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This is fresh air. I'm Dave Davies. After a year and a half of dramatic and often heartbreaking news from the Middle East,

events of the past four days have been truly head-spinning. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump

joined Israel's air campaign against Iran, dropping massive bunker busting bombs and other heavy

munitions on three Iranian nuclear sites. Iran responded with what

appeared to be a symbolic military gesture, a missile attack on an American base in Qatar, which it warned was coming and caused no injuries.

Trump called it very weak and said he does not intend to retaliate. As we record today's show Tuesday morning, a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been marred by

alleged violations on both sides, while Trump warns the two adversaries to hold their fire.

Our guest today, veteran Iran expert Karim Sadadpur, has called Trump's bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities a once-in-a-generation

event that could transform the Middle East. While the impact of the conflict may not be clear for years,

Sajadpur says, the attacks by the U.S. and Israel do raise a more immediate question. Will they

strengthen the authoritarian regime in Tehran or hasten

its demise? We've asked Sajitpur to join us today to help us understand the nature of the

Iranian regime and explore some of the many questions raised by recent events. Karim Sajitpour

is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,

a contributing writer for the Atlantic and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School

of Foreign Service. He was previously an analyst for the International Crisis Group,

based in Tehran and Washington. He grew up in the United States, but is the son of Iranian parents.

We recorded our interview this morning.

Well, Karim Sajatpur, welcome back to fresh air.

It has been a very busy, dizzying series of events.

And I wonder if you might begin by just sharing what you may be hearing from friends and contacts in Iran

...