Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
For more than a decade, Gelareh Kiazand reported from some of the world's most complicated and misunderstood places.
From covering life under the Taliban in Afghanistan to documenting everyday life inside Iran, her work focused on telling stories from the ground — often in places where politics, war, and international headlines rarely capture the full picture.
In this conversation, Shane Smith sits down with Gelareh to reflect on years of reporting across Iran and Afghanistan, the realities of covering conflict, and what journalists can learn by spending time with the people who actually live through these events.
Featuring archival VICE reporting and footage from recent reporting in Tehran, they discuss war, sanctions, media narratives, daily life, and the challenge of understanding countries that are often reduced to headlines and geopolitics.
After decades covering the region, one thing remains true:
Showing up still matters.
In this episode:
• Reporting from Afghanistan during the war
• Life under the Taliban and what changed after the withdrawal
• What everyday life in Iran looks like beyond the headlines
• The challenges of reporting from conflict zones
• Journalism, propaganda, and competing narratives
• Sanctions, politics, and ordinary people
• How VICE reported from places few Western outlets could access
• Why being there still matters
Subscribe to Shane Smith Has Questions for new conversations with the people shaping politics, culture, technology, and the world around us.
#Iran #Afghanistan #Journalism #VICE #VICENews #ShaneSmith #MiddleEast #Conflict #Documentary #Podcast #Interview #Geopolitics #ForeignPolicy
Get 20% off your first order at mood.com with promo code SHANESMITH
Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months at quo.com/shane
Subscribe to VICE News here: bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News
Check out VICE News for more: vicenews.com
Follow VICE News here:
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vicenews?lang=en
Facebook: facebook.com/vicenews
Twitter: twitter.com/vicenews
Instagram: instagram.com/vicenews
===========================
Chapters:
00:00 Breaking News "US Strikes on Iran"
01:03 Welcome "Gelareh Kiazand"
02:52 How Gelareh Got in Front of the Camera
03:43 Afghanistan Today "Women's Rights in Reverse"
08:09 Humanizing the "Enemy" (North Korea Flashback)
13:11 "The Fog of War" Conflicting Casualty Counts
15:00 "Tehran's Economy" Sanctions Not So Crippling?
16:34 Grief, Betrayal, and Broken Promises
21:00 Why the West Keeps Misreading Iran
22:49 What Comes Next Sanctions, Freedom, and Hope
27:21 Telling Iran's Untold Stories Through Vice
29:34 Gelareh New Film on Family, Lies, and History
30:51 Reflecting on Years of Friendship and Reporting
================================
Reporting the Region: Inside Iran & Afghanistan | Gelareh Kiazand | SSHQ
youtube.com/@VICENews
For more than a decade, Gelareh Kiazand reported from some of the world's most complicated and misunderstood places.
From covering life under the Taliban in Afghanistan to documenting everyday life inside Iran, her work focused on telling stories from the ground — often in places where politics, war, and international headlines rarely capture the full picture.
In this conversation, Shane Smith sits down with Gelareh to reflect on years of reporting across Iran and Afghanistan, the realities of covering conflict, and what journalists can learn by spending time with the people who actually live through these events.
Featuring archival VICE reporting and footage from recent reporting in Tehran, they discuss war, sanctions, media narratives, daily life, and the challenge of understanding countries that are often reduced to headlines and geopolitics.
After decades covering the region, one thing remains true:
Showing up still matters.
In this episode:
• Reporting from Afghanistan during the war
• Life under the Taliban and what changed after the withdrawal
• What everyday life in Iran looks like beyond the headlines
• The challenges of reporting from conflict zones
• Journalism, propaganda, and competing narratives
• Sanctions, politics, and ordinary people
• How VICE reported from places few Western outlets could access
• Why being there still matters
Subscribe to Shane Smith Has Questions for new conversations with the people shaping politics, culture, technology, and the world around us.
#Iran #Afghanistan #Journalism #VICE #VICENews #ShaneSmith #MiddleEast #Conflict #Documentary #Podcast #Interview #Geopolitics #ForeignPolicy
Get 20% off your first order at mood.com with promo code SHANESMITH
Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months at quo.com/shane
Subscribe to VICE News here: bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News
Check out VICE News for more: vicenews.com
Follow VICE News here:
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vicenews?lang=en
Facebook: facebook.com/vicenews
Twitter: twitter.com/vicenews
Instagram: instagram.com/vicenews
===========================
Chapters:
00:00 Breaking News "US Strikes on Iran"
01:03 Welcome "Gelareh Kiazand"
02:52 How Gelareh Got in Front of the Camera
03:43 Afghanistan Today "Women's Rights in Reverse"
08:09 Humanizing the "Enemy" (North Korea Flashback)
13:11 "The Fog of War" Conflicting Casualty Counts
15:00 "Tehran's Economy" Sanctions Not So Crippling?
16:34 Grief, Betrayal, and Broken Promises
21:00 Why the West Keeps Misreading Iran
22:49 What Comes Next Sanctions, Freedom, and Hope
27:21 Telling Iran's Untold Stories Through Vice
29:34 Gelareh New Film on Family, Lies, and History
30:51 Reflecting on Years of Friendship and Reporting
================================
Reporting the Region: Inside Iran & Afghanistan | Gelareh Kiazand | SSHQ
youtube.com/@VICENews
