UNAPOLOGETIC with Ashfaaq Carim

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak to foreign policy analyst Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute about how long the US-Israel war on Iran will likely last and what its consequences will likely be.

The conversation examines Iran’s incentives to keep fighting, Trump’s political calculations, pressure from Gulf states, Netanyahu's opportunism, and how powers like China and Russia may respond if the war drags on

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak to writer and activist Hoda Katebi about the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, and the complex political forces shaping Iran’s future.
Katebi argues that the Iranian government is deeply repressive, but also warns that foreign intervention by the US and Israel risks strengthening that repression rather than weakening it. She explains why many Iranians reject both the Islamic government and attempts to reinstall the Pahlavi monarchy, and why outside military pressure can undermine internal democratic movements.
The conversation also explores the fear many Iranians are experiencing as bombing escalates and communication with family members inside Iran becomes difficult. Katebi reflects on her own Iranian American identity, growing up in the United States after 9/11, and how those experiences shaped her political views.

Gulf security expert Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, joined the UNAPOLOGETIC podcast to discuss Iran’s response to the US-Israel war against it and the potential ramifications of it.

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak to writer, historian, and lifelong anti-imperialist Tariq Ali about the state of the US empire in an increasingly unstable world.
From Trump’s erratic posture on Iran to the long arc of American imperial power, Ali places today’s crises in a deep historical context—stretching from Iran in 1953 to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Gaza.
The conversation examines how US power has adapted rather than declined, how Trump differs from previous presidents in style rather than substance, and why imperial violence is now increasingly exposed rather than hidden.
We explore the limits of American dominance, the rise of China as an economic counterweight, and whether the global balance of power is truly shifting.
Ali also reflects on Gaza, Western complicity, Arab state paralysis, and what he describes as a process of recolonisation in the Middle East—alongside the dangers and possibilities that lie ahead.

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, retired UK major general Charlie Herbert reflects on 34 years of military service, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and explains how those experiences shaped his views on Israel, Western power, and why he now calls Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:30 Military Silence Explained
11:30 Gaza And Genocide
22:00 Strategic Failure Israel
33:00 Iraq And Afghanistan
44:30 Western Intervention Hubris
55:30 Power Hypocrisy West
1:06:30 Why Wars Fail
1:17:30 What Justice Requires