logo
episode-header-image
Yesterday
58m 40s

V32: The Mysterious New Persian Spy Radi...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Numbers stations' are hard-core spy stuff, dating all the way back to the first World War. The gist: you can create a radio station that broadcasts encoded messages to assets. Anyone can tune in and hear the full audio -- yet only listeners with a specific, disposable guide can decipher the actual contents. For a long time, this was just another curiosity of conflicts past. Yet as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in tonight's episode, numbers stations remain not just active -- but expanding. Join the guys as they attempt to get to the bottom of the newest station on the block: V32, an off-books numbers station broadcasting in Farsi... and not based in Iran.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Jul 2
Listener Mail: Worship vs. Belief, Guardrails and Flock, The U.S.S. Liberty Cover-up, and More
In this week's listener mail segment: one of the Bills in Colorado (Ben thinks there are at least twelve) prompts a conversation about the nature of worship vs. belief. Salamander Taco details a tragic saga of Steve Eimers's righteous one-man mission to fight against improperly-i ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 1
How Leaving the US Works
At some point in their lives, most U.S. residents have at least daydreamed of moving to another country. And it seems that every time one politician or another wins an election, some group of Americans says they're finally going to take the leap. With growing chaos at home and ab ... Show More
56m 53s
Jun 30
CLASSIC: Mystery, Mayhem and Nukes: The Story of the Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a relatively tiny, remote place -- it's about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, with nothing but ocean on the horizon. And, for decades, this nation has been home to a terrifying secret. As the world entered the atomic age, the United S ... Show More
59m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
Iran Pt. 1: A Socialist Introduction w/ Séamus Malekafzali [BONUS]
<p>As seems to be the case with most of the countries that the United States goes to war with—much of the population here doesn't know very much about those countries. And what they do know is usually Western propaganda, misinformation, or outright lies. This couldn't be more tru ... Show More
1h 45m
Jun 2025
Iran and the U.S., Part Three: Soleimani's Iran
The Iran-Iraq war, 9/11, and the story of Iranian Revolutionary Guard general Qassem Soleimani, from his rise to power, to his assassination, by the U.S., to the power his legacy wields now.This episode originally ran as Soleimani's Iran. You can find more of Throughline's covera ... Show More
45m 33s
Jan 2021
Daily: The “BLACK WAVE” that engulfed the Middle East
From the Iranian Revolution to the invasion of Afghanistan, events in 1979 turned the tides on decades of liberalisation across the Middle East. Kim Ghattas, journalist and author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and ... Show More
34m 9s
Aug 2025
The United States vs. Iran
Fareed Zakaria hosts a detailed special tracing the historical conflict between the United States and Iran, starting with a dramatization of a B-2 bomber strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. The narrative revisits the pivotal 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, emphasizing its roots in ... Show More
48m 6s
Jun 2024
The World after the West: Nasser Hadian on Iran
<p>Iran plays a key role in the global order. The leadership in Tehran asserts Iran’s role in the Middle East through the backing of allied groups, most notably Hizbullah in Lebanon. Meanwhile, on the global stage, its nuclear program has positioned Iran as an adversary of the We ... Show More
36m 40s
Jun 2025
What’s Iran’s IRGC?
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Quds force and the Basij militias are back in the news due to the conflict between Israel and Iran. What are they, how do they operate and how have they become so influential? In this episode, we look at the origins, the branding and the ... Show More
26m 21s
Aug 2025
How The 1979 Revolution Transformed Iran
For decades, Iran has been an adversary of the United States. Scott Anderson examines the Iranian revolution of 1979, the upheaval that deposed the reigning monarch and transformed the country from a U.S. ally to an Islamic Republic. He says blunders by American policymakers play ... Show More
44m 41s
Jun 2025
Iran and the U.S., Part Two: Rules of Engagement
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 as Rules of Engagement. You can find more of Throughline's coverage into the orig ... Show More
46m 39s
Nov 2024
What's Next for Iran? ClubGPF Bonus with Kamran Bokhari
<p>Israel's decimation of Hezbollah's leadership and war-making capabilities has paved the way for a massive altering of the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. After decades on the offensive, Iran has suffered a major setback in its strategy for the region. GPF contributo ... Show More
8m 2s