Iran. Prison. Protest. Power. This is not theory. This is lived experience. In this episode of the Restricted Handling Podcast, recorded from the Institute of World Politics (IWP) media studio in Washington, DC, hosts Ryan Fugit (former Army & CIA officer) and Glenn Corn (34-year CIA veteran, multiple-time Chief of Station) sit down with Emad Shargi, an Iranian-American businessman who spent years imprisoned by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Emad Shargi was detained by the IRGC in 2018, held in Evin Prison, and reduced to a number—97010. His story is a powerful case study in Iran’s hostage diplomacy, repression, and the reality inside the regime’s prisons. Today, Emad is a leading voice on Iran’s internal collapse, protest movements, and what may come next. 🎙️ In this conversation, we cover:

• What it’s like to disappear into Iran’s prison system

• Why today’s protests are different from 2009, 2017, and 2019

• How the IRGC and Basij actually operate on the ground

• Whether the regime could collapse—and how fast that can happen

• What comes after the Islamic Republic

• Why comparisons to Iraq are wrong

• The roles of Russia, China, Turkey, and Israel if Iran destabilizes

• How the U.S. can support the Iranian people without backfiring

Glenn Corn, now a professor at IWP, adds deep regional and intelligence context drawn from decades in the field, including how authoritarian regimes fall—and why echo chambers are so dangerous.