The Iran Podcast

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Hamidreza Azizi about Iran’s shifting regional strategy after the 12-day war with Israel, and the limits of the Axis of Resistance against Israel and the U.S.

Episode 134. Negar Mortazavi speaks with Vali Nasr, Professor and former dean at Johns Hopkins University, about Iran’s grand strategy, the 12-day war with Israel, and Iran’s long term foreign policy calculations. This podcast is supported by the Sanctions Law Center, a boutique law firm in Washington.

Episode 133. Negar Mortazavi speaks to Matt Duss about Donald Trump’s foreign policy towards the Middle East, Israel and U.S. attacks on Iran, and prospects for nuclear diplomacy between Tehran and Washington. Matt Duss is the Executive Vice President at the Center for International Policy (CIP) and was formerly Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders.

Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow focused on Iran’s national security, and Greg Brew, a historian-turned-analyst on Iran's energy policies, discuss critical U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations and their intricacies. They highlight Iran's advancements in uranium enrichment and explore Israel's military preferences versus diplomatic measures. The conversation also dives into Gulf states' evolving diplomatic stances towards Iran, and how global players like China and Russia influence these discussions, making for a complex tapestry of regional and international relations.

In this discussion, Professor Mohsen Milani, an expert in Iranian politics and author, shares insights from his latest book about Iran’s geopolitical ascent. He dives into the historical shift from alliance to rivalry between Iran and the U.S., particularly post-1979. Milani critiques the exaggerated narrative around Iranian influence, arguing it has waned recently. He emphasizes the necessity of diplomacy to ease tensions and warns of the dire consequences of military action, all while reflecting on the devastating impacts of war on civilians.

A conversation with Negar Mortazavi, Emma Ashford, Jon Hoffman, Trita Parsi, Sina Azodi, and moderated by Ryan Costello. Episode 130.

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Jon Hoffman at Cato Institute in Washington. Episode 129.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Hadi Kahalzadeh, an Iranian economist and sanctions expert at Brandeis University, about Trump’s policy of Maximum Pressure on Iran and why he thinks it is going to fail again. Episode 128.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Murtaza Hussain, foreign policy correspondent at Dropsite News, and Hooman Majd, Iranian-American journalist and author, about President Trump’s new Middle East policy. Episode 127.

Negar Mortazavi, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy, speaks with Benjamin Friedman, policy director at Defense Priorities, and Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute in Washington, about Donald Trump’s second term and his policy towards Iran. Episode 126.