Iran standing down – those are the words of President Trump as he addressed the nation in the wake of Iranian attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq. The belief in the administration seems to be that Iran chose to send a message rather than take action that would have provoked a substantial U.S. military response. David Urban, a close confidant of the president, joins the show to explain Trump's thinking.

Antony Blinken was Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama during Iran nuclear negotiations, and now works as senior foreign policy advisor to presidential candidate Joe Biden. He joins the program from D.C. to respond to the latest developments, examine prospects for a possible deal between the U.S. and Iran and explain Biden’s views on this fast-moving situation.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that his country’s missile strikes were not enough of a punishment for the U.S. killing of Soleimani. For perspective from Tehran, Christiane speaks again with political analyst Mohammad Marandi.

With the Middle East once again embroiled in crisis and the U.S. presence there again under scrutiny, Christiane speaks with journalist and editor Mina Al-Oraibi, to get her perspective from the region.

Inside Iran, their parliament is already taking action in response to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, unanimously voting to designate all U.S. forces as terrorists. Massoumeh Ebtekar is an Iranian Vice President in the government, and she joins the program from Tehran.

Both Iraq and Iran claim that, when he was killed, Soleimani was in Baghdad to discuss easing tensions between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia. Both Saudi officials and the U.S. Secretary of State reject that claim, but the Saudis are nonetheless leading the effort for a de-escalation of tensions. Christiane discusses Saudi concerns with Turki Al-Faisal, the former Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.

In Washington D.C., Congress awaits a full briefing from the Trump administration on the intelligence that led to the targeted killing of Soleimani, and Democrats want to limit the president taking the country to war. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin has been tasked with drawing up a war powers resolution and can draw on her background as a former CIA analyst who served two tours in Iraq.

Allies of the U.S. met today to call for both America and Iran to de-escalate the crisis over the killing of Qasem Soleimani, as emotionally charged scenes flooded the streets of Iran for the fourth straight day. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper joins the program to discuss the fast-moving situation.

Apocalyptic wildfires are decimating Australian flora and fauna, with one expert saying that hundreds of millions of animals have probably been killed. To assess this dire situation, its causes and whether there is any cause for hope, Christiane speaks with Australia’s best known climate scientist Tim Flannery.

Senator Chris Murphy joins Christiane to analyze escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran following the death of Qasem Soleimani.

Former U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley discusses the death of Qasem Soleimani and what the future will look like for the U.S. and Iran.

Former Prime Minister of Iraq Ayad Allawi discusses his country's role in U.S.-Iran tensions and the Iraqi parliament's vote to expel U.S. forces from Iraq.

Political analyst Mohammad Marandi joins Christiane Amanpour to discuss the explosion of national mourning and emotion in Iran following the death of military mastermind Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad last Friday.

Back in 2017, Carmen Bambach, a curator at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, shaped the most historic and expansive exhibit of Michelangelo to date. Now, on the 500th anniversary of his death, she dives into Leonardo's groundbreaking work in a new book. She sits down with our own Leonardo expert, Walter Isaacson, to discuss the Italian master.

The news today is enough to send anxiety levels through the roof, but Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is here to help. He argues that stress today is making us sick - some 80% of the health issues he treats in his patients can be traced back to stress, made much worse by the blurring of work and home life. He joins the show to diagnose the issue and give us a prescription for how it could be fixed.

In Moscow, President Putin has wrapped up the year with his annual press conference. The Russian leader fielded questions on a whole host of issues, including the death of a Georgian man killed in Berlin in August. German prosecutors suspect Russia may be behind the murder, but Moscow denies it. Journalist Heidi Blake has been tracking similarly suspicious deaths and joins the program to discuss.

In 2018, Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman ever to be shortlisted in the Best Director category at the Academy Awards for "Lady Bird," an ode to mother-daughter relationships. She continues her exploration of strong female characters with an adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic, "Little Women." She sits down with Michel Martin to discuss this new project.

Boris Johnson laid out his agenda with the traditional Queen's Speech in parliament today. Top of his wish list is finishing Brexit, trade deal and all, by this time next year. It's an incredibly ambitious deadline which sets up another year of roller coaster politics. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair joins the program to discuss this and the deeply partisan politics rocking the U.K.

In the U.K., tensions between the ruling Conservative Party and the British media are rising. During the election campaign, Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to sit down for the main BBC election interview. And since his win, he has threatened the BBC's primary source of funding: the license fee. Journalist Michael Crick and historian Anne Applebaum join the program to discuss the situation.

As the Trump administration pushes to resume federal executions, a new film called “Clemency” looks at the moral questions of death row and emotional demands on executioners. The film won the grand jury prize at Sundance this year, making director Chinonye Chukwu the first African American woman to win it in the festival’s 35 year history. Chukwu joins Michel alongside lead actor Alfre Woodard.