The Brian Lehrer Show The Big Picture on the US and Iran
Mar 18, 2026
Daniel Immerwahr, historian and New Yorker writer who wrote How to Hide an Empire, gives a wide-angle look at U.S.-Iran relations and recent policy choices. He traces roots back to the 1953 coup. He contrasts presidential caution with Trump's risk-taking and examines shifting U.S. strategies, covert operations, arms ties, and political pressures shaping conflict decisions.
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Trump's Power Without Empire
- Trump exerts power like a bully but rejects classical imperialism's goal of governing conquered territories.
- Daniel Immerwahr contrasts Trump's relish for striking with his indifference to long-term control or legitimation that past presidents pursued.
Enormous Capacity For Risk Explains Sudden War
- Trump's willingness to attack stems from a high tolerance for risk and disregard for downstream consequences.
- Immerwahr cites Trump's own line about having an "enormous capacity for risk" and improvisational governing as a driver of sudden military action.
1953 Coup Laid Longterm Seeds Of Enmity
- U.S.-Iran hostility began in 1979 but was rooted in 1950s interventions like the 1953 coup against Mossadegh.
- Immerwahr explains Britain convinced Eisenhower to back a coup by framing Mossadegh within the wider Cold War threat.
