Episode 14: The Iran Deal Protection Racket

In this episode of Citations Needed, Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson dissect the media's portrayal of Iran's nuclear program, highlighting the pervasive yet often unsubstantiated claim that Iran possesses a nuclear weapons program. They argue that media outlets frequently conflate Iran's civilian nuclear energy program with a weapons program, perpetuating a narrative of Iran as an imminent threat. The hosts discuss how this rhetoric is used to justify military buildup and aggressive foreign policy, and they critique the liberal stance, exemplified by figures like Elizabeth Warren, which supports sanctions and containment under the false premise of preventing a nuclear Iran. They emphasize that intelligence assessments consistently show Iran has not made a decision to build nuclear weapons and that the demonization of Iran serves specific political agendas, obscuring the country's right to a peaceful nuclear program.