
Democracy Now! Audio Democracy Now! 2026-03-19 Thursday
Mar 19, 2026
Lala Khalili, professor of Gulf studies and author, explains how the South Pars strike shook maritime chokepoints and global energy flows. Vali Nasr, Iranian-American international affairs scholar, outlines Iran’s long-game strategy, regional escalation risks, and possible endgames. They probe shipping dangers, petrocurrency shifts, military moves, and geopolitical ripple effects in short, sharp conversations.
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Iran's Long Game Of Attrition
- Iran is pursuing a deliberate long-game strategy of attrition rather than quick collapse.
- Vali Nasser explains Iran uses mosaic governance and low-cost attacks to exhaust Israeli and U.S. defenses and build leverage over time.
Limited Troops Can't Fix Asymmetric Threats
- Small deployments like 2,500 Marines cannot reliably reopen the Strait of Hormuz or stop Iran's asymmetric tactics.
- Nasser notes drones, mines and dispersed geography limit rapid U.S. fixes and complicate island-capture plans.
Assassinations Hardened Iran's Leadership
- Targeted assassinations radicalized Iran's leadership rather than collapsing the regime.
- Nasser says removing potential interlocutors elevated hardliners and strengthened Revolutionary Guard control, worsening outcomes for diplomacy.

