US-Saudi ties at an all-time low

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 ...  Show more

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 ...  Show more

Saudi Arabia is experiencing numerous simultaneous challenges at the moment, ranging from royal infighting, a rearming Yemen, a diverging population, and a growing threat from Iran. Tasked with guiding the Saudis through this storm is MBS, a leader whose track record leaves a bit ...  Show more

Month by month, US President Joe Biden is shifting away from Trump-era foreign policy positions. But how dramatic will the pivot be? In the Middle East, there are signs of a changed approach to the region's two oil-rich adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran; more pressure on the Saud ...  Show more

This week saw US and Russian officials meet in Riyadh to discuss ending the Ukraine war as President Donald Trump attended an investor conference in Miami for Saudi's sovereign wealth fund. It appears Saudi Arabia is flexing its diplomatic muscles. On this weekend podcast, our jo ...  Show more

A devastating missile and drone attack on Saudi oil installations last week highlighted the vulnerability of global oil supplies to the threat of regional unrest. The attack was claimed by Houthi rebels fighting Saudi-backed forces in neighbouring Yemen, but Saudi and US official ...  Show more