Newshour

UK, French and German foreign ministers will hold talks with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Geneva today as part of efforts to ease the Israel-Iran conflict.

Also on the programme: lawmakers in the UK hold a crucial vote on legalising assisted dying; and as Italian classical singer Andrea Bocelli releases a duet with the men's tennis world number one, Jannik Sinner, we'll ponder what draws some sports stars to dabble in music.

(Photo: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addresses a special session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on June 20, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

In Washington DC earlier, President Trump said he would decide within the next two weeks whether or not to take military action against Iran. The US leader is reported to have agreed a potential plan of attack targeting Iran's nuclear facilities. The BBC’s Nomia Iqbal joins us from Washington to discuss what Trump might be thinking. We also get the latest on the Israeli Soroka Hospital that was struck by an Iranian missile overnight.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump answers reporters' questions in the White House in Washington DC, USA, 18th June 2025.

In a rare interview with the Iranian government from inside Tehran, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh tells the BBC's Lyse Doucet it would be "a big mistake" for President Trump to join Israel's bombing campaign. It's a view shared by many of Mr Trump's most loyal supporters; we assess what's at stake, militarily and politically.

Also in the programme: a draft peace deal to end the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and the American businessman buying the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team for an eye-watering $10bn.

(IMAGE: Smoke rises near the Milad Tower following an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, Iran, 18 June 2025 / CREDIT: Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock)

Will the US get directly involved in Israel's military campaign against Iran? We hear from former CIA director and US commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, General David Petraeus. Also: low attendance and low morale at FIFA's Club World Cup; and mounds of clothing turn up in protected conservation sites in Ghana,

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump salutes as a U.S. flag is raised on a new flagpole installed on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has warned that any US military intervention in his country will "cause irreparable damage for them". Speaking on state television, the Ayatollah decried what he called "threatening and ridiculous" comments from President Trump, who on Tuesday said Iran should surrender. As Israel's air bombardment of Iran continues for a sixth day, we ask an Israeli minister and a defence official from Mr Trump's first administration whether Israel can achieve its war aims without America's help.

Also in the programme: former tennis superstar Martina Navratilova discusses women’s sport; and French streaming service Deezer tackles fraud involving AI music.

(Photo: A TV screen displays the televised message of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran, June 18, 2025. CREDIT: Reuters)

President Trump demands Iran’s unconditional surrender as Israel and Iran continue their attacks on each other. Also in the programme: Iranian Nobel laureate, Narges Mohammadi on fleeing Tehran; and we pay tribute to the piano virtuoso, Alfred Brendel.

(Photo: Smoke plumes over the Tehran skyline. Credit: Reuters.)

President Trump says he wants "a real end" to the fighting between Israel and Iran, not just a ceasefire. He said Iran should have done a deal with the US over its nuclear programme and he is now little inclined to negotiate. Mr Trump has returned early from the G7 summit in Canada because of the Middle East crisis. Meanwhile, Israel says it has killed Iran’s military chief of staff, Ali Shadmani, in a strike on central Tehran.

Also, the lost papers of a maths genius saved from the shredder and some spectacular finds at a Viking- age burial site in Denmark.

(Photo: Iranian Red Crescent Society members search through the rubble for victims after Israeli strikes, at an unspecified location in Iran, in this undated image released 17 June, 2025 and obtained from social media. Credit: Iranian Red Crescent Society/Reuters)

Israel warns Tehran residents to evacuate as it continues its strikes on the Iranian capital, hitting Iran TV studios while many residents attempt to flee the capital. Also in the programme: Canada’s foreign minister on the G7 summit, and the athletics trial gripping Norway.

(Photo: Iranian flag in an empty square with images of slain senior commanders. Credit: Reuters)

Israel says eight people have been killed in a third night of Iranian bombardment of Israeli cities, bringing the total to 24. Nearly 300 people are being treated in hospital. Iran meanwhile, has accused Israel of targeting a hospital in western Iran, condemning it as a war crime. Iran's health ministry says at least 224 people have been killed since the Israeli attacks started on Friday. We ask: what is Israel trying to achieve?

Strikes by Israel and Iran continue as the conflict between the two countries intensifies and stretches into a third day. We’ll hear from the Israeli army, a former senior US envoy and a resident of Tehran.

Also on the programme: we speak to a senior US senator who was friends with the lawmakers killed in the Minnesota shootings; and the writer on writing about being unable, physically, to write.

The podcast version of this programme was edited on 15th June.

(Photo: Israelis take shelter at the side of a highway as siren sounds following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in central Israel June 15, 2025. Credit: Reuters)