Escalation in the War with Iran
4/5/202643 min
Today on the show, the war with Iran shows no signs of slowing. President Trump took to Truth Social to threaten Iran into opening the Strait of Hormuz. This came after the successful conclusion of a high-stakes mission to rescue a stranded airman from an F-15 jet Iran shot down Friday. Fareed speaks with Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, about the recent developments and where the war might go from here. Then, many of the Iranian regime’s top leaders have been killed since the start of the war. Fareed is joined by the International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez to discuss what Iran’s current leaders might be thinking, and if they are more likely than before to pursue a nuclear bomb. Finally, in the minds of many, the Islamic Revolution of 1979 dominates Iranian history. But the British-Iranian historian Ali Ansari tells Fareed that you must look further back to truly understand one of the world's oldest civilizations. GUESTS: Zanny Minton-Beddoes (@zannymb), Richard Haass (@RichardHaass), Ali Vaez (@AliVaez), Ali Ansari (@aa51_ansari) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsFareed Zakaria· Host0:00
[whooshing] This is Global Public Square. Welcome to all of you in the United States and around the world. I'm Fareed Zakaria, coming to you live. [dramatic music] Today on the program, in a primetime address to the nation this week, President Trump said the war was nearing completion, but threatened to bring Iran back to the Stone Ages, where they belong. He scolded allies for inaction and said Americans would soon be free of Iran's nuclear blackmail. What should the world make of this messaging, and what is the path out of the conflict? I'll talk to Richard Haass, Zanny Minton Beddoes, and Ali Vaez about Trump's speech and all that has unfolded since. Plus, Trump repeatedly said Iran had been a threat for forty-seven years. We'll talk to a British-Iranian historian about why Iran's history can help us understand what is happening today. But first, here's my take. Well into the second month of the US-Israeli war, it is worth taking stock of where things stand. Here's what things looked like in Iran and its neighborhood before the war began in late February. In June 2025, Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities had been, in President Trump's words, "completely and totally obliterated" by a twelve-day bombing campaign