# Ep 376 | The War in Iran Is Going Badly | Guest: Kelley Vlahos

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kibbe-on-liberty-687266/ep-376-the-war-in-iran-is-going-badly-guest-kelley-vlahos
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kibbe-on-liberty-687266/ep-376-the-war-in-iran-is-going-badly-guest-kelley-vlahos.md
Podcast: [Kibbe on Liberty](https://stenobird.com/podcast/kibbe-on-liberty-687266)
Published: 2026-03-11T15:25:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/4V6da/arttrk.com/p/BLZM1/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/285/pscrb.fm/rss/p/chrt.fm/track/1655CF/cohst.app/pdcst/5I2S5F/traffic.megaphone.fm/BMDC6674876402.mp3?updated=1775568133
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Duration seconds: 5048

## Resource

After premising his 2024 campaign on the promise of no new wars, President Donald Trump is taking military action in Iran that has already cost over a thousand civilian lives. Matt Kibbe is joined by Kelley Vlahos, editor in chief of Responsible Statecraft and a senior adviser at the Quincy Institute, to discuss the confusing rationale for this war and the best-case scenario Americans can hope to see. The administration has succeeded in killing the ayatollah, only to replace him with his more radical son, so any pretense of liberating the Iranian people seems farcical. Moreover, there appears to be no strategic plan or exit strategy to avoid turning this war into an Iraq-style quagmire. The best we can hope for is that Trump declares victory and pulls out before more lives are lost, but even in that case the reversal of one of his key campaign promises is likely to cost the Republicans badly in the midterm elections.

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## Transcript

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