One Decision
One Decision
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“Surrender would be far more dangerous to Iran’s survival than war.” - Iran Expert Trita Parsi
47 minutes Posted Mar 5, 2026 at 5:01 am.
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Saudi Shift After Oct 7
MAGA Backlash and Exit Ramps
Why Trump Went In
One Decision to Watch
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Show notes
Iran's strategy isn't to defeat the US militarily. Trita Parsi argues that it's to make the cost high enough, fast enough, to collapse domestic support before Iran loses. With MAGA turning against the war, oil markets destabilizing, and both parties alarmed by talk of ground troops, Trump urgently needs a face-saving exit. Plus, Parsi believes that Iran's revolutionary system was built to withstand exactly this kind of pressure.
Trita Parsi is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, co-founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council, and author of four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East. 
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