The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer

Rage in Tehran, Lasers in Texas

The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer

Show Notes

Iran at a breaking point—and a bizarre airspace shutdown in Texas.

As diplomacy and the threat of military action converge around Tehran, Jake and Jon are joined by journalist Yeganeh Torbati for a ground-level look at the widening gulf between the Iranian people and the regime. Together they:

Examine internal unrest and what it means for the regime’s durability.

Assess whether Tehran is seeking a deal—or buying time.

Explore how a younger, more hardline generation inside the Revolutionary Guard could shape escalation.

Then, from Tehran to Texas, Jake and Jon unpack the FAA’s brief closure of airspace over El Paso—tracing it to a Pentagon laser test, a suspected cartel drone, and a revealing case of bureaucratic dysfunction.

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