Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,21 Mar 2026,49 mins

Trump's messages on Iran war's end unclear

Weekend

Available for 13 days

President Donald Trump says the US is considering "winding down" operations against Iran, but that other nations must guard the Strait of Hormuz - a vital shipping lane for oil. Trump also adds he does not want a ceasefire. Also on today's programme: Why a shortage of fertiliser as a result of the Iran war could lead to sharp rise in food prices across the world; and, an economist tells us why a nineteenth century mechanical piano player shows why AI cannot replace our jobs. Presenter Celia Hatton is joined by Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, executive director of ICAN, a Washington-based women’s rights and peacebuilding organisation, and Philip Coggan, a London-based financial journalist and author. (Photo: US President Donald Trump steps from Air Force One upon his arrival in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., March 20, 2026. Credit: Kevin Lamarque/ Reuters)

Programme Website
More episodes