From Tehran to Tel Aviv: Geopolitics, Fear and Possibility
Monday 16. February / kl 18.00
Litteraturhuset Wergelandsveien 29, Oslo
Moderated by: Maryam Faghihimani
Iranian researcher and activist
Alex Vatanka
Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI)
Beni Sabti
Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
Geopolitics is often discussed through maps, strategies, and breaking news. But it is also lived shaped by memory, identity, fear, and long historical relationships that continue to influence the present. This moderated conversation explores the historical relationship between Iran and Israel, the realities of today, and the questions that increasingly shape the future. How did this relationship evolve from cooperation and cultural proximity to deep hostility? What is happening inside Iran now, and how do internal dynamics, ideology, and power struggles shape Iran’s relationship with Israel and the wider region.
Moderator:
Maryam Faghih Imani
Maryam Faghih Imani is a Senior fellow at the Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab at Arizona State University, International Leadership fellow at the Mccain Institute for Leadership, Washington DC and the founder of the centre for culture diplomacy and development in Norway. Maryam is an experienced moderator, known for facilitating nuanced, thoughtful conversations in complex and polarized contexts.
Alex Vatanka (via videolink)
Alex Vatanka is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington, D.C., where he leads the Institute’s work on Iran. He is a leading expert on Iranian foreign and security policy, with a particular focus on Iran’s regional role and its relationship with Israel. Born in Tehran and educated in the United Kingdom, Vatanka combines academic expertise with regional insight. He will join the conversation via video link to offer an analytical perspective on Iran’s role in the Middle East and Iran–Israel dynamics.
Beni Sabti
Beni Sabti is an Iran expert at the INSS. Born in Iran and raised under the Islamic Revolution, he escaped to Israel in 1987 and later served in the IDF as a researcher specializing in Iranian culture, cognition, and media. He holds an M.A. in political science and public communications from Bar Ilan University and is a frequent lecturer and commentator on Iran. Sabti also served as a cultural advisor to the Apple TV series Tehran.
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