Ep. 213: Debunking Iran war conspiracy theories

Ep. 213: Debunking Iran war conspiracy theories

From Think Twice with Jonathan Tobin by JNS Podcasts

March 19, 2026 · 1h 0m

About this episode

The episode discusses conspiracy theories surrounding the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, featuring insights on antisemitism and foreign policy.

At the heart of much of the opposition to the war the United States and Israel are waging to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and spreading Islamist tyranny with terror is a conspiracy theory. Both left-wingers and some on the right still believe in myths about Israel or the Jews manipulating American foreign policy, says JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by historian and Wall Street Journal columnist Walter Russell Mead who points out that surges of antisemitism in the United States, such as the one we’re currently experiencing, is a function of other factors which impact national discourse like economics and mass migration. Mead also says that while antisemitism on the right is highly visible because of celebrity podcasters like Tucker Carlson, the overwhelming majority of Republicans still support Israel and the war in Iran. He argues that changes in attitudes toward Israel and increasing antisemitism are far deeper and more widely spread on the left right now. While he doesn’t minimize the impact that antisemitic advocacy from podcasters can have on our national discourse, Mead says it's important to remember that…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Tobin

Guest: Walter Russell Mead

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wall Street Journal

Places: United States, Israel, Iran

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