Tehran’s nuclear-weapons race was a risk the U.S., Israel and others couldn’t tolerate, and its terrorism and brutality have only worsened. Its development of weapons that could reach Europe is a growing, grave threat. But as more than one of this episode’s guests says, the war with Iran involves other states, too — including China, which faces losing another supplier of the cheap oil powering its own ambitions. It’s also a message from U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing that the U.S. won’t ignore adversarial aggression. Brian speaks with John Bolton, former presidential security advisor; Rick Hillier, Canada’s former chief of the defense staff; former U.S. intelligence officer, Jonathan Panikoff; Eylon Levy, former Israeli government spokesman; Vivian Bercovici, former ambassador to Israel; and Postmedia’s Adam Zivo, reporting from Tel Aviv. (Recorded February 27–March 1, 2026)

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