One Decision

Everyone is calling it another Iraq. Sir Richard Dearlove disagrees. In this episode of One Decision In Brief, the former MI6 chief makes the case that what's unfolding in Iran may be something different: the final chapter of a decades-long conflict, with a window for the United States to actually close it.

Sir Richard and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika break down the military logic — why Kharg Island is the likely first target, what securing the Strait of Hormuz would actually take, and whether a ground operation could stay limited. They also assess Iran's internal fractures, Russia's quiet role, China's conspicuous absence, and what the Gulf States really want from Washington right now.

Is this the moment the West finally resolves the Iran question, or the beginning of something far worse?

In this episode:


07:09 Uranium Extraction Scenario


09:14 Avoiding a Land Quagmire


10:58 Trump’s Legacy Calculus


11:52 Russia Helps; China Absent


13:39 Will Gulf States Choose America?

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika (House of Lords)

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Cuba is running out of fuel, its economy is in ruins, and 2 million of its citizens have already fled. Is the communist regime finally at its breaking point?

Sir Richard Dearlove and Kate McCann sit down with Brian Latell, PhD, a 35-year CIA veteran and the agency's top Cuba and Latin America analyst. They assess whether the government can survive Trump's fuel embargo, what a transition would actually look like, and why Marco Rubio's approach may be more measured than his rhetoric suggests.

In this episode:

04:19 US-Cuba Relations

10:25 Risks of Squeezing Cuba Too Hard

13:03 Can the Regime Collapse Peacefully

18:03 Who Holds Power in Havana

23:02 Intelligence Files and Biosecurity Fears

27:31 Rebuilding Cuba and Diaspora Role

29:35 What Drives Marco Rubio

31:08 One Decision to Watch Next

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio).
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From an ultimatum to a “pause” in attacks, did President Donald Trump just blink, or is he playing a much larger game with Iran? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and journalist Kate McCann analyze whether President Trump’s sudden shift on Iran is a genuine diplomatic opening, a calculated move to cool soaring global oil prices, or an attempt to buy time for US Marine reinforcements to arrive. They also explore the potential strategic friction between the US and Israel, Trump’s broader foreign policy objectives, including Venezuela and Cuba, and the UK and Europe’s reluctant role in the escalating Iranian conflict.

In this episode:


01:56 – From 48 Hour Ultimatum to Five-Day Pause


03:40 – The Fragility of Global Markets


05:26 – Are There Backchannel Talks Inside Iran?


07:48 – Escalating to De-Escalate


09:41– Israel-US Divergent Aims


11:36 – Does the Conflict Help or Hurt Trump?


15:14 – UK and Europe on the Sidelines

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Kate McCann (Political Editor at Times Radio).
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The Strait of Hormuz is in a chokehold. The scale of this oil supply disruption has already exceeded the shocks of the 1970s. Sir Richard Dearlove and Rosanna Lockwood sit down with Helima Croft, Managing Director and Head of Global Commodity Strategy at RBC Capital Markets and former senior CIA analyst, to break down what market players are getting wrong, why reopening the Strait is far harder than it looks, and what a Houthi entry into the conflict could mean for the Red Sea. 

In this episode:


3:04 Technical Side of Supply Disruption 


6:11 IEA and Comparison to Russia-Ukraine 


9:32 Alternative Routes for Oil and Gas 


12:08 Russia is the Big Winner


13:13 Ground Troops Needed to Open the Strait of Hormuz 


17:14 The US Domestic Picture 


21:43 Will Houthis Disrupt the Red Sea? 


27:52 What Market Participants Are Not Understanding


30:57 Is $200 Barrel Crude Oil Possible? 


33:19 Sir Richard and Rosanna Discussion  

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)
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President Trump’s call for naval assistance in the Strait of Hormuz has not been answered by European allies. Does this signal a growing crisis of confidence in the West? Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove and international journalist Rosanna Lockwood examine the latest developments in the war with Iran, as well as rising political polarization in France and the UK, fears of domestic terrorist attacks in the West, and the critical importance of Kharg Island to the global energy market.

In this episode:


01:48 – The divisive dilemma at the Strait of Hormuz


04:05 – Fears of Iranian proxy terror attacks in the West


06:14 – Political polarization in European elections


12:45 – Iran’s internal media strategy


14:47 – The strategic importance of Kharg Island

Hosted by Sir Richard Dearlove (former MI6 Chief) and guest co-host Rosanna Lockwood (International Journalist)
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