Iran Peace Prospects, Tehran Church Seizure, Vance Leads Talks | Your News Talk America | July 1, 2026

Your News Talk America with Jake Smith

Daily Show Notes · Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Today's Guests

Marziyeh (Marzi) Amirizadeh is an Iranian American author, public speaker, and activist for religious freedom. She immigrated to the United States after being sentenced to death by hanging in Iran for the crime of converting to Christianity, enduring months of interrogation and hardship in Tehran's Evin prison, one of the most brutal prisons in the world. She is the author of Captive in Iran and A Love Journey with God. Both books and more are at marzisjourney.com.

Jonathan Feldstein is the founder and president of the Genesis 123 Foundation, an Orthodox Jew who has built a career as a bridge between Jews and Christians and between Christians and Israel. Learn more at genesis123.co.

9:00  Show Open: The Iran War and the Prospects for Peace

Jake opens with the people who have serious skin in the game. What do they make of the Iran war and the real possibility of peace in the Middle East, and what is actually happening inside Iran right now?

• What do those with the most at stake believe about the war and the odds of a durable peace?
• What is the mood inside Iran, and what do Israelis think about the prospects for a deal with the regime in Tehran?

Guests: Marziyeh Amirizadeh · Jonathan Feldstein

9:20  The Regime's War on Christians Continues

The Iranian regime has moved to confiscate the historic compound of the Saint Peter Evangelical Church, also known as Qavam Church, in Tehran, and to evict the roughly 20 families living there, according to international media reports.

• A United States based minister tied to the Presbyterian Church in Iran reported that security forces entered the church, sat through a session, and said they had come to identify those present, signaling they would return to clear the premises and take control.
• The same account described regime figures voicing open contempt for the United States, framing America as having intervened and then withdrawn, and declaring they no longer fear it.

Sources: The Jerusalem Post (article 901061) · The Jerusalem Post (Iran news)

Guests: Marziyeh Amirizadeh · Jonathan Feldstein

9:45  Vance Takes the Lead on Tehran

President Trump has let JD Vance take the lead on negotiations with the regime in Tehran. Jake asks the guests what Israelis and Iranians make of Vance, and of what the show describes as his Pollyanna view of the Iranian regime.

Guests: Marziyeh Amirizadeh · Jonathan Feldstein

10:00  Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference 2026

• The guests share their experiences at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference at the Washington Hilton.
• Jake and Jonathan pick up a conversation from the night before on the desecration of Roman Catholic symbols and violence against Catholic religious, and the reasons Jonathan believes it is occurring in Lebanon and Jerusalem.

Guests: Marziyeh Amirizadeh · Jonathan Feldstein

10:30  The Truth About the NCRI and Maryam Rajavi

• What is the truth about the NCRI, and who is Maryam Rajavi?
• How does the group sustain such an extensive media presence, and why do other Iranian resistance groups lack the same reach?
• A lighter aside: January 1, 2026, a date which will live in radio infamy.
• And a policy question: should the United States sell F-35s to Turkey?

Guests: Marziyeh Amirizadeh · Jonathan Feldstein

11:00  The November Midterms and Israel on the Ballot

• Most Israelis and Persians reject negotiations with the regime. They want it eliminated and believe only then can Iran know peace and freedom.
• Looming over it all is the threat of the United States midterms in November. The show notes describe the Democratic Socialists of America as enemies of the Jewish State.
• The United States and Israel relationship, the guests argue, will be on the ballot in November.

Guests: Marziyeh Amirizadeh · Jonathan Feldstein

11:30  What Is Root and Branch, and How Can We Get Involved

Jake closes with Root and Branch. What is it, how did it start, and how can listeners get involved? It is a Genesis 123 Foundation program that brings Christians to Israel to harvest olives, the ultimate biblical fruit, and to build lasting relationships with Israelis.

Get involved: genesis123.co · RootandBranchIsrael.com

Guests: Marziyeh Amirizadeh · Jonathan Feldstein

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