The Iran Podcast

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Annie Tracy Samuel about the history and formation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the role of the guards after the revolution and during the Iran-Iraq war, and how the group has evolved into a prominent organization today that influences Iran’s foreign and security policies. Our guest is Annie Tracy Samuel, Associate Professor of History at the University o...

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Murtaza Hussain, a senior reporter at The Intercept and co-host of the Intercepted podcast, about Biden’s policy towards Iran and how he kept Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanctions that discourage even legal, humanitarian trade.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Zep Kalb at the department of sociology at UCLA about Iran’s labor movement and recent rounds of labor protests, and how the Iranian state relies on labor support, bargains with workers, and responds to labor protests. The Iran Podcast is fiscally sponsored by the Center for International Policy in Washington.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Bijan Khajehpour, a managing partner at EUNEPA based in Vienna and a leading analyst of Iranian political and economic affairs, about the current state of economy in Iran, record inflations, systemic corruption and mismanagement, domestic unrest, and international sanctions, and how they all impact the lives of everyday Iranians. 

Negar Mortazavi speaks to  ⁠Dina Esfandiary⁠ , Senior Advisor for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, about the new agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia that was brokered by China, Tehran’s shifting regional policy in the Middle East, and its continuous move towards the East and away from the West. Iran Podcast is fiscally sponsored by the  ⁠Center for International...

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Rouzbeh Parsi, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm, about Europe-Iran relations in 2023, recent prisoner swaps between the two sides, how Russia’s attack on Ukraine has impacted Europe-Iran ties, and Iran’s continuous shift to the East and away from the West.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Barbara Slavin , a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and a lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University, about US-Iran tensions, possibilities for nuclear diplomacy and prisoner swaps, Iran’s domestic repression and shift to the East, and a new geo-political landscape in the Middle East. Iran Podcast is sponsored by the Center f...

Welcome to the new season of Iran Podcast. In this episode Negar Mortazavi, journalist and Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy, speaks to Nader Hashemi , Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, about the recent mass uprising in Iran that started after the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022. Iran Podcast is sponsored by the  ⁠Center fo...

Our guest John Tirman, Executive Director of the MIT Center for International Studies and an expert on US-Iran relations, has passed away. We had the honor of hosting professor Tirman a few months before his passing to discuss his last book, Republics of Myth. Here is that conversation from May 2022.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, about the attack on Salman Rushdie, the Fatwa by Iran, and the response to the Satanic Verses across the Muslim world.

Negar Mortazavi discussed Iran nuclear negotiations discussion on The Newsmakers with Hassan Ahmadian at Tehran University and Ali Fathollahnejad at the American University of Beirut.

Negar Mortazavi joins a panel discussion at the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute, about Iran’s foreign and domestic policies under the new hardline administration of Ebrahim Raisi, with Mahsa Rouhi, Vali Nasr, Pouya Alimagham and Ali Vaez.

Negar Mortazavi joined David Swanson on Talk World Radio to discuss US-Iran relations and the latest in nuclear negotiations. This conversation was recorded on July 26th. 

How are Iranians represented in Western media and cultural products? Iran Podcast host Negar Mortazavi joins a panel discussion with Assal Rad, Yahya Kamalipour, and Mehran Kamrava hosted by the Iranian Studies Program at the Arab Center.

Negar Mortazavi joins Tom Collina, policy director at Ploughshares Fund, on “Press The Button” podcast to discuss the future of Iran nuclear negotiations, the current stalemate in Vienna, and prospects for reaching an agreement.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Giorgio Cafiero, the CEO of Gulf State Analytics, about Iran’s relations with the GCC, US policy towards the region, the Abraham Accords, and the impact of the Ukraine war on the region.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics, about Afghanistan after the US withdrawal and under the Taliban, the fate of women peacemakers who were left behind. Sanam has two decades of experience as a peace strategist working globally on conflicts, crises and violent extremism with a mix of civil societ...

Negar Mortazavi speaks to John Tirman, Director of MIT Center for International Studies, about four decades of animosity between Iran and the United States, key historical events that have caused the enmity, and how the national narratives of the two countries put them at odds over the decades.

A number of Arab countries have normalized ties with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords. Negar Mortazavi joined a panel of experts to discuss Israeli-Arab cooperation, concerns over Iran, and the stalled Palestinian peace process with Omar Baddar, co-host of “This is Palestine” podcast, Paul Salem, President of the Middle East Institute, and Dan Arbell, a 25-year veteran of the Israeli Foreign...

Negar Mortazavi moderates a panel discussion at George Washington University about Russia’s attack on l Ukraine and its implications on the Middle East Security Complex, with Alex Vatanka from MEI, Sina Azodi from GWU and Nicole Grajewski from Harvard.

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Tom Collina, Policy Director at Ploughshares Fund, about the war in Ukraine, how nuclear weapons enabled Russia’s attack, and why the JCPOA is a good deal. Produced by Joshua Barlow. Music by 127. Logo by Mina Jafari. To support the Iran Podcast, go to anchor.fm/theiranpodcast/support

Negar Mortazavi joined Alicia McBride and Jack Gordon on Tacoma Radio to discuss US-Iran diplomacy and nuclear disarmament. The program is called Interfaithish that brings people of different beliefs and cultural backgrounds together to talk about our commonalities and differences. Produced by Joshua Barlow. Music by 127. Logo by Mina Jafari. To support the Iran Podcast, go to anchor.fm/theiranpod...

Negar Mortazavi speaks to Zahra Tabatabai, founder and CEO of Back Home Beer, who is brewing beer in New York with flavors from Iran that are inspired by her grandfather’s old recipes. She uses ingredients sourced from the Middle East like Sumac, sour cherries, and a special Persian blue salt that is mined in Iran. Produced by Joshua Barlow. Music by 127. Logo by Mina Jafari. To support the Iran P...

Negar Mortazavi speaks with Mark Fitzpatrick, former acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Non-Proliferation, about Russia’s attack on Ukraine, threats of a nuclear standoff, the Budapest Memorandum, Chernobyl, and the current Iran nuclear talks in Vienna. Produced by Joshua Barlow. Music by 127. Logo by Mina Jafari. To support the Iran Podcast, go to anchor.fm/theiranpodcast/support

Negar Mortazavi and Tom O’Connor discuss the final stage of the nuclear talks, and the importance of domestic politics in Tehran and Washington, hosted on Twitter Space with host Saeed Azimi. Produced by Joshua Barlow. Music by 127. Logo by Mina Jafari. To support the Iran Podcast, go to anchor.fm/theiranpodcast/support