Iran’s new Ayatollah vows vengeance upon the US

March 13, 2026·59 min·5 clips

Why a Middle East expert says Netanyahu doesn't care about international law on regime change.

A defiant broadcast opens the news agenda. Emma Nelson begins in London with Iran's new Supreme Leader sending a message to the country, although a television announcer carries the voice. The programme asks what has happened to Mujtaba Khamenei, and lets that absence create the tension. From there, it draws a wider map: Iran, France's municipal elections and the latest White House push for import tariffs. The strongest exchange turns on whether Russia could profit from upheaval in the Middle East. One guest says Moscow could make something like $100 million a day from oil sales, and more if prices rise. The point is not only the number. From Oslo, the guest argues that a narrow sanctions reprieve could give Russian oil revenues more room to move. Washington calls the measure temporary. The United States says it is short term and narrowly tailored, and insists it will not significantly benefit the Russian government. The guest is not convinced. He points to a 30-day window and asks whether it could be extended or widened if American gasoline prices stay high. Ukraine sits behind the whole argument. The fear is simple enough: easing pressure on Russia could strengthen Moscow's finances and add to the misery caused by war. India comes into the calculation as well. The conversation notes that sanctions have already been lifted to let India buy oil from Russia, despite earlier efforts to close that route. Then the programme turns again. A Guardian article on Peter Mandelson's appointment as U.S. ambassador raises a question about why the British prime minister's apology matters beyond Britain. Canada provides the outside view, with the guest asked how the Epstein scandal lands there and what Starmer's handling of Mandelson's Washington appointment says about its reach.

As heard by us

A measured sweep through Iran, France, U.S. tariffs, and wartime messaging that keeps the bigger picture in view.

The Globalist moves with a clear editorial hand, taking listeners from Iran's new Supreme Leader to France's municipal elections, then on to the White House's latest tariff push before circling through wartime messaging and the papers.

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For when you want a live London briefing on Iran, France, U.S. tariffs, and wartime messaging.

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