Hormuz: Spin in the Strait | The Listening Post

Hormuz: Spin in the Strait | The Listening Post

From The Listening Post by Al Jazeera

April 18, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the ongoing information war between the US and Iran amidst a fragile ceasefire, focusing on the Strait of Hormuz and the role of journalism in decoding narratives.

A fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran holds - but the information war intensifies. At the centre: the Strait of Hormuz, where competing US and Iranian narratives have collided. During any truce, even when the bombs stop falling, the information war goes on. Moments like this test journalism. Because the job is not just to report on the messaging coming from all sides - but to decode and debunk it if necessary. Contributors: Abeer Al Najjar – Professor of Media & Journalism, American University of Sharjah Andrew Arsan – Professor of Arab & Global History, University of Cambridge Alireza Doostdar – Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Chicago Nazila Fathi – Former Tehran Correspondent, New York Times On our radar Israel’s relations with its European allies are fraying, with increasingly sharp rhetoric from both sides playing out across political and media platforms. Meenakshi Ravi reports. The Iranian diaspora in the media: Interview with Narges Bajoghli The Iranian diaspora contains a wide range of often conflicting views. But judging by its representation in mainstream Western media, one might assume the dominant position is support for the war. We speak to…

People in this episode

Guests: Abeer Al Najjar, Andrew Arsan, Alireza Doostdar, Nazila Fathi, Narges Bajoghli

Topics covered

  • US-Iran relations
  • information war
  • journalism ethics
  • media representation
  • Iranian diaspora
  • conflicting narratives

Keywords

  • ceasefire
  • information war
  • journalism
  • Iran
  • US
  • media
  • Strait of Hormuz
  • Iranian diaspora
  • Narges Bajoghli

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American University of Sharjah, University of Cambridge, University of Chicago, New York Times, Johns Hopkins University

Places: Strait of Hormuz, Iran, US, Israel, Europe

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