Rachel Maddow

Thank you.

All right.

When we come back, we're going to be talking with the Iran project director for the International Crisis Group, who's a real expert in Iranian-American relations.

That particular question that Ben Rhodes was just zooming in on there, which was, even in the case of a successful regime-toppling effort, what would happen next?

What in particular happens to the largest, best-organized and best-capitalized armed group in the country, which of course is the Revolutionary Guard Corps?

That's really key in terms of what happens here, what happens next, and what might happen very soon.

That's all I have.

Stay with us.

This is the Fairmont Palm Hotel in downtown Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

This is it on fire after that very fancy hotel appears to have been hit by either a drone or by debris from an interception of a drone or missile today.

That's just one of several strikes or interceptions across the whole region as Iran has started retaliating against what it sees as U.S.

targets or Israeli targets or U.S.

or Israeli allies in the region.

Joining us now is Ali Vaez.

He's the Iran Project Director and Senior Advisor to the President at the International Crisis Group.

Mr. Vaez, thank you very much for being with us.

I appreciate your time.

We've been trying as best we can to keep track of not just the damage inside Iran as U.S.

and Israeli strikes there continue, but also the way that Iran has tried to retaliate across the region.

What should we understand about Iran's military capability to inflict damage in other countries?