The “Attacking Iran” Special Edition

The “Attacking Iran” Special Edition

From Rational Security by The Lawfare Institute

March 5, 2026 · 1h 21m

About this episode

The episode discusses U.S. military operations against Iran and the implications of regime change in the region.

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Benjamin Wittes, Daniel Byman, and Ari Tabatabai for an in-depth discussion of the U.S. military operations against Iran, including: “Isn’t it Iran-ic.” Trump’s decision to join Israel in removing Ayatollah Khamanei reflects a deep reversal by the president, who has spent years criticizing his predecessors’ own experiences with regime change and other overseas adventurism. What drove Trump to proceed this time, after stopping short twice in the past year? What can we learn from the way the Trump administration has proceeded? And how far will Trump let things go? “Bibi’s Big Adventure.” Regime change in Iran is something Israel and the Arab Gulf states have advocated for frequently in the past. But they had all adopted a more cautious and even conciliatory posture toward Iran in the months before the current offensive, at least in public. How has the region approached this conflict? And what will it do moving forward? “MIGA.” The death of Ayatollah Khamenei is a major shift in Iran, but we don’t know where it is going to lead. One concern that people have always had about regime change in Iran is that it will be highly…

People in this episode

Host: Scott

Guests: Benjamin Wittes, Daniel Byman, Ari Tabatabai

Topics covered

  • U.S. military operations
  • Iran
  • regime change
  • Middle East politics
  • Trump administration
  • Israel-Iran relations

Keywords

  • Iran
  • regime change
  • Trump
  • Khamenei
  • Middle East
  • Israel
  • military operations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Israel, Arab Gulf states

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