Newshour

President Trump hits out at US allies over Iran -- telling them to grow a backbone and go and get the oil stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. His Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth then joins the fray. Do they have a point? Also in the programme: has the European Union reached breaking point with Israel? A NASA scientist on a huge week for space travel; and wolf bites woman on a German city street - we hear the case for the defence.(IMAGE: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Stringer//File Photo)

We look at America's goals in the war with Iran, and we ask what Israel's strategy is, as regards the conflict in Iran and Lebanon.Also on the programme: the latest report on sexual violence directed at women and girls in Sudan; and the world's longest running international music competition, Eurovision heads to Asia. (Image: Illustration shows 3D-printed miniature model depicting US President Donald Trump pointing at a map showing the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

President Trump says he's negotiating with Iran's leadership to end the war, while again threatening to strike its energy infrastructure. Iran has dismissed American demands as excessive and 'illogical'. We hear from a former US army officer on President Trump's military options. Also in the programme: Israel's parliament passes a new law introducing the death penalty for terrorists. A critic of the law tells us it's framed just to target Palestinians; and a Sex Pistol celebrates the 50th anniversary of punk rock. (Photo: A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard next to a banner honouring former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on 30 March 2026. Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

President Trump has posted on social media another warning that he would, in his words, 'obliterate' Kharg island and Iran's power plants, if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened to allow oil and gas tankers to travel freely.Also on the programme: how are countries around the world responding to the price of oil reaching $116 a barrel? And paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse have been stolen from a museum in Italy. Is there's even a market for this type of stolen art? (Picture: President Trump on Air Force One. Credit: Reuters)

Pakistan's foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, has said that both Iran and the United States have expressed confidence in his country to facilitate talks on reducing tensions in the Middle East conflict.Also in the programme: the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is prevented from celebrating a private mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; and a UN summit moves to protect 40 migratory species. (A handout photo made available by the Pakistani Foreign Offices shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Pakistan's deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar during a meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, 29 March 2026. CREDIT: PAKISTAN FOREIGN OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

With talks under way in Islamabad to end the war in the Middle East, we’ll hear from Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US.Also on the programme: we hear from Myanmar where the global energy crisis has left kilometres-long queues at petrol stations; and veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard reflects on his latest Oscar-winning film Sentimental Value.(Photo: The USS Tripoli (LHA-7) amphibious assault ship enters the Singapore Strait, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Singapore, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Edgar Su)

The Iranian- backed Houthis in Yemen have launched another missile attack against Israel, less than twenty four hours after their first foray into the US-Israeli war on Iran. There are fears that the Iranian proxy's entry could further disrupt global shipping. Also in the programme: No Kings protests are taking place across the US against the Trump administration; and how a truck transporting twelve tonnes of chocolate bars belonging to Swiss food company Nestle disappeared en route between Italy and Poland.(Photo: Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea announces a new attack on Israel via a televised statement, in Sana'a, Yemen. Credit: YAHYA ARHAB/EPA/Shutterstock)

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement have launched a missile strike on Israel for first time since the war began.The group says it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles "targeting sensitive Israeli military sites", after Israel says it intercepted a missile from Yemen. The intervention comes as Israel continues bombing Lebanon, aiming for the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, but catching many other Lebanese in its wake.Also in the programme: We'll hear from a mother and son forced apart for years by the state because she was unmarried; Nepal's former prime minister under arrest just a day after the new government took power; and a former Haitian culture minister turned documentary maker on the prescience of George Orwell.(Photo shows a Houthi soldier operating a machine gun on a pickup truck in Sanaa, Yemen on 27 March 2026. Credit: Yahya Arhab/EPA)

The UN says there's no longer any safe space for civilians to find refuge in Lebanon, even in Beirut. Israel has been carrying out a widespread offensive against Hezbollah. With nearly a million people displaced by the war in Lebanon, we speak to the Deputy Prime Minister - how are they coping?Also, the British government is being urged to apologise to tens of thousands of women in who were forced to give up their babies after the Second World War because they weren't married. And a new study says AI is giving bad advice to flatter its users!(Photo: A displaced woman from Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon smokes a sigarette, at the Jaafareya High School, now used as a temporary shelter for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran continues, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 27, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Germany says American and Iranian negotiators plan to meet in Pakistan, at the same time as reports suggest the US is to send 10,000 more troops to the Middle East. We get the latest and hear from victims of the strikes on Tehran.Also in the programme: will Cuba's economic near-collapse lead to political upheaval? We have a first-hand report from the island; and a unique eyewitness account of female sperm whales acting like midwives.(IMAGE: View of the Prime Minister's House building, as Pakistan offers to help mediate talks between the United States and Iran, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan March 25, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)

State media in Iran say officials have sent their response to a fifteen-point US plan to end the war and are now awaiting an American reply. Speaking at the White House, President Trump again insisted that Iran was "begging" for a deal despite repeated denials in Tehran. Also on the programme, lawyers have tussled over how to fund the defence of the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro at his second court hearing since his capture by US troops; and, the IOC has banned transgender women from all Olympic women's sports.(President Trump hosts cabinet meeting at the White House, Washington, USA - 26 Mar 2026. WILL OLIVER/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Israel says it's killed a top Iranian naval commander, responsible for overseeing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while President Trump tells Iran to get serious about negotiations. We hear from a supporter of the government in Tehran. Also in the programme: former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is due to appear in court in New York today for only the second time since his capture at the beginning of January - we hear how his country’s been doing since his departure; and a new exhibition in London explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to older age - through art, science and popular culture.(IMAGE: Alireza Tangsiri, Head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, who Israel claims to have killed (undated file photo) / CREDIT: sourced from EVN/IR IRGC navy chief stills/1041/26/3)

A 20 year-old Californian woman has been awarded a total of $6 million in damages after taking Meta and Google to court, accusing the tech giants of making her addicted to social media. The jury found the firms liable for negligence, contributing to her mental health problems.Also in the programme: Iran's foreign minister has said officials are reviewing US proposals on ending the war, but that Tehran has no intention of holding talks with the United States; and Sarah Mullally has been officially installed as the first woman to lead the Anglican Communion.(Photo: Attorney for Kayle GM, Mark Lanier (C) speaks to the media after a jury found Meta and YouTube liable in the social media addiction trial outside the Los Angeles Superior Court, in Los Angeles, California, USA, 25 March 2026. Credit: Ted Soqui/EPA/Shutterstock)

An Iranian military spokesman has accused the United States of 'negotiating with itself' over the conflict in the Middle East, amid uncertainty over the prospects of meaningful peace talks. President Donald Trump has insisted his administration is talking to the 'right people' in Iran, and that they badly wanted a deal to end the war.Also in the programme: five survivors of Jeffrey Epstein come together for the first time to speak about their ordeal; and the man who persuaded a would-be-bomber not to blow up a hospital has received one of Britain's highest honours.(Picture: US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on 24 March 2026. Credit: GRAEME SLOAN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Amid the devastation in Gaza, remarkable stories of hope and resilience do emerge. Sixteen-year-old Sama Nijm, a gifted violinist from Gaza, is using music to bring comfort and healing to the youngest victims of the conflict. Some of the children have lost their parents, and in some cases, their limbs or arms. BBC Newsday's Charlene Rodrigues spoke to Sama, and began by asking her what inspired her to become a violin teacher in the midst of war.

Nine people have been killed and many injured in a school shooting in the southern Austrian city of Graz. The shooter also killed himself, and has been identified as a former pupil.Also, Donald Trump sends in the Marines as the president's crackdown on undocumented migrants clashes with California's policy as a Sanctuary State, Syria's jailers under President Assad speak to the BBC anonymously about what they did and those who suffered, plus good news for biodiversity and precious coral reefs in the Zanzibar archipelago, as two new Marine Protected Areas are announced.(IMAGE: General view of the Dreierschutzengasse high school following a shooting in Graz, Austria, 10 June 2025 / CREDIT: Antonio Bat /EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)