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Prof. John Mearsheimer discusses how the dramatic developments in the Ukraine War conflict with NATO's "Ukraine is winning" narrative. Prof. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago
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Prof. John Mearsheimer joins for the first time to evaluate the catastrophic impact of renewed US war on Iran and why Trump is caught is a strategic disaster.
John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and a leading realist scholar of international relations. A West Point graduate and former U.S. Air Force officer, he is the author of numerous influential works on U.S. foreign policy and power politics.
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.
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Prof. John Mearsheimer discusses how Russia and NATO continue to go up the escalation ladder; the deceptions about how the war is sold to the public; and how the U.S. must establish a new grand strategy to organise it foreign policy to new realities. Prof. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago
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Prof. John Mearsheimer discusses the West going up the escalation ladder against both Russia and Iran, with all-out war as the logical conclusion.
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While the U.S. and Iran trade clashes in the Persian Gulf, President Trump is preparing for a high-stakes visit to Beijing next week to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Trump seems to want to push Iran into a deal, so that he can have something to stand on, Tehran is saying “not so fast.”
Dr. John Mearsheimer, an author, international relations expert and professor at the University of Chicago, noted that Iran has shown no sign that it is willing to compromise on its demands, especially when it comes to its nuclear program, defensive capabilities and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Prof. John Mearsheimer argues that the failure to make peace with Iran can dramatically widen the war in the Middle East, while the rift with Europe and other allies widen. John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982.
