The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer War Clouds Over Iran w/ Amir Handjani
Feb 1, 2026
Amir Handjani, non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute and Iran analyst, breaks down rising U.S.-Iran tensions. He outlines the high risk of U.S. strikes, Iran's negotiation preconditions, and why missiles and strategic depth make a quick overthrow unlikely. They also discuss regional fractures, Gulf fears, and how domestic politics shape the prospects for war.
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Trump’s Threefold Demands On Iran
- The Trump administration seeks to force Iran to stop enriching uranium, end proxy support, and abandon long-range missiles.
- Iran views those demands as maximalist and prefers negotiation, not dictation.
Enrichment Is Damaged But Politically Sacred
- Iran's enrichment capacity is currently limited after recent strikes, so immediate negotiation leverage differs from past years.
- Tehran still insists on a sovereign enrichment program and will weigh sanctions relief and banking access in any deal.
Missiles Give Iran Strategic Depth
- Iran retains indigenous missile capabilities that give it strategic depth despite other losses.
- Those missiles make Iran hard to overrun and are central to its deterrence logic.