Strait and narrowing: the Iran deal crumbles

About this episode

<p>The sketch of a deal to end the war is all but dead; oil is up as strikes rain down. We look at the options available to America—<a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/07/14/donald-trump-has-no-good-options-for-reopening-the-strait-of-hormuz?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">all of them bad</a>. India’s government websites are almost universally <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/06/28/why-cant-indias-government-build-a-decent-website?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">impossible to use</a>; we look at the structural reasons behind the bad IT. And the growth of summer camps <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/06/18/adults-are-going-back-to-summer-camp?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">for adults</a>. </p><br><p><em>Listen to our “The Weekend Intelligence” episode on </em><a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2026/03/14/kidulting" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>kidulting</em></a><em>.</em></p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent</li><li>Leo Mirani, Ashoka columnist</li><li>Rachel Mayman, senior audience editor </li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>Iran war, Strait of Hormuz</li><li>India’s government, IT</li><li>summer camps, kidulting</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>