Bijan Khajehpour, Managing Partner of Eurasian Nexus Partners and an Al-Monitor columnist, discusses the options for US-Iran diplomacy and the Iran nuclear deal under a Biden Administration; the candidates and issues shaping Iran’s presidential elections next year; the prospects for Iran’s economy; how Iran’s relations with Russia and China are linked to its ... Show More
Sep 8
Three million views in 24 hours: Turkey's curiosity about Syrian Kurdish leader Kobane explodes in first TV interview
Banu Guven, a widely respected TV presenter, became the first Turkish journalist to host Kurdish leader Mazlum Kobane on national TV in Turkey. Until recently, interviewing the former commander of the now dissolved Syrian Democratic Forces was a punishable offense. But with Kurdi ... Show More
33m 35s
Aug 27
Neither victory nor defeat: SDF's dissolution marks new phase for Syria's Kurds, says Al Majalla's Ibrahim Hamidi
Many Kurds across the region feel angered by the Aug. 25 announcement by Syrian Democratic Forces commander-in-chief Mazlum Kobane that the force has been formally dissolved. Ibrahim Hamidi, a veteran Syrian journalist and editor-in-chief of Al Majalla, argues that the push for K ... Show More
34m 58s
Aug 20
A clash between Turkey, Israel ‘only a matter of time’ says Israeli analyst Danny Citrinowicz
Tensions between Turkey and Israel have been spiraling over Gaza, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa and above all in Syria. Fears of a confrontation between the US allies grew this week after Israel bombed a military airport near the Turkish border, saying Turkish for ... Show More
27m 33s
Jul 2021
Why is Biden's Iran Policy the Same as Trump's?
<p>Assal Rad, a Senior Research Fellow at NIAC (the National Iranian American Council) joins Rania Khalek Dispatches to discuss the ongoing suffering of Iranians from US sanctions, the return to the Iran nuclear deal, and how little has actually changed under Biden as his team se ... Show More
1h 17m
Nov 2024
Diplomacy is Not a Dirty Word
Negar Mortazavi in conversation with Steven Simon, Lara Friedman, Nader Hashemi, and Jon Hoffman, discussing US policy in the Middle East under Biden and Trump. This panel was hosted in person by the National Iranian American Council.
1h 19m
Jul 2022
President Biden travels to the Middle East
Following President Biden’s first Middle East trip and on the eve of President Putin’s trip to Tehran, Fareed asks Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University if new cold war divisions are solidifying in the Middle East. Then, ... Show More
39m 47s
Apr 2025
Nuclear diplomacy: Trump, Iran and a potential new deal
After years of stalled diplomacy, the US and Iran are back in high-level talks. Surprise meetings have taken place in Oman and Rome, with more expected soon. Could this be President Donald Trump’s long-awaited foreign policy win? Or will competing agendas, regional tensions and i ... Show More
32m 25s
Apr 2023
Ali Vaez: Iran's Regional Policy
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group. They talk about the Saudi-Iranian agreement to resume diplomatic ties, how it fits into Iran’s wider foreign policy strategy around the region, and the prospects for a broader détente between ... Show More
38m 8s