The Strait of Hormuz is in a chokehold. The scale of this oil supply disruption has already exceeded the shocks of the 1970s. Sir Richard Dearlove and Rosanna Lockwood sit down with Helima Croft, Managing Director and Head of Global Commodity Strategy at RBC Capital Markets and former senior CIA analyst, to break down what market players are getting wrong, why reopening the Strait is far harder than it looks, and what a Houthi entry into the conflict could mean for the Red Sea. 

In this episode:

3:04 Technical Side of Supply Disruption 

6:11 IEA and Comparison to Russia-Ukraine 

9:32 Alternative Routes for Oil and Gas 

12:08 Russia is the Big Winner

13:13 Ground Troops Needed to Open the Strait of Hormuz 

17:14 The US Domestic Picture 

21:43 Will Houthis Disrupt the Red Sea? 

27:52 What Market Participants Are Not Understanding

30:57 Is $200 Barrel Crude Oil Possible? 

33:19 Sir Richard and Rosanna Discussion  

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump’s call for naval assistance in the Strait of Hormuz has not been answered by European allies. Does this signal a growing crisis of confidence in the West? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and international journalist Rosanna Lockwood examine the latest developments in the war with Iran, as well as rising political polarization in France and the UK, fears of domestic terrorist attacks in the West, and the critical importance of Kharg Island to the global energy market.

In this episode:

01:48 – The divisive dilemma at the Strait of Hormuz

04:05 – Fears of Iranian proxy terror attacks in the West

06:14 – Political polarization in European elections

12:45 – Iran’s internal media strategy

14:47 – The strategic importance of Kharg Island

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What exactly drove President Donald Trump’s decision to join Israel in joint strikes against Iran? Ronen Bergman joins from Tel Aviv where he is a Senior Correspondent for Military and Intelligence Affairs for Yedioth Ahronoth and staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. He shares his reporting of how Netanyahu moved Trump toward a joint strike, and why he's staying quiet about it for now.

Then, retired Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, former Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, breaks down the major Israeli military objectives and how close Israel is to achieving each one. Plus, what Arab Gulf states are privately telling Israel. 

In this episode:

01:24 New Leader Wounded

06:42 Israel Aims And Limits

09:36 Regime Change Doubts

16:14 Israeli Public Mood

23:30 Intel Airpower Strategy

25:12 Introducing LT. COL. (RET.) Jonathan Conricus 

29:48 Strait of Hormuz Threat

32:45 Stopping Enriched Uranium

36:21 War Communications as Force Multiplier 

40:55 Regime Change Scenarios

43:58 Gulf States Defense 

Show Notes: 

Iran’s New Supreme Leader Was Wounded Early in the War, Iranian and Israeli Officials Say - The New York Times 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the few Americans briefed before US hit Iran sits down with Sir Richard Dearlove and Rosanna Lockwood to share his analysis: the legal justification is false, the strategic endgame doesn't exist, and we may have just handed Iran every reason to build a nuclear weapon. US Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, breaks down Trump's grip on Capitol Hill, and whether the only exit is a face-saving declaration of victory.

Recorded March 9th, 2025.

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mojtaba Khamenei has been appointed to succeed his father as Supreme Leader of Iran. What now? Former UK Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace, who spent eight years as Chairman of the British–Iran Parliamentary Group, views this as a doubling down on defiance. Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and international journalist Rosanna Lockwood break down the rationale behind why the IRGC is vested in maintaining the status quo, the growing rift between the United States’s strategy and Gulf States Allies, and whether or not the United States and Israel have a viable endgame.Plus: Already at $100 per barrel, how high will the price of oil climb? What impact will the conflict in Iran have on European security and economies? Are Russia and China giving Iran an intelligence edge?

In this episode:

01:10 Succession in Tehran

02:56 The IRGC as a Business Cartel

04:10 The Gulf States’ Perspective

06:55 UAE Business Backlash

10:26 Insurance and War Risk Shock

14:10 Shahi Drones and Escalation Risks

17:51 EU and UK Economic Hit

19:33 UK Politics and Social Tensions

21:38 One Decision to Watch

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief), Sir Ben Wallace (former UK Defence Secretary) and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iran's strategy isn't to defeat the US militarily. Trita Parsi argues that it's to make the cost high enough, fast enough, to collapse domestic support before Iran loses. With MAGA turning against the war, oil markets destabilizing, and both parties alarmed by talk of ground troops, Trump urgently needs a face-saving exit. Plus, Parsi believes that Iran's revolutionary system was built to withstand exactly this kind of pressure.

Trita Parsi is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, co-founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council, and author of four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East. 

In this episode:

01:19 Succession After Assassination

03:13 Army vs IRGC Dynamics

10:55 Iran Strategy and US Politics

15:44 Why No Uprising

22:42 Gulf States Security Fallout

25:43 Saudi Shift After Oct 7

30:03 MAGA Backlash and Exit Ramps

33:32 Why Trump Went In

39:56 One Decision to Watch

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton doesn't mince words: the opening strikes on Iran were just the beginning. In this special bonus episode, Bolton breaks down why he believes the Iranian regime will fragment from within, what the Gulf Arab states are about to do, and how war in Iran affects Russia, Ukraine, and China. 

Then, retired Lt. General Mark Hertling brings the view from the ground. A veteran of multiple Iraq deployments and the former Chief of War Plans on the Joint Staff. Hertling has seen this before. He's asking the question nobody in Washington seems to want to answer: Is there actually a plan for the day after the strikes?

In this episode:

01:31 John Bolton

04:32 Power Vacuum Risks

08:44 Gulf States Reaction

10:50 Iran Retaliation Strategy

15:16 Israel Influence Question

17:03 Oil Shock And Putin

19:51 China And Taiwan 

23:34 Deterrence And Alliances

29:51 Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling

34:28 Decapitation and Unrest

36:24 Iraq Lessons on Disbandment

42:02 Intel Gaps and Planning

52:19 Wider Regional Fallout

Show Notes: 

Opinion | With attack on Iran, U.S. deterrence is being restored - The Washington Post 

Order Mark Harling’s book: If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal

Lt. General Mark Hertling recorded on March 2, and Amb. John Bolton recorded on March 3. 

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio). 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After weeks of buildup, the United States and Israel have attacked Iran, killing long-time leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. How will the downfall of his regime reverberate throughout the Middle East and beyond? 

Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and journalist Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio) dive into the questions around the decision to strike Iran, what the death of Khamenei means for Iran’s future, and whether Iranian proxies in the region like Hezbollah have the strength to aid in retaliation.

Plus: Does China have a reason to step in and help Iran? Should Russian President Vladimir Putin be concerned that he’s lost an ally, or emboldened because of the United States’ split attention? What will the UK’s involvement be in supporting the US and Israel in this conflict?

In this episode:

01:37 - The decision behind killing Khamenei

03:43 - Ramifications of turning Khamenei into a martyr

06:32 - Why a popular uprising in Iran is unlikely

08:50 - Starlink and the information war

10:25 - How the Ayatollah’s downfall may be the death knell for Iran’s regional proxies

12:28 - Who backs Iran now?

13:51 - Will China be a mediator?

15:48 - Putin’s lost an ally

19:18 - Consequences of Starmer’s hesitancy

22:36 - The lethal combination of Israeli HUMINT and the CIA’s advanced surveillance

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and journalist Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a former CIA officer and the ex-Chief of MI6 agree something is coming — pay attention. This week, Sir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of MI6, and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika are joined by Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer with nearly two decades running intelligence operations in the world's most hostile environments.

Together, they give an unvarnished assessment of the three crises dominating global affairs right now: whether US military action against Iran is imminent and what it would actually target; why Putin has little incentive to end the war in Ukraine and what could change his calculus; and why Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida, may be closer to collapse than anyone is reporting.

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika (House of Lords).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Supreme Court just struck down President Trump's reciprocal tariffs — so what happens next? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and Baroness Ayesha Hazarika break down Trump's options to reimpose his tariff regime, what it means for trade negotiators worldwide, and why international leaders who flew to Washington may have wasted their time.

Plus: Will US intel lead the front of the war against Mexican drug cartels? What role will the Board of Peace play on the global stage beyond Gaza? Is the United Nations still an important force in geopolitics?

In this episode:

What’s next for President Trump’s tariffs after the U.S. Supreme Court’s sweeping decision 

Knock-on effects to watch for following the killing of Mexican cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, aka “El Mencho”

The role President Trump’s Board of Peace may play in the rebuilding of Gaza

The diminished relevance of the United Nations in world affairs

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Baroness Ayesha Hazarika (Member of the House of Lords).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices