Foreign Relations & International Law

Lawfare Daily: The Latest in Iran, with Richard Nephew

Ariane Tabatabai, Richard Nephew, Jen Patja
Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 7:00 AM
Taking stock of U.S. policy toward Iran one year into President Trump's second administration.
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Iran is once again witnessing large-scale protests, on which the regime is cracking down through mass arrests and deadly force. President Trump has stated that the United States would come to the rescue of Iranians if the regime continues to kill protestors. Meanwhile, Tehran continues to reconstitute its nuclear program, which was damaged during the 12-day war over the summer. President Trump has threatened to eliminate Iran’s nuclear and missile programs if Tehran does not stop rebuilding its capabilities. Iran’s regional standing remains diminished, though its relationships with Russia and China continue even as tensions create limits to cooperation. 

On today’s episode, Lawfare Public Service Fellow Ariane Tabatabai sits down with Richard Nephew, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and former Deputy Special Envoy for Iran, to discuss the latest developments in Iran, take stock of U.S. policy toward Iran during President Trump’s first year back in office, and offer indicators for what to expect next.

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Ariane Tabatabai

Ariane Tabatabai

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Dr. Ariane Tabatabai is a Public Service Fellow at Lawfare. Previously, she served in a number of roles in the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, including most recently as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Education and Training. She is the author of No Conquest, No Defeat and the co-author of Triple Axis, as well as a number of peer-reviewed articles.
Richard Nephew

Richard Nephew

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Richard Nephew was the inaugural coordinator for global anti-corruption at the State Department from 2022 to 2024 and was elected president of the Conference of the States Parties of the UN Convention Against Corruption in December 2023. He’s now a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and Center on Global Energy Policy.
Jen Patja

Jen Patja

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Jen Patja is the editor of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security, and serves as Lawfare’s Director of Audience Engagement. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics and Deputy Director of the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, where she worked to deepen public understanding of constitutional democracy and inspire meaningful civic participation.
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