Iran’s old guard tightens its grip

Summary

Ark News Daily – August 11, 2026

Episode Title: Iran’s old guard tightens its grip
Host: Deborah Pardes
Notable Participants: Anthony Housefather (MP, special advisor on antisemitism), Anastasia Zorshinsky (student/activist), Michelle Door (CEO, Stand With Us Canada)
Theme: Developments in Iran’s leadership amidst war, and a deep dive into the surge of antisemitism at Canadian universities

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Deborah Pardes leads listeners through breaking leadership changes in Iran’s government as the war continues—a shift that suggests Tehran’s old guard is shoring up control during a period of high tension. The episode’s second half focuses on a Canadian government report revealing alarming levels of antisemitism on university campuses. Through interviews and analysis, the episode examines the roots, personal stories, and potential responses to this crisis.

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Iran’s Old Guard Tightens Its Grip

Key Points:

• Major Leadership Shuffle:

  • Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei appoints Mohsen Rezai as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, replacing Mohammed Bagar Zogodar, who had only held the post since March after Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli strike.
    • (00:30) “Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei announced Mohsen Rezai would be the next secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council… That's the body that actually sets Tehran's policy on the war with the US.”
  • Mohsen Rezai: Former Revolutionary Guard commander, controversial figure wanted by Argentina (Interpol Red Notice) for the 1994 Buenos Aires bombing, and vocal hardliner on the conflict with the US.
  • Significance: Analysts interpret Rezai’s appointment as both a consolidation of power by the old security establishment and a signal of few viable new leaders in the regime.
    • (02:25) “Rezai started his career some 40 years ago, so his promotion could also be seen as a move that reveals how few options Iran has left.”

• Confrontational Stance and Notable Quotes:

  • Rezai’s aggressive rhetoric on the war:
    • (01:20) “Back in March, talking about control over the strait, he said with a laugh, it's as if Iran is holding the US by the neck, and if the US makes a single move, we can slap it across the face.”
    • (01:45) “He’s called control of the strait more important than dozens of atomic bombs… [In April,] he said it would be great if the US invaded Iran because… Iran can take thousands of hostages at a billion dollars each.”
    • (02:07) “[On CNN:] If the US ever invaded, the world will understand Iran’s true capabilities because our land power is times greater than our missiles.”

• Implications and Reactions:

  • Iran's Stance: No negotiations unless the US pays for war damages; insists on reparations.
  • US Response: Donald Trump’s Truth Social post demands compensation from Iran for American deaths and damages in the region.
  • (04:06) Anthony Housefather (paraphrased): “[Iran] can make trouble, but they're broke. They have no money.”

• Summary:
  The segment underscores the regime’s resolve to double down on militarism and confrontation, captured by hardline rhetoric and the elevation of a figure like Rezai.

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Antisemitism on Canadian Campuses: A Growing Crisis

Key Points:

• Disturbing Findings from a National Report:

  • 95% of Jewish students at Canadian universities have suffered or witnessed at least one antisemitic episode in the past year. Harassment ranges from death threats and intimidation to graffiti and Holocaust denial.
    • (04:39) “That overwhelming figure is the main takeaway from a government report published last week which looked into antisemitism within higher education institutions.”
  • Academic bias: Over one-third report that anti-Israel or anti-Zionist rhetoric is inserted by professors in unrelated courses.

• Personal Testimony:

  • Interview with Anastasia Zorshinsky, a Montreal student and lawsuit plaintiff:
    • (05:15) “A student literally said to my face that she supports Hamas. Another man… threatened my friend… that he’s going to break his face because he knew that he was Jewish.”
    • (05:00) Anastasia: “To be completely honest, I was not surprised about this report. I expected the numbers actually to be a bit worse.”

• Widespread Impact:

  • Nearly 75% of Jewish students self-censor in class.
  • Over 50% avoid openly displaying Jewish identity on campus due to safety fears.

• Concerns from Advocacy:

  • Michelle Door, CEO of Stand With Us Canada:
    • (06:49) “I worry we're going to see an entire generation of Jewish students disengage from campus life. They will stop running for student government, stop participating in clubs, stop speaking openly about their identity, and ultimately feel that they don't belong in spaces where they absolutely should belong.”
    • (07:08) “If they graduate believing that antisemitism is something they simply have to tolerate, we failed them, and we failed to address a much larger problem in all of Canadian society.”

• Government and Institutional Response:

  • Canadian PM Mark Carney admits governmental failure, launches a new task force but is criticized for closing the office that commissioned this latest report.
  • Anthony Housefather, MP and special adviser on antisemitism:
    • (07:51) “Many schools, much as they pay lip service to it, have not gone far enough.”
    • (08:16) “Either university administrations… or their boards… have to take better action. Donors have to force them to do so… [Provinces] should enforce requirements on all universities and colleges.”
  • Proposed Solutions:
    • More comprehensive training—early and across disciplines—for identifying and combating contemporary antisemitism.
      • (08:40) “The goal would be… the same way that we're teaching Holocaust education, we incorporate contemporary antisemitism training.”

• Student Outlook:

  • Anastasia's prognosis for the coming year is grim:
    • (09:10) “I think next year is going to look worse than it has because I don't see our governments, I don't see our universities changing their approach towards Jew hatred and the anti-Zionist hate movement. I see them actually accepting them. I see them supporting them.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:20 | Mohsen Rezai (quoted) | “It's as if Iran is holding the US by the neck, and if the US makes a single move, we can slap it across the face.” | | 01:45 | Mohsen Rezai (quoted) | “Control of the strait [of Hormuz] is more important than dozens of atomic bombs.” | | 02:07 | Mohsen Rezai (quoted) | “If the US ever invaded, the world will understand Iran’s true capabilities because our land power is times greater than our missiles.” | | 04:06 | Anthony Housefather | “Can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they're broke. They have no money.” | | 05:15 | Anastasia Zorshinsky | “A student literally said to my face that she supports Hamas. Another man… threatened my friend… that he’s going to break his face because he knew that he was Jewish…” | | 06:49 | Michelle Door | “I worry we're going to see an entire generation of Jewish students disengage from campus life… Ultimately feel that they don't belong in spaces where they absolutely should belong.” | | 07:08 | Michelle Door | “If they graduate believing that antisemitism is something they simply have to tolerate, we failed them, and we failed…in all of Canadian society.” | | 07:51 | Anthony Housefather | “Many schools, much as they pay lip service to it, have not gone far enough.” | | 08:16 | Anthony Housefather | “Administrators… or their boards… have to take better action. Donors have to force them… and provinces… should enforce requirements on all universities and colleges.” | | 08:40 | Anthony Housefather | “The goal would be… the same way that we're teaching Holocaust education, we incorporate contemporary antisemitism training.” | | 09:10 | Anastasia Zorshinsky | “I think next year is going to look worse than it has because I don't see… governments… universities changing their approach towards Jew hatred and the anti-Zionist hate movement.” |

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Segment Timestamps

• [00:12] Iran’s New Appointments and War Policy
• [04:54] Canadian Campus Antisemitism Report & Student Testimony
• [05:15] Personal Accounts and Impact of Campus Antisemitism
• [06:49] Advocacy Group’s Warning
• [07:51] Policy Commentary & Potential Solutions
• [09:10] Student’s Outlook for the Future

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains a sober, analytical tone when discussing geopolitical power shifts and domestic bigotry, occasionally punctuated by poignant first-hand accounts and strong language from guests and sources. The mood is urgent, reflective, and sometimes grim—especially regarding the state of campus antisemitism and its broader societal implications.

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Conclusion

This Ark News Daily episode weaves together the symmetry between authoritarian consolidation in Iran and the disturbing rise in antisemitism in liberal democracies, emphasizing how leadership decisions and policy failures ripple out to affect communities worldwide. The podcast serves both as a briefing on international news and a clarion call about issues close to home.

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For more detailed coverage and interviews, listeners are encouraged to follow Ark News Daily on their podcast platform or visit arkmedia.org.

Transcript

[Anastasia Zorshinsky]

You are listening to an art media podcast.

[Deborah Pardes]

It's Tuesday, august 11th. This episode was recorded at 7:00pm new york time on Monday. I'm deborah pardes, and this is arc news daily. As negotiations in the Iran war are still at a stalemate, Iran recently recently announced a series of new leadership appointments. It's a move some analysts say will consolidate power within the fractured regime. One of the most notable appointments came on Sunday. Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei announced Mohsen Rezai would be the next secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. That's the body that actually sets Tehran's policy on the war with the US and the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. He's replacing Mohammed Bagar Zogodar, who's only held the job since March after his predecessor, Ali Larijani, was killed in an Israeli strike. Rezai is 71. Shortly after the 1979 revolution, he became the Revolutionary Guard's commander at 27 and led it for 16 years through most of the Iran Iraq war. He's also wanted by Argentina and is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice for his alleged role in the deadliest terror attack in Argentina's history, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. To this day, Rezai is not shy about where his priorities lie. He's made frequent public statements over the course of the war. Back in March, talking about control over the strait, he said with a laugh, it's as if Iran is holding the US by the neck, and if the US Makes a single move, we can slap it across the face. He's called control of the strait more important than dozens of atomic bombs. And back in April, he said it would be great if the US Invaded Iran because, in his words, Iran can take thousands of hostages at a billion dollars each. In a later interview with cnn, he added that if the US Ever invaded, the world will understand Iran's true capabilities because our land power is times greater than our missiles. On one hand, analysts see his new role as evidence that Iran's old Guard security establishment is tightening its grip within the regime. His predecessor reportedly didn't have the confidence of Iran's most senior commanders. But Rezai doesn't have that problem. He's already been serving as Khamenei's personal military advisor, and the supreme leader's decree installing him cited his valuable experience. But another consideration is that there are very few people within the regime left to tap. Rezai started his career some 40 years ago, so his promotion could also be seen as a move that reveals how few options Iran has left. Either way, Iran seems likely to continue its confrontational approach. They continue to make demands and deny negotiations are taking place. On Sunday, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Aragchi said they won't reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the US Pays compensation for the damage its strikes caused. Trump answered on Truth Social yesterday, and he said he told negotiators to demand Iran pay reparations for Americans it's killed over the years. And then he added that Iran should also be responsible for, quote, damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Gaza. Trump continues to insist Iran is little more than a nuisance.

[Anthony Housefather]

Can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they're broke. They have no money.

[Deborah Pardes]

Trump also said yesterday the US Is only semi negotiating with Iran at this point, and what comes next is still anyone's guess. We'll keep covering this story as it develops, and please use that Share button freely and let your friends and family know about Ark News Daily, because as our audience grows, so does our capacity to go deeper with our work. 95% of Jewish students at Canadian universities have experienced or witnessed at least one antisemitic incident over the past year. That overwhelming figure is the main takeaway from a government report published last week which looked into antisemitism within higher education institutions.

[Anastasia Zorshinsky]

To be completely honest, I was not surprised about this report. I expected the numbers actually to be a bit worse.

[Deborah Pardes]

Anastasia Zorshinsky isn't one of the 900 Jewish students who participated in this survey. But after three years at Concordia University in Montreal, she is part of the 95% who have experienced antisemitism firsthand.

[Anastasia Zorshinsky]

A student literally said to my face that she supports Hamas. Another man that came to our campus and threatened my friend in front of my face that he's going to break his face because he knew that he was Jewish and he's a part of an Israeli group.

[Deborah Pardes]

The report outlines all kinds of harassment that students have faced, from death threats to physical intimidation. Students said they've encountered graffiti, swastikas, Holocaust denial and chants such as Hitler should have finished the job during campus protests. Academic bias was also prominently cited, with 34% of students reporting that professors introduced anti Israel or anti Zionist rhetoric into completely unrelated coursework. Anastasia told us that the problem goes beyond the students and faculty and right up to the administrators themselves, who've done little to clamp down on the abuse. In fact, she's a plaintiff on a lawsuit against her own University alleging its failure to combat antisemitism. As a result of these issues, a majority of students surveyed, nearly three fourths, said they had limited what they said in class about their Jewish identity. More than half said they avoided wearing or displaying Jewish symbols due to safety concerns. Stand With Us Canada is an advocacy group working to help students who are facing antisemitism. CEO Michelle Door says she's worried that the problem has become so widespread it will become just a normal part of life.

[Michelle Door]

I worry we're going to see an entire generation of Jewish students disengage from campus life. They will stop running for student government, stop participating in clubs, stop speaking openly about their identity, and ultimately feel that they don't belong in spaces where they absolutely should belong.

[Deborah Pardes]

She says the implications spread far beyond college campuses.

[Michelle Door]

These students are going to become Canada's future doctors, lawyers, educators, business leaders, and policymakers if they graduate believing that antisemitism is something they simply have to tolerate. We failed them, and we failed to address a much larger problem in all of Canadian society.

[Deborah Pardes]

That line echoes the words of Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who recently admitted his country has failed its Jewish community. It came as part of an announcement of a new task force Canada launched to study the causes of antisemitism and hopefully look for solutions. But Carney has been criticized for not doing enough, particularly after his government dissolved the very office that commissioned this latest report.

[Anthony Housefather]

Many schools, much as they pay lip service to it, have not gone far enough.

[Deborah Pardes]

Anthony Housefather is a member of Parliament and the prime minister's special advisor on antisemitism. He was a driving force behind a similar antisemitism report two years ago. He says it's not a problem at schools across the board, but often what it comes down to is a lack of enforcement.

[Anthony Housefather]

And what really has to happen is that either university administrations, meaning the administrators, or their boards of directors, have to take better action. Donors have to force them to do so if they're not, and provinces who have jurisdiction over this issue should enforce requirements on all universities and colleges.

[Deborah Pardes]

One solution he proposed is more training.

[Anthony Housefather]

Early on, the goal would be, at the same way that we're teaching Holocaust education, we incorporate contemporary antisemitism training.

[Deborah Pardes]

He says that this kind of training, if incorporated earlier, could help young people better understand what antisemitism is and what it isn't. But of course, changes like that take time. Anastasia will be starting her final year in college in a few weeks. She says she is not optimistic that her campus environment will be better I

[Anastasia Zorshinsky]

think next year is going to look worse than it has because I don't see our governments, I don't see our universities changing their approach towards Jew hatred and the anti Zionist hate movement. I see them actually accepting them. I see them supporting them.

[Deborah Pardes]

I'm Deborah Pardes and this is ARK News Daily. See you tomorrow.

[Dan Senor]

Hi, it's Dan. Senor. Israel is heading into one of its most consequential election and this time the whole world is watching closely. Hot takes and daily noise are pretty much guaranteed to populate your media diet. But as with any election, there's a deeper story about identity, religion, democracy and what kind of country Israelis want to live in. That's why ARK Media launched Israel Votes, a special initiative across. Call me back for heaven's sake. And ARK News Daily. You'll hear from the leading candidates shaping the race, along with analysis and reporting from two of Israel's leading political analysts, ARC Media contributors Nadavael and Amit Segal. Join us for Israel Votes, your front row seat to the election that could define Israel's Future. Go to arkmedia.org votes to watch and listen. See you there.