Amanpour

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requests billons of dollars more for America's war in Iran - without laying out a plan of how or when it could end. Former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel joins the program to discuss the state of play and slams what he calls a lack of transparency from the current administration. And, as several Democratic lawmakers denounce the suffering they witnessed on a trip to Cuba, Congressman Mark Pocan explains how the U.S. blockade is choking the island and what a new State Department report reveals about America's intentions in the region. Then, correspondent Jeremy Diamond reports on how an ancient ruin in the West Bank has become the latest flashpoint in the land dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. Award-winning author Colson Whitehead concludes his celebrated Harlem trilogy and discusses how "Cool Machine" raises the stakes in gritty, glamourous 1980s New York. Plus, a shakeup at the highest levels of Ukraine's military with Zelensky firing his top general Oleksandr Syrskyi. From Christiane's archives, a look back at her exclusive interview with Syrskyi just after he took over as head of the armed forces.

Air date: July 25, 2026

Guests:

Chuck Hagel

Mark Pocan

Colson Whitehead

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As the Iran war escalates, the world's most vital chokepoints are coming under increasing threat. Iran's disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has already rattled global energy markets. Now, the Houthis could obstruct things further, launching a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, and threatening to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The two narrow waterways carry not only oil and gas, but also vast quantities of food and humanitarian supplies. Carl Skau, the acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme, has travelled to many of the world's worst humanitarian hot spots, witnessing both the scale of the suffering and the difficulties of delivering aid. He joins from New York.

Also on today's show: author Colson Whitehead


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The exchange of threats and tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran continue apace today, and tensions elsewhere in the Middle East are rising significantly, with attacks in the Red Sea marking a new front in this conflict. Military analyst and retired US Airforce Colonel Cedric Leighton joins the show from Washington, to discuss where the war can go from here.

Also on today's show: Cyril Aris, Writer/Director, “A Sad and Beautiful World”; Nicholas Kristof, Opinion Columnist, The New York Times


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President Zelensky has fired his Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, bowing to pressure from nationwide protests sparked last week by the controversial sacking of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was credited with leading Ukraine's successful drone campaign against Russia. The Ukrainian leader's damage control exposes growing internal rifts over the nation's war-time leadership. Tymofiy Mylovanov is the Ukraine's former minister of economy and he joins the show from Kyiv.

Also on today's show: LaMonika Jones, Director, DC Hunger Solutions; Kathy Baughman, CEO, HERA (NGO that works to protect women in low-income communities from extreme heat)


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Donald Trump is vowing revenge, after American service members were killed by Iranian strikes. Meanwhile in Iran, President Mahmoud Pezeshkian has told his people that they are engaged in a full-scale war. And the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are vowing to blockade a second critical shipping channel, further threatening global oil supplies. Former US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel joins the program to discuss.

Also on today's show: US House Democrat Mark Pocan; climate professor Radley Horton; author Adrian Wooldridge


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