As student protests surge across Iran, universities are once again becoming epicenters of open defiance.

In this episode of Roqe, we focus on the courage of Iranian students demonstrating right now - chanting forbidden slogans, confronting repression on their own campuses, and absorbing immense personal risk in the face of an authoritarian regime.

Jian opens with a powerful essay addressed directly to Iran’s students. He is then joined by Dr. Sepehr Vakil, associate professor at Northwestern University and author of Revolutionary Engineers, for a wide-ranging conversation that connects Iran’s long history of student activism to the present moment.

Together, they explore why students so often move first, what today’s campus uprisings reveal about the strength and fragility of the Islamic Republic, and what this latest wave of student courage may bode for a revolution aimed at a free Iran.

This episode is supported by:

Avoca Chocolates

https://avocachocolates.com

In Episode 417 of Roqe, Jian challenges the sudden rise of Western “anti-war” rhetoric on Iran by reframing the reality on the ground. Iranians are not debating a future conflict - they are already living through one, as the Islamic Republic continues its campaign of repression, arrests, and mass killing.

The opening essay explores why many Iranians now support intervention - not lightly, not casually, but after decades of failed reform, negotiation, and restraint.

The episode then turns to a global panel discussion examining the fallout from the Global Day of Action demonstrations, Prince Reza Pahlavi’s presence at the Munich Security Conference, and the regime’s escalating crackdown inside Iran.

Panelists analyze whether the Islamic Republic can maintain power, what intervention actually means, and why Western audiences continue to misunderstand Iranian demands.

Guests:

Ali Hamedani - London

Ardeshir Zarezadeh - Toronto

Mahdi Ghodsi - Vienna

Recorded February 19, 2026.

Sponsors:

@StellarLawTO

@AvocaChocolates

This episode of Roqe takes stock of an extraordinary Global Day of Action for a Free Iran, with major demonstrations in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Munich - and coordinated rallies across the diaspora following a call initiated by Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Jian is joined by four voices who were there:

Farnoush Hamidian in Munich

Laleh Tangsiri, joining from London after attending the Munich rally

Navid Negahban in Los Angeles

Pegah Ganji in Toronto

They reflect on the scale, discipline, and political significance of the weekend - and what this moment could mean for Iranians inside Iran and around the world.

Jian opens the episode with an essay addressing Christiane Amanpour and the criticism surrounding her recent interview with Prince Reza Pahlavi - arguing the issue is not tough questions, but uneven journalism.

This episode is brought to you with the support of Avoca Chocolates

https://avocachocolates.com

Jian opens Episode 415 of Roqe – Iran Rises with a sober assessment of the United Nations, arguing that despite its language and ideals, it is structurally incapable of protecting Iranian civilians or advancing the revolution now underway.

As tens of thousands of Iranian families grieve victims of an ongoing massacre, outrage is growing over the UN’s continued engagement with representatives of the Islamic Republic. This episode asks a difficult but necessary question: where should Iranians place their energy, pressure, and hope now?

Jian is joined by:

Lisa Daftari, Iranian-American foreign policy analyst, journalist, and founder of The Foreign Desk

Shayan Samii, U.S. national security analyst and expert in strategic communications

Bahador Alast, Iranian-Canadian engineer and widely followed cultural and language commentator

The conversation explores:

Why anger toward the UN is intensifying among Iranians worldwide

Whether the UN functions as protection or symbolism during mass atrocities

The meaning of “intervention” and what actually helps people on the ground

The role of global protests in cities like Toronto, Los Angeles, and Munich

Recorded February 12, 2026.

This episode of Roqe is brought to you with the support of:

Avoca Chocolates – avocachocolates.com

Stellar Law – stellarlaw.ca

On this episode of Roqe – Iran Rises, Jian is joined by Khosro Isfahani, Research Director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, for a clear-eyed conversation about where the Iranian revolution stands right now, what intervention actually looks like, why the United States continues to negotiate with the Islamic Republic, and what may come next under Donald Trump.

The episode then widens into a panel discussion with Picasso Moin in Istanbul and Kamyar Mahinsa in Vancouver, including Kamyar’s reflections from the demonstration in Vancouver yesterday, the resilience of Iranians inside the country, growing distractions and infighting in the diaspora, and whether unity is holding at the moment it matters most.

Jian opens Episode 414 with a moving essay - “When they arrest the doctors, the regime tells you what it is” - examining the moral meaning of a regime that punishes doctors and medical workers for helping wounded protesters.

This episode of Roqe is brought to you with the support of Avoca Chocolates

🔗 https://avocachocolates.com

Jian opens this episode of Roqe with an essay making the case for calling this uprising the Lion and Sun Revolution.

He reflects on the Lion and Sun flag being raised in Richmond Hill, Canada, while making one thing unmistakably clear - symbols in the diaspora are never enough. The real revolution is being paid for in blood inside Iran. Still, when a people are fighting to reclaim identity beyond the rulers who define them, symbols matter.

Jian is then joined by Salar Gholami - former Iranian national team boxer and key organizer behind the historic Iranian-Canadian demonstrations in Toronto. They discuss how these massive rallies were built, how unity was maintained, what’s happening inside Iran, and what comes next as February 14th approaches.

This episode of Roqe is supported by:

Avoca Chocolates

avocachocolates.com

Stellar Law

stellarlaw.ca

Jian opens Episode 412 of Roqe – Iran Rises with a forceful opening essay on the power of unity - as Iranians around the world shatter old stereotypes of division and rally around shared symbols, identity, and purpose.

He’s then joined by Homa Sarshar, revered Iranian-American journalist, author, and cultural figure, for a wide-ranging and deeply informed conversation on why this moment feels different, the evolving role of the diaspora, the silence of Western media, and what meaningful international pressure might actually require.

Recorded February 2, 2026.

This episode is brought to you with the support of Avoca Chocolates

avocachocolates.com

Jian opens Episode 411 of Roqe – Iran Rises with a searing essay explaining why the anger felt by Iranians around the world right now is not excessive, emotional, or misplaced - but informed, earned, and justified.

He’s then joined by Nazenin Ansari (Kayhan London / Kayhan Life) and Sadeq Bigdeli (Toronto-based lawyer and human rights advocate) for a sharp, up-to-the-minute conversation on the Huda Beauty backlash, disinformation campaigns, atrocity denial, the EU’s designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, legal accountability, and the possibility of international intervention.

Recorded January 29, 2026.

Jian is joined by Farzin Nadimi, senior Iran and defense analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Shayan Samii, a U.S. national security analyst specializing in strategic communications.

The panel examines why Western intervention in Iran is no longer optional, how the regime’s escalating violence signals strategic weakness rather than strength, and what tools the United States and its allies actually have at their disposal as mass killing unfolds inside Iran.

The episode opens with a forceful in-studio essay arguing that Western media atrocity denial - driven by hesitation, ideological discomfort, and an obsession with disputing numbers - is delaying truth and enabling the continued killing of Iranian civilians.

This episode is brought to you with the support of Stellar Law

🔗 stellarlaw.ca

Jian opens Episode 409 of Roqe - Iran Rises with a direct message to members of the Iranian diaspora who have chosen silence during one of the most violent chapters in the Islamic Republic’s history - not out of ignorance or absence, but out of convenience.

The episode then turns to a panel discussion with two guests joining from opposite sides of the world:

Erfan Paydar, Iranian-American rapper and activist in Los Angeles, and

Forouq Canaani, academic and political analyst based in Munich.

Together, they examine the current state of the uprising inside Iran, the unprecedented scale of global solidarity rallies, the role of regime-linked lobbying and disinformation efforts, and how Iranians inside the country are navigating repression, fear, and hope in real time.

Roqe - Iran Rises is recorded as events continue to move rapidly on the ground, with perspectives shared as close to real time as possible.

This episode is brought to you with the support of Stellar Law

🔗 stellarlaw.ca