The General & the Journalist

Who is really running Iran now?

Nearly three months after the Iran war began, there is a ceasefire, but no settlement. The Strait of Hormuz remains a global pressure point, Iran’s nuclear programme is unresolved, and Donald Trump is still demanding progress. But the biggest question may be inside Tehran. After war, assassinations and stalled diplomacy, power appears to be shifting away from the clerics and towards the Revolutionary Guards. Has the West weakened the Islamic Republic or helped make it harder to deal with? Patrick and Tom speak to Iran analyst Alex Vatanka about the rise of the IRGC, the myth of division inside Tehran, and what comes next. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn Guest: Alex Vatanka, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute Producer: Shabnam Grewal Executive producer: Fiona Leach, Priyanka Deladia Image: Getty Who holds the upper hand in the Iran war? Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Has Iran flipped the Xi-Trump balance of power?

As President Trump lands in Beijing for his summit with Xi, Patrick and Tom are joined by China analyst, Sam Olsen, to discuss whether Iran has flipped the balance of power between the rivals. Sam argues the war has degraded America's weapons stockpile, recast China as the reliable global partner, and given Beijing a ringside seat on the US military playbook - gifting China with the strategic edge. And, if Trump needs Xi's help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, will he be willing to sell-out Taiwan in return, with potentially even greater consequences for the balance of power? Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn Guest: Sam Olsen Producer: Shabnam Grewal Executive producer: Fiona Leach Image: Getty Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Putin ‘will flood Europe with criminals and fighters after the war’

Estonia's foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, says Putin will flood Europe with the criminals he recruited to fight in Ukraine once the war ends. With Russia unable to reintegrate thousands of 'psychologically crazy' ex-combatants, they will be used for Wagner-style sabotage operations on a scale European governments have yet to grapple with. In Patrick's words, 'the moment of maximum danger could be when the fighting ends.' Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn Guest: Foreign Minister of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna Producer: Shabnam Grewal Executive producer: Fiona Leach Image: Getty Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why America needs NATO - US's Supreme Allied Commander

General Christopher Cavoli was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) until July 2025. He was responsible for the defence and security of 981 million people across 32 countries. Ooph. While on a flying visit to London, he dropped into the General and the Journalist studio to see his old friend Patrick and get grilled by Tom on the UK's parlous defence expenditure. But, mostly, he was here to talk about NATO and why, as a proud and patriotic American, he sees the Alliance as critical to America's own defence and security. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn Guest: General Christopher Cavoli Producer: Shabnam Grewal Executive producer: Fiona Leach Image: Getty Clips: Fox news Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

What Trump’s mistakes in Iran teach all of us

Dr Fiona Hill is a former deputy assistant to President Trump and served as director for Russian Affairs on the US National Security Council from 2017-19. She joins Tom and Patrick to chew over the lessons from the Iran war - that the US is no longer a reliable partner, other alliances must urgently be formed, and the world economy can be held to ransom at will. But it's in her capacity as one of the authors of last year's UK strategic defence review that Fiona's lessons from the Iran conflict most hit home. 'It's time to level with the population that the UK is under siege, it just doesn't know it'. The Government must prepare now for attacks on critical infrastructure and supply lines, and ensure the NHS could respond to a mass casualty event. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn Guest: Dr Fiona Hill Producer: Shabnam Grewal Executive producer: Fiona Leach Image: Getty ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.