Spoiler Alert: Many Ways Iran Deal Could Be Derailed (S01)

Friday, June 26, 2026, Istanbul On Thursday, Iran attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, violating a provision of the memorandum of understanding it signed with Iran. Meanwhile, Israel continued its attacks on Lebanon, killing more civilians, also in violation of the memorandum which requires the US to leash Benjamin Netanyahu.So many things could go wrong in the ongoing talks with Iran, and so many players have an interest in making sure it’s derailed. In today’s edition of the badlands podcast, I speak with the Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez about the spoilers, the many actors that could undermine the the agreement between the US and Iran and prompt a return to war. They include hardliners in or close to government in Tehran, Washington, and Israel, as well as the monarchist activists Ali Vaez is one of the sharpest and most well-informed observers of the Iran crisis, serving as an interlocutor as well as an analyst. Please excuse the poor audio quality of the podcast today, which is sometimes tough to hear because of technical difficulties. The video version is captioned. badlands is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe