Iran expert Sharan Tabari joins the Economist’s Anshel Pfeffer and Jonathan Rosenthal to discuss the country’s proxies, nuclear ambitions, and regional power dynamics.

Since its 1979 revolution, Iran has destabilised the region and alarmed the West. Its leadership calls for Israel’s destruction, seizes Western visitors as bargaining chips, and fuels militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, proxies in Iraq, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The recent regime change in Syria—without significant Iranian intervention—raises questions about its influence. But its nuclear programme, which has accelerated in recent months, remains a global concern. Sharan Tabari, Iran adviser at the Legatum Institute, joins The Economist’s Israel Editor Anshel Pfeffer and International Editor Jonathan Rosenthal to discuss Iran’s proxies, nuclear ambitions, and regional power dynamics.

An event from Jewish Book Week 2025