What the world is getting wrong about what Iranians think
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 747 Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2026
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From inside Iran to the diaspora, Iranians are deeply divided about their country’s future. With Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gone and Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former shah, waiting in the wings, what do conversations about regime change reveal about the spectrum of what Iranians really think?
In this episode:
- Yara Elmjouie (@yelmjouie), AJ+ Journalist
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Marcos Bartolomé, and Catherine Nouhan, with Spencer Cline, Tuleen Barakat, Maya Hamadeh, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
Connect with us:
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, the voices of Iranians inside and outside, a country at war. |
| 0:17.0 | It has nothing to do with liberating Iranian people. |
| 0:20.0 | They don't care about Iranian people at all. |
| 0:22.7 | They would sooner see us all dead than come forward about the crimes that they've committed. |
| 0:27.7 | As U.S. and Israeli bombs fall across Iran, what about the people caught in the middle |
| 0:32.8 | and the millions of Iranians watching from abroad? |
| 0:38.0 | I'm Malika Bilal, and this is The Take. |
| 0:48.7 | Hey, everyone. As you're watching today's conversation, join it. Let us know what questions you have about what's happening in Iran right now. |
| 0:57.8 | Leave us a comment or leave us a review on your podcast app as you listen. |
| 1:02.5 | And if you can, give us a five-star rating while you're there. |
| 1:05.4 | It helps the show reach more listeners. |
| 1:10.6 | My name is Yara El Njoui, and I am a senior producer and presenter with AJ Plus English. |
| 1:18.1 | Yara, welcome back to the take. It's really nice to have you, especially now because you are doing |
| 1:24.6 | a service to so many people on social media, sharing with the world what people |
| 1:30.6 | in Iran and connected to Iran are thinking and saying right now. Walk me through what it's |
| 1:37.4 | like to get in touch with family and friends and contacts in Iran these days. |
| 1:43.2 | Honestly, it's been very difficult. |
| 1:45.9 | For one, what I've learned, and I've kind of confirmed this with other Iranians that I've |
| 1:50.1 | spoken to in the diaspora, we cannot make calls from the United States to Iran through a landline |
| 1:55.8 | at this current moment. |
| 1:57.4 | I don't know why that is. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Al Jazeera, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Al Jazeera and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.