February 9, 2026
“Iran: Diplomacy or War?”
with Beni Sabti

The United States has now assembled a formidable “armada” of air and naval assets in the Middle East in response to Iran’s slaughter of protesters and Tehran’s efforts to rebuild its strength and recommence its project for domination of the region. Internal protests within Iran appear to have subsided as a result of the regime’s brutal and bloody campaign of repression. For now, the United States seems to favor renewed negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file, presumably hoping that the close proximity of U.S. military power, combined with the regime’s weakened internal position, might incline it toward greater flexibility. Or is the apparent U.S. turn toward diplomacy merely a feint to cloak imminent military action? Beni Sabti, one of the most insightful and best-informed analysts on Iran currently active, will seek to provide answers to the key questions and analyze the direction of events in this most fateful of arenas.

Beni Sabti is an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv. Born in Iran in 1972, he was raised primarily under the Islamic Revolution regime. After escaping Iran for Israel in 1987, he served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), primarily as a researcher, working on projects related to Iranian culture and its influence on cognition, decision-making, and media. One of the flagship projects he led was the establishment of the IDF Spokesperson’s platforms in Persian. Sabti lectures widely on issues related to Iran and serves as a commentator on Iranian affairs for media outlets in Israel and abroad. He holds an M.A. in political science and public communications from Bar-Ilan University and was previously a research fellow at JISS in Jerusalem.