- International Affairs
- Security & Defense
- US Foreign Policy
- Key Countries / Regions
- Military
- Determining America's Role in the World
Join Abbas Milani, Hoover research fellow and Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University, and Hoover senior fellow H.R. McMaster, as they discuss the Iran War, its effects on the Iranian people, the Iranian regime, and prospects for peace and security in the Middle East and beyond.
Reflecting on the war in Iran at this critical moment, Milani and McMaster discuss the conditions inside the country, the state of the regime, and the widening gap between society and the ruling system. They examine how power is exercised within an increasingly fragmented structure and whether the regime’s grip is weakening under internal pressure. The conversation explores possible futures for Iran and the broader Middle East, including the roles of major powers such as China and Russia, prospects for negotiations with the United States, and the importance of supporting the Iranian people. Milani highlights Iran's historical significance and the Hoover Institution's mission of scholarship and policy engagement in shaping the understanding of Iran and its future.
Recorded on April 21, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Professor Abbas Milani is the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Professor Milani taught at Tehran University before 1986. He has written extensively on Iranian political development, US–Iran relations, and the ideology of the Islamic Republic. His work on the 1979 Revolution and the evolution of Iran’s ruling system informs debates over regime stability and the prospects for political change.
H.R. McMaster is the host of Today's Battlegrounds. He is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.
RELATED SOURCES
- Abbas Milani, “The Coming Iranian Revolution.” New York Times, March 3, 2026.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Each episode features H.R. McMaster, in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.”
