Day 833 - Lazar Berman: Why Iran's regime is holding on… for now
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 16 January 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
Starting December 28, Iran's cities and towns filled with protesters, but its political elite continues to show cohesion and confidence. Additionally, there have been no signs that security personnel are defecting or refusing orders.
This week, Berman -- looking back at previous protests and how they were squelched -- projects forward to how the current unrest may play out for the Islamic Republic's oppressive regime.
We speak about the unpopularity of the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the sense that Iran's youth taking to the streets increasing feel they have nothing to lose.
Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: Lazar Berman (courtesy) / Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel, January 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's Laser Focus. I'm your host, Deputy Editor Amanda Borscheldon, |
| 0:09.2 | here with The Man of the Half Hour, our diplomatic correspondent, Laser Bearman. |
| 0:14.9 | Laser, thank you so much for joining me today. Good to be back. It's been a couple weeks. |
| 0:19.0 | That's right. And we've so missed you, obviously. Where have you been, pussycat? |
| 0:23.4 | Pussycat. Well, I've been in Mar-a-Lago, Florida to cover the Trump-Bee meeting. |
| 0:30.8 | And then I was off for a little bit. I saw my family. And now I'm back. Ready to go. |
| 0:36.4 | Yeah, Faye. I called you pussycat because of that |
| 0:38.8 | nursery rhyme. Pussycat. Pussycat. Where have you been? I've been to London to visit the |
| 0:44.8 | king. And in fact, I was in London for a few days also in Manchester to see my very first |
| 0:51.1 | professional football game. Otherwise known as soccer. |
| 0:55.3 | Otherwise known as soccer. |
| 0:56.5 | But if you say that next to my 13-year-old, you'll get the stare of death. |
| 0:59.9 | We don't want that. |
| 1:00.6 | We don't want that. |
| 1:01.8 | So we're here to talk about very serious matters. |
| 1:04.7 | And since December 28th, there has been an ongoing series of protests throughout Iran. |
| 1:12.6 | So when we come back, we're going to discuss some of its causes and what potentially could happen. All of this and more when we're |
| 1:20.1 | back. This is Israel's story. He could feel the ticking of the clock. On their nightly debrief calls, General Segev, the military attache, |
| 1:30.8 | was sounding increasingly anxious. |
| 1:33.8 | Both men knew that with each passing day, the window of opportunity was closing. |
| 1:38.5 | The Shah's regime was crumbling, and El Al flights were having ever more trouble landing. |
| 1:43.0 | And then suddenly, Avrancootafonkel from Iran... |
... |
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