Description:
As Ayatollah Khamenei's state funeral draws millions of Iranians and nearly 50 foreign delegations to Iran this week, we ask: what does this moment mean for Iran's internal stability, its standing in the region, and its fragile truce with Washington?
Since the June 17th Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding brought a fragile end to the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the agreement has faced serious strain. The June 26th Israel-Lebanon framework ties Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament, and low-level attacks between Iran, the U.S., and Israel continue. Is the Trump administration genuinely pursuing a grand bargain with Tehran, or is this just a tactical pause before renewed conflict?
In this episode (recorded July 6, 2026), Mehlaqa Samdani and Dr. Atiqa Batul are joined by:
🔹 Dr. John Mearsheimer — Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago — on the fragility of the MOU, the Strait of Hormuz, whether Iran is emerging as a fourth pole of global power, and what America's foreign policy history teaches about dealing with Iran.
🔹 Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi — Professor of English Literature and Orientalism, University of Tehran — on Khamenei's succession, Tehran's read on the MOU's survival, the Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan-Egypt regional recalibration, Iran's information war, and the lessons of Iran's development under decades of sanctions.
Since the June 17th Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding brought a fragile end to the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the agreement has faced serious strain. The June 26th Israel-Lebanon framework ties Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament, and low-level attacks between Iran, the U.S., and Israel continue. Is the Trump administration genuinely pursuing a grand bargain with Tehran, or is this just a tactical pause before renewed conflict?
In this episode (recorded July 6, 2026), Mehlaqa Samdani and Dr. Atiqa Batul are joined by:
🔹 Dr. John Mearsheimer — Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago — on the fragility of the MOU, the Strait of Hormuz, whether Iran is emerging as a fourth pole of global power, and what America's foreign policy history teaches about dealing with Iran.
🔹 Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi — Professor of English Literature and Orientalism, University of Tehran — on Khamenei's succession, Tehran's read on the MOU's survival, the Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan-Egypt regional recalibration, Iran's information war, and the lessons of Iran's development under decades of sanctions.
