On 3 January 2020, the United States killed Iran’s top spy master, Major General Qasem Soleimani, in a drone strike in Iraq.

There was nothing grey or ambiguous about the assassination, but this episode explores the escalating grey zone hostilities between Iran and the United States in the preceding years and how they almost ignited a real war.

Sky News journalist Deborah Haynes explores in particular how Iran allegedly uses proxy forces in the grey zone, under the threshold of war, to try to level the playing field when competing with a super power.

Interviews:

General David Petraeus, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency

John Raine, Senior Adviser for Geopolitical Due Diligence, International Institute for Strategic Studies

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Conservative MP and former UK defence minister. She now serves as energy minister

Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar

Anonymous Iraqi MP

Seyed Mohammad Marandi, Professor of English Literature and Orientalism, University of Tehran

Major General Amos Yadlin, a former chief of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate

Credits:

Written and narrated by Deborah Haynes

Edited and produced by Chris Scott

Production support from Michael Greenfield

The head of Sky News Radio is Dave Terris