In week three of the war started by US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the main outcome appears to be destruction: of buildings and gas fields and military hardware; of the world energy market; of US credibility. The conflict has spread to Lebanon courtesy of Hezbollah, and Israel is being hit by missiles from there and Iran. The Gulf states, living under attack too, are seeing their economic model of a luxury bubble financed by high spenders dwindle away. The Straits of Hormuz, the crucial waterway through which energy, fertilisers and much else travels, is now closed. And while still shooting its ballistic missiles and many drones, Iran is being pummelled daily while seeing its ranks of leadership picked off faster than appointments are possible.

So what do the Iranian people make of the war? What are their horizons, and options? In absolute fact it is difficult to tell as the Ayatollahs keep the internet closed and for many contact to the outside world is difficult. But information is getting out, and as ever it is far more nuanced and complex than the simple narratives of for or against the regime that have been supplied so far.

Iran historian Dr Liora Hendelman-Baavur of Tel Aviv University and Maneli Mirkhan, strategist and Iran expert bring fascinating insights into the thinking and possibilities of the Iranian people, as well as many other analyses of how this war came about, and why it is difficult to predict how it ends.

This episode was recorded on 19 March 2026

Chapters

• An expected war between Israel and Iran?
• Public sentiment and reactions in Iran and Israel
• Regional Dynamics: Iran and the Gulf States
• What comes next with the war?

Mentions

• Dorna website
• Liora’s book Creating the Modern Iranian Woman: Popular Culture Between Two Revolutions

Follow

• Liora Hendelman-Baavur LinkedIn & Tel-Aviv University page
• Maneli Mirkhan LinkedIn & website
• Ilana Bet-El
• Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
• Listen this episode on our YouTube channel
• Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook website

Credits

• Production: Florence Ferrando
• Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!) License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT

Contribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️

Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast

Watch now our episode on Youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.