The Debate

Donald Trump had started his Wednesday pondering military strikes before pouring cold water on the concept, even expressing doubts that Iranians would accept as leader the late Shah’s son. More on that with our panel. In a sign of how fast a news cycle can flip, Iran’s foreign minister expressing his assurances in English on Trump-friendly Fox News. After a ruthless response to nationwide protest, has the Islamic Republic once again seen off an existential challenge? After a third night of reported quiet in the capital Tehran, the Internet’s still restricted, the death toll’s still mounting while the same economic woes weigh heavier than ever on citizens. What lessons do Iranians draw? What comes of this latest show of defiance?   Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

There was no Oval Office made-for-TV drama as US Vice President JD Vance joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark this Wednesday. We ask about renewed pressure by the Trump administration on Copenhagen to hand over that Arctic dependency. How intent is the US on seizing Greenland? Even if it means the end the Atlantic Alliance that's safeguarded Europe's defence under US tutelage since the end of World War II? It's hard to see how NATO could survive coercive action against a faithful ally by its dominant member. Read moreTaking over Greenland, a long-standing US obsession Donald Trump stated his intentions on Inauguration Day nearly one year ago, yet still the question begs: why Greenland? Is it about securing maritime passages, untapped raw materials, muscle flexing or simply the fun of keeping everyone guessing? But as Denmark's prime minister says, it's not fun. It's serious.  Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

A big stress test for the West's rules-based order, or will French judges take it all in their stride? It's the opening day of Marine Le Pen's appeal against a corruption conviction that for now bars the far-right frontrunner from the 2027 presidential race. With the verdict expected in July, that's getting awfully close to Election Day next spring. The National Rally politician and her supporters have branded the case lawfare – a political vendetta.  Recently, Marine Le Pen voiced her support for another convicted politician – Nicolas Sarkozy, who became the first former French president to serve jail time since the end of World War II. In a new book, he too cries that the fix is in, a message broadly amplified by right-wing media echo chambers. What are the facts of the case, where 24 others have been convicted for funnelling EU parliament staff funds back home to the mother ship? Do said facts matter? Is France like the United States, which denies plans to pressure the judges in the Le Pen case? And what about her party's plan B? Could voters simply turn the page on the scion of a far-right family and happily elect her second-in-command Jordan Bardella as France's first far-right president since Nazi occupation? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente

It's no longer just about the cost of living. Protests in Iran are entering their third week despite evidence of a ferocious crackdown and the shutting of the internet. Each time, the context differs but the under-sanctions Islamic Republic of Iran has always outlasted previous movements. Why should this one be any different? Among the variables, there's maximum pressure from the US that culminated in support for Israel's 12-day bombing campaign last summer and extends to fresh threats of retribution. In the past, like during the 2009 Green Movement, the West has been hesitant to further squeeze a nation where it's ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of sanctions. We ask if Europe wants to also up the pressure.  But there's always the "nothing to lose" factor. One of the clear signs that revolution was afoot in 1979 was that elites no longer supported the shah. Is it a sign that this time the protests started with Tehran Grand Bazaar merchants fed up with inflation? Back then, the revolution had a face: Ayatollah Khomeini. In 2026, how far could a leaderless movement go? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente

Iran's biggest protests since the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement of 2022 are extending everywhere from Tehran's Grand Bazaar to remote villages throughout the country's 31 provinces. As usual, the regime is offering dialogue while employing deadly force, issuing menacing warnings and slowing or even shutting down the internet.  Every time social movements arise in the under-sanctions, inflation-hit Islamic Republic, the regime outlasts its opponents. Why should this time be different? What are the variables? We ask about a global stage where Iran's influence is in stark retreat – in Syria, Lebanon and further away in fellow OPEC+ member Venezuela. After last summer's US and Israeli bombing campaign, how resilient do the clerics and the Revolutionary Guards remain? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.