Today we welcome a reappearance of author Simon Sebag Montefiore. These few lines set the tone for an outstanding book and brilliant guest:“But even in easier times, the Middle East has the ability to surprise even the most informed observers and intelligence maestros. After all, the experts failed to predict the emergence of Turkey in 1922, the crowning of Reza Shah in Persia in 1925, the creation of Israel in 1948, Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Suez gambit in 1956 and his union of Egypt and Syria in 1958, Israel’s victory in 1967, the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and rise of Ruhollah Khomeini, 9/11, the Arab Spring, October 7, 2023, Midnight Hammer, and much that has followed.”The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by J.P. Morgan Asset Management*, IFM Investors, World Gold Council and LSEG.*During the episode we cite J.P. Morgan Asset Management as Europe’s leading active ETF provider by assets under management. This is sourced from J.P. Morgan Asset management and Bloomberg, data as of 30 March 2026.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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