KCL x Freeman Air & Space Institute - ‘Iran at the Edge: War, Negotiation, or Internal Fracture?'
Upcoming KCL x Freeman Air & Space Institute Event - ‘Iran at the Edge: War, Negotiation, or Internal Fracture?'. Happening on 12/3/2026.
The Freeman Air and Space Institute (FASI) are pleased to host ‘Iran at the Edge: War, Negotiation, or Internal Fracture?'.
This online webinar discussion will examine Iran’s internal stability, deterrence capacity, nuclear diplomacy, and the prospects for war or transition.
Set to take place online on Thursday 12 March from 10:00 - 11:00 GMT, the webinar will welcome Dr Reyhaneh Noshiravani, Research Associate at the Freeman Air and Space Institute and Dr Julia Muravska, defence researcher and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Freeman Air and Space Institute as speakers.
Together, they will explore how Iran enters 2026 in its most precarious position in decades. A collapsing currency, renewed sanctions pressure, and the most severe domestic crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s history have exposed deep internal vulnerabilities. Externally, Tehran’s deterrence posture has been severely degraded since October 2023, culminating in the June 2025 12-day war with Israel and direct US intervention.
Now, US–Iran negotiations resume under the shadow of American carrier strike groups, long-range bombers, forward-deployed air assets, and missile defence systems across the Gulf. Tehran signals economic flexibility but maintains red lines on missile development, UAV exports, and its regional proxy network - key pillars of its air and space-enabled deterrence model.
The conversation will explore key questions, including:
- Is the regime facing erosion, adaptation, or rupture?
- Can diplomacy succeed under coercive pressure?
- What are the risks of renewed escalation and regional spillover?
Register here: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Meet the speakers:
Dr Reyhaneh Noshiravani
Dr Reyhaneh Noshiravani is a Research Associate at the Freeman Air and Space Institute (FASI), where she also leads the Institute’s publications programme. Her research focuses on Iran and Middle Eastern security and strategic affairs, with a particular focus on U.S. foreign policy. She holds an MA and PhD from King’s College London and is a graduate of Trinity College at the University of Toronto.
Prior to joining FASI, she was a Senior Manager at PwC, specialising in organisational change and transformation. She also established an independent advisory practice on strategic global public policy, working with senior executives including a FTSE 250 aerospace and defence client.
She previously served as Lecturer in International Relations at ESCP Europe (2015–2022) and as Acting Research Director at the Diversity Institute. Her research experience includes roles at the United Nations Compensation Commission and Chatham House. She is an affiliate of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies and the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War.
Dr Julia Muravska
Dr Julia Muravska is a defence researcher and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Freeman Air and Space Institute, specialising in defence innovation, acquisition, and industrial policy. She recently co-authored “From Culture to System: A Roadmap for Turning Ukraine’s Counterdrone Innovation into a Capability,” examining how Ukraine can transform its agile wartime innovation culture into a coherent, system-level approach to countering massed drone warfare and sustaining strategic resilience in a war of attrition.
More information about the event can be found by following this link: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/iran-at-the-edge-war-negotiation-or-internal-fracture
