Had an engaging, wide-ranging conversation with ⁦Faisal Al Yafai⁩⁩ on Iran—what motivates its politics, what complicates its politics, and why it can be both a joy and a misery to cover. Many thanks to ⁦New Lines Magazine⁩ for putting it together newlinesmag.com/podcast/what-i…

A smart and engaging conversation between my New Lines Magazine colleague Faisal Al Yafai and the Iran scholar Afshon Ostovar about the highly fluid geopolitics of the Middle East, the ideological project of the Islamic Republic, and much else. Give it a listen. 🎧 youtu.be/z0ssZy5ZOi8?si…

By striking Israel in 2024, Iran had hoped to showcase its military might and reestablish deterrence, writes Afshon Ostovar. “Instead, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps exposed the limitations of its missile capabilities.” foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/ho…

.Afshon Ostovar on Iran's ideology and strategy, its recent conflict with Israel and what the future might hold for the Islamic Republic. Podcast with Faisal Al Yafai New Lines Magazine: newlinesmag.com/podcast/what-i…

Where does Iran go after the 12-day war? Can it restore deterrence? How much is it willing to risk in regaining some of its lost power & influence? Its options are limited and will test its commitment to self-reliance. My latest in ⁦Engelsberg Ideas⁩ engelsbergideas.com/notebook/irans…

Behind the warheads — Afshon Ostovar (Afshon Ostovar) and Fabian Hinz (Fabian Hinz) explore how politics, partnerships, and pressure shaped Iran’s missile ambitions. Listen here: ow.ly/pF4N30sOaXG

The second episode of The Iran Reckoning with Afshon Ostovar is live!

Instead, one needs to make use of a variety of different disciplines, three of which, it is suggested here, might prove singularly useful at this uneasy, interstitial moment in time: (3/3) engelsbergideas.com/essays/making-…

As the dust settles on a short but brutal war with Israel, we consider what Iran really wants. Afshon Ostovar joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast for a wide-ranging and lively discussion on the Islamic Republic’s ideology and strategy. newlinesmag.com/podcast/what-i…

Fantastic podcast between Afshon Ostovar and Fabian Hinz on Iranian missile program and where it goes next. The anecdote of both Iran and Iraq arriving at the same hotel to buy missiles from China during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s was quite on brand. warontherocks.com/episode/the-ir…

Look what just arrived! By some of the absolute best in their fields: Stéphane Lacroix, Musa al-Gharbi and Afshon Ostovar

For War on the Rocks members, check out my conversation with Afshon Ostovar on Iran's oil economy and it's importance to the Islamic Republic.

New episode of the pod just dropped. Really enjoyed this conversation with Gregory Brew Lucid and fascinating discussion on oil, politics, and the shadowy art of trade under sanctions

Coming soon!

I was on Afshon Ostovar’s excellent new podcast to talk about the Revolutionary Guards’ efforts to shape Iran’s economy from behind the scenes: Profit and Peril in Iran’s Private Sector warontherocks.com/episode/the-ir…

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has become more than a military force. In the latest episode of The Iran Reckoning, Afshon (Afshon Ostovar) and Yeganeh Torbati (Yeganeh Torbati) unpack their growing role in the economy. Listen here: ow.ly/o6N630sOWj1

Really fascinating conversation with Yeganeh Torbati on Iran’s start up scene and the creative ways the regime uses incentives and coercion to control it. Check it out

🚨BREAKING NEWS: Iranian Security forces raid at least 17 #Bahai homes in Isfahan and businesses, using excessive force and violence causing injury. This follows on the heels of the recent abuse of Article 49 on 22 individuals in the same city. #Isfahan #Iran #HumanRights