BN—Hassan Ahmadian, Associate Professor of West Asian studies at the University of Tehran, joins Rania Khalek from inside Iran as the country reels from the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, mass civilian casualties, and a rapidly widening regional war. He describes shock and mourning in the streets, rejects claims that Iranians will rally behind U.S.-backed regime change, and explains why Iran is escalating across the region in what it sees as an existential fight for survival.
Monthly Archives
March 2026
Rick Steves’ Iran (2009)
Overall, a friendly and helpful portrait from an ordinary American.Approx 59 Mins • Watch / readRS—Join Rick as he explores the most surprising and fascinating land he’s ever visited: Iran. In this one-hour, ground-breaking travel special, you’ll discover the splendid monuments of Iran’s rich and glorious past, learn more about the 20th-century story of this perplexing nation, and experience Iranian life today in its historic capital and in a countryside village. Most important, you’ll meet the people of this nation whose government so exasperates our own.
Danny Haiphong Dispatch: Scott Ritter: Iran’s Hypersonic Missiles DEVASTATE Tel Aviv & Haifa, Ayatollah Khamenei DEAD
PLUS: Iran's Missiles SMASH US Bases, Trump-Israeli War BACKFIRES | Elijah Magnier & Mohammad MarandiApprox 155 Mins • Watch / readDH—Ritter provides an in-depth analysis of Iran’s political structure under its constitution, emphasizing the resilience of the govenment despite losses, and the cultural and religious context that underpins Iranian society and governance, which Western planners have largely misunderstood. He discusses Iran’s military tactics, including use of decoys, mobile missile launchers, and the psychological impact of hypersonic missile strikes. The interview also highlights the severe consequences of the conflict, including civilian casualties such as the bombing of a children’s school by the US, and the broader geopolitical ramifications involving countries like Russia, China, and Gulf Arab states.
JULIAN’S DISPATCHES: Pissing against the wind
PLUS: The Stupidity Paradox
Approx. 10 Mins • Watch / read
JM—Let’s put it this way— even a marginally effective Israeli strike is not possible without involving US assets —for example, US tanker and ISR support. That automatically would make the US a co-belligerent unless it denied Israel help.
Israel has its own tankers – albeit 60 years old and usable. It also has various workarounds for other deficiencies. And it has its own ISR and EW systems – a mix of resources that it claims enabled it to achieve air supremacy in the 12 Day War— except that that is fiction — most objective analysts believe they never attempted to enter Iranian airspace.
That means the Israelis could mount attacks, rely on the US media to portray those attacks as successful, and hope the US would join in.
But the US cannot enter the conflict without exposing its bases and naval assets and suffering unacceptable, if not catastrophic, casualties.
