How close is Iran to having a nuclear weapon? | The Economist

2026-03-06

Who should control the world’s most powerful technology–governments or private firms?

In a conversation with The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes, Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, explains his red lines on AI’s deployment on the battlefield.

2026-03-05

Donald Trump once promised no more wars. Now he’s launched one most Americans didn’t want. It’s a big gamble—if the war starts to feel like a bust, will Trump cut his losses or double down?

#uspolitics #iran #iranwar #trumpiran

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2026-02-27

President Trump has amassed his forces around Iran and across the Middle East, in an effort to pressure the country’s leaders to limit its nuclear programme. Negotiators from Washington and Tehran have been meeting in an attempt to avert conflict.

On Insider this week, our deputy editor Edward Carr and a panel of our journalists assess the president’s aims.

00:00 – Mapping the military build-up
02:34 – What America’s aims could be from a strike on Iran
05:13 – Donald Trump’s objectives in negotiations

#iran , #donaldtrump , #alikhamenei , #nuclearweapons , #diplomacy

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2026-01-14

Israel is bitterly divided ahead of this year’s elections. But one of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s main political opponents, Naftali Bennett, says he can unite the country. Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief, and Edward Carr, deputy editor, travelled to Tel Aviv to ask Mr Bennett how he would restore Israel’s reputation abroad and counter the threat of Hamas.

00:00 – What’s at stake in Israel’s election?
01:10 – How Bennett believes he differs from Netanyahu
01:40 – Can only Netanyahu guarantee Israel’s security?
02:42 – The decline of international support for Israel
03:36 – What Bennett would do to change Israel’s standing abroad
04:11 – Bennett on ending the war in Gaza
06:51 – Bennett’s view on Palestinian statehood

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2026-01-12

Could Iran’s protests spark another war with Israel? Anshel Pfeffer, our Israel correspondent, and Jason Palmer, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss how unrest inside Iran could spill over and seriously ramp up tensions with Israel.

00:00 – What are the Iranian protests, and why do they matter to Israel?
01:10 – Why would Iran retaliate when it is facing serious problems at home?
04:02 – Could Israel use this moment to strike Iran again?
07:25 – How might Israel hope to benefit from Iran’s instability in the long run?

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Israel hopes for regime change in Iran: https://econ.st/4jyCiZ0
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#TheEconomist #Iran #Israel

2025-11-26

Donald Trump is trying to create his own police force.

The federal crackdown in Chicago was officially to arrest and deport dangerous foreign criminals. In practice it looks like a blueprint for a new force answerable to the president as Aryn Braun, our West Coast correspondent, explains.

2025-11-21

Nicolas Pelham, our Middle East correspondent, and Adam Roberts, our digital editor, are just back from a rare reporting trip to Tehran. They join our top editors to discuss the future of the Islamic Republic. After 46 years of theocracy and a brief but bruising 12-day-war, where does power now lie? And with the prospects of a succession crisis, has Iran been permanently weakened—or is it storing up trouble?

2025-11-18

What does Sheikh Hasina’s conviction mean for Bangladesh’s future? Vishnu Padmanabhan, our Asia correspondent, and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss how the former prime minister’s death sentence could reshape the country’s politics—and whether India will hand her over to authorities in Dhaka

00:00 – How was Sheikh Hasina sentenced?
00:34 – What caused last year’s protests?
01:45 – What has Sheikh Hasina been found guilty of
02:42 – How has the verdict been received in Bangladesh
03:36 – Was it a fair trial?
04:18 – What happens next for Bangladesh?
05:38 – How will this test India-Bangladesh relations?

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