Escalation or diplomacy: Where does the war go from here?

In his address to the nation on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the war with Iran was nearing its end and the US had decimated the country’s military capabilities. But parts of his speech contradicted some of his earlier statements regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and America’s interest in seizing Iranian oil. His words also stood in contrast to recent reports suggesting that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations. At the same time, US officials are saying talks with Tehran are going well, which Iran denies. Meanwhile, mediators including Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey are pushing for a return to negotiations. The question is whether the warring parties would be willing to make concessions at this stage of the conflict. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the different scenarios the US could consider next and whether a diplomatic solution is still within reach. We hear from James Jeffrey, distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute and a former US deputy national security adviser, and Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute.

You can listen to Escalation or diplomacy: Where does the war go from here? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Escalation or diplomacy: Where does the war go from here? is an episode from Beyond the Headlines by The National News.

This episode is 24:44 long.

This episode was published on Apr 3, 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 Beyond the Headlines when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.