Iran ... Um, How Does This End?

From Smart Girl Dumb Questions by Nayeema Raza

April 28, 2026 · 1h 19m

About this episode

Nayeema Raza interviews Robert Malley about his experiences in Middle East peace negotiations and the complexities of the Iran and Gaza conflicts.

Robert Malley was a Lead Negotiator of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, so what does he think will happen next? And what does three decades at the forefront of Middle East peace (or war, in this case), teach him from Camp David (2000) to Israel and Gaza today? Nayeema and Rob walk through Donald Trump’s “Art of the Deal” to figure out whether one may be had here. They also discuss: are negotiators more like marriage therapists, hostage negotiators or plumbers? Are President Trump’s tweets (slash Truth Socials) an attempt at Mad Man strategy or just a genuine chaos-making machine? How do Iranians think and deal-make? And will we see peace in Israel and Palestine in our lifetime? Be sure to check out Rob’s book Tomorrow is Yesterday: Life, Death and the Pursuit of Peafe in Israel/Palestine. Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your favorite person to negotiate with.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Nayeema Raza

Guest: Robert Malley

Topics covered

Middle East peace
negotiation strategies
Iran Nuclear Deal
Trump's influence
Israel-Palestine conflict

Keywords

peace negotiation
Iran
Israel
Palestine
Trump
Middle East
diplomacy
conflict resolution

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Donald Trump

Books & works: Tomorrow is Yesterday: Life, Death and the Pursuit of Peafe in Israel/Palestine

Places: Iran, Israel, Palestine