Americanswers… Has Trump triggered all out war in the Middle East?

19 snips

Jun 23, 2025

Tensions flare as Trump's airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites ignite debates over U.S. foreign policy. The team dissects his shifting stance on regime change and its implications for both American politics and military strategy. Concerns about Iran's nuclear capabilities deepen, raising critical safety questions. With Congress's role in the balance, the podcast explores the potential for escalating conflict and the public's reaction to these dramatic shifts in policy. The exploration prompts listeners to engage and share their thoughts on this unfolding crisis.

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INSIGHT

Trump's Middle East Shift

The US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites represent a potentially momentous shift in Trump's Middle East policy.
The coming days will reveal if this remains contained or escalates into a wider conflict.

INSIGHT

Uncertain Fate of Uranium

It remains unclear whether Iran's enriched uranium at Fordow was destroyed or moved.
The uncertainty about uranium's location raises risks of accidental strikes or radioactive incidents.

INSIGHT

MAGA Conflict over War

Trump's supporters love military success but are conflicted about new wars.
The MAGA base shows pride in military hardware yet fears another endless war.

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What has Donald Trump started in the Middle East after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend? He also seemingly changed his position on regime change in the country, posting on Truth Social that it may be needed to ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN’.

The Americast team - along with Matt Chorley from 5 Live - discuss the potential fallout of the the strikes within America, whether Congress has any say in what Donald Trump does next, and what happened after the president told his own Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, that she was wrong about Iran’s nuclear capabilities?

HOSTS: • Matt Chorley, 5 Live Presenter • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America editor • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent

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This episode was made by Rufus Gray with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, Radical, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below. The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd Radical with Amol Rajan: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0gg4k6r Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm