Episode description

The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was a defining moment of the 20th Century. What began as a popular movement to oust the Western backed monarchy, later turned Iran into the world's first Islamic republic. Since then, the Iranian government has been accused of rights abuses, destabilising the region, supporting terrorists and trying to develop nuclear weapons. There have been waves of protests, for differing reasons, at home. And a recent upturn of economic optimism has vanished following President Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, with the US reimposing far-reaching sanctions.

But despite all the internal tensions and international pressure, the system has survived. How come? What kind of country is Iran today? And does the outside world really understand the country and its people? Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the state of Iran, years after the revolution.