S2E66: Iran’s war machine can only last a few more weeks: Expert

Mar 19, 2026

31:15

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Depleting its own military resources and antagonising Arab neighbours may be a cost too high for the regime to bear.

Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points.

In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Prof Benjamin Radd, an authority on the politics of the Middle East, especially Iran.

Professor Radd, PhD (UCLA 2015) JD (Stanford 2003), is a Political Scientist and Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, and an expert on government and politics of the Middle East, US foreign policy, and comparative law.

Dr Radd is also a professor at the UCLA School of Law and adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law, where he lectures on American legal development and constitutional law and politics.

In addition, Dr Radd is the Founder and CEO of Fascination Lab, an educational and experiential learning consulting firm. In 2023, he was hired to design a political crisis simulation that was filmed and released as an award-winning documentary, ‘War Game’, which was selected to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:32 Iranian regime's capability for waging a long war

6:23 Will the Iranian regime try to make a nuclear bomb?

15:14 Potential emergence of a moderate leader in Iran

19:21 Is Arab faith in the US shaken?

20:23 The possibility of Arab nations attacking Iran

22:17 Has Trump landed himself in a political mess?

25:01 When will the war end?

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo

Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E

Host: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani