Remaking the Middle East: The U.S., Israel & Iran (updated documentary) | FRONTLINE (PBS)
What led up to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran? This updated version of our July 2025 documentary offers crucial context on the conflict’s roots and ramifications. (March 2026 update)
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Amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliation, FRONTLINE examines the path to the ongoing war in the Middle East, and what is at stake.
From award-winning filmmakers James Jacoby and Anya Bourg, the documentary is an updated version of FRONTLINE’s July 2025 examination of Iran and Israel’s dueling ambitions for the Middle East, and how multiple U.S. presidents have tried to manage the volatile issues at play. With new reporting and timely interviews, the updated film places the war in deep historical context by examining decades of hostility between Israel and Iran and its regional proxies, and the U.S. role.
The original version of the documentary premiered in July 2025, one month after escalating tensions between Israel and Iran erupted into a 12-day war. Now, as the current war continues, “Remaking the Middle East: The U.S, Israel & Iran” is a comprehensive look at what led up to this dramatic escalation, and the ramifications for the region.
“Remaking the Middle East: The U.S., Israel & Iran” is a FRONTLINE production with Left/Right Docs. The correspondent is James Jacoby. The producers and writers are Anya Bourg and James Jacoby. The co-producer is Christina Avalos. The director is James Jacoby. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.
Explore additional reporting on “Remaking the Middle East” on our website:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/remaking-the-middle-east-israel-vs-iran/
#Documentary #Iran #Israel #UnitedStates #MiddleEast #War
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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, with major support from Ford Foundation, and The Fialkow Family Foundation, as part of the Plum Bush Foundation. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Trust, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and Corey David Sauer, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
00:00 – Prologue
02:42 – Israel’s Long Campaign to Curb Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions
19:00 – The Iran Nuclear Deal, aka JCPOA
37:12 – President Donald Trump’s Withdrawal From the Iran Nuclear Deal
46:02 – What Was the Significance of the Abraham Accords?
55:29 – The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas Attacks on Israel & the War in Gaza & Beyond
01:07:40 – Israel’s Attack on the Iranian Embassy in Syria in 2024, and Iran’s Response
01:18:38 – The Israel-Hezbollah Conflict & the Killing of Hassan Nasrallah in 2024
01:29:49 – U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Begin in April 2025
01:36:14 – The 12-Day War in June 2025
01:46:13 – The 2026 U.S.-Israel War With Iran
01:52:19 – Credits
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