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Episode details

World Service,19 Jun 2026,25 mins

The President's Path: What did America actually win in the Iran deal?

The Explanation

Available for over a year

Caitríona Perry is joined by White House reporter Bernd Buzman and CBS News political director Fin Gomez to unpack the memorandum of understanding with Iran, signed with a flourish by President Trump before G7 leaders at Versailles. With a 60-day clock now running toward bigger talks, they ask what America has actually gained — given the Strait of Hormuz was open and petrol cheaper before Operation Epic Fury began. The team digs into the unresolved nuclear question, the daunting task of diluting Iran's enriched uranium on a timeline that took the Obama administration 20 months, and the politics driving it all: JD Vance positioning himself as the face of the deal, midterm pressures and an uneasy MAGA base. They also weigh a renewed push on Ukraine, rumours swirling around Cuba, and a strikingly public rift between Trump and Netanyahu. Could the flashpoint in Lebanon yet unravel the whole Iran deal?

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