viv Jones
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
(Photo: President Donald Trump. Credit: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

When Donald Trump was re-elected on a ‘no more wars’ promise, his vice-president was his staunchest ally, criticising previous US foreign interventions, most notably in Iraq, as well as the US’ recent financial support for Ukraine.

And yet, the vice-president, who has substantial MAGA support and is expected to run for the 2028 presidency, now finds himself among Trump’s team negotiating an end to the US-Israel war on Iran, a war he was reportedly skeptical of launching.
What tactics will Vance use to secure both the interests of the president abroad, and his own domestic popularity among MAGA supporters who do not support the war? BBC Washington correspondent Daniel Bush joins us to discuss.

Producer: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

While still engaged in a war with Iran, Donald Trump’s attention is also on Havana. The US president suggested last week that he expects to soon have the “honour” of “taking Cuba, in some form”. He added “Whether I free it, take it—I think I can do anything I want with it.”
The Trump administration has tightened a longstanding US economic embargo on the Caribbean island, and created a near-total fuel blockade. Cuba was already in the grip of a severe economic crisis, and while a Russian oil tanker has recently reached the island, the blockade has pushed the country to the brink of collapse.
We speak to the BBC’s Will Grant, who has recently returned from the island, to discuss what Trump wants in Cuba, and whether the Cuban Revolution can survive its biggest test in decades.
Producers: Aron Keller and Viv Jones
Executive producer: Penny Murphy
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Havana street during a blackout. Credit: Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA/Shutterstock

With the world’s attention on the war in Iran, Vladimir Putin appears to be stepping up Russia’s war in Ukraine. Last week saw the biggest Russian drone attack since the beginning of the war.
Some Ukrainians believe Putin is doing this precisely because the world is looking the other way. Russia also appears to be benefiting from the Iran war in other ways – oil prices have skyrocketed at the same time as Trump has loosened sanctions on Russian oil. On the other hand, it’s been a difficult few months for Russian allies in Tehran, Caracas and Havana.
The author, academic and Russia analyst Mark Galeotti joins us to examine the ways in which the war in Iran could help or hinder Putin.
Apply for Castfest tickets: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026
Email us: [email protected]
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Cat Farnsworth
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Russia, March 27. Credit: Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock.

With the world’s attention on the war in Iran, Vladimir Putin appears to be stepping up Russia’s war in Ukraine. Last week saw the biggest Russian drone attack since the beginning of the war.
Some Ukrainians believe Putin is doing this precisely because the world is looking the other way. Russia also appears to be benefiting from the Iran war in other ways – oil prices have skyrocketed at the same time as Trump has loosened sanctions on Russian oil. On the other hand, it’s been a difficult few months for Russian allies in Tehran, Caracas and Havana.
The author, academic and Russia analyst Mark Galeotti joins us to examine the ways in which the war in Iran could help or hinder Putin.
Apply for Castfest tickets: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026
Email us: [email protected]
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Cat Farnsworth
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Russia, March 27. Credit: Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock.