Sergei Melkonian - Israel & Iran, Crackdown on Opposition, Pashinyan in Istanbul | Ep 449, June 22, 2025

Groong Week in Review - June 22, 2025This Week in Review episode features Sergei Melkonian and covers a turbulent week in Armenia and the region. As Israel and the U.S. launched a short but intense war on Iran, Armenia found itself navigating heightened regional risks, a rising refugee flow, and diplomatic silence. Meanwhile, domestically, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan escalated a political and cultural confrontation with the Armenian Church, arresting billionaire Samvel Karapetyan after he publicly defended the clergy. Dozens of opposition figures were also detained, including members of the ARF and the Srbazan Movement. As Pashinyan visited Istanbul for a quiet meeting with Erdogan—coinciding with an anti-Armenian declaration by the OIC—his government cracked down at home, drawing criticism for politicizing national security and purging dissent.TopicsIsrael and IranCrackdown on the OppositionPashinyan in IstanbulThe Kitchen SinkGuestSergei MelkonianHostsHovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 449 | Recorded: June 25, 2025SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/449VIDEO: https://youtu.be/KqlQ13gkIIc #IranIsraelWar #ZangezurCorridor #SamvelKarapetyan #ChurchCrackdown #SrbazanMovementSubscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong