PBD Podcast The Future of Iran: Restore the Crown or Start Over?? | PBD #725
Jan 24, 2026
Dr. Allahyar Kangarlu, a nuclear physicist-turned-neurotechnology researcher, provides technical and geopolitical analysis. Amir Fakhravar, former political prisoner and activist, shares firsthand protest and opposition experience. They debate Iran’s post-IRGC future, possible regimes or a restoration of the crown, U.S. intervention, regional geopolitics with China and Russia, and competing visions for transitional leadership.
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From Student Arrests To Exile And Activism
- Amir Fakhravar recounts repeated arrests, torture, and imprisonment for protesting from age 16 into his twenties.
- He says he wrote books in prison, escaped in 2006, then founded the National Iranian Congress in exile.
Science Shaped Political Perspective
- Allahyar Kangarlu describes his scientific career building high-field MRI and using fMRI to map the mind at Columbia.
- He connects scientific methods to his political thinking about Iran's future governance.
Prioritize Economic Growth Before Politics
- Do pursue economic development first to create conditions for political reform, Allahyar advises.
- He cites South Korea, Singapore and Turkey as models where development preceded democracy.