What is driving the war in Iran – and what comes next?

About this episode

The episode discusses the drivers of the Iran war and its implications for regional and global security.

Why did the United States and Israel choose to strike Iran now – and what are the strategic consequences of that decision? What lessons have been learnt from Iran’s asymmetric response? Can Iran’s protesters realistically leverage the current crisis for meaningful political change, or has the aerial campaign by US and Israel undermined their momentum? How can Australia and other US allies balance alliance commitments with national interests in this conflict? In this episode, Beth Sanner and Dr Rodger Shanahan join Justin Burke to discuss the drivers of the Iran war, and examine the broader implications for regional and global security. Beth Sanner is a Distinguished Advisor at the ANU National Security College (NSC). She is the former US Deputy Director of National Intelligence, a 35-year intelligence veteran, and now the Director of Geopolitics and Strategy for International Capital Strategies. Dr Rodger Shanahan is a former Army officer with a PhD in Arab and Islamic studies. He has previously held appointments at NSC and the Lowy Institute, with operational and diplomatic experience in the Middle East. Justin Burke is Senior Policy Advisor at NSC. TRANSCRIPT Show notes…

People in this episode

Host: Justin Burke

Guests: Beth Sanner, Dr Rodger Shanahan

Topics covered

• Iran war
• US-Israel relations
• asymmetric response
• political change
• regional security
• global security

Keywords

• Iran
• US
• Israel
• political change
• Middle East
• asymmetric response
• regional security

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ANU National Security College

Places: United States, Israel, Iran, Australia, Middle East

More episodes of The National Security Podcast

• Security, power and the perspectives we miss · June 11, 2026 · 45 min
• Beyond oil: what the Hormuz crisis means for Australia · May 28, 2026 · 36 min
• “The future is expensive” – managing cost-of-living while investing in security · May 14, 2026 · 40 min
• 2026 National Defence Strategy: evolution, not revolution · April 30, 2026 · 45 min
• Truth, trust and the algorithm: can democracy keep up? · April 16, 2026 · 38 min
• No worries? What Australians think about security, risk and resilience · April 2, 2026 · 45 min