139. Trump vs Iran: Saddam Hussein and the Nuclear Bomb (Ep 2)

The Rest Is Classified

Goalhanger

History

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After 9/11 it looked as though a new path of diplomacy could be forged between Iran and the US, and then George Bush referred to the nation as part of the Axis of Evil. The years that followed were characterised by Iran-backed terror attacks, regional instability and an uncertain future. But how did we get here? Listen as David and Gordon are once again joined by historian and author Arash Azizi to discuss the role of Saddam Hussein and Iran’s nuclear programme in the long conflict between Iran and the US. ------------------- Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community. Just go to ⁠⁠therestisclassified.com⁠ or join on Apple Podcasts. ------------------- Get a 10% discount on business PCs, printers and accessories using the code TRIC10. Visit https://HP.com/CLASSIFIED for more information. T&C's apply. ------------------- EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ ⁠⁠https://nordvpn.com/restisclassified⁠⁠ Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee ------------------- Email: therestisclassified@goalhanger.com Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@restisclassified Video Editor: Joe Pettit Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producer: Alfie Rowe Producer: Becki Hills Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For exclusive interviews, bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to series,
0:09.0	first look at live show tickets, a weekly newsletter, and discounted books.
0:13.1	Join the Declassified Club at the rest is classified.com. So how did we get to Operation Epic Fury?
0:28.1	And what does the US and Israel stand to gain from a weakened Iran?
0:32.7	And what does the future hold for the Iranian people?
0:35.8	Well, welcome to the rest is classified.
0:37.4	I'm Gordon Carrera. And I'm David McCloskey. And this is the second of two episodes where we're
0:42.4	looking at the roots of Epic Fury, at the hostility between the US and Iran, particularly.
0:49.8	And last time we looked at, from the 50s onwards up to the 1979 revolution and a replacement
0:57.4	of this US client state to some extent under the Shah with a revolutionary Islamist regime,
1:04.6	which is going to take a very different position when it comes to the US.
1:09.3	And we're joined once again by Arash Azizi, our traveling
1:13.1	companion through this secret history of the conflict between US and Iran. Welcome, Arash.
1:18.5	It's great to be with you. So I guess, David, we should try and pick up on this idea of what
1:24.7	happens after 79. And the extent to which this is the justification,
1:29.9	isn't it, for Epic Fury in the language of Donald Trump, that it's what the Islamic regime has
1:37.0	done to the Americans in his view and what it's done in the region which justifies this action.
1:43.7	And that's what we're going to look at
1:45.2	this time. That's right. And I think, you know, one of the themes, Gordon, that Trump and his
1:50.1	advisors have returned to frequently, both, I think, in the justification for and now the conduct
1:56.6	of Operation Epic Ferry is that the Islamic Republic is a menace to its neighbors and kind of the
2:02.8	broader region. They're the number one state supporter of terrorism, regime that has American
	...

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