Transcript
Host (0:00)
This is a bonus episode of history as it happens. It's February 20, 2026. By the time you listen to this podcast, the US may be at war again in the Middle East. Without a vote in Congress or any public debate, War with an old enemy.
Ronald Reagan (0:16)
The government of Iran must recognize the gravity of the situation which it has itself created. The charge has been made that the United States has shipped weapons to Iran as ransom payment for the release of American hostages in Lebanon. Those charges are utterly false. We did not, repeat, did not trade weapons or anything else for hostages, nor will we. The Iran and Libya sanctions bill I signed today will help to deny those countries the money they need to finance international terrorism. Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom.
Justin Logan (0:58)
Iran can become a constructive actor in the region if it stops threatening its neighbors and supporting terrorism. Today, the United States, together with our allies and partners, has reached a historic understanding with Iran which, if fully implemented, will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Host (1:19)
Since 1979, some Americans have been itching to reverse the Iranian revolution and topple the Islamic Republic. They apparently have the ear of President Trump, who may have campaigned as a peacemaker, but is on the brink of ordering his seventh military attack in another country in the past year. His second on Iran, according to the New York Times.
Ronald Reagan (1:39)
And last summer, I ordered devastating strikes on Iran's key nuclear facilities and something that was called Operation Midnight Hammer. That's exactly what it was.
Host (1:49)
It is the age of Trump. It is also the age of the imperial presidency, an anti democratic, dangerous development that continues to sink the United States into one unnecessary war after another. So how did we get here? Justin Logan is the Director of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. He's an expert on US grand strategy, international relations theory and American foreign policy. Among the areas he focuses on is the limited relevance of the Middle east to US national security. Justin Logan, welcome. Thanks for having me your very first time. It's great to have you here. So I'm going to greet you rather rudely with a pop quiz of only one question. Which major American statesman said the following? The Iranian revolution is a fact of history. But between American and Iranian basic national interests, there need be no permanent conflict.