‘They put me in jail’: the interview you rarely hear from inside Iran

‘They put me in jail’: the interview you rarely hear from inside Iran

From The Fourcast by Channel 4 News

June 5, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

In this episode, Krishnan Guru-Murthy interviews Iranian academic Sadegh Zibakalam about his views on Iran's leadership and its relationship with the West.

Donald Trump says he’d be “honoured” to meet the new supreme leader of Iran Mojtaba Khamenei as there’s little sign of progress in peace talks between Tehran and Washington. So what do the people in Iran really feel about the US president, the war and their Islamic regime that has ruled for almost half a century? Krishnan Guru-Murthy has travelled to Iran, speaking to supporters of the regime and, in a rare interview, one of its most prominent critics. Sadegh Zibakalam is an Iranian academic and author who has spent years calling for reform of the Islamic Republic. He has been jailed, removed from university posts and banned from public speaking. In this episode of The Fourcast, he shares his views on Iran's leadership, its future, and its relationship with the West.

People in this episode

Host: Krishnan Guru-Murthy

Guest: Sadegh Zibakalam

Topics covered

  • Iran
  • US-Iran relations
  • political reform
  • Islamic regime
  • interview

Keywords

  • Iran
  • Donald Trump
  • Mojtaba Khamenei
  • Sadegh Zibakalam
  • Islamic Republic
  • political reform
  • US relations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Islamic Republic

Places: Iran, Tehran, Iran

More episodes of The Fourcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Fourcast podcast page.