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Iran thrives on Arab "misery," says expert Karim Sadjadpour
Whether it's Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen, how much control does Iran have over its proxy forces? According to Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, Karim Sadjadpour, Iran tends not to micromanage these groups. Iran may not typically give direct, day-to-day instructions but instead defer to these leaders to make their own decisions. However, Sadjadpour adds, on a broader level, Iran wields significant influence as they are often the primary source of funding and military support for these groups.
More importantly, when it comes to the people under the control of these proxy forces, whether they be Palestinian, Iraqi, Syrian, Yemeni or Lebanese, Iran doesn't care about their wellbeing. Sadjadpour emphasizes that we must distinguish between Iran being anti-Israel and genuinely pro-Palestinian, for instance. He recalls a conversation with an Iranian official who suggested that Iran benefits from the instability and conflict in the region, as it furthers their interests.
"Iran really benefits from the misery of these populations and these failing states, and they don't want to see these populations become prosperous" Sadjadpour tells Ian Bremmer in the latest episode of GZERO World. " And so in some ways, the more these populations experience conflict, whether it's, you know, conflict amongst themselves or direct conflict with Israel, Iran has tended to benefit from the despair of these Arab populations."
Watch the full interview: What’s Iran’s next move?
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
- What we know (and don't know) about Iran's role in the Israel-Hamas war ›
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- Fight between US and Iran’s proxies reaches boiling point ›
- Podcast: Iran's role in the Gaza war: is escalation inevitable? ›
- What’s Iran’s next move? ›
- US-Iran tensions complicate Biden's Middle East strategy - GZERO Media ›
Biden team struggles to define clear Iran strategy
Joe Biden may be one of the most experienced foreign policy presidents in recent history, but even he might admit that, at the moment, his administration is lacking a coherent Iran strategy. According to Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, Karim Sadjadpour, the White House's primary aim before October 7th had been to revive the Iran nuclear deal, but that hasn't materialized. Instead, the situation has become more escalatory, which is undesirable for both the US and Iran. Sadjadpour acknowledges that Iran may choose to advance its nuclear program and increase attacks on U.S. forces and Israel if they believe the Biden administration is averse to conflict. And it helps the American popular support for another Mideast war is near zero.
"The challenge that the Biden administration faces is that, on the one hand, they want to avert conflict with Iran, but if you want to deter Iran, you have to make clear to them there's gonna be a cost for that kind of behavior," Sadjadpour told Ian Bremmer on the latest episode of GZERO World.
Watch the full interview: What’s Iran’s next move?
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Israel's war in Gaza has emboldened Iran, says Karim Sadjadpour
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran's stance towards Israel and its Western allies has been nothing if not consistent, says Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour. In an extensive interview with Ian Bremmer for GZERO World, Sadjadpour emphasizes that Iran has consistently invested substantial resources in supporting militant groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah in an effort to undermine Israel. It's a continuation of Iran's long-term strategy to challenge the existence of Israel.
"Iran wants to defeat the US-led world order, evict the United States from the Middle East, and replace Israel with Palestine. There's perhaps been no government with a more consistent and enduring grand strategy than the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Israel's war with Gaza has only emboldened Iran, Sadjadpour argues. But it's not yet clear whether Iran will be so emboldened as to engage in an overt conflict with Israel or the United States.
Watch the full interview: What’s Iran’s next move?
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
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Why Iranians celebrated their soccer team’s World Cup elimination
Withhold your sympathy for the Iranian national soccer team, says Iranian activist and journalist Masih Alinejad. They represented the Islamic regime, she tells Ian Bremmer in an upcoming GZERO World interview, not the people.
Alinejad goes on to argue that the national team’s World Cup elimination (at the hands of the United States, no less) means that “the Islamic Republic is kicked out of the World Cup. It doesn’t have a global platform anymore to normalize its murderous regime.”
In a lively conversation, Bremmer presses Alinejad on why she believes that the Iranian soccer players did “too little, too late” to protest their government when they had the world’s attention.
Stay tuned for the full interview in next week’s episode of GZERO World. Check local public television listings.
World leaders are freaking out about the US vote too
You think you've been in a knot about Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona? Spare a thought for the leaders of Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Germany and.... Facebook!