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 https://www.mood.com with promo code SHANESMITH Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months at https://www.quo.com/shane Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vicenews?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicenews Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicenews Instagram: http://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 https://www.youtube.com/@VICENews