“It’s a matter of weeks.” That is Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi’s message on what may come next in Iran. The Israeli security insider and chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum says conditions could soon be in place for Iranians to rise up safely against the Islamic Republic. But, he says, Israel and the US would first assess whether those conditions had truly been met — and would remain overhead in the skies, with drones and advanced capabilities, to protect the people of Iran....
Mar 20, 2026•1 hr 9 min
The war against the Islamic Republic may be entering a new phase after Israeli drone strikes targeted Basij checkpoints in Tehran. The Basij — a paramilitary force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — has long been responsible for carrying out repression and violently suppressing protests across Iran. In this episode of Eye for Iran, John Hannah, who served in senior foreign policy positions for both Democratic and Republican administrations, including as former Vice President Dick ...
Mar 13, 2026•1 hr 34 min
Senator Ted Cruz joins Eye for Iran as the United States and Israel intensify their campaign against the Islamic Republic. In this episode, Cruz lays out what he sees as the objective of the war, whether regime change is now on the horizon, what victory would look like, and whether limited U.S. ground engagement is possible. Host Negar Mojtahedi also speaks with Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, about possible endgame scenarios, and also taking a deeper look at Moj...
Mar 06, 2026•59 min
"Your time is up.” A senior European lawmaker from Malta delivers a direct message to Tehran on this episode of Eye for Iran. Daniel Attard — Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iran — calls for tougher action against the Islamic Republic following its deadly crackdown on protesters, urging Europe to expel Iranian diplomats, halt trade, and increase pressure on the regime while standing firmly with the Iranian people. “The t...
Feb 27, 2026•54 min
Seventeen-year-old Sam Afshari was wounded during Iran’s January protests and taken to a hospital in Karaj, where doctors were trying to save his life. According to his father, Parviz Afshari, security forces entered the room while a breathing tube was still in his mouth — and fired a final, fatal shot. On this episode of Eye for Iran, we speak with Sam’s father, who is now calling for justice — and for the end of the Islamic Republic — after his son was killed following detention during the nat...
Feb 20, 2026•1 hr 26 min
A high stakes week in Washington raises one question: are we watching “good cop bad cop” diplomacy that is really a prelude to military strikes on the Islamic Republic? After President Donald Trump meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US military deployments intensify, Dr. Eric Mandel, founder and director of MEPIN (Middle East Political and Information Network), and Ambassador John Craig, a former American diplomat, unpack the pressure campaign on Tehran, the tight circle around Trump an...
Feb 13, 2026•1 hr 33 min
“You cannot kill your way out of this.” That is how Iranian-American historian Abbas Milani describes the Islamic Republic’s response to Iran’s latest uprising, a crackdown he calls unprecedented in modern Iranian history. In this episode of Eye for Iran, Milani explains why mass killing and mass arrests have exposed the regime’s political death rather than restoring control. Drawing on new research documenting thousands of protests across Iran, he argues that fear no longer works, resistance is...
Feb 05, 2026•1 hr 35 min
As President Donald Trump issues a final warning to Tehran and US military assets appear to be moving into place, a defining question emerges: are targeted strikes against the Islamic Republic now around the corner? In this special edition of Eye for Iran, Negar Mojtahedi is joined by four crucial voices as Iran faces an unprecedented moment of crisis and possibility. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus analyzes what potential US and Israeli military action could look like, which targets could weaken the...
Jan 30, 2026•1 hr 22 min
As Iran’s streets turn into killing fields, the debate in Washington is no longer theoretical. Eye for Iran examines the Islamic Republic’s escalating violence against civilians under a near total digital blackout and asks the most urgent question yet: what will the world do now? Michael Makovsky, President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), and Blaise Misztal, the Institute’s Vice President for Policy, argue the United States should pursue one clear object...
Jan 23, 2026•1 hr 36 min
An eyewitness who recently fled Iran and whose identity is being withheld for his safety recounts indiscriminate gunfire that turned city streets into a battlefield. He says he saw thousands of bodies stored at a cemetery as families searched for missing loved ones during a nationwide digital blackout. He is risking his life to speak out and send a message to the world that the killings are still ongoing and Iranians urgently need help. He describes witnessing indiscriminate gunfire directed at ...
Jan 16, 2026•1 hr 4 min
A wounded protester in Iran puts it starkly: “I’m not scared. For 47 years, I’ve been dead.” As protests spread across the country and chants turn openly existential, this special episode of Eye for Iran asks the question many are now asking: is Iran approaching a revolution? Is this the moment? Negar Mojtahedi is joined by former UK Security Minister and Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat, former senior CIA official Norman Roule, Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, an...
Jan 09, 2026•1 hr 26 min
Chants of “Mullahs must get lost” are spreading across Iran six days after a collapsing currency and shuttered bazaars triggered the largest nationwide protests since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement. What began as demonstrations over economic hardship has evolved into a nationwide uprising directly targeting the Supreme Leader, posing one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s theocracy in years. On Eye for Iran, host Negar Mojtahedi asks: Can the Islamic Republic still control the situ...
Jan 02, 2026•1 hr 42 min
Iran exits 2025 under visible strain. Direct confrontation with Israel, setbacks to Tehran’s proxy network, and rising domestic pressure have shaken the regime — but not toppled it. In this Eye for Iran special, Avi Melamed, Jay Solomon, and Dr. Shahram Kholdi explain what really changed inside Iran, what didn’t, and the biggest risks heading into 2026 — including potential renewed conflict between Iran, Israel and Hezbollah. We also speak with Shahin Milani, Executive Director of the Iran Human...
Dec 26, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Iran's convergence of crises is upending people's lives both inside and outside the country. On this episode of Eye for Iran, we examine three developments you need to understand right now. Environmental researcher and hydraulic structures expert Roozbeh Eskandari explains how Iran can go from severe drought to destructive flooding, why these extremes are driven by mismanagement rather than nature alone and why flooding does little to resolve Iran’s deepening water crisis. We then turn to the Un...
Dec 19, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Former CIA analyst and National Security Council director Kenneth Pollack joins Eye for Iran to explain why he believes Iran has been in a “pre-revolutionary state” for years, why revolutions succeed only when regimes lose the will or capacity to use force and how Khamenei’s eventual succession could reshape everything. Then, Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) breaks down President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy and why Iran is dramatically downp...
Dec 12, 2025•59 min
This week on Eye for Iran, we look at Iran through three connected lenses: history, culture, and a society that some say is transforming in real time. First, Ambassador John Limbert – one of the American diplomats taken hostage in 1979 – reflects on what he witnessed in the early days of the revolution, how the Islamic Republic has (and hasn’t) changed over five decades, and why the hostility between Washington and Tehran has outlasted the Cold War. He reacts to Donald Trump’s assertion that “Ir...
Dec 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min
The United States has launched one of its most visible military deployments in years off the coast of Venezuela — a major operation aimed at narco-terror networks and the Maduro government. Retired four-star General Joseph Votel joins Eye for Iran to explain how decisions like this are made, what Washington’s posture actually signals, and why moves in the Caribbean inevitably carry an indirect message for countries like Iran, even if they aren’t the main focus. Next, we examine an Iran Internati...
Nov 28, 2025•50 min
Iran says it is ready to talk to the United States on its own terms and has paused uranium enrichment after US and Israeli strikes. At the same time Tehran is allegedly building a secret enrichment site at Pickaxe Mountain and blocking inspectors. This while a leaked UN watchdog report shows there is no clear oversight of its 60 percent enriched uranium - enough for around ten nuclear weapons. In this episode of Eye for Iran Negar Mojtahedi sits down with nonproliferation expert Mark Fitzpatrick...
Nov 21, 2025•43 min
Iran is confronting one of the most serious environmental and geopolitical turning points in its modern history. In this edition of Eye for Iran, three critical conversations reveal how quickly conditions are shifting and what may come next for the region. The episode opens with Dr. Kaveh Madani, former senior Iranian environmental official and now head of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. He warns that Tehran is rapidly approaching what he calls Day Zero...
Nov 14, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Tehran is allegedly urging its Shia militias in Iraq to swap guns for ballots in a shift that could reshape Baghdad’s power balance and test Washington’s resolve. “Iraq may become, in a very odd way, the Achilles heel of the Trump administration,” said historian Dr Shahram Kholdi on Eye for Iran. Jay Solomon, author of the Iran Wars, said that while Tehran is “on its back foot,” it remains “committed to rebuilding its proxy network." Alex Vatanka, Director of the Iran Program at the Middle East ...
Nov 07, 2025•48 min
Two Gaza-born activists tell Eye for Iran that Tehran’s support for Hamas has not only prolonged Palestinian suffering but also strengthened hardliners in Israel. Khalil Sayegh, now based in Washington DC, and Hamza Howidy, who fled Gaza in 2023, argue that Iran has used Palestinians as pawns to justify its regional ambitions. They say a free and independent Palestine would strip the Islamic Republic of its main ideological weapon — the plight of the Palestinian people — and further weaken Tehra...
Oct 31, 2025•41 min
Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren tells Eye for Iran that Tehran’s growing isolation and lessons it drew from the recent 12-day war could make it a more formidable opponent. “Iran feels cornered,” Oren warns, “and that’s when nations become most dangerous.” Oren discusses Iran’s evolving military tactics, Israel’s decision to agree to a ceasefire and why he believes the post-war Middle East may be undergoing its most significant changes since the Six-Day War. Later, hos...
Oct 24, 2025•49 min
Former Israeli intelligence officer Danny Citrinowicz tells Eye for Iran a new and far deadlier conflict between Israel and Iran is “almost imminent.” Citrinowicz says both sides wrongly believe they “won” the last war — a miscalculation that makes another, even more violent escalation inevitable. He warns the United States is still chasing a deal while Israel aims to weaken or topple the clerical establishment, a dangerous imbalance that could ignite a wider regional war. We also examine satell...
Oct 17, 2025•49 min
Oil sanctions were meant to throttle Iran’s revenue but have instead enriched its elite. Eurasia Group Iran and oil analyst Greg Brew joins Negar Mojtahedi to explain how Iran keeps selling over a million barrels of barrels a day through shadow networks which profit wildly from the murky trade. We also explore China’s role in sustaining Iran’s oil industry and shadowy tycoons like Babak Zanjani, who embody the paradox of Iran’s undercover economy. You can watch the full episode on YouTube or lis...
Oct 10, 2025•47 min
International sanctions renewed on Tehran over the weekend are already making life harder for ordinary Iranians and may signal an impasse that could lead to renewed war, experts told Iran International’s podcast Eye for Iran. In this Eye for Iran episode, host Negar Mojtahedi speaks with economist Mahdi Ghodsi and analyst Holly Dagres to break down what may lie ahead. Subscribe to Eye for Iran for expert insights, real voices, and in-depth analysis you won’t hear anywhere else. You can watch the...
Oct 03, 2025•1 hr 4 min
From the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Eye for Iran asks: Are we moving closer to war with Iran? At the center of this year’s agenda is Tehran’s nuclear program and the enforcement of snapback sanctions. Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies explains what snapback really means for Iran. Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon weighs in on whether diplomacy is enough — or if military action is inevitable. And author Jonathan Harounoff joins to discuss his new book...
Sep 26, 2025•38 min
Musician Arash Sobhani (Kiosk) joins journalist Negar Mojtahedi on Eye for Iran to unpack the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini, the paradox of joy under repression, and why “hope misled us.” From women discarding compulsory hijab at Tehran concerts, to trust, honesty, and unity in the Iranian opposition, Sobhani asks whether joy itself can be resistance — or if it risks being used as propaganda. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen to the full podcast on Spotify, Apple, and all platforms....
Sep 19, 2025•38 min
US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites forestalled their potential push toward a bomb but a deal must be reached to guarantee Tehran will not go nuclear, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rubin told Iran International. #Iraninternational #ایران_اینترنشنال
Sep 12, 2025•37 min
Nicole Grajewski of the Carnegie Endowment joins Eye for Iran this week to warn that Europe’s move to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran through the so-called "snapback" mechanism could push Tehran to quit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) — and give Israel justification for new strikes. With uranium stockpiles near weapons-grade and US diplomacy on the sidelines, is a nuclear crisis inevitable? Watch this week's episode of Eye for Iran on YouTube or any podcast platform of your choosing. #...
Sep 05, 2025•49 min
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi says Iran is heading toward collapse — with daily executions, economic freefall, and widespread shortages of water and electricity. In this Eye for Iran interview, she explains why reform is impossible, why Western governments have failed Iranians, and how the people themselves can bring about peaceful regime change through unity, nationwide strikes, and a UN-supervised referendum. Her message to Iranians: the cost of living under this regime is greater th...
Aug 29, 2025•35 min
