The Debate

Another deadline day, another ultimatum, another surprise turn from the US president. The same Donald Trump who may or may not send ground troops to try and secure the Strait of Hormuz now affirming that his administration's talking with the Iranians and thus holding off on hitting critical infrastructure. Trump's messaging since the start 24 days ago keeping friends and foes alike guessing. That's in stark contrast to Israeli allies, who in words and in deeds seem to be embracing a fight many of its leaders have been dreaming for decades. 
Israel too has a larger-than-life populist leader who’s changed the course of his country’s history. Their interests overlap but remain distinct. Case in point, Israel’s rush to prepare for an eventual ground operation in Lebanon. So which one’s calling the shots? Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu? Whose idea was this war?
And who takes the blame once the guns go silent on a campaign that’s failed to rally traditional allies, one that’s punished civilians by laying waste to critical infrastructure, one that’s triggered a worldwide energy crisis? What prospects then for Trump and his MAGA movement, Netanyahu, and for the state of Israel?
 
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

The Middle East War is now in its 20th day, with a perceived split in US and Israeli strategy emerging. Donald Trump says Israel bombed Iran's gas field "without his knowledge". Then Trump, perhaps playing catch-up, threatened to "blow up" Iran's South Pars gas field if Iran strikes Qatar; a move that experts say would literally explode the region. 
There's also another issue simmering away: what to do with Iran's enriched uranium? Experts say this is the next big decision for Trump. Seizing Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium could well require the "largest special forces operation in history".
When US and Israeli jets bombed Iran's nuclear facilities last June, the regime was thought to have over 400 kg of 60 percent6enriched uranium. This is near weapons grade. Weapons-grade uranium is enriched to 90 percent. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, half of Iran's 60 percent enriched uranium is stored underground at Isfahan. US intelligence believes there's a "very narrow access point" through which this material could be retrieved.
We discuss this next possible phase in the war, and what it could mean going forward.
Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

On Day 19 of the war in the Middle East, there have been extensive air strikes, drone attacks and missiles launched. Fallout is spreading far beyond the so-called theatre of war. What's the plan in Iran? Donald Trump finds himself increasingly between a rock and a hard place. But at least he can count on his loyal MAGA followers. Or can he?
The US Congress is calling for Joe Kent to appear, in the wake of his decision to resign as head of national counterterrorism over Iran. Kent, an erstwhile Trump and MAGA loyalist and former special forces officer, said "in all conscience I cannot back the Iran war". This is another example of Trump's support crumbling over the war.
Kent also said the US went into battle under the influence of "Israel and its powerful American lobby". Is Trump's political universe starting to implode over his Iran strategy, or lack thereof? And what does this mean for the Middle East going forward? 
Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Ali Larijani was the head of Iran's Security Council and a key voice in the ear of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Gholamreza Soleimani was the head of the Basij militia. Both were pillars of Iran's security apparatus. If they have indeed been taken out, the question is who replaces them, and will they take Iran down an even more hardline path?
The death of Iran's key figure Ali Larijani raises more questions than answers.
First, Israel says it has killed him in an air strike, but Tehran has yet to confirm or deny.
While Israel and the United States rejoice and call on the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow what is left of their Islamic leadership, the reality on the ground is less certain. The systematic killing of the leaders of Iran since February 28 has created a vacuum in Tehran.
The fear among analysts is that the space will be filled by regime insiders who will be hardened and more radical.
Larijani was the lead negotiator at the now aborted talks to find a peaceful way forward.
Following the death of the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – to whom he was a close adviser, some say the de facto leader – some in Washington saw Larijani as a good fit for successor; a man they could perhaps do business with.
Who comes next? What could this mean for the war? And how might it affect the other groups in the region that take their lead from Iran's leadership?

It's Day 17 of the war in the Middle East and as the missiles and drones keep falling, the US president has done a U-turn on needing help from his friends and allies. Donald Trump is calling now for a coalition to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. The US strikes on Iran's Kharg Island on Friday sent a message to Tehran, but did not take away the potential threat to shipping in and out of the Persian Gulf.
For Trump, this call to stand together is something of a turn-around. On March 7, he told US network CBS it was a bit late of the United Kingdom and others to send ships. The US president didn't need British help to win his war. 
Now, Trump is calling on NATO allies to join him in the war he started on February 28 without consulting them. There's a common interest in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. But would it even be at risk had Trump not started this whole crisis?
Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.