Iraq 20 years on: The weapons that never were
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 20 March 2023
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In March 2003, Britain, the US and others invaded the cradle of civilisation, promising to end the perceived threat from Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. But where did the evidence come from and how did it lead us to war?
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.
Guests: Michael Evans, Defence Writer, The Times.
Robert E Kelly, nuclear engineer and weapons inspector.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Clips: AP, BBC, Al Jazeera, 60 Minutes, Parliament Live, UK Parliament, BBC, CBS C-SPAN, WSJ, Tim Collins.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I'm Sharla Ivers, the political correspondent at Times Radio and a columnist for the Sunday Times. |
| 0:05.8 | Every day I'm searching for the humour in the comings and goings of our political masters, |
| 0:10.7 | and hopefully trying to hold them to account along the way. I wouldn't be able to do this without |
| 0:14.8 | the subscribers to the Times and the Sunday Times. Subscribe today and only pay £1 for three months. |
| 0:20.9 | Visit the Times.co.uk forward slash podcast offer, Terms and Conditions Apply. |
| 0:30.9 | We go to liberate, not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. |
| 0:37.0 | We are entering Iraq to free of people, and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land |
| 0:42.8 | is their own. Show respect for them. There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be |
| 0:50.1 | alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others, |
| 0:57.9 | I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. |
| 1:03.3 | But if you are ferocious in battle, remember to be magnanimous in victory. |
| 1:08.4 | Iraq is steeped in history. It is the sight of the garden of Eden, of the great flood, |
| 1:14.3 | and the birthplace of Abraham. Trade lightly there. |
| 1:17.5 | 20 years ago, in March 2003, the American-led invasion of Iraq began. |
| 1:36.4 | On the eve of battle, Colonel Tim Collins of the British Army's Royal Irish regiment |
| 1:42.5 | made a rousing speech to his troops. We've recreated part of it. |
| 1:50.2 | It is my foremost intention to bring every single one of you out alive, |
| 1:54.5 | although there may be people among us who will not see the end of this campaign. |
| 1:58.9 | We will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no time for sorrow. |
| 2:05.7 | Alongside America, the UK joined the war with two key aims, as set out by the Prime Minister at |
| 2:16.9 | the time, Tony Blair. On Tuesday night, I gave the order for British forces to take part in |
| 2:23.5 | military action in Iraq. Their mission, to remove Saddam Hussein from power and disarm Iraq of its |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.