After Khamenei, What Now?

After Khamenei, What Now?

March 2, 2026 · 31 min · Episode 172

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of the death of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and the future of Iran's leadership with insights from Iranian writer Arash Azizi and staff writer Anne Applebaum.

President Trump claimed victory after American strikes killed Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran who had terrorized his own citizens and people all over the world for decades. But what the fall of Khamenei means for the people of Iran going forward is not yet clear. We talk to Arash Azizi, an Iranian writer and contributor to The Atlantic, about how Iranians view the strike and what the realistic options are for future leadership. And we talk to the staff writer Anne Applebaum about the broader implications of Trump’s style of foreign intervention. - - - Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guests: Arash Azizi, Anne Applebaum

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Atlantic

Places: Iran

More episodes of Radio Atlantic

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Radio Atlantic podcast page.