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Afshin Matin-Asgari is an Iranian historian and professor of Middle East history at California State University, Los Angeles, and the author of Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–U.S. Relations. He spoke to Current Affairs about the long history of U.S. involvement in Iran—from the 1953 CIA-backed coup to the present conflict—and why foreign intervention has repeatedly strengthened authoritarian forces rather than weakened them. A participant in the 1978 revolution who opposed both the Shah and the Islamic Republic, Matin-Asgari offers a rare perspective on Iranian politics, the nuclear issue, and the current war, arguing that while the Islamic Republic is repressive, Iran’s future must be determined by Iranians themselves, not by the United States or Israel.
🇮🇷 Buy Afshin's Book: https://www.versobooks.com/products/2694-a-history-of-iran-us-relations
0:00-3:05 Afshin's background and how he feels about the war
3:05-5:46 What attacks mean for Iranian dissidents
5:46-9:25 The 1978 revolution
9:25-19:26 The U.S., the 1953 coup, and the Shah
19:26-27:26 Origins of U.S.–Iran conflict
27:26-30:48 Are Iranian leaders irrational?
30:48-35:13 Iran’s nuclear program
35:13-43:02 Iran’s strategy and risk of wider war
43:02-46:48 What stance the left should take
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