
Downstream: The West Misunderstands Iran w/ Vali Nasr
Iran has been in the news a lot in 2025. Over recent decades, it has been a variable in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. But during the Twelve Day War with Israel in June of this year, Iran very much took centre stage. People started asking questions, chief among them being: What does Iran really want? On Downstream this week is Vali Nasr, professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, and author of a new book, Iran's Grand Strategy. In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Nasr traces the roots of Iran’s foreign and domestic…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.