Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Seyed M. Marandi: U.S. Attacked World's Largest Gas Field & Iran Declares Economic War
13 snips
Mar 18, 2026 
Seyed Mohammad Marandi, Tehran University professor and former nuclear negotiation advisor, analyzes recent strikes on South Pars and Bushehr. He discusses Iran’s strategic leverage in the Strait of Hormuz. He outlines likely targets of retaliation, limits of US intervention, domestic political fallout in the West, and Tehran’s conditions for any political settlement.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Iran's Strategic Chokehold On Hormuz
- Iran holds a strategic chokehold via the Strait of Hormuz and extensive missile/drone capabilities that can threaten oil exports and regional bases.
- Seyed Mohammad Marandi argues these capabilities make U.S. plans to reopen Hormuz militarily unrealistic and give Iran leverage over Gulf trade and allied bases.
Israel Leading Target Selection Raises Escalation Risk
- Operational control of strikes has shifted from the U.S. to Israel, with Israel choosing targets and the U.S. cooperating, increasing escalation risk.
- Marandi says this Israeli operational lead explains recent targeted assassinations and infrastructure strikes that aim to provoke Iran.
Personal Account Of Working With Larijani
- Marandi recounts volunteering on a China dossier and working with Dr. Larijani, praising his character and lamenting his assassination as a major loss.
- He frames the loss as personal and institutional but insists replacements exist within Iran's expert state structure.