The Iran Podcast

The Iran Podcast

By Negar Mortazavi

Conversations on Iranian politics, society, and culture with host Negar Mortazavi.

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Currently playing episode

Will Iran Return to the Deal?

The Iran PodcastAug 11, 2022
00:00
26:55
A Fork in the Road

A Fork in the Road

Negar Mortazavi joins a panel discussion on US-Iran nuclear talks, the dynamics in Tehran and Washington, and the role of Israel and Arab states. The panel was hosted at Cato Institute in Washington with Jon Hoffman, Greg Brew and Danny Citrinowicz.


(Episode 132)

May 15, 202555:10
Iran’s Rivalry with the US

Iran’s Rivalry with the US

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Professor Mohsen Milani about his latest book “Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the U.S. in the Middle East”


(Episode 131)

May 03, 202537:02
Can Trump and Tehran make a Deal?

Can Trump and Tehran make a Deal?

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


Episode 130.

Apr 17, 202501:01:03
Trump vs Tehran

Trump vs Tehran

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


Episode 129.

Apr 04, 202530:20
Failure of Maximum Pressure

Failure of Maximum Pressure

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.

Mar 16, 202540:13
Trump’s New Middle East Policy

Trump’s New Middle East Policy

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.

Feb 20, 202535:51
Trump 2.0 and Iran

Trump 2.0 and Iran

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.

Jan 26, 202537:40
Iran-Gulf Relations

Iran-Gulf Relations

Dispatch from Rome: Negar Mortazavi speaks to Yousuf Al Bulushi, Sara Bazoobandi, and Abdulaziz Sager, about the future of Iran-GCC relations, Oman’s crucial role in mediation, the challenges and opportunities of the Iran-Saudi deal, and the path forward for the countries of the Persian Gulf.


This conversation was part of the Mediterranean Dialogue 2024 hosted by ISPI in Rome, Italy.


The Iran Podcast is sponsored by the Center for International Policy in Washington.


Episode 125.

Dec 04, 202437:21
Diplomacy is Not a Dirty Word

Diplomacy is Not a Dirty Word

Negar Mortazavi in conversation with Steven Simon, Lara Friedman, Nader Hashemi, and Jon Hoffman, discussing US policy in the Middle East under Biden and Trump. This panel was hosted in person by the National Iranian American Council.

Nov 22, 202401:19:44
Israel, Iran, and the Next US President

Israel, Iran, and the Next US President

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army Officer and Middle East intelligence analyst who resigned over U.S. policy in Gaza. He is now a Senior Fellow at Win Without War in Washington.

Oct 30, 202439:30
Israel-Iran Tensions

Israel-Iran Tensions

Negar Mortazavi discusses Israel-Iran tensions in an interview on CNN with Becky Anderson, on the Australian Radio, and on TRT World television.

Oct 10, 202427:59
Israel, Lebanon and Iran

Israel, Lebanon and Iran

Negar Mortazavi speaks to journalist Ali Hashem in Doha about rising tensions between Israel, Iran and Lebanon as ceasefire talks continue in Qatar.

Aug 25, 202442:24
Can Europe and Iran Relations Improve?

Can Europe and Iran Relations Improve?

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Eldar Memedov, a European foreign policy expert based in Brussels, about Europe’s deteriorating relationship with Iran and whether Iran’s new reformist president can improve with the West.

Aug 09, 202430:11
Tension Rises Between Iran and Israel

Tension Rises Between Iran and Israel

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Aljazeera English television about Israeli attacks on Hezbollah and Hamas leaders in Beirut and Tehran, and how Iran and its allies are planning to retaliate.

Aug 06, 202407:12
Iran’s New President

Iran’s New President

Negar Mortazavi joins a University of South Florida podcast to discuss Iran’s snap presidential election, the surprise win of a moderate, and how the new President Masoud Pezeshkian can cha ge the country.

Aug 02, 202451:07
President Pezeshkian

President Pezeshkian

Who is Iran’s new reformist president, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, and can he bring change? Negar Mortazavi speaks to Sina Toosi, Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington.
Jul 26, 202438:43
Iran after Raisi: Presidential Election 2

Iran after Raisi: Presidential Election 2

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University Qatar and Director of Iranian Studies at the Arab Center.

Jun 19, 202436:36
Iran After Raisi: Presidential Election

Iran After Raisi: Presidential Election

Negar Mortazavi speaks to NPR radio about the six candidates cleared to run in Iran’s upcoming presidential election. The snap election comes less than a month after former President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash. The winner of the June 28 election will have to contend with a struggling economy, social discontent, and the ongoing challenge of U.S. sanctions.
Jun 16, 202413:31
Iran After Raisi: Nuclear Program

Iran After Raisi: Nuclear Program

Will Iran change its nuclear strategy after the death of its president Ebrahim Raisi? Negar Mortazavi speaks to Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association and Sina Azodi of George Washington University.
Jun 06, 202427:56
Israel-Hamas War and the GCC

Israel-Hamas War and the GCC

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf States Analytics and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, about the Israel-Hamas war and the GCC countries.
Apr 30, 202431:06
War in the Middle East

War in the Middle East

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, about the Israel-Hamas war, US-Iran tensions, the Axis of Resistance, the influence of Arab countries, and the impact of this war in the Middle East on the upcoming US presidential elections.
Mar 19, 202428:38
Will the US and Iran go to war?

Will the US and Iran go to war?

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Benjamin Friedman, policy director at Defense Priorities in Washington. Friedman previously worked as a defense analyst at the Cato Institute and at the Center for Defense Information. He has edited three books on defense policy and strategy and has published academic essays in International Security, Political Science Quarterly, Foreign Affairs, and World Affairs.
Feb 03, 202429:57
The Axis of Resistance

The Axis of Resistance

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Mehran Kamrava, Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Qatar and director of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. Kamrava is the author of a number of books including Righteous Politics: Power and Resilience in Iran; A Dynastic History of Iran: From the Qajars to the Pahlavis; Triumph and Despair: In Search of Iran's Islamic Republic; and, A Concise History of Revolution.

Jan 10, 202432:45
Israel-Hamas and Iran #3

Israel-Hamas and Iran #3

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Matt Duss, Executive Vice President, and Sina Toosi, Senior Fellow, at the Center for International Policy, about the Israel-Hamas war, the Biden administration’s policy, and the role of Iran and its regional allies.
Nov 22, 202335:46
Israel-Hamas and Iran #2

Israel-Hamas and Iran #2

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at Georgetown University.
Nov 12, 202336:34
Israel-Hamas and Iran #1

Israel-Hamas and Iran #1

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington DC.
Nov 07, 202326:56
The Battles of the Ayatollah

The Battles of the Ayatollah

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Alex Vatanka about Iran’s domestic politics and mass protests, the crisis of legitimacy and the issue of leadership succession, Tehran’s deescalation with Washington and regional engagement with Arab rivals, and the continuous shift to the East towards Russia and China.

Guest: Alex Vatanka, Director of Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, and author of “The Battle of the Ayatollahs in Iran: The United States, Foreign Policy, and Political Rivalry Since 1979”.
Sep 30, 202334:36
One Year After Mahsa Amini

One Year After Mahsa Amini

A year has passed since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran. This panel discusses the current state of Iran’s domestic dissent, Tehran’s foreign policy and shift to the East, the prisoner swap and nuclear tensions with the US, and Iran’s engagement with its regional rivals. Negar Mortazavi joins Farnaz Fassihi from the New York Times, Kelsey Davenport from the Arms Control Association, Nader Hashemi from Georgetown University, and Barbara Slavin at the Stimson Center in Washington. (More details: www.stimson.org/event/iran-one-year-after-the-death-of-mahsa-amini/)
Sep 19, 202301:31:45
Iran, Russia, and Inter-Pariah Solidarity

Iran, Russia, and Inter-Pariah Solidarity

In this episode we discuss Iran’s shift to the East towards big powers in Asia, mainly Russia and China, and engaging with regional rivals like Saudi Arabia, and most recently joining the BRICS, and what this all means in a shifting global order.

Host Negar Mortazavi speaks to Nicole Grajewsky at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Mathieu Droin at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Sep 06, 202325:44
US and Iran Prisoner Swap

US and Iran Prisoner Swap

Washington and Tehran have reached a deal to swap prisoners and unblock Iran’s frozen assets in South Korea. Iran will release a number of American prisoners in exchange for the U.S. releasing a number of Iranian prisoners and unblocking $6 billion of Iranian funds to be used for humanitarian transactions. What does this agreement mean for each side? Will this be a prelude for more deescalation between Iran and the U.S.?
Negar Mortazavi speaks to Stephen Miles, the president of Win Without War, a coalition of organizations that work for a more peaceful and progressive U.S. foreign policy. He previously worked for the global campaigning organization Avaaz, was the Executive Director of the American Hellenic Council, and has worked on multiple federal, state, and local electoral campaigns.
Aug 17, 202328:10
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Annie Tracy Samuel about the history and formation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the role of the guards after the revolution and during the Iran-Iraq war, and how the group has evolved into a prominent organization today that influences Iran’s foreign and security policies. Our guest is Annie Tracy Samuel, Associate Professor of History at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga who specializes in the modern history of Iran and the Middle East. She is the author of The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War: Faith, Firepower, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Aug 03, 202342:33
Medicine Shortage in Iran

Medicine Shortage in Iran

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Murtaza Hussain, a senior reporter at The Intercept and co-host of the Intercepted podcast, about Biden’s policy towards Iran and how he kept Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanctions that discourage even legal, humanitarian trade.
Jul 14, 202336:59
Iran’s Labor Movement

Iran’s Labor Movement

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Zep Kalb at the department of sociology at UCLA about Iran’s labor movement and recent rounds of labor protests, and how the Iranian state relies on labor support, bargains with workers, and responds to labor protests.
The Iran Podcast is fiscally sponsored by the Center for International Policy in Washington.
Jul 07, 202339:30
The Iranian Economy in 2023

The Iranian Economy in 2023

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Bijan Khajehpour, a managing partner at EUNEPA based in Vienna and a leading analyst of Iranian political and economic affairs, about the current state of economy in Iran, record inflations, systemic corruption and mismanagement, domestic unrest, and international sanctions, and how they all impact the lives of everyday Iranians.
Jun 23, 202336:10
Iran and Saudi Arabia

Iran and Saudi Arabia

Negar Mortazavi speaks to ⁠Dina Esfandiary⁠, Senior Advisor for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, about the new agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia that was brokered by China, Tehran’s shifting regional policy in the Middle East, and its continuous move towards the East and away from the West.


Iran Podcast is fiscally sponsored by the ⁠Center for International Policy⁠ in Washigton.




Jun 15, 202334:19
Europe and Iran

Europe and Iran

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Rouzbeh Parsi, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm, about Europe-Iran relations in 2023, recent prisoner swaps between the two sides, how Russia’s attack on Ukraine has impacted Europe-Iran ties, and Iran’s continuous shift to the East and away from the West.
Jun 09, 202335:24
US and Iran, Tension or Diplomacy?

US and Iran, Tension or Diplomacy?

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and a lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University, about US-Iran tensions, possibilities for nuclear diplomacy and prisoner swaps, Iran’s domestic repression and shift to the East, and a new geo-political landscape in the Middle East.


Iran Podcast is sponsored by the Center for International Policy in Washington.

Jun 02, 202327:23
Woman, Life, Freedom

Woman, Life, Freedom

Welcome to the new season of Iran Podcast. In this episode Negar Mortazavi, journalist and Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy, speaks to Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, about the recent mass uprising in Iran that started after the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022.


Iran Podcast is sponsored by the ⁠Center for International Policy⁠ in Washington.

May 24, 202332:23
Remembering John Tirman

Remembering John Tirman

Our guest John Tirman, Executive Director of the MIT Center for International Studies and an expert on US-Iran relations, has passed away. We had the honor of hosting professor Tirman a few months before his passing to discuss his last book, Republics of Myth. Here is that conversation from May 2022.
Sep 01, 202246:41
Salman Rushdie and Iran

Salman Rushdie and Iran

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, about the attack on Salman Rushdie, the Fatwa by Iran, and the response to the Satanic Verses across the Muslim world.
Aug 20, 202232:50
Will Iran Return to the Deal?

Will Iran Return to the Deal?

Negar Mortazavi discussed Iran nuclear negotiations discussion on The Newsmakers with Hassan Ahmadian at Tehran University and Ali Fathollahnejad at the American University of Beirut.
Aug 11, 202226:55
University of Chicago panel

University of Chicago panel

Negar Mortazavi joins a panel discussion at the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute, about Iran’s foreign and domestic policies under the new hardline administration of Ebrahim Raisi, with Mahsa Rouhi, Vali Nasr, Pouya Alimagham and Ali Vaez.
Aug 05, 202201:01:21
US-Iran on Talk World Radio

US-Iran on Talk World Radio

Negar Mortazavi joined David Swanson on Talk World Radio to discuss US-Iran relations and the latest in nuclear negotiations. This conversation was recorded on July 26th. 


Aug 05, 202228:46
Representation of Iranians in Western Media

Representation of Iranians in Western Media

How are Iranians represented in Western media and cultural products? Iran Podcast host Negar Mortazavi joins a panel discussion with Assal Rad, Yahya Kamalipour, and Mehran Kamrava hosted by the Iranian Studies Program at the Arab Center.
Aug 02, 202259:46
Press The Button

Press The Button

Negar Mortazavi joins Tom Collina, policy director at Ploughshares Fund, on “Press The Button” podcast to discuss the future of Iran nuclear negotiations, the current stalemate in Vienna, and prospects for reaching an agreement.
Jun 24, 202239:11
Iran and the GCC

Iran and the GCC

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Giorgio Cafiero, the CEO of Gulf State Analytics, about Iran’s relations with the GCC, US policy towards the region, the Abraham Accords, and the impact of the Ukraine war on the region.
Jun 04, 202201:07:09
Afghanistan, Women & Peace

Afghanistan, Women & Peace

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics, about Afghanistan after the US withdrawal and under the Taliban, the fate of women peacemakers who were left behind. Sanam has two decades of experience as a peace strategist working globally on conflicts, crises and violent extremism with a mix of civil society, governments and the UN. She was appointed to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours list for services to International peace building and Women’s Rights.
May 18, 202242:58
US-Iran Tensions and Misperceptions

US-Iran Tensions and Misperceptions

Negar Mortazavi speaks to John Tirman, Director of MIT Center for International Studies, about four decades of animosity between Iran and the United States, key historical events that have caused the enmity, and how the national narratives of the two countries put them at odds over the decades.
May 07, 202246:41
Israeli-Arab Ties and Iran

Israeli-Arab Ties and Iran

A number of Arab countries have normalized ties with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords. Negar Mortazavi joined a panel of experts to discuss Israeli-Arab cooperation, concerns over Iran, and the stalled Palestinian peace process with Omar Baddar, co-host of “This is Palestine” podcast, Paul Salem, President of the Middle East Institute, and Dan Arbell, a 25-year veteran of the Israeli Foreign Service, hosted by Nathan King on CGTN's "The Heat".
Produced by Joshua Barlow. Music by 127. Logo art by Mina Jafari.
May 07, 202228:54
Ukraine War & the Middle East

Ukraine War & the Middle East

Negar Mortazavi moderates a panel discussion at George Washington University about Russia’s attack on l Ukraine and its implications on the Middle East Security Complex, with Alex Vatanka from MEI, Sina Azodi from GWU and Nicole Grajewski from Harvard.
May 05, 202201:00:22