The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim

Can you carry out regime change without boots on the ground? Will President Trump walk away now the Supreme Leader is dead? Does this feel like 2003 all over again?

Richard has been in Israel watching events unfold. He was in Tel Aviv when Israel and America launched strikes against Iran which ultimately led to the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei and many members of the top command.

In this special episode, Richard answers some questio...

Ken Burns is one of America's most successful documentary filmmakers.

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence later this year, he sits down with Yalda in this extra episode to reflect on where the US has come from, as well as the current state of the nation.

Burns has been making films for more than 40 years, winning Emmys and Grammys, and has even had a film effect named after him - 'the Ken Burns'.

His most recent pr...

What is Gaza like four months on from the ceasefire? Are Hamas still operating? Why won’t Israeli troops withdraw completely? And what about the Palestinians who have been forced to leave their homes?

Richard has been taken into Gaza by the IDF, which is still the only way that international journalists are allowed into the Strip. He is shown a Hamas tunnel which the IDF says was used until recently.

He also paints Yalda a picture of...

Why did the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei just threaten to sink US warships? Is the progress made in the talks between America and Iran meaningful? What could happen next?

US President Donald Trump has sent more military equipment towards Iran and has said regime change is the “best thing that could happen”. At the same time, Iranian officials have said that some progress has been made in indirect talks with America. So, wha...

What is next for Iran? Did MI6 know about Peter Mandelson’s past with Epstein? How does Europe bring Putin to the negotiating table?

When he left his job in 2025, the former head of MI6 said that he didn't think he’d left the world in a better place than when he was first appointed in 2020. But a lot has happened since he took the position, Sir Richard Moore has served two monarchs, four prime ministers, five deputy prime ministe...

What is the mood in Iran’s capital? Are people still protesting in the streets? What is the regime saying about what happened?

Richard Engel is in Tehran for NBC News and tells Yalda what he is seeing and what officials are telling him.

Because of the internet issues in Iran, Richard’s connection dropped off halfway through. Yalda then speaks about her exclusive interview with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino. When asked whether FIFA shoul...

How does the Iranian regime use technology to control its people? How has AI and misinformation been used in the current wave of protests?

The Iranian regime just implemented the longest internet shutdown in its history. For over two weeks, very little information was getting in or out of the country as security forces cracked down hard on protestors.

Shutting off the internet is something the regime has done many times before. But w...

It's been a month since a wave of protests spread across Iran, followed by a brutal government crackdown.

With the country under an internet blackout, it's still unclear how many have been killed - Richard and Yalda discuss what the death toll could be and we hear from one woman who shares what life is like inside Iran.

With Trump’s Board of Peace now established, Richard and Yalda explain what it is, who is on it and whether it ...

Why does Donald Trump want Greenland so much? How is Europe reacting?

Yalda is at Davos where the president insisted that America must have Greenland.

He has announced a framework has been agreed with NATO, but that the details still need to be worked out.

Yalda has been speaking to officials in Davos, who told her how betrayed they felt by the president.

Yalda also speaks to foreign policy expert Richard Fontaine about how Washing...

What does the Iranian diaspora want America to do? Do they want intervention? And what do they think is next for Iran?

As protests continue across Iran and President Trump warns of consequences if the killing continues Yalda Hakim sits down with two Iranian American women to hear the views of the Iranian diaspora.

In this extra episode of the World, she speaks to Azadeh Afsahi, a human rights activist and Moj Mahdara who set up the I...

US President Donald Trump says "help is on its way" to the protesters in Iran – but what does he mean? Will the president strike Iran? And what could actually happen if the regime falls?

Protests in Iran have been spreading across the country for nearly two weeks. Why are tens of thousands of people out on the street? Richard and Yalda take stock of the fast-moving situation in Iran and try to make sense of what might happen next.

...

What is the real reason that Trump wanted to remove Nicolas Maduro? Could he be about to do the same thing in other countries? And why is he saying he “needs” Greenland?

After the audacious events in Venezuela which saw President Nicolas Maduro removed by American special forces and taken to New York to face trial, Richard and Yalda discuss what could happen next in the region.

Richard is in Colombia and tells Yalda what the mood is ...

In this special Christmas episode, Richard and Yalda answer your questions. After a huge year in international news, the two reflect on the year that has been and what might be coming up in 2026.

Questions include: What was the defining story of 2025? If you weren’t a journalist, what would you be? And how do you adjust to life after covering conflict?

They also answer some more light hearted questions and reveal their favourite cock...

What's next for Australia after the deadly Bondi Beach terrorist attack? 

Yalda grew up in Sydney and tells Richard about why Bondi is such a special place for her and Australians, as well as sharing how the country might recover after the horrific events.  

Yalda has also been speaking exclusively to the sons of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who give her an update on the conditions th...

What is the truth behind that deepfake of Yalda? Why was it so inflammatory?  

A deepfake of Yalda and her guest went viral after it made the two women say something completely false. Yalda tells Richard exactly what happened and why these types of videos can be so dangerous.  

Yalda also gets to grips with the new powers granted to Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir with the help of journalist and human rights activist, ...

 Is Pakistan slipping into military rule? Why is the UN sounding the alarm about new changes to the country’s constitution?  Will Imran Khan ever be released?   

Yalda breaks down exactly what is going on in Pakistan and speaks to one of Imran Khan's close advisors Zulfi Bukhari to get the latest on the former Prime Minister.   

Richard is in Ukraine and has an update as negotiations on a possible peace ...

What is actually in the detail of the Ukraine plan? Will Russia agree to the EU and Ukraine's amendments?  

The leaked 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine which emerged last week was seen by many as capitulation to Russian demands. In response, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted their counter demands.  

Richard has been at the peace talks happening in Geneva and breaks down the US plan wit...

Is this Mohammed bin Salman’s comeback tour?  

Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, also known as MBS, is returning to the White House for the first time since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the country's consulate in Istanbul. 

US intelligence concluded that the crown prince approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi, a p...

Donald Trump has moved a large amount of US military force to the Caribbean, but why?

Trump recently referred to Colombia's left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, as "an illegal drug leader" and has ordered even more troops to the region.

The US military has been bombing alleged "drug-boats" suspected of taking illegal drugs such as cocaine and fentanyl to the US, but are drugs just one part of the story? And how might it escalate?

Ri...