What’s really going on in Iran?
Americano
The Spectator
4.0 • 762 Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Spectator contributor Charlie Gammell and Freddy Gray discuss what is really happening as protests play out on the streets of Iran. They discuss imams turning on the Shah, whether Trump could actually be seeking talks rather than war, what the Middle East wants from a fractured Iran, and what issues could arise from replacing the regime with Reza Pahlavi.
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Transcript
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| 0:35.7 | Hello and welcome back to the Americana Show. My name is Freddie Gray. I am the deputy editor of the |
| 0:41.3 | spectator and the US editor. And I'm pleased to tell you that this is the 10th year of the |
| 0:47.7 | Americano podcast. And I think it's fair to say it's been a fairly fascinating time in American politics, life and culture. |
| 0:57.5 | And that's what we talk about every episode on this podcast. So please keep listening and provide as |
| 1:03.9 | much feedback as you like. I am delighted to be joined today by Charlie Gammel, who is a spectator |
| 1:10.3 | contributor and author of a new book called |
| 1:14.2 | The Pearl of Corrissan, A History of Herat. And he's the perfect person, I think, to talk to |
| 1:20.9 | about what's going on in Iran and whether Donald Trump might be about to launch some kind of strike against the regime in Tehran. |
| 1:31.3 | Charlie, yesterday, there was quite a lot of probably over-excited chatter on social media and various other places |
| 1:37.9 | that Trump had pressed sort of bombs away on Tehran because he did a true social post saying help is on |
| 1:48.1 | its way to the protesters and urging them to take down the names of their oppressors, sort of |
| 1:55.8 | suggesting that they might soon be in power soon. But it hasn't happened overnight. It seems as though there's |
| 2:03.9 | some sort of debate going on in the White House as to what the correct course of action is. |
| 2:08.2 | What's your understanding of it? So as it stands, the US administration and Israel alongside |
| 2:15.9 | them have three main options. One is a military strike, |
| 2:19.3 | the like of which we saw over the summer, using the same capabilities, but going for IRGC |
... |
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