Watch Webinar – Protests Sweep Iran
Click here to read a transcript.
What started as a protest in Tehran over the declining value of Iran’s rial has quickly evolved into a nationwide uprising with the Iranian people calling for the regime’s downfall. Iranian police have responded violently to the country’s largest protests since 2022, firing into crowds and killing several peaceful demonstrators. President Donald Trump publicly expressed his support, asserting that the United States is “locked and loaded,” and will come to the Iranian people’s defense if the regime kills protestors.
To discuss Trump’s threats and the protests’ long-term implications, JINSA hosted a webinar featuring Dr. Ray Takeyh, JINSA Iran Policy Project Member and Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Mariam Memarsadeghi, Director of the Cyrus Forum for Iran’s Future and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
JINSA President & CEO Dr. Michael Makovsky moderated the conversation.
Ray Takeyh Dr. Ray Takeyh is a member of JINSA’s Iran Policy Project and Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His areas of specialization are Iran, political reform in the Middle East, and Islamist movements and parties. He previously served as a senior advisor on Iran policy at the Department of State. |
Mariam Memarsadeghi Mariam Memarsadeghi is Director of the Cyrus Forum for Iran’s Future and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The American Interest, The Jerusalem Post, Tablet, Bulwark, Quillette and other publications. She is a frequent speaker at universities and think tanks worldwide and provides commentary on English, Persian and Arabic language TV news programs. |
Michael Makovsky, PhD Michael Makovsky, since 2013, has been President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). Makovsky has worked extensively on U.S.-Israel defense ties, U.S. policy toward Iran, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, the Persian Gulf, the role of energy in U.S. national security policy, and the Eastern Mediterranean. |