The Rachman Review

US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is calling for an “economic D-Day” for the Iranian regime while threatening secondary sanctions on countries that do business with the country. Will this be more effective than previous attempts at economic pressure? What impact will this have on US relations with China? And how will energy markets react? Sasha Polakow-Suransky, executive opinion editor, speaks with Emma Ashford, Stimson Center senior fellow and Foreign Policy columnist, about Washington’s latest Iran sanctions push dubbed Operation Economic Outcast. Clip: CBS News

Join us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London, and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.

Free links to read more on this topic:
US launches further strikes on Iran as conflict flares up
Energy price surge hits bond markets as European gas reaches three-year high
Donald Trump says US will hit Iran ‘hard’ as conflict reignites
Scott Bessent: an economic D-Day is coming for Iran
Scott Bessent threatens Iran’s economic partners with more sanctions
Is China’s ‘wise camel’ the winner from the US-Iran war?

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Presented by Sasha Polakow-Suransky. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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The UN is choosing a new secretary-general at a time when it’s struggling to remain relevant. Sidelined in the wars in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East, and facing a severe funding crisis, the organisation is under growing pressure. This week, guest host Alec Russell speaks to Thant Myint-U, a former UN official, author and the grandson of former UN secretary-general U Thant, about the challenges its new leader will face. Clip: AP Archive

Free links to read more on this topic:
António Guterres on the future of the UN
Superpowers are discovering their limits, says UN chief
The new world order? Every man for himself
Wanted: a leader to rescue the UN
Nuclear watchdog chief pitches ‘leaner’ UN in secretary-general bid

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts

Join us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.

Follow Alec on X @alecurussell

Presented by Alec Russell. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon Rachman speaks to historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore about his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. They discuss the forces that shaped the region, from the Ottoman Empire and Ataturk to the ongoing tensions between the US, Israel and Iran. Gideon and Simon examine the region's complexities and interconnectedness and whether lessons from the past can offer a glimpse into the future. CLIP: British Pathé

Join us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Want more? Free links:
Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian homes
The exodus from Israel
Egypt deploys jets to UAE as Iran war strains Arab alliances
Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night
Israel moves to give police powers in occupied West Bank
Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to Vali Nasr, author of Iran’s Grand Strategy and professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, about how the balance of power in the Middle East is changing. After six months of on-off hostilities, Nasr argues, Iran’s core aims are unchanged - ending the US threat and securing economic relief. But Iran now looks to have the upper hand and is using its leverage from controlling the Strait of Hormuz to seek ever more far-reaching concessions from the superpower. Clip: CTV

Free links to read more on this topic:
Will failure in Iran reshape how the US fights?
Iran’s supreme leader elevates loyalists as he tightens grip
Trump and the failure of the Fafo doctrine
Brinkmanship in the Strait of Hormuz
Israel’s campaign to make southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics about why so many young Indians have taken to the streets, what the "cockroach movement" says about the country's economic and educational pressures, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to Narendra Modi's government.

Clip: BBC

Free links to read more on this topic:
Abhijeet Dipke, the face of India’s victorious ‘cockroach’ protests
India’s ‘Cockroach’ Gen Z has had enough
India should listen to its frustrated youth
Why India’s student protests are different
India’s ‘cockroach’ movement halts protests after minister quits

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.