What next in Iran?

What next in Iran?

From The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

March 11, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Trump's Iran strategy and the future of the region amidst ongoing conflict.

On 9 March, Donald Trump described the war against Iran as ‘very complete, pretty much’. Later that day, his secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, told ABC that the ongoing strikes were ‘just the beginning’. In this episode, Adam Shatz is joined by Robert Malley and Esfandyar Batmanghelidj to discuss the chaos of Trump’s Iran strategy, whether the United States and Israel are aligned in their objectives for the region, and what Iran’s future might look like if Trump decides to bring the conflict to an end in the near term. They also examine how the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new leader of the Islamic Republic could shape the course of the war, and whether Iran will be able to sustain its current military strategy. From the LRB Subscribe to the LRB: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/subslrbpod⁠ Close Readings podcast: ⁠⁠https://lrb.me/crlrbpod⁠⁠ LRB Audiobooks: ⁠⁠https://lrb.me/audiobookslrbpod⁠⁠ Bags, binders and more at the LRB Store: ⁠⁠https://lrb.me/storelrbpod⁠⁠ Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk

People in this episode

Host: Adam Shatz

Guests: Robert Malley, Esfandyar Batmanghelidj

Topics covered

  • Iran
  • Trump's strategy
  • US-Israel relations
  • military strategy
  • leadership change
  • future of conflict

Keywords

  • Iran
  • Trump
  • military strategy
  • US
  • Israel
  • Mojtaba Khamenei
  • conflict

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Islamic Republic

Places: Iran, United States, Israel

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