KQSD FM, Mar 12, 2026, Moment of Truth with Ami Chen Mills (54 min.):
UPDATES ON IRAN AND MINNESOTA: This show includes a conversation with an ordinary, working mom in Minnesota, Janine Sieja, about her experience with ICE chaos, abductions and even murders in her city…
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Iran: America’s War of Choice is Israel’s War of Necessity
Counterpunch, March 10, 2026, by Daniel Falcone (quotes Zunes):
Stephen Zunes remarked just after the attack, “An Omani mediator said a nuclear agreement with Iran was within reach [and] in response, the United States and Israel started bombing… schools, hospitals, city parks, and cultural sites are being targeted in the United States and Israeli bombing of Tehran… This is not a preemptive war. A preemptive war is in response to an imminent attack. This is a war of aggression. A flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter.” Alarmingly, Trump stated over a month before the invasion that “I don’t need international law,” as he currently creates new norms. Zunes previously stated, “this war isn’t about nonproliferation, it’s about inflicting as much damage as possible on a country that isn’t willing to accept U.S. hegemony in the region.”
Interview: The Latest on Iran
Zunes’s key articles on Iran 2011-2025
Two articles and an interview during the summer 2025 bombing of Iran:
It’s Not About the Bomb
Missed Opportunity on Iran
Updates on the Iran-Israel War: Conversations with Leading Analysts
Debunking Trump’s claim that Iranians were responsible for the deaths of thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq:
No Evidence Iran is Responsible for the Deaths of Hundreds of Americans
For years, Republicans and hawkish Democrats have been pushing for war with Iran. Here are some articles in which I examined these dangerous efforts which have led to the current unfolding tragedy:
2018: Pompeo’s Iran Speech a Prelude to War? The Progressive
2016: Republicans and Democrats Alike Still Level Threats towards Iran Huffington Post
2015: Hardliners on All Sides Undermining Iran’s Nuclear Talks The Progressive
2013: U.S. Threats Weaken Iran’s Pro-Democracy Movement
2012: Congress Pushes for War with IranForeign Policy in Focus
2011: Iran Threat Reduction Act Actually Enhances Threat of War Huffington Post
Interview: Unpopularity of Iran war ‘almost unprecedented’ this early
Agence France Presse, March 3, 2026: Speaking with FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney, Zunes says, “even in the most controversial wars, like Iraq, when the war initiates, people tend to rally around the flag […] it’s remarkable at the very beginning of the war there’s overwhelming opposition not only from liberals and the left, but much of Trump’s spaces.”
Western Sahara: The Autonomy Proposal vs. International Legal Obligations
Global Monitoring Center, March 5, 2026:
Zunes is first of three panelists at this forum critically examining Morocco’s so-called “autonomy” proposal for the nation of Western Sahara, which it invaded, occupied, and illegally annexed in 1975. The US and several European governments are supporting this dubious proposal despite its contravention of international law.
Interview: Why Killing Khamenei Did Not Collapse the Regime
Fair Observer, March 5, 2026 (29 min.)
What Are the Trump Administration’s True Objectives in Iran?
Truthout, March 4, 2026, by Stephen Zunes [podcast]: Many of President Trump’s stated justifications for the US and Israeli war on Iran are demonstrably false… Much of it has to do with what was perceived as an opportunity. The Iranian regime has never been more isolated [and] U.S. hostility toward an independent-minded Iran has been a major component of U.S. foreign policy for decades, regardless of Israel…
Why is Trump going to war with Iran?
48 Hills, San Francisco, March 1, 2026:Trump had no logical reason to start this war: A mediator from Oman just the day before the bombing started said the two countries were making good progress on a nuclear deal. The message instead: “The US can’t be trusted.” To suggest that this will lead to regime change is “naive,” Zunes says: The Revolutionary Guards have as much control of the country as the official supreme leader, and eliminating a few more top Iranians won’t matter much. The way could easily escalate and spread. The outcome: “This is just going to end up killing a lot of people.”
Interviews since US-Israel began War on Iran
Interview: Could a US Strike Unite Iran Instead of Breaking It? Fair Observer
Fair Observer, Feb. 28, 2026 (28 min): With nearly 600 US fighter jets, two carrier strike groups and 50 warships positioned around Iran, tensions in the Middle East are rising fast. In this episode of FO Talks, Professor Stephen Zunes examines whether a “limited strike” on Iran is even possible — or whether escalation is inevitable. We discuss the Strait of Hormuz, oil disruption risks, Iranian nationalism, regime change fantasies, Israel’s role, Gulf state reactions and how China and Russia might respond.
Interview: Growing threat of war with Iran
KPFA-FM Evening News/Pacifica Radio network, Feb. 22, 2026:
Zunes shared his analysis, starting at the 2:30 mark.
Interview: The Iranian Protests Explained
Podcast (8-min.) & transcript Feb 07, 2026; By Daniel Falcone in Foreign Policy in Focus, January 28, 2026
Outside intervention will only undercut efforts by Iranians to transform their system. Zunes and historian Lawrence Davidson help unpack the protests and explain their relevance within the context of U.S. and Israeli national interests.
Interview: Is the US Planning to Throw a Lifeline to a Sinking UN?
Inter Press Service, UNITED NATIONS, Feb 6 2026 (IPS)
Zunes is quoted about U.S. efforts to undermine the United Nations.
Dr. Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, told IPS on the one hand, the United States has been in arrears in its payments to the United Nations quite a bit in recent years, but the UN has managed to get by. However, the extent of the Trump administration’s cutbacks and the ways they are being targeted at particularly vulnerable programs has resulted in this unprecedented fiscal crisis. “The hostility of the Trump administration to the United Nations is extreme. Trump has made clear he believes there should be no legal restraints on the conduct of U.S. foreign policy, so it is not surprising he would seek to undermine the world’s primary institution mandated with supporting international law and world order,” declared Dr Zunes.
Interview: US threats could strengthen Iranian regime
Interview: Anger, Accountability, and the Law: Capitalism, Courts, and Gaza
KPFW Jan. 30, 2026 (starts at 1:05:45): Anger, Accountability, and the Law: Capitalism, Courts, and Gaza
Interview: Zunes on Iran, Gaza, US Colonialism
KBOO Old Mole Variety Hour, Jan. 26, 2026: About recent protests in Iran, the continuing US/Israel genocide in Gaza, and US imperialism/colonialism.
Gaza’s Humanitarian Breakdown: Death, Displacement, and International Failure
Webinar Jan. 29, 2026: Arab Organization for Human Rights, UK
Interview: Trump’s ‘Board of Peace.’ What awaits Gaza?
Wyoming Star, Jan. 29, 2026, quotes Zunes:
“The United Nations was willing to initially give support to the formation of the Board of Peace when it was seen as the best way to maintain the shaky ceasefire in Gaza, but the subsequently released charter doesn’t even mention Gaza. Indeed, it appears to be an effort to undermine the United Nations system as a whole. Trump has given himself effective control of the direction the board takes and the sole authority to name members, terminate members, and choose his successor. He can decide when the board meets and what it discusses, as well as issue resolutions without the approval of other members. Given that Trump’s credibility in the international community is at an all-time low, it is extremely doubtful that more than a couple dozen nations will take part. It doesn’t help that a disproportionate number of leaders who have joined or have expressed interest are far right and/or authoritarian. Indeed, two of the invited members, Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin, were unable to attend the signing ceremony in Switzerland because they would be arrested as indicted war criminals. Furthermore, Trump’s insistence that nations pay him one billion dollars to join, particularly since he can remove them at his whim, makes it look like some kind of scam. As a result, it is hard to imagine it will be more than a historical footnote.”