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Current AffairsAuthor: Current Affairs
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Iran Historian: War Makes The Government "MORE REPRESSIVE" (w/ Afshin Matin-Asgari)
Episode 470
Saturday, 28 March, 2026
🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Afshin Matin-Asgari is an Iranian historian and professor of Middle East history at California State University, Los Angeles, and the author of Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–U.S. Relations. He spoke to Current Affairs about the long history of U.S. involvement in Iran—from the 1953 CIA-backed coup to the present conflict—and why foreign intervention has repeatedly strengthened authoritarian forces rather than weakened them. A participant in the 1978 revolution who opposed both the Shah and the Islamic Republic, Matin-Asgari offers a rare perspective on Iranian politics, the nuclear issue, and the current war, arguing that while the Islamic Republic is repressive, Iran’s future must be determined by Iranians themselves, not by the United States or Israel. 🇮🇷 Buy Afshin's Book: https://www.versobooks.com/products/2694-a-history-of-iran-us-relations 0:00-3:05 Afshin's background and how he feels about the war 3:05-5:46 What attacks mean for Iranian dissidents 5:46-9:25 The 1978 revolution 9:25-19:26 The U.S., the 1953 coup, and the Shah 19:26-27:26 Origins of U.S.–Iran conflict 27:26-30:48 Are Iranian leaders irrational? 30:48-35:13 Iran’s nuclear program 35:13-43:02 Iran’s strategy and risk of wider war 43:02-46:48 What stance the left should take 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/
