Trump, Iran and geopolitical mind games | The Listening Post
About this episode
The episode discusses the escalating tensions between the US and Iran, contrasting narratives from both sides, and explores the rise of digital political movements in Brazil.
As Washington escalates threats of military action against Iran, negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme continue behind the scenes. But while the Trump administration insists that the standoff is about security, Iran’s state media are pushing a very different narrative: that the crisis is a deliberate distraction from the Epstein scandal that continues to implicate the US president. Contributors: Dina Esfandiary – Middle East Lead, Bloomberg Economics Fereshteh Sadeghi – Iranian journalist Jamal Abdi – President, National Iranian American Council Sina Toossi – Senior Fellow, Centre for International Policy On our radar: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Israel this past week in a carefully choreographed display of solidarity. While Modi’s trip was celebrated in the Israeli media, criticism by Indian journalists was blocked back home. Leaving the two leaders to sign arms deals that will boost an already significant military partnership. The Rise of Digital Micro-Bolsonaros Nearly two years after Jair Bolsonaro’s fall from power in Brazil, the movement he built is searching for a new figurehead. A rising generation of young, evangelical, and hyper-online…
People in this episode
Guests: Dina Esfandiary, Fereshteh Sadeghi, Jamal Abdi, Sina Toossi
Topics covered
- US-Iran relations
- geopolitical tensions
- media narratives
- military action
- political movements in Brazil
- digital politics
- international diplomacy
Keywords
- Trump
- Iran
- nuclear programme
- military action
- Epstein scandal
- Modi
- Israel
- Bolsonaro
- digital politics
- media
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Bloomberg Economics, National Iranian American Council, Centre for International Policy, Folha de Sao P
Places: Iran, Washington, Israel
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