As Iran releases the new supreme leader's first statement, we hear from the country's UN ambassador, Ali Bahreini. We also track the expanding Israeli military assault on Lebanon, and ask how the insurance industry is handling the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies. Also in the programme: British tourist among those arrested in Dubai for having missile photographs on his phone; and a tribute album for the jazz musician Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.(Photo: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep blocking Strait of Hormuz in his first statement released by the regime after more attacks on cargo ships in the Gulf in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, causing another spike in oil prices.Can American naval power keep those shipping lanes open? We'll assess the options and hear what people in America's heartland think about the war.Also in the programme: Will a new "ethnic unity" law in China lead to more disunity?; and a piece of rock music history goes up for a sale - a rather battered guitar that belonged to Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.(Photo shows the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree on fire after being hit by Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on 11 March 2026. Credit: Royal Thai Navy)

Three vessels have been hit by 'unknown projectiles' in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime authorities say. We are joined by Dr Harry Broadman, a former US Assistant Trade Representative to discuss how disruption in the shipping channel might affect global supply chains.Also on today's programme: Chile sees its biggest shift to the hard right in decades with the inauguration of Jose Antonio Kast as president. British organ preservation charity Pipe Up says five pipe organs are sent to a landfill each week. Plus, as Iran says it will not play in the World Cup, we hear from Afshin Ghotbi, who coached both the US and Iranian national football teams.(Photo: An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, in Shinas, Oman. 11 March 2026. Credit: Benoît Tessier/Reuters)

Israel has launched more attacks against suspected Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including an apartment building in the capital Beirut. The Hezbollah militia is an ally of Iran.It comes as the Lebanese health ministry has announced that 570 people have been killed in Lebanon since strikes began on 2nd March as part of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israel's evacuation orders have driven more than three quarters of a million people from their homes. We'll hear from the Lebanese capital and we'll hear from Dubai and Riyadh about the disruption to energy shipments from the region.Also in the programme: Russia's campaign of sabotage against Ukraine's European allies; how Britain's old church organs are being dumped, and how some dogs really can sing along to music.(Photo shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on 11 March 2026. Credit: Raghed Waked/Reuters)

The White House press secretary warns that US combat operations in Iran are intensifying while Iran's defence capabilities are in decline.Also in today's programme: Tehran residents describe intense bombing in the city. With oil prices soaring across the globe we hear from Mark Menezes, CEO of the US Energy Association, who previously served as Deputy Energy Secretary in President Trump's first administration. And we also discuss Iran's world heritage sites under threat from US-Israeli attack.Plus, to mark the 150 years since the first ever telephone call we hear from Marty Cooper, the inventor of mobile phone. (Picture: A dredger sits anchored as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Reuters/Benoit Tessier)

The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has insisted America's war aims are clear, at a Pentagon press conference. We'll hear from those inside Iran caught up in the bombardment, and from our correspondent, Tom Bateman, who attended that news conference.Also on the programme: Authorities in the US state of New Mexico have launched a search of a ranch previously owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and the German carmaker Volkswagen has said it will cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as its profits fell by over 40 percent in 2025.(Photo: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference at CENTCOM headquarters in Florida on the 5th of March 2026. Credit:Cristóbal Herrera/EPA/Shutterstock)

G7 finance ministers have said they're ready to take measures to support the global energy supply, after meeting to discuss the economic turmoil caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran. Oil prices eased back below 100 US dollars a barrel, after they indicated this could include the release of strategic reserves. But they're still about 40 percent up since the start of the war, which has halted most exports from the Gulf. Concerns about the impact on the global economy have caused stock markets to fall in America, Europe and Asia.Also in the programme: Reports that members of Iran's women's football team are seeking refuge in Australia - we'll hear from a former Iranian sportsman who fled the country; and how AI is predicting the risk of serious heart disease from breast cancer screenings.(File Photo: A maze of crude oil pipes and valves pictured during a tour by the Department of Energy at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport, Texas, US. Credit: Reuters/Richard Carson/File Photo)

As the US and Israel's war on Iran enters its second week, concerns are rising about surging oil prices.Crude has jumped above $100 a barrel and stock markets slumped over the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran. What are the effects likely to be?Also in the programme: We'll profile Iran's new Supreme Leader, the son of the former cleric; we'll hear how the war is affecting daily life in the Gulf state of Qatar; and how the master artists of ancient Egypt may have invented correction fluid.(Photo shows smoke rising following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery on Sitra Island in Bahrain on 9 March 2026. Credit: Reuters)

The United States and Israel have continued their bombardment of Iran for a ninth day. Thick plumes of black smoke were seen in the skies above Tehran as the US and Israel struck an oil refinery and depot in the capital. We'll bring you the latest in the war including from the second front in southern Lebanon.Also in the programme: a high-ranking executive at OpenAI has resigned over the company's deal with the US government; and India has retained the men's T20 cricket World Cup title. (Picture: Thick plumes of smoke rise above the Shahran oil refinery in Tehran which was hit in US and Israeli strikes on the country. Credit: BEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iran says it’s chosen a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed last week in US-Israeli airstrikes – but the name has yet to be revealed. Meanwhile Israel and the US continue to strike Iran, with oil depots hit, and Iran carries out more strikes on its Gulf Arab neighbours: we hear from Kuwait.Also in the programme: scientists find a mountain range and huge "blue hole" in the deep Caribbean Sea, with life never before seen; and the American gospel musician finally getting recognition after more than fifty years.(IMAGE: A demonstrator holds an image of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he was killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes. Tehran, Iran, March 6, 2026 / CREDIT: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

We hear how a week of war is changing Iran. And the attacks in southern Lebanon's Bekaa valley continue, after Israel warned Lebanon that it will pay a "very heavy price" if it does not rein in attacks by Hezbollah.Also on the programme: Nepal's rapper turned Prime Minister; and the NASA mission that's shown how we can defend ourselves against a speeding asteroid.(Photo: Smoke rises after an Iranian drone was intercepted over the Bahrain Financial Harbour towers, which houses the Israeli embassy, in Manama, Bahrain Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said Iran will stop striking its Arab neighbours as long as no attacks originate from their territory. President Trump has characterised the remark as a surrender in response to relentless US and Israeli attacks. Also on the programme: President Trump is hosting Latin American leaders for a summit called 'The Shield of The Americas'; and the slow breakdown of one of the world largest icebergs.(File photo: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran on February 11, 2026. Credit: Iran's Presidential website/WANA)