Barbara Slavin

Mark Montgomery, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral with expertise in naval operations, and Barbara Slavin, Stimson Center analyst on Iran, discuss Iran’s renewed protests and the regime’s internal strains. They unpack U.S. military buildup near Iran and the scale of naval deployments. The conversation also covers military options, Iran’s retaliation capabilities, and regional pressures.

Hassan Ahmadian, Tehran-based associate professor offering on-the-ground political perspective. Barbara Slavin, Stimson Center analyst with deep Middle East and US policy experience. Sean Ryan, China market specialist focused on trade and energy ties. They discuss China–Iran economic links, limits on military backing, energy vulnerabilities and how Beijing balances relations across the Gulf in a shifting geopolitical landscape.

In this thought-provoking discussion, Behnam Ben Taleblu, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Barbara Slavin, a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, tackle the urgent issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions. They debate the consequences of a potentially nuclear-armed Iran, weighing the risks of military action against diplomatic options. The conversation highlights the geopolitical fallout for the U.S. and its allies, exploring the historical context, strategies for engagement, and the implications for regional stability.

Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Centre and Iran expert. She explains who Mojtaba Khamenei is and his ties to the IRGC. Conversations cover whether he will be more hardline, Iran’s capacity for prolonged conflict, Gulf states’ limits, drone threats and impacts, and risks from intensified U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Barbara Slavin, Stimson Center foreign policy analyst on Iran and Middle East dynamics. Paul Dobson, Bloomberg executive editor for Asia markets with regional market expertise. They discuss market swings as U.S.-Iran tensions push oil higher and equities lower. They cover China holiday spending, AI competition in tech, Japan’s policy moves, private credit worries, and regional military buildups and diplomatic prospects.