In a live chat on Monday, March 2, senior Middle East correspondent Scott Peterson spent an hour answering reader questions about the Iran war. Drawing on the 45 trips he has made to Iran as a journalist, he took readers beyond the headlines.
He spoke to how the U.S., Israel, and Iran arrived at this point. He addressed who might replace the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and whether Iranians will be better off once the conflict subsides. And he delved into the ethos of Shiite martyrdom, from which his book title – “Let the Swords Encircle Me” – is drawn, and how it is likely shaping Iranian clerics’ view of this escalating regional conflict.
Why We Wrote This
Beyond the missile strikes and counterattacks are deeper considerations, from the aspirations of the Iranian people to the staying power of the regime nearly a half-century after it came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
