Who's Afraid of a Free Iran? | Jonathan Schanzer

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World leaders say they stand with the people of Iran. But when the Islamic Republic is finally under real pressure, many of the same voices suddenly want de-escalation.

What exactly are Western leaders so afraid of: a wider war, or the fall of the regime itself?

In this episode of EylON the Record, Eylon Levy speaks with Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, about whether regime change in Iran is still a realistic outcome, why Western governments seem more frightened by instability than by tyranny, and what the fall of the Islamic Republic could mean for Israel, the Gulf states, Europe, and the future balance of power in the Middle East.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why so many Western leaders prefer the “devil they know” in Tehran to the uncertainty of regime collapse
• Whether the war is actually creating the conditions for regime change after the bombing stops
• How Gulf states, Europe, Turkey, Russia, and China are positioning themselves for the day after
• Whether a weakened Iran leads to containment, covert action, or a full scramble to remake the region

This conversation goes beyond the immediate battlefield. It asks whether the West still has the confidence to confront openly hostile regimes, or whether it has become so risk-averse that it now fears the collapse of tyranny more than tyranny itself. Getting that question wrong will shape not just Iran’s future, but the future of regional order and Western credibility.

🎯 Key moment:
“When the bombing stops, that’s when the interesting stuff is very likely to begin.”

🎙 Filmed at M10 Studios, Tel Aviv

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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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