Episodes

  • How to Wrest Lebanon From Iran's Grip

    How to Wrest Lebanon From Iran's Grip
    May 7 2026
    Despite efforts to extend the cease-fire in Lebanon and disarm Iranian proxy Hizballah, fighting continues between the militant group and Israeli forces. Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Fadi Nicholas Nassar to examine what the renewed fighting means for attempts to counter Iranian influence in Lebanon and what could lie ahead. They discuss the prospects for a lasting agreement, Iran's broader proxy strategy, and how Washington can help strengthen the sovereignty of the Lebanese state. To read Nassar's latest commentary piece in The National Interest, please click here. Recorded on May 5, 2026.
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    41 mins
  • Violence, Settlements, and Creeping Annexation in the West Bank

    Violence, Settlements, and Creeping Annexation in the West Bank
    Apr 30 2026
    As international attention remains fixed on the fallout from the Iran war, conditions in the West Bank continue to deteriorate. Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj speak with MEI Senior Fellow Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen about the sharp rise in settler violence, expanding settlement activity, and growing Palestinian displacement across the territory. They examine how recent Israeli legal and administrative measures are reshaping realities on the ground, the implications for Israeli-Palestinian relations, and what the United States should do to play a constructive mediator role. Recorded on April 28, 2026.
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    39 mins
  • A New-Old Regime in Tehran

    A New-Old Regime in Tehran
    Apr 23 2026
    Nearly two months into the Iran war, US President Donald Trump has announced an indefinite extension of the cease-fire between Washington and Tehran, even as control of the Strait of Hormuz remains contested. Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka to explore where the conflict may be headed and unpack the factors at play. They discuss how Iran's internal power structures have shifted since February 28, the prospects for a deal between Washington and Tehran, and what form a resumption of hostilities could take. Find Alex's analysis of the war's impact on the Iranian regime here. Recorded on April 22, 2026.
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    31 mins
  • Bonus Episode: Stalled Talks and Next Steps for the US and Iran

    Bonus Episode: Stalled Talks and Next Steps for the US and Iran
    Apr 17 2026
    This bonus episode of Middle East Focus features a recent MEI Virtual Briefing. Director of Communications Zeina Al-Shaib is joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellows Alan Eyre and Daniel Benaim to discuss the historic talks held in Pakistan last weekend between the United States and Iran. Tehran insists the US failed to gain its trust, while the US made its red lines clear and declared it would blockade Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf. What happens next? Eyre and Benaim offer insights into what goes on behind the scenes at such negotiations; identify the core issues at play; explore potential incentives to end the war; analyze the weaponization of energy; as well as assess the role of other regional players in this conflict. Watch the Virtual Briefing Series here. Recorded on April 15, 2026.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • How the War May Reshape Iran's Political Future

    How the War May Reshape Iran's Political Future
    Apr 16 2026
    As the international community focuses on the regional and economic reverberations of the US-Israel-Iran war, the wartime experiences of ordinary Iranians and their aspirations for the future have received much less attention. Arash Azizi, a postdoctoral associate at Yale University and contributing writer at The Atlantic, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss the war's repercussions for the Iranian population and how the outcome of the conflict may shape the peoples' lives going forward. Together, they explore Iran's internal politics, the viability of the opposition, and the conditions needed to achieve democracy in Iran.
    Read Arash's analysis of the fractured the Iranian opposition here, and his argument for why talks with Washington could ultimately benefit the Iranian people here.

    Recorded on April 15, 2026.
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    43 mins
  • Iraq in Between Iran and the United States

    Iraq in Between Iran and the United States
    Apr 9 2026
    Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Amb. (ret.) Robert S. Ford to examine what is at stake for Iraq in the Iran war. The only country to have been hit by both sides, Iraq is caught in the middle of a regional conflict, with the local Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carrying out attacks on American interests and personnel — and the US responding. This escalation comes at a period of internal political transition in Iraq, which has been locked in negotiations to form a new government since the November 2025 elections. Ford, who served as Deputy and later Acting Ambassador in Baghdad from 2008 until 2010, unpacks how Iraq is navigating the current moment, how the Kurdistan region fits into this equation, and what this all means for the future of US-Iraqi relations. This episode was recorded on the afternoon of April 7, 2026, before the US announced it had reached a temporary cease-fire with Iran.
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    44 mins
  • Special Episode: Europe and the Iran War

    Special Episode: Europe and the Iran War
    Apr 2 2026
    This special episode of Middle East Focus features a conversation from MEI's Virtual Briefing Series. Host Alistair Taylor is joined by former National Security Council Senior Director Stephen Flanagan and MEI Senior Fellow Iulia-Sabina Joja to discuss the impacts of the Iran war on US-European relations. The conflict has hit Europe's economy hard and created deep divisions across the continent, even as some European countries play a quiet supporting role to the US. President Donald Trump has called for NATO member states to help secure shipping through the Iranian-blocked Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for international maritime trade. Flanagan and Joja explore the prospects for stepped-up European military involvement, the knock-on effects on the war in Ukraine, and the potential longer-term impact on the future of the US-European alliance. Watch the Virtual Briefing Series here. Recorded on March 31, 2026.
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    58 mins
  • As Iran Weakens, Can Hamas Survive?

    As Iran Weakens, Can Hamas Survive?
    Mar 26 2026
    MEI Senior Fellow Jaser AbuMousa joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack how Hamas is navigating the US-Israel conflict with Iran and its impact on Gaza. Two and a half years after the start of the Gaza war, international attention has shifted away from the humanitarian crisis in the devastated coastal strip. Meanwhile, Hamas' primary state sponsor, Iran, has been severely weakened by US-Israeli military strikes and the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. AbuMousa examines how this could affect Hamas' trajectory moving forward and its place within the Axis of Resistance, as well as what it all means for the Palestinian people. Read Jaser's argument for why now is the time to focus on Gaza here, and his analysis of the power struggle within Hamas following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei here. Recorded on March 24, 2026.
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    38 mins