Tonight on Amanpour and Company, Thursday, April 30th, 2026
Hassan Ahmadian
Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Tehran
At the heart of the current standoff in Iran is the classic question: Who has the watch? And who has the time? President Trump bets that extending his blockade will break Iran's economy and drive negotiators back to the table. Iran's leaders believe choking off the Strait of Hormuz gives them ultimate leverage over the global economy, as gas and oil prices spike and Trump's approval ratings plunge. Meanwhile the threat of renewed military aggression is growing. A senior Iranian military official is telling the White House: "We have already seen what happened to your bases in the region." There are also reports the U.S. may be preparing for more militar strikes on Iran. And, what with the UAE quitting OPEC, might a new security order be taking shape in the Persian Gulf? For an Iranian perspective on these critical questions, Hassan Ahmadian joins the program. He is a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Tehran University.
Kara Swisher
Host, "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever"
Would you want to live forever? It seems that plenty of ultra-rich tech titans do — and they're using their considerable money and leverage to influence the quest for a longer life. Kara Swisher, the acclaimed tech and business journalist, says the Silicon Valley bros are doing it wrong. In her new series on CNN, "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever," Swisher cuts through the hype to separate science from wishful thinking. She joins from New York.
Peter Wehner
Contributing Writer, The Atlantic
Amid stalled negotiations to end the war in Iran, the United States has yet to give an entirely clear rationale for starting the conflict in the first place. Writer Peter Wehner argues that the Trump administration is invoking Christian scripture as a moral justification for the violence. Wehner joins Michel Martin to discuss.
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