The World This Week

It’s been a week that’s seen a new Ayatollah proclaimed in Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has not been seen in public and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being injured in the same strike that killed his father. State television showed crowds chanting “Long Live Khamenei”, while at night in Tehran some residents risked arrest to shout from their windows: “Death to Mojtaba”. A statement attributed to the new leader vowed continued attacks on US and Israeli interests, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and what it called “never-ending revenge”.
In Washington, President Donald Trump offered mixed signals, describing the mission as both “very complete, pretty much” and yet not “won enough”, while confirming that strikes will continue and saying more than six thousand targets have already been hit. Reports also suggest frustration inside the White House over Israel’s decision to strike oil installations in Tehran, as debate grows over the human cost of the campaign after a missile hit a girls’ school in Minab, killing more than 160 people, most of them children.
Meanwhile, Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered the largest disruption to global fuel supplies in the history of the oil market. Tankers attempting to pass through the corridor have been targeted by explosive naval drones, leaving around twenty thousand crew members stranded aboard ships in what has become a war zone, as missile and drone attacks continue across Gulf states including Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Andrew Hilliar, Guillaume Gougeon, Laura Burloux and Danielle Brown

A major war erupted in the Middle East this week when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and at least forty senior Iranian officials – reportedly within the first five minutes of the bombing campaign on Saturday morning.
Day seven. As more figures in the Iranian regime are hunted, hundreds of police and paramilitary bases continue to be bombed, along with Iran’s ballistic missile and drone launch sites, storage facilities and naval fleets.
The legal justification put forward by President Donald Trump – that Iran posed an imminent threat to Tel Aviv and Washington – is widely disputed. Accounts from the Trump administration about the war’s aims have appeared contradictory. The president initially spoke of regime change, urging the Iranian people to rise up and seize what he called a once-in-a-generation moment. Yet his secretary of defence insisted it was anything but regime change.
It has also been a week that has seen the conflict spread across the Gulf and beyond. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes across eleven countries where US bases or troops are stationed, or where governments are accused of aiding Washington.
Governments around the world scrambled to evacuate tourists after hotels, as well as airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, were struck. Fuel depots, embassies and energy infrastructure were also targeted by Tehran in Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. A drone attack also targeted a British military base in Cyprus.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz – the corridor through which around one fifth of the world’s oil passes.
The week has also seen Israel resume its bombing campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, striking the capital Beirut and once again sending troops into the south. The move came in response to rockets and drones fired by the Shia Muslim militia group, which had threatened to avenge the killing of the Ayatollah.
As the conflict appears to spread somewhere new almost every day, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have pledged what they describe as “defensive action to protect Gulf countries”.
But there were few words of appreciation from President Trump, who expressed anger at Britain’s delay in allowing US troops and aircraft to use UK bases. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said lessons had been learned from the “mistakes of Iraq”, stipulating that the United States could use sites in England – and on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia – only for defensive actions targeting missile sites, not the regime.
The result: a major rift in what was once known as the “special relationship”.
 
Produced by Gavin Lee, Théo Vareille, Daniel Whittington and Melissa Kalaydjian.

It's been a week that began in silence in Kyiv's Independence Square, where European leaders laid flowers for Ukraine's war dead – even as the fighting grinds on in the east, across vast drone-dominated front lines in territory Russia now claims as its own.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address on record, hailing what he called a "roaring economy" and the most secure border in American history, in a speech heavy on superlatives and light on new policy.
Meanwhile, the long shadow of Jeffrey Epstein returned to haunt politics on both sides of the Atlantic. Hillary Clinton faced questions in a private hearing, as fresh scrutiny fell on her husband Bill Clinton. In Britain, following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last week, it was the turn of former ambassador Peter Mandelson to be arrested in connection with the scandal. Both men deny wrongdoing.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Antonia Cimini, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

It’s been a week that saw Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on his 66th birthday, facing charges of misconduct for sharing confidential material with Jeffrey Epstein – deepening the crisis for the monarchy.
The US also mourned the loss of civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, who passed away at 84, remembered for his pivotal role in the movement and his influence on future leaders.
In China, the Spring Festival Gala featured groundbreaking humanoid robots, while world leaders gathered in New Delhi for a major AI summit, grappling with governance and global competition.
Plus Meta's Mark Zuckerberg testified in a landmark trial over social media’s role in keeping children addicted.
Produced by Rhea Smircic, Alessandro Xenos, Guillaume Gougeon and Florence Viala

This Friday in The World This Week, we talk about the unravelling of the Epstein files, the end of the Old World Order and the Olympic helmet dilemma.
Epstein files unravelling
This week, the names of those listed in the Epstein files have continued to feel the consequences, at least on this side of the Channel. Resignations and investigations are underway now in France and Norway. The British prime minister has narrowly survived, for now. And while Keir Starmer was fighting for his political life, the US Attorney General Pam Bondi was in combative mode as she was pressed for five hours by the House Judiciary Committee on the alleged mishandling of the Epstein files release, for redacting the wrong names, and asked why the Department of Justice hadn't pursued more indictments.
Out with the Old World Order
It's been a week of existential talk over Europe's place in the world. President Emmanuel Macron spoke of the dangerous squeeze between the US and China, and the risk of being swept aside unless the EU unties its regulations, reforms its rules and builds economic sovereignty. To protect without protectionism, he suggested, raising the eyebrows of some fellow leaders who've long cherished an open market. Europe's detachment issues are a key theme at this week's global gathering at the Munich Security Conference, the so-called "Davos for the defence industry".
The Olympic helmet dilemma
The Ukraine war will be another focal point, as it was too at the Winter Olympics as the athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified for breaching non-political rules for wearing a helmet honouring 24 Ukrainian athletes, victims of the war. It was not a comfortable decision for the Olympic Committee chief.
Canada in shock
It's been a week of shock and mourning in Canada after a mass school shooting in in British Colombia. At least 10 people died, including children as young as 12. Police say the suspect, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a biological male identifying as female, had previous mental health concerns, with police having been called out two years ago to seize firearms, though officers say they had "no idea of the motive for the killings".
West Bank settlement expansion
And it's been a week that's seen the occupied West Bank return to the headlines. The Israeli security cabinet approved a set of measures that make it easier for Jewish settlers to acquire land, shifting the power from the Palestinian Authority to Israeli authorities when it comes to laws around planning, construction, property law and enforcement. Critics, including many Arab states, argue that it is de facto annexation on the quiet, while world attention is on extraordinary events elsewhere.
While President Donald Trump has previously stated his opposition to any Israeli annexation, little was said as he met Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, where the focus was on how to deal with Iran – by diplomacy or by military force.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Andrew Hilliar, Juliette Laffont, Alessandro Xenos.