Iran on my Mind with Sepehr Vakil

Iran on my Mind with Sepehr Vakil

From Under the Tree: A Seminar on Freedom with Bill Ayers by Under the Tree with Bill Ayers

March 7, 2026 · 1h 7m

About this episode

The episode discusses the current situation in Iran amidst US involvement in the Middle East, featuring insights from guest Sepehr Vakil.

Once again the US is at war in the Middle East, and once again the “coalition of the willing” is Israel standing alone, hand-in-bloody-hand with the US. If history is a guide, when the US boot comes down, freedom and humanity are not the winners. The autocratic and sclerotic regime in Iran slaughtered tens of thousands of protestors in recent months, and the murderous medieval rulers of that land were widely reviled and resisted by their own people. During the protests, and now with the war, desperation, rage, sadness, fear, and uncertainty characterize the reaction of many Iranians of good will, both in-country and in the diaspora. We dive into the contradictions and begin the agonizing process of sifting through the wreckage with Sepehr Vakil, an associate professor of Learning Sciences in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, and an engaged scholar/activist, author of Revolutionary Engineers: Learning, Politics, and Activism at Aryamehr University of Technology.

People in this episode

Host: Bill Ayers

Guest: Sepehr Vakil

Topics covered

  • Middle East conflict
  • Iran protests
  • US foreign policy
  • activism
  • freedom
  • human rights

Keywords

  • Iran
  • US war
  • protests
  • activism
  • freedom
  • humanity
  • Sepehr Vakil
  • Bill Ayers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Northwestern University

Places: Iran, United States, Israel

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