Special Episode: War in Iran
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The foreign-affairs journalist Ishaan Tharoor joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss the fallout from the United States’ joint military operation with Israel in Iran. They talk about the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—who was among the hundreds killed by drone and missile strikes—and how the country has retaliated against the U.S., Israel, and several of its Arab neighbors. Their conversation explores what comes next for the Iranian government and people, how the conflict fits into President Donald Trump’s broader foreign-policy vision, and whether this latest attempt at regime change in the Middle East is likely to succeed when past American interventions have failed.
This week’s reading:
- “Has Trump Thought Through the Endgame in Iran?,” by Ishaan Tharoor
- “What Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Meant to Iran, and What Comes Next,” by Robin Wright
- “Trump’s Reckless Decision to Pursue Regime Change in Iran,” by Isaac Chotiner
- “Donald Trump Launches a War of ‘Epic Fury’ on Iran,” by Robin Wright
- “What Mehdi Mahmoudian Saw Inside the Iranian Prison System,” by Cora Engelbrecht
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to a special episode of the political scene. |
| 0:04.9 | I'm Tyler Faggett and I'm a senior editor at The New Yorker. |
| 0:07.8 | Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran, |
| 0:13.7 | conducting several drone and missile strikes across the country. |
| 0:17.2 | Among the estimated 200 or so Iranian casualties, which included a range of civilians and government |
| 0:23.1 | officials, was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Homenei. |
| 0:27.8 | In response, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and other neighboring states, |
| 0:33.4 | including on U.S. military bases, with fighting continuing to break out and spread throughout |
| 0:37.3 | the region. |
| 0:38.3 | I wanted to talk with Foreign Affairs journalist Ishaan Thoreau about the fallout of this weekend's |
| 0:44.3 | military operation, the possible paths toward resolution or de-escalation, and whether any of those |
| 0:49.3 | seem likely, and what comes next for the Iranian government and its people, as well as the wider region. |
| 0:55.7 | We spoke on Monday morning. |
| 1:02.0 | Hi, Ashan, thanks so much for being here. |
| 1:04.1 | Thank you for having me. |
| 1:05.2 | So part of the experience of living under the Trump administration has been constantly |
| 1:09.7 | wondering whether we are at war. |
| 1:11.8 | That was the question after people woke up to the news back in January that the U.S. had captured |
| 1:15.7 | Maduro. |
| 1:16.9 | You know, are we at war with Venezuela? |
| 1:18.8 | And we were asking a very similar question about Iran last summer after the U.S. |
| 1:23.0 | bombed Iranian nuclear facilities. |
... |
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