How the Islamic Republic Thinks—and Why the West Misreads It | Catherine Perez-Shakdam

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The world is watching President Trump—and guessing what he will do with Iran's murderous leaders. But the real question is not how the United States will act, but what an apocalyptic regime will do if it believes its survival is on the line.

In this episode of EylON the Record, Eylon Levy speaks with Catherine Perez-Shakdam, a pro-Israel activist with a bizarre backstory that took her to the halls of power in Tehran. They discuss how the Islamic Republic of Iran actually thinks—its ideological drivers, its apocalyptic streak, and why Western governments keep misreading Tehran as a “normal” authoritarian state.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Catherine’s surreal personal journey—and how she gained proximity to senior Iranian figures
• Why the Islamic Republic operates like a cult, not a conventional state
• What “Death to Israel” means in the regime’s own words—and why dismissing it as rhetoric is dangerous
• How Iran behaves when cornered: escalation, deterrence, and the logic of “maximum pressure”

Understanding Iran isn’t an academic exercise. If policymakers mistake ideology for theatrics, they’ll miscalculate deterrence, misunderstand escalation, and sleepwalk into the next phase of the conflict—whether that’s an external war, internal collapse, or something uglier in between.

🎯 “It’s a cult. It’s absolutely a cult.”

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EylON the Record is a podcast about Israel, the global information war, and the battle between democratic societies and authoritarian or extremist movements — told through in-depth conversations with people shaping events on the front lines.

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ABOUT THE SHOW
EylON the Record is a podcast about Israel, the global information war, and the battle between democratic societies and authoritarian or extremist movements — told through in-depth conversations with people shaping events on the front lines.

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