World Politics
Venezuela leader urges US to lift all trade sanctions
US President Donald Trump has eased a seven-year oil embargo and allowed imports of fertiliser from Venezuela this year.
The history of Anglo-American involvement in Iran
Author Roham Alvandi breaks down the history of Anglo-American involvement in Iran through three critical events, the 1953 coup, the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and the 2015 Nuclear Agreement. Audio
UAE charges people for filming and sharing missile strike footage
Twenty-one people, including a 60-year-old British tourist, have been charged under the United Arab Emirates' cybercrime laws for filming and sharing videos of Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Trump may be unable to end the war, even if he wants to
Analysis: The US President is now caught in the oldest trap of modern warfare.
Five takeaways from Mojtaba Khamenei's defiant first message
The new Supreme Leader offered no hint of making peace, and instead emphasised his desire for revenge.
How Trump and Vance are 'philosophically a little bit different' on Iran
How does launching Operation Epic Fury square with the principles of a man who stated Trump's best foreign policy was not starting any wars?
Israel drops charges against soldiers accused of abusing Gaza detainee
The case exposed divisions within Israel over whether soldiers can abuse enemy prisoners with impunity.
Oil unlikely to hit $200 a barrel, US energy chief says
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says he expects the price spike to last weeks, not months. Audio
New Iranian leader vows to keep key oil route shut in first public statement
"The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used," Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei says.
Former spy boss quits Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism
Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about one of Australia's most respected bureaucrats and security officials has quit the Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism. Former Australian spy… Audio
Strike that killed Iranian children may have been US mistake
United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about reports that a strike which killed dozens of Iranian school children may have been the result of a targeting mistake by the US… Audio
Midday Report Essentials for Thursday 12 March 2026
Oil shocks hit the economy as Air New Zealand cancels flights and Heinz shuts factories, so what happens next?; We speak to a Heinz factory worker whose job with the company is now uncertain; The… Audio
Latest news from the United States
The latest news from the United States with correspondent Laura Taglianetti in New York. Audio
UN Security Council demands Iran halt attacks on Gulf states
It didn't mention US or Israeli strikes on Iran, prompting Tehran's ambassador to decry a "blatant misuse" of the international body.
Targeting mistake led to US missile strike on Iranian school - report
![This image grab taken from Iranian state television broadcasted on February 28, 2026, show what it says is the site of deadly US and Israeli strikes that hit a girls' elementary school in Minab, in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan near the strategic sea route of the Strait of Hormuz. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, sparking fears of regional war with explosions reported across the Middle East as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles. (Photo by IRIB TV / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / IRIB / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [BYLINE: -]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third...](https://media.rnztools.nz/rnz/image/upload/s--25LV6qpB--/ar_16:10,c_fill,f_auto,g_auto,q_auto,w_288/v1772321593/4JSG98P_AFP__20260228__99BG3T3__v3__HighRes__CorrectionIranIsraelUsConflict_jpg?_a=BACCd2AD)
Investigators are still looking at why outdated information was used in planning the strike which killed at least 165 people, including children, Iran says.
Iran's new supreme leader injured, officials say
Mojtaba Khamenei has not spoken or been seen in public since his appointment at the weekend.
Think Big
As our government tries to fix NZ's energy crisis, and tensions in the Middle East rattle global energy markets, we look back at the oil shocks of the 1970s and how they reshaped New Zealand’s energy… Video, Audio
Reimagining of the moral world order
As the US-Israeli conflict with Iran rages on, moral leadership from the Western world's biggest powers players, like the US, has been drawn into question. Professor Robert Patman joins Emile to… Audio
Iran begins laying mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources say
Iran still retains upward of 80 percent to 90 percent of its small boats and mine layers, so could lay hundreds of mines.
Midday Report Essentials for Wednesday 11 March 2026
US media report Iran is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and despite Donald Trump saying the vessels were destroyed we ask Trade Minister Todd McClay what it could mean for global trade; An expat… Audio
