Iran has appointed a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. He’s the son of the late Ali Khamenei and a shadowy figure with a history of orchestrating brutal crackdowns on dissenters. President Donald Trump is also not a fan. So what does his appointment mean for the conflict raging in the Middle East? 

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Catherine Philp, world affairs editor, The Times.
• Negah Angha, former US State Department and National Security Council advisor.  

Host: Darryl Morris.

Producer: Micaela Arneson, Sophie McNulty.

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Read more: Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader?

Further listening: How AI helped Trump attack Iran

Clips: Sky News, Al Jazeera, NBC, Fox News, The Times, ABC News

Photo: Getty Images.

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The use of Artificial Intelligence by militaries used to be talked about in the abstract, but during the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran we’ve seen it used in real time. So what happens when you have robots who can make battlefield decisions quicker than the speed of thought? And what made the Trump administration fall out with one of the world’s leading AI companies?

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: David Leslie, Professor of ethics, technology and society in the Digital Environment Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London.

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producers: Harry Stott, Sophie McNulty. 

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Read more: How AI helps 20 US troops do the work of 2,000 in Iran war

Further listening: Anthropic vs Pentagon: How AI is changing war

Clips: Fox, CBS News, Reuters.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Thirty years after her death, Frida Kahlo went from relative obscurity to one of the most famous female artists on the planet. Now, her image has been used on everything from watches, scented candles, clothes, sanitary pads, and even Barbie dolls. But how did the communist icon become the face of a million dollar enterprise? At the centre of the story is a Kahlo family divided. Should her image reflect her artistic treasures or a global brand?

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Blanca Schofield, assistant culture and books editor for both The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

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Read more: Artist — or brand? How Frida Kahlo’s family lost control

Photo: FridaMoji/Getty Images.

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The war in Iran has left its people divided. Some openly welcome the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, others mourn, steadfast in their loyalty to the Islamic Republic. The divisions run deep, cutting across generations. Majid Parsa grew up in one such household. He tells his story.

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Read by: Majid Parsa, author of The Ayatollah's Gaze.

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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As the war in the Middle East enters its seventh day, prominent supporters of President Trump have criticised his decision to attack Iran. The political stakes are high for a president who pledged no new wars on the campaign trail. So can he keep the MAGA crowd on his side?

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Katy Balls, Washington editor for The Times and The Sunday Times

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Julia Webster

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Read more: Iran is Trump’s biggest bet yet. It could define his presidency

Further listening: Iran after the Ayatollah

Clips: Sky, CBS, CNN, ABC, WAAY 31, BBC, Fox, Tucker Carlson, Channel 4, C-SPAN, Associated Press, Boston Globe

Photo: Graphic by Denise Kelly. Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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In this bonus episode we're showcasing how The Story host Manveen Rana and her Times colleague Anthony Loyd are back exploring the the kidnap and disappearance of British photojournalist John Cantlie by ISIS in Syria, after a mysterious listener got in contact.

Originally released four years ago, Last Man Standing is now the inspiration for the new BBC three-part documentary series Hostage, based on reporting from our original series.

Find the full Last Man Standing series here.

Hosts: Manveen Rana and Anthony Loyd, special correspondent, The Times.

Producer: Harry Stott.

Executive Producer: Will Roe.

Further reading: Anthony Loyd: my hunt for the forgotten Isis hostage John Cantlie

Watch: Hostage on BBC iPlayer. 

Clips: BBC.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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When the Mexican government took down a drug lord last week, the Sunday Times was there to document the aftermath. Does this mark a turning point in the war on drugs? Or are things about to get much worse? 

A warning that this episode contains descriptions of graphic violence. 

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Louise Callaghan, Americas correspondent, The Sunday Times. 

Host: Rosie Wright. 

Producer: Micaela Arneson. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: A cartel boss is dead, but normal Mexicans always pay the price

Further listening: The town ripped apart by Mexico’s new narcos 

Clips: BBC, WMTW, Configo FN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Noticias Telemundo, Reuters.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Last month, Sir Keir Starmer made it clear that the US would not be permitted to use UK bases to launch strikes against Iran. On Sunday, that position shifted. Not only has the UK now allowed the use of joint bases, it is also intercepting Iranian drones, and sources have told The Times that a British warship may be deployed to Cyprus. As tensions in the Middle East escalate, is Britain being drawn ever deeper into the conflict? And how might this end?

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Michael Evans, defence contributor, The Times
• General Sir Patrick Sanders, former Chief of the General Staff and co-host of The General & the Journalist, one of our sister podcasts 

Host: Rosie Wright

Producers: Sophie McNulty & Olivia Case

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Special relationship ‘not what it once was’, as Trump rebukes PM on Iran

Further listening: Iran after the Ayatollah

Clips: The Times, AP, BBC, CNN, The White House, Sky News. 

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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After weeks of protests against Ayatollah Khamenei’s regime earlier this year, the Iranian people cried out for American help as they were massacred in their thousands. Over the weekend, the Americans and Israelis did finally intervene in Iran, killing the Ayatollah, but leaving a flood of questions in their wake. Who will now fill the political vacuum? Will there be regime change? And what next for the Iranian people?

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

• Rana Rahimpour, Iranian journalist.
• Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history, the University of St. Andrews. 

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producers: Harry Stott, Julia Webster. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Who will replace Ayatollah Khamenei — a moderate or an ‘Iranian Putin’?

Further listening: Iran's supreme leader killed - is the Middle East in all out war?

Clips: BBC, AP, EuroNews, State Department / Instagram, 60 Minutes.

Photo: Getty Images, The Times, Dana Chan.

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For decades, a chilling rumour has haunted Sarajevo: that foreign tourists paid to visit the besieged city in the early 1990s to shoot at its residents. Today, Italian authorities are investigating several cases of alleged ‘tourist snipers,’ thrusting these accusations back into the headlines. Now, an eyewitness to these so-called ‘human safaris’ has spoken to The Times about what he saw more than 30 years ago.

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This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Tom Kington, the Italy correspondent, The Times

Host: Manveen Rana

Producer: Sophie McNulty

Translator: Aleksa Antic

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Read more: Sarajevo sniper tourists ‘killed children by day, then partied at night’

Clips: BBC, ITN, FRENCH 24 English. 

Photo: Getty Images, Tom Kington.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Early on Saturday morning, the US and Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran, killing the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran has retaliated, with strikes reported in the UAE, Qatar and across the region. But will Trump get his regime change or could Iran become just another failed state? And is the middle east on the brink of all-out war?

Our listener survey is live - find it here.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

• Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza correspondent, The Times.
• Sir Peter Westmacott, formerly Britain’s Ambassador to the United States of America, and Britain's political secretary, Tehran.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Olivia Case and Sophie McNulty.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Iran latest: UK plans mass Middle East evacuation as Tehran strikes back

Further listening: Four years of war: can Ukraine continue to deny Putin?

Clips: The White House / YouTube, CBS, Truth Social, ABC, BBC, The Times. 

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.