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,29 Jan 2026,49 mins

What could happen if the US strikes Iran?

Outside Source

Available for 2 days

Amid US military movements in the Gulf and wider Middle East speculation of an impending American attack on Iran, our security correspondent outlines the most likely military and geopolitical scenarios. We also bring together exiled Iranian journalists to share what they’re hearing from their contacts inside the country and how people there are preparing for what may come next. President Trump's ''border tsar'' has insisted the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis will continue, amid tensions sparked by weeks of raids and the killing of two protesters by federal agents. We hear from Republicans in the city on the killings that have unsettled their community and what they want to see happen now. There's been a big reaction on social media to the punishments handed out today for the chaotic scenes during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco earlier this month. Our sports reporter explains. Presenter: James Reynolds. (Photo: An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran, 29 January 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)

Programme Website
More episodes