Iran: is Trump's ultimate target in this war China?

As the crisis in the Middle East has escalated, Donald Trump's posturing has led many to question his strategy – and if he even has one. Geoffrey Cain, former foreign correspondent, expert on authoritarian regimes – and the author of this week's cover piece in the Spectator , joins Freddy Gray to explain why Trump's ultimate target in the war is China. From the Belt and Road development initiative to more tacit bilateral support, President Xi has been playing a game of chess, to try to check America's power. With Nicolas Maduro arrested and Ayatollah Khamenei assassinated, President Trump is showing his willingness to project American power, at whatever cost – so far. Cain raises questions for those who assume we're moving to a multipolar world. Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to Iran: is Trump's ultimate target in this war China? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Iran: is Trump's ultimate target in this war China? is an episode from Americano by The Spectator.

This episode is 30:15 long.

This episode was published on Mar 7, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Americano when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.