There have been worrying signs that the Iranian regime is responding in the way it has done to rebellion in the past- with an iron fist. To break this all down, Mohammad Ali Shabani, Iran Researcher at the University of London joins Christiane.

This week, Beijing’s top trade negotiator has touched down in D.C. with one aim; to bring an end to a bitter economic war between the two superpowers. With the White House distracted by Iran, could the situation play to the advantage of the Chinese? Evan Osnos has written extensively on just this subject for The New Yorker.

The U.S. has a long and complicated history with Iran, dating back to before the Ayatollahs came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Ervand Abrahamian is an Iranian-Armenian historian whose book “The Coup” is the latest in his work unpacking U.S./Iranian relations. He tells Walter about the history of distrust and hostility between these two nations.

In a world filled with violence and polarization, new studies show that there are significant health benefits to even the smallest acts of kindness, like holding open a door or buying someone a coffee. Now UCLA has set up the world’s first institute to study kindness, and aims to research how it catches on. Christiane speaks with the institute’s inaugural director, anthropologist Daniel Fessler.

It has been a week of turmoil after the U.S.'s targeted killing of Iran’s military chief. Events took a tragic turn when a Ukrainian plane crashed over Tehran, killing all 176 on board. Most were Iranians and Canadians, along with 11 Ukrainians and other nationals. To discuss this tragic human cost of diplomatic drama, Christiane speaks with Michael Kergin, Canada’s former Ambassador to the U.S.

This week’s tragic disaster of the Ukrainian airliner highlights the urgent need for diplomacy that lowers the temperature. But what is America’s strategy towards Iran now? And what can be expected from Tehran? Christiane speaks with two experts: Sir Richard Dalton was the U.K.’s man in Tehran for years, while Barbara Slavin is the Atlantic Council’s top Iran expert.

As tensions with Iran take center stage, Customs and Border Protection have denied reports of Iranian Americans being detained and refused entry at the border between Canada and Washington state. As Lieutenant Governor of Washington, Cyrus Habib is the highest ranking Iranian American elected official in the U.S, and he sits down with Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the situation.

The U.S. increasingly believes Iran mistakenly shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane that took off from Tehran on Tuesday amid military confrontation between Iran and the U.S. All 176 people on board were killed, soon after Iran launched missiles at two American bases in Iraq. To gain insight into the situation, Christiane speaks with Fred Pleitgen on the ground in Tehran.

Democrats say that in killing Soleimani, Trump acted without properly notifying Congress, and today the House is expected to vote to force the president to halt any military action against Iran unless Congress authorizes it. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has introduced a similar bill in the Senate and joins the program from Capitol Hill.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex say they are stepping back as senior royals. In the couple’s statement on Wednesday they say they want to work to become financially independent and will split their time between the UK and North America. Christiane discusses the controversy with former royal insider Dickie Arbiter and New York Times London bureau chief Mark Landler.

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.