Understanding Iran Under Attack: A Discussion with Author Vali Nasr

About this episode

Vali Nasr discusses the resilience of the Iranian government during the ongoing attack by the United States and Israel.

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He’s the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Starobin

Guest: Vali Nasr

Topics covered

• Iran
• war
• nationalism
• political analysis
• Middle East studies

Keywords

• Iran
• Vali Nasr
• nationalism
• war
• Middle East
• political history
• resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Princeton University Press

Places: Iran, United States, Israel

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