Live chat replay: A conversation on Iran war with Scott Peterson
March 3, 2026
In a live chat on Monday, March 2, senior Middle East correspondent Scott Peterson spent an hour answering reader questions about the Iran war. Drawing on the 45 trips he has made to Iran as a journalist, he took readers beyond the headlines.
He spoke to how the U.S., Israel, and Iran arrived at this point. He addressed who might replace the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and whether Iranians will be better off once the conflict subsides. And he delved into the ethos of Shiite martyrdom, from which his book title 鈥� 鈥淟et the Swords Encircle Me鈥� 鈥撀爄s drawn, and how it is likely shaping Iranian clerics鈥� view of this escalating regional conflict.