In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Kamran Bokhari about Iran’s unprovoked attacks on Pakistan, Pakistan’s counterstrike, and what comes next. We talked about the broader issues in the region, Iran’s own calculus, and the ways in which the regional dynamics are altered in the wake of these escalations.

Dr. Kamran Bokhari is the Senior Director of the Eurasian Security and Prosperity portfolio at the New Lines Institute. Previously, he served as Director of Analytical Development Department from 2019 to 2023. Dr. Bokhari is also a national security and foreign policy specialist at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute. Bokhari has also served as the Central Asia Studies Course Coordinator at U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:30 Why did Iran attack Pakistan?

11:20 Assessing Pakistan’s response

20:20 Iran’s broader calculus

27:50 Did Pakistan strike the right balance?

43:50 What comes next?

Podcast on Iran protests - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUPncr5Mrs

Reading Recommendations:

- https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/experts-react-whats-really-going-on-with-pakistan-and-iran-exchanging-attacks/

- https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/01/making-sense-iran-pakistan-cross-border-strikes

- https://amwaj.media/article/exclusive-inside-the-iranian-pakistani-exchange-of-fire-nbsp