Roqe

On this episode of Roqe, Jian is joined by Bijan Kian - a returning guest who consistently sparks strong reactions from the Roqe audience.

A former senior U.S. official with decades of experience across public and private sectors, Kian offers his perspective on the current war involving the United States, Israel, and the Islamic Republic. The conversation explores competing narratives in American media, questions around strategy, and what this moment may signal for the future of Iran - including the role of Reza Pahlavi in a potential transition.

Later in the episode, Jian is joined by a panel of organizers and participants ahead of a major rally in Washington, D.C. this Sunday in support of the Lion and Sun movement:

Andy Alem (New York), Mandana Khazraei (Washington, D.C.), Behnam Bayat (Toronto), and Sergio Khadem (Toronto).

They discuss the purpose of the demonstration, the coordination across cities, and the broader significance for the Iranian diaspora.

The episode opens with an essay by Jian examining a recent Canadian poll suggesting that roughly one in five Gen Z respondents express support for the Islamic Republic - and what this reveals about disinformation, ideology, and the urgency of better public understanding.

This episode is supported by:

Famluxy - https://famluxy.com

Avoca Chocolates - https://avocachocolates.com

On this episode of Roqe, Jian is joined by a global panel to unpack a fast-moving and uncertain moment around Iran and the role of Donald Trump’s rhetoric and positioning in shaping what may come next.

Joining from London, Washington, and Toronto are Shooka Bidarian, Shayan Sami’i, and Ardeshir Zarezadeh - bringing perspectives from media, policy, and activism to explore where things stand right now, how Iranians inside the country may be processing events, and whether the Islamic Republic is weaker than it appears.

Jian opens the episode with an essay that zooms out from the daily chaos and makes a larger case: that Iran is not the Islamic Republic - and that this regime represents a temporary rupture in a much longer and richer history.

This episode is supported by:

Famluxy - https://famluxy.com

Stellar Law - https://stellarlaw.ca

On this episode of Roqe, Jian opens with an essay titled “Beware the Regime Narratives in Western Media.”

As the conflict surrounding Iran continues, Jian examines how Islamic Republic propaganda can travel through Western media ecosystems - and how narratives amplified abroad can eventually be used to influence audiences inside Iran.

He looks at several examples currently circulating in Western coverage - from the discussion around Mojtaba Khamenei and regime succession, to the claim that the Iranian revolution has faded because people have not returned to the streets during the bombing campaign, to the repeated assertion that there is no opposition leadership.

Later in the episode, Jian speaks with Germany-based researcher and political analyst Forouq Canaani, joining from Munich.

Their conversation explores:

the war so far

the regime’s disinformation tactics

how narratives move between Iran, the diaspora, and Western media

the question of succession

and whether the conditions for a new uprising inside Iran may be emerging.

This episode is supported by:

Avoca Chocolates

https://avocachocolates.com

On this episode of Roqe, Jian Ghomeshi speaks with Iranian-British journalist Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, head of digital news at Iran International.

Joining Jian from Washington, Sharafedin discusses the rapidly unfolding situation surrounding Iran as the conflict enters its ninth day and global commentary intensifies.

Their conversation explores:

the emergence of Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader

whether Western media narratives are misreading events inside Iran

why many Iranians have not taken to the streets while bombs are falling

the potential impact of targeted strikes against IRGC infrastructure

and the possibility that the regime - or some version of it - could survive the current crisis.

Jian also opens the episode with an essay titled “The Mullas Are Not

Anti-Imperialist Heros,” challenging the tendency in some Western political circles to romanticize the Islamic Republic as a form of anti-imperialist resistance.

This episode is supported by:

Famluxy

https://famluxy.com (https://famluxy.com/)

Stellar Law

https://stellarlaw.ca (https://stellarlaw.ca/)

On this episode of Roqe, Jian opens with an essay about the brave Iranians who took to the streets in recent weeks demanding regime change - and the promise many in the diaspora made to stand with them. As war imagery dominates the headlines and debates grow louder around intervention, Jian reminds listeners that history is rarely tidy - and that the courage of those inside Iran should remain at the center of the conversation.

Jian then speaks with Iranian-American lawyer and commentator Ari Aramesh, joining from Washington D.C.

As U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic intensifies, the discussion focuses on a central question - will intervention actually bring change to Iran? Or could it entrench the regime further?

They discuss the legality of the intervention, political reactions inside the United States, and whether weakening the regime’s military capabilities could create the conditions for Iranians inside the country to rise again.

Guest: Ari Aramesh - managing attorney at Whitcomb Selinsky and frequent commentator on CNN, BBC, Fox News and Al Jazeera English.

Episode 421 of Roqe - part of the Iran Risesseries.

This episode is supported by:

Famluxy

https://famluxy.com (https://famluxy.com/)

Use code ROQE to receive 40% off the Glory Days collection celebrating Iranian heritage.

With Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed following a joint United States–Israel military operation inside Iran, the political and strategic landscape has shifted dramatically.

What comes next?

Jian sits down with:

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

Behnam Ben Taleblu - Senior Director of the Iran Program at FDD and specialist on Iran’s security apparatus.

They discuss:

Whether this is a genuine turning point

If celebration is appropriate for long-suffering Iranians based on the death of Khamenei, but despite there being a long way to go

Whether Washington and Jerusalem have a real “day after” plan

The risk of a clerical power vacuum

The role of Prince Reza Pahlavi and the opposition

The regime’s regional retaliation

The episode opens with an essay from Jian outlining 4 reasons a free Iran could transform global security, economics, migration patterns, and the Middle East’s long-term trajectory.

This episode is supported by:

Stellar Law - stellarlaw.ca

Avoca Chocolates - avocachocolates.com

Follow Jian on Instagram @JianGhomeshi

Meezoon basheen.

On this edition of Roqe, Jian and guests examine the growing wave of disinformation surrounding Iran in Western media and public discourse.

Joining from Vancouver, Sadaf Yasini, and from Ottawa, longtime Roqe contributor Pegah Ganji, the conversation explores:

The scale and discipline of diaspora demonstrations

Why Western audiences struggle to process the demand for regime change

How anti-war rhetoric can obscure the reality Iranians are already living

And what practical steps the diaspora can take to educate non-Iranians

Jian opens with an essay urging Iranians in the diaspora not just to speak to each other - but to reach out beyond their own communities. Silence creates informational vacuums. Vacuums invite distortion.

Later, Jian speaks with Daniel Diba, who recounts his imprisonment and torture by the Islamic Republic and explains why he believes it is critical to speak out now.

This episode was recorded on February 26, 2026.

This episode is supported by:

Famluxy - famluxy.com

Stellar Law - stellarlaw.ca

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