**Talk**
Iran's Ambitions:
Implications for the Middle East, Israel and the World.
David Bradley talks to Nicholas Hopton, the Former UK Ambassador to Iran 2016 - 2018, about Iran's intentions in the Middle East following the fall of Syria and the new Trump presidency. He will also explore what life was like living in an authoritarian theocracy and various unsettling moments for him and his staff.
Monday 24th February 2025
The Bridge Room (upstairs), The Prince Albert, 85 Albert Bridge Road, London SW11
Arrive 7pm - Drinks at the bar
Talk starts 7.30 pm
Optional dinner 8.30 pm
Free or from £9.50 Early Bird*.
About Nicholas Hopton
Cambridge-educated Nicholas Hopton served 35 years at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and was ambassador to Qatar, Libya, Yemen and Iran, the latter from 2016 to 2018. He was the first ambassador there since breaking diplomatic relations between the UK and Iran in 2011. He is now the Director General of the Middle East Association, facilitating opportunities between the United Kingdom and the Middle East across business, culture, environment, education, and development.
What you'll discover includes:
* What are the Iran regime's strategic regional and global objectives? (What does it want?)
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* If it achieves them, what will the Middle East look like, and how will that affect Israel and the World?
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* How will the fall of the Assad regime in Syria affect Iran's foreign policy? Will that have blunted its ambitions?
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* Could the current regime collapse like Assad's in Syria?
* How will the Trump Presidency affect Iran's policies?
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* If there's a change of government in Iran, what would the commercial opportunities be?
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* Who are the Iranian Guards? What do they do?
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* What was the scariest aspect of your life in Tehran? How well were you and your family shielded from the strictures of living there?
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* How did diplomatic receptions work at the Embassy? Were the "Mullahs" happy to mingle?
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* What does the Middle East Association do (Nicholas is its Director General), and how can it help businesses in a changed Iran?
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Chatham House rules apply. We cannot pose politically sensitive questions here, but you can ask them at the talk.
Monday 24th February 2025
The Bridge Room (upstairs), The Prince Albert, 85 Albert Bridge Road, London SW11
Arrive 7pm - Drinks at the bar
Talk starts at 7.30 pm.
Optional is at dinner 8.30 pm.
Free or from £9.50 Early Bird*.
Cancellation Policy
If we must cancel the event or you (with at least five days' notice) can't make it, you will receive a complimentary ticket to another Revellers' Club-organised event. If there isn't one that you wish or can attend, you will receive a refund. Tickets are not transferable, unless you are a Roaring Reveller.
* Members' prices.