Are we facing a new nuclear arms race? - The Global Jigsaw podcast, BBC World Service

The narratives and the doctrines built on ever-growing suspicions and fears that are once again stirring the Middle East.

Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hasn’t just threatened to redraw the map of Europe - it has transformed the global security landscape. The ripple effects have been felt way beyond the continent, reigniting fears not felt since the Cold War - of a new nuclear arms race.

In this episode we go back to the beginnings of nuclear ambitions in the Middle East to weigh up the consequences for the world today.

00:00 Introduction
02:37 Iran - The beginning
09:01 JCPOA coming together and falling apart
16:08 Israel’s deterrent
29:11 Saudi, the winner
38:48 Turkey’s nuclear ambition
45:43 Iran after war

Contributors: Barry Sadid, Shaina Oppenheimer, Florence Dixon & Nihan Kalle
Producers: Barry Sadid & Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
Video producer: Suniti Singh

Broadcast on 4 October 2025

Watch more episodes of The Global Jigsaw podcast here 👉🏽
   • The Global Jigsaw  

Find the whole back catalogue of The Global Jigsaw podcast here 👉🏽https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13x...

Find out more about BBC Monitoring here 👉🏽 https://tinyurl.com/muutc8py

----------------
This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel.
If you like what we do, you can also find us here:
Instagram 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice  
Twitter 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice  
Facebook 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice  
BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio

Thanks for watching and subscribing!
#BBCWorldService #WorldService #iran #israel #nuclearweapons