Episode Details

(Photo: AI-generated image posted online to intimidate Trita Parsi).)

Tuesday, June 23, 2026, Istanbul

Trita Parsi has been among the most measured and well-informed experts on Iran and the Middle East in the public eye. Yet for years, he’s been targeted by nefarious and well-funded forces seeking to paint him as an asset of the Islamic Republic, where he would be arrested on national security charges.

In today’s powerful and jam-packed edition of the badlands podcast, Trita, author of the excellent book Treacherous Alliance, joins me for an extraordinary and revealing interview. He discusses the attempt by Israeli operative Bari Weiss to spark a deportation drive against him, his confrontations with members of the Iranian-American community, and his continued access to the halls of power despite attempts to silence him.

Also on today’s episode, I discuss the latest, including:

* Positive signs coming from Washington and Tehran

* Lindsay Graham’s attempts to gin up another round of war

* The continued clashes in Lebanon, and how they could undermine the whole deal

I also answer questions about the state of Donald Trump’s mental health, the ongoing discussions between the US and Iran, the impact of the oil sanctions waivers, and the growing tension in the US over support for Israel in an interview with India’s NewsX World host Asuma Kataoka.

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