Novara Live Iran Wants to Transform the Regional Order | Sina Toosi Interview
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Apr 8, 2026 
Sina Toosi, Middle East expert and senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, explains Iran’s strategic goals and regional tactics. He discusses Tehran’s use of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. He explores Iran’s bargaining logic on sanctions and nuclear work. He examines Iran’s mosaic defense, IRGC regional influence, and how Western misreading shaped policy debates.
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Trump Rhetoric Echoes Longstanding Supremacist Foreign Policy
- Trump’s rhetoric about destroying a civilisation reflects longstanding supremacist strands in US foreign policy rather than a novel idea.
- Sina Toossi ties this to neoconservative thinkers and racialized logic stretching back through US imperialist impulses and colonial-era attitudes.
Iran Seeks Relief From Economic Penalty Box
- Iran’s war aim is to exit the economic and strategic 'penalty box' created by sanctions and threats so it can reintegrate economically.
- Tehran prizes its Strait of Hormuz leverage because disrupting trade forces global economic costs, giving Iran durable bargaining power.
Iran’s Nuclear Program Functioned As A Bargaining Chip
- Iran treated its nuclear programme as a bargaining chip and deterrent, not an inevitable dash for weapons.
- Before the war Iran was reportedly willing to freeze enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief and regional accommodation.