A new episode of NATO’s DEEP Dive podcast is taking a closer look at how the ongoing Iran conflict is shaping the security landscape across the Middle East and beyond.
Produced by NATO’s Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP), the podcast series brings together experts and practitioners to break down complex issues in international security, counterterrorism, and geopolitics. Episode 61 features a conversation between Dr. Sajjan M. Gohel and Dr. Mahmut Cengiz, Managing Editor for Counterterrorism at Homeland Security Today.
The discussion focuses on Iran’s evolving strategy and how its actions are influencing regional dynamics and global security considerations. Drawing on his research and analysis, Cengiz outlines how Tehran continues to rely on asymmetric warfare to advance its objectives while avoiding direct, large-scale confrontation.
That approach includes the use of drones, cyber operations, and proxy networks to apply pressure across multiple fronts. The episode highlights how these tools allow Iran to impose costs on adversaries while maintaining flexibility in how it engages.
The conversation also explores several key aspects of Iran’s current posture, including its broader strategic goals in the conflict, the role of missile and drone capabilities, and the possibility of a shift toward more direct military action. It also looks at how Iran is working to expand the conflict regionally through multiple pressure points, as well as the balance between regime stability and battlefield objectives.
Other topics include the role of the Houthis, the current status of Hezbollah, and the risks tied to expanding cyber operations and potential transnational activity beyond the region.
The episode offers a focused look at how one of the region’s most complex actors is adapting its approach in a rapidly shifting environment—and what that could mean for future stability.
