Another Iran War? with Professor Vali Nasr (Revisiting Iran 101)

From Smart Girl Dumb Questions by Nayeema Raza

March 4, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

Nayeema Raza discusses the complexities of Iran's political landscape with Professor Vali Nasr.

Who picks Iran’s Ayatollah? What are the Israelis and Americans up to? How did we get here? AND: WILL IT EVER END? Today’s SGDQ bonus drop is an IRAN 101 cutdown of a Summer 2025 conversation Nayeema had with Dr. Vali Nasr, a John Hopkins SAIS professor, Middle East expert and author of Iran’s Grand Strategy. IMPORTANTLY: The original conversation (available in the show feed) was taped in June 2025, on the heels of the Twelve Day War. We hope this version provides context and perspective to ground your curiosity. It's an escape from the doomscrolling and a supplement (not substitute) for the news. A lot has happened in the last 8-ish months so Nayeema recommends checking out Professor Nasr's most recent writings and interviews to track the evolution of the situation in Iran and his own perspective. You can find Dr. Nasr on X @vali_nasr. Follow Nayeema on IG or X too – and you can find the show on IG, TikTok & YouTube @smartgirldumbquestions. Slide into our DMs, call us at 1-855-MYDUMBQ or send your dumbest questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Nayeema Raza

Guest: Vali Nasr

Topics covered

Iran
Middle East
Geopolitics
War
Conflict
International Relations

Keywords

Iran
Ayatollah
Middle East
Vali Nasr
Twelve Day War
geopolitics
conflict

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: John Hopkins SAIS

Books & works: Iran’s Grand Strategy