3 key moments that led to the U.S.-Iran war
Mar 12, 2026•48 min
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Episode description
Military confrontations, early-morning attacks, and digital warfare: the story of Iran and the U.S. from the 1979 Iranian revolution to the fraught moment we're in today. This episode originally ran in 2019 as Rules of Engagement. You can find more of Throughline's coverage into the origins of the conflict in the Middle East here.
Guests:
Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Washington Institute's military and security studies program
Kim Zetter, writer for WIRED magazine and author of Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon
To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.
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Guests:
Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Washington Institute's military and security studies program
Kim Zetter, writer for WIRED magazine and author of Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon
To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
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