Protests in Iran continue, and South Korea and China meet to say very little

Tthis week hosts Amanda and Hanna discuss what’s going on in Iran, how likely it is to make change, and a sort of follow-up the North Korea and Russia talk with more about the recent China and South Korea meeting. Correction: in this episode the polling in Iran is erroneously attributed to The Conversation, but was actually done by the group Gaaman, and referenced in the Conversation article Read along with us! Iran protests: 1. Why Iran’s clerical establishment still holds as protests rage (Samia Nakhoul, Reuters), 2. Iran protests 2026: our surveys show Iranians agree more on regime change than what might come next (Ammar Maleki and Pooyan Tamimi Arab, The Conversation), 3. Why are there protests in Iran and what has Trump said about US action? (Raffi BergandDavid Gritten, BBC), 4. US military strikes Islamic State group targets in Syria, officials say (Grace Eliza Goodwin, BBC) China and South Korea: 1. Selfies and smiles: South Korea seeks 'new phase' in ties with China (Jake Kwon and Koh Ewe, BBC), 2. China and South Korea pledge to bolster ties as regional tensions rise (Simina Mistreanu, AP)