The Iran Conflict with the US: An Analysis of the Current and Future State
Event Description
The Asia Scotland Institute, in partnership with the Library of Mistakes, is pleased to host a timely discussion on the current conflict between Iran and the United States, its possible trajectories, and its wider implications for the Middle East and the global economy.
Ambassador Jon Wilks CMG and Dr Siavush Randjbar-Daemi will bring together diplomatic, regional, historical and political perspectives to assess the likely outcomes of the conflict, the prospects for negotiation, and the challenges involved in reaching a settlement acceptable to the key parties. The discussion will also consider the regional consequences for the Gulf, Iraq, Israel and wider Middle East security.
With the situation continuing to evolve rapidly, the event will examine how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting energy supplies, shipping, investor confidence and global markets, while also considering what the crisis may mean for US, UK and European foreign policy in the months ahead.
Key discussion points will include:
- The current state of the conflict between Iran and the United States
- The prospects for diplomacy, de-escalation and a negotiated settlement
- The regional implications for the Gulf and wider Middle East
- The impact of the Strait of Hormuz closure on energy, shipping and global markets
- What the conflict means for US, UK and European foreign policy
Speakers
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Jon WilksFormer British Ambassador and Special Envoy to SyriaJon Wilks CMG is a former British Ambassador to Qatar, previously Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq (2017-2019), Oman (2014-2017) and Yemen (2010-2011). He was also the UK Syria Envoy (2012-2014) and Regional Arabic Spokesman (2007-2009), when he was a regular guest in Doha of Al Jazeera. Jon joined the FCO in 1989 as an Assistant Desk Officer Iran in the Middle East Department. He was educated at Durham University where he graduated with an MSc in Natural Sciences, later returned to the same university to study an MA in Middle East Politics and followed this with a MPhil in International Relations from St. Anthony’s College Oxford.
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Dr Siavush Randjbar-DaemiSenior Lecturer, St Andrew’s UniversityDr Siavush Randjbar-Daemi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at St Andrew’s University. He is a keen student of the evolution of the Iranian press and has collaborated with the University of Manchester Library in the creation of Nashriyah, the first openly-accessible repository of relevant Iranian periodicals.
Siavush is also a frequent commentator on contemporary Iranian political developments and has appeared on the UK and international media at times of heightened Iran coverage, such as the June 2025 and February – March 2026 wars and the January 2026 protests. He has been interviewed on these and other occasions by, amongst others, BBC One TV, BBC News TV, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC World Service radio, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Wales, Sky News UK, Euronews Romania, Deutsche Welle TV, the Associated Press, FirstPost India, RTV Slovenia.