Trump’s deadly Iran gamble – Emergencycast with Paul Salem in Beirut

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

Podmasters

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.9 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Trump’s stunning surprise attack on Iran could be the most consequential world event since 9/11. Will the President’s goal of smooth regime change work when it failed every other time, or trigger a regional conflagration? Iran’s hated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead but the Islamic Republic is showing no sign of collapsing. And now Hezbollah has attacked other Arab states as well as British and US military targets. How will the war play out? How resilient is the Islamic Republic? Does Israel want regime change or regime destruction? Does Iran have any potential leaders that the US could tolerate? And has anyone planned for running a country of 90 million people which is now in chaos? Live from Beirut our guest Paul Salem, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, speaks to Gavin Esler. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people? Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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1:32.7	American and Israeli military strikes on Iran may be a shock, but they're hardly a surprise.
1:38.6	Two U.S. carrier battle groups recently positioned in the region amounting to the largest American
1:43.6	military presence in the Middle Easting to the largest American military presence
1:44.5	in the Middle East in decades. The USS Abraham Lincoln Battle Group has been in the Arabian
1:50.0	Sea since January, and the USS Gerald R. Ford is off Israel's coast. They're supported by
1:56.6	dozens of other warships and at least 150 US military aircraft.
	...

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