UNAPOLOGETIC with Ashfaaq Carim

Neil Quilliam, who is a political analyst at Chatham House, joined the UNAPOLOGETIC podcast to discuss how Israel is plunging the USA, the GCC and Iran into an all-out war.

By continuing to kill credible leaders and hit key economic infrastructure in Iran, it is diminishing the opportunity for this war to end via a settled compromise, and antagonising Iran to lash out with retaliatory strikes against its neighbours who also host US bases in the region.

Who or what will rein Israel in?

David Hearst, editor in chief of Middle East Eye, appeared on the UNAPOLOGETIC podcast to discuss how Donald Trump may be losing control of the war he started against Iran.

When will the war end? Will Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump achieve their goals? What will happen to the Iranian government? What is the future of relations between the GCC and Iran? Could the conflict escalate into a regional war - and could Israel resort to using a nuclear weapon if it finds itself losing?

Foad Izadi is a professor of communication at Tehran University. He has been making the rounds across broadcasters recently where he generally conveys the Iranian government’s position.

He spoke to UNAPOLOGETIC to discuss the rationale behind Iran’s defence strategy, how he sees Iranian society rallying behind the Iranian state under this attack, the legacy of US-Iranian relations, Iran’s own exercising of ‘brute’ foreign policy, as well as Israel’s attempt to fashion the region according to its own designs.

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak to foreign policy analyst Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute about how long the US-Israel war on Iran will likely last and what its consequences will likely be.

The conversation examines Iran’s incentives to keep fighting, Trump’s political calculations, pressure from Gulf states, Netanyahu's opportunism, and how powers like China and Russia may respond if the war drags on

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak to writer and activist Hoda Katebi about the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, and the complex political forces shaping Iran’s future.
Katebi argues that the Iranian government is deeply repressive, but also warns that foreign intervention by the US and Israel risks strengthening that repression rather than weakening it. She explains why many Iranians reject both the Islamic government and attempts to reinstall the Pahlavi monarchy, and why outside military pressure can undermine internal democratic movements.
The conversation also explores the fear many Iranians are experiencing as bombing escalates and communication with family members inside Iran becomes difficult. Katebi reflects on her own Iranian American identity, growing up in the United States after 9/11, and how those experiences shaped her political views.