Podcast Summary: Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

Episode: Is the Iranian regime afraid of Trump's threats?
Release Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Christiane Amanpour (with Jamie Rubin, Cindy Strand, Maria Fleet)
Podcast Network: Global

Episode Overview

This richly detailed episode confronts the instability of today's geopolitical landscape, focusing on the Iranian regime’s response to both domestic unrest and external pressure—especially threats from former President Donald Trump. Christiane Amanpour, joined by her ex-husband Jamie Rubin, and longtime colleagues Cindy Strand and Maria Fleet, draws on decades of frontline reporting. The group dives into the nuances and risks of getting the story from conflict zones with both historical and current context: from today’s Iran to moments on the frontlines of the first Gulf War, Bosnia, Somalia, and the evolution of journalism in conflict.

Main Themes & Purpose

• The Iranian regime’s fear and reaction to Trump’s aggressive posturing.
• The essential, complex work of international reporting in authoritarian states and zones of conflict—with contemporary parallels between historic and current crises.
• The growing difficulty and moral challenges of covering global events, due to things like internet blackouts, restricted access, and information warfare.
• The evolution—and enduring necessity—of legacy media and on-the-ground journalism in verifying the truth.
• The particular lens of being women in the field, especially in societies with different expectations and restrictions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of Iran: Unrest, Repression & Outside Threats

• Background: Continuing protests in Iran—now economically sparked—echo prior waves of unrest (Green Revolution 2009, Mahsa Amini protests 2022).
• Current Regime Response: Violent crackdowns, significant casualties, internet blackouts, leadership hoarding wealth amid broad poverty.
• External Dynamics: Trump’s public military threats (“locked and loaded”), U.S. sanctions, whispers of Israeli involvement, and the regime hastily trying to negotiate.

“There have been, they say, several hundred deaths and many, many injuries. There are physicians in the hospitals in Iran who’ve been trying to get the word out that they have never seen anything like it.”
— Jamie Rubin (03:41)

• Opposition: Exiled figure Reza Pahlavi (crown prince) rallies support but uncertain influence inside Iran.
• Atmosphere: Tension inside and outside Iran, uncertain outcomes, fear of further bloodshed, and lack of a unified opposition.

“Everything is on edge. But the real fact is that the Iranian people… have been struggling for freedom and for a basic living wage, and a living standard… The regime faces internal protests on the street… plus external pressure from the United States and maybe even Israel.”
— Jamie Rubin (04:50)

2. Foreign Correspondence: Necessity, Risks, and Realities

• Historic Barriers and Today’s Parallels:
  • Then and now, getting inside crisis areas is often difficult or impossible (e.g., war-torn Iraq and present-day Iran).
  • Inventive ways to cross borders, avoid restrictions, and verify the truth.
  • The first Gulf War as a pivotal moment for live, global news coverage.
• Women Reporters:
  • Early days of CNN featured all-female teams in conservative places, often surprising local authorities—and sometimes, paradoxically, gaining more access due to gender assumptions.
  • Facing and subverting sexism, turning “chivalry” into an advantage:

“Okay, they opened the door. My foot is in the door, and I’m not taking it out.”
— Christiane Amanpour (17:37)

• Hostility & Dangers:
  • War reporting grew more dangerous after 9/11; journalists became targets, hostile environment training emerged.
  • Witnessing violence and navigating moral boundaries of reporting.

“Journalists did have a measure of protection… over time, journalists actually became targets… We started, we were the truth tellers, and then we became, well, maybe we don’t like the truth you’re telling, and so we’d like to target you.”
— Maria Fleet (18:50)

3. Control of the Narrative & Presence on the Ground

• Why Physical Presence Matters:
  • Who controls the message? During war (e.g., the US in Gulf War), media presence challenges official narratives. CNN’s Baghdad footage provided vital context and accountability.
  • Legacy media often resist official “cleaned up” propaganda by showing reality, as with bombing of civilian sites (Ameriya shelter in 1991).
• Role of New Media & Disinformation:
  • The explosion of social media, deepfakes, and AI-generated content introduces new verification challenges—testament to the enduring importance of trustworthy journalism.

“It’s really frustrating to be almost in existential competition with social media… full of conspiracies and fake news and deepfakes and now AI… makes it really, really tough to be able to sift through and tell the truth—the absolute truth—which needs to be told from these places.”
— Christiane Amanpour (25:54)

• Adapting to New Realities:

“We just have to work with it. We do have to underline continuously what our processes are, our fact checking… The truth does get out.”
— Maria Fleet (27:00)

4. Ethics, Consent, and the Impact of Journalism

• Reporting’s Human Impact:
  • Moments of ethical dilemma: Should journalists intervene—or document—when witnessing tragedy?

“It was for me, and probably for you, the first time we watched a human being die in the dirt because they had not had enough to eat. It rocked both of us just to our core.”
— Cindy Strand (35:31)

• The Somalia famine: Images of suffering led, directly, to humanitarian intervention by the US, showing the potential positive power of journalism.

“I genuinely believe that your pictures and all the other pictures… forced a democratic superpower to actually intervene purely on humanitarian grounds and actually stop a famine. And that was phenomenal.”
— Christiane Amanpour (36:49)

• Who Benefits, Who Decides Consent:
  • Past vs. present: Today, obtaining “consent” for stories and images is a hot discussion, reflecting both the changing standards and responsibilities for journalists.

“Where do you put your camera and who do you ask? But in this case it was life and death. And I think, in the end, on balance, our presence did more good than harm.”
— Christiane Amanpour (37:54)

5. Resilience and the Role of Local Journalists

• Local Journalists’ Importance:
  • Local reporters face the greatest risks and their work is often discounted or drowned out by fake information.

“So often these brave local journalists around the world, you know, their images and their work is often discredited and disparaged. And that is why it is so important to have a variety of reporters on the ground to give voice to people that don't have a platform.”
— Cindy Strand (41:12)

• People’s Resilience:
  • Despite oppression and violence, people adapt and endure. Journalists, too, must find ways to adapt and keep telling their stories.

“The truth also does find its way out. It’s like water. And it will get there because we’re even seeing some of those images even with the internet blackout coming out of Iran today. So the truth will get out.”
— Maria Fleet (40:02)

6. Legacy, Teaching, and the Crisis in U.S. Journalism

• The struggle of maintaining standards and safety in a world bombarded by propaganda, not just abroad but in America itself.

“Now I look at the United States here and I look at, you know, covering the story here in the US I feel it’s almost like covering an international story as you see people disappearing from their homes and workplaces and cars and journalists being disparaged and, you know, propaganda coming from up high.”
— Cindy Strand (41:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being Iranian and a journalist:

  “It’s been quite, quite emotional as an actual Iranian as well, to have to report as an objective journalist, knowing that you have to also tell the story of all sides, but really understanding that you must tell the story of the people.”
  — Christiane Amanpour (00:02)

• On the regime’s fear:

  “The Iranian regime is afraid. They see what President Trump did in Venezuela, extracting the dictator of Venezuela, and they are worried.”
  — Jamie Rubin (00:22, 03:41)

• Reporting’s risks and evolution:

  “War itself has changed, and over time, journalists actually became targets. We started, we were the truth-tellers, and then we became… well, maybe we don’t like the truth you’re telling, and so we’d like to target you.”
  — Maria Fleet (18:50)

• On the ongoing struggle for truth in journalism:

  “The truth does get out. There is a way of verifying the truth and there always will be. I truly believe that.”
  — Maria Fleet (28:32)

• On consent and moral choices in tragedy:

  “We were paralyzed because this woman was taking her last breath. You could later analyze this with a whole team of morally, what’s the right thing to do? What should we have done?... But I think that probably changed me as a person and as a journalist.”
  — Cindy Strand (36:49)

• On the multiplying challenges for journalists in the U.S.:

  “Now I look at the United States here… it’s almost like covering an international story.”
  — Cindy Strand (41:12)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 00:00–05:35| Iran unrest context, history of protest, regime’s repression, US/Trump threats, regime’s anxiety | | 05:35–07:33| The fragmented opposition, Amanpour’s personal ties to Iran | | 09:09–14:36| Reporting in conflict zones: Gulf War, CNN’s rise, women in the field, accessing restrictive regions | | 14:50–18:28| Gender dynamics in reporting, turning stereotypes to advantage, pre- and post-9/11 risks, training | | 18:50–22:30| Changing dangers to journalists, being targeted, Bosnia and Pearl, the imperative of reporting both sides | | 22:30–25:54| Messaging, legacy media, CNN’s Baghdad reporting, government propaganda, importance of field presence | | 25:54–28:32| Media landscape now: disinformation, social media vs. legacy press, AI, verification | | 29:51–37:54| Ethics of consent, impact stories (Somalia, Bosnia), moral dilemmas, humanitarian journalism | | 40:02–41:12| Resilience of people & journalists; importance and struggle of local journalism | | 41:12–42:52| Journalism in today’s America, increased challenges, teaching the next generation |

Tone & Style

The tone is candid, often emotional, deeply personal, and sometimes wry. The camaraderie and history between Amanpour, Rubin, and their longtime colleagues brings authenticity and poignancy to the discussion of high-stakes reporting, media ethics, and global responsibility.

Conclusion

This episode bridges the urgency of today’s Iran situation—with Trump adding external menace—and the timeless, difficult work of fact-based journalism. Amanpour and her guests stress the irreplaceable role of legacy reporting, especially in an era of blackout and disinformation, and reflect on the physical and emotional risks journalists take to bring the truth to the world. The narratives of courage, loss, and moral challenge shine a light on why, even as the tools and rules change, the mission remains essential.

Recommendations (43:50)

• Iranian cinema:
  • A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
  • It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi)
  • The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Mohammad Rasoulof)
• Celebrate Iranian Nobel laureates and cultural figures standing up for human rights.

This summary provides a rich, useful guide to the episode—capturing both urgent events and the lived experiences, values, and insights that shape journalism in the world’s most difficult places.