The Iran Podcast

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Thomas Juneau, associate professor at the University of Ottawa and former analyst at Canada's Department of National Defence, about diplomatic relations between Iran and Canada over the past decades and key events that have impacted Ottawa's policy towards Tehran. (Music by 127)

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Narges Bajoghli, an anthropologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University, about how the Islamic Republic uses media to shape narratives in Iran and beyond its borders, how diaspora media provide competitive narratives, how American media cover Iran, and why Iran is still poorly understood in the US. (Music by 127)

We speak with Tara Sepehri Far, researcher at Human Rights Watch, about the three young men sentenced to death for November 2019 protests, the efficacy of online campaigns and domestic civil society organizations against the death penalty, the successful effort to reduce the executions for drug offenses, and the impact of sanctions on human rights.

Description: We speak to Yara Elmjouie, an award-winning journalist at Aljazeera, about growing up as an Iranian-American in a small town in California, how the 2009 Green Movement impacted his views on Iran, his television shows about food and social justice, and how US sanctions have led to American companies censoring the identities of Iranian-Americans.

We speak to Mahsa Alimardani at Oxford University about internet freedom in Iran, how the state censors the internet, how Iranians use circumvention tools to go around the censorship, and how US sanctions on technology limits access to internet for Iranians.

We speak with Vali Nasr about Bolton’s book and Iran, on Trump’s maximum pressure campaign, the costs and benefits for Iran should they hold talks with the US, possibility of return to JCPOA if Biden wins 2020, Iran’s upcoming presidential elections, Iran’s regional policies, Iran’s position against Israel and the consequences of it.

We speak to Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at University of Denver, about ongoing protests in the US and how they have inspired anti-racism movements around the world, recent protests in Iran and across the Middle East, and how US foreign policy towards the region impacts movements for democratic governance.

We speak to Barbara Slavin, Director of the Future Iran initiative at Atlantic Council, about Iran's reaction to racial justice protests across the US, prisoner swaps between Iran and the US, Iran’s loan request from IMF and US attempts to block it, US trying to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran, and the future of US-Iran tensions if Biden is elected. (Music by 127)

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Bijan Khajehpour, an economist and a managing partner at EUNEPA, about Covid19 in Iran and how the pandemic combined with US sanctions have seriously impacted Iran's economy.(Music by 127)