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FDD Morning Brief

FDD

The FDD Morning Brief provides timely situational updates on contemporary events. Start your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 8:30am (ET) with digestible analysis and the headlines our experts are watching. The FDD Morning Brief can be streamed on YouTube, X, and is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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  • 395 episodes
  • Updated Yesterday

Episodes395

Newest first
  • June 15 · 27 min

    The Iran ceasefire fallacy | feat. Haviv Rettig Gur

    FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Haviv Rettig Gur, host of the Ask Haviv Anything podcast and Middle East Analyst at The Free Press. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • June 8 · 28 min

    How the IRGC engineered its own survival | feat. Rafaela Siewert

    Headlines: Yesterday, Iran launched missiles at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire took effect. President Trump urged Netanyahu not to strike back at Iran — to no avail. Israel doubles down on its efforts to disarm Hamas in Gaza. -- FDD Research Analyst Mariam Wahba fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Rafaela Siewert of The Free Press. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • June 5 · 29 min

    Qatar's $400 billion grip on America | feat. Natalie Ecanow

    Headlines: The duplicitous, conniving, and corrupt state of Qatar is going to provide 6 billion dollars to Iran’s collapsing economy. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, is going to pack up and go home come December 31st. Yesterday, Hezbollah rejected the latest ceasefire agreement, despite both the Israeli and Lebanese governments agreeing to move forward. The rump of the Islamic Republic has been hyping a statement supposedly issued by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei claiming that Tehran has dealt the U.S. and Israel a quote, “decisive blow,” and that both countries have been deeply humiliated. That’s pretty rich coming from a man who hasn’t been seen since the first day of the war. Except in the form of a cardboard cutout or an AI rendering. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief To read Natalie's latest memo on Qatari influence, please visit: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/06/03/mapping-qatars-400-billion-footprint-in-the-united-states/

  • June 3 · 27 min

    Where does Europe stand on Iran? | feat. Simone Rodan-Benzaquen

    Headlines: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israel and Hezbollah agreed to stop shooting — basically, a sort-of ceasefire under which Israel would stop striking Beirut and Hezbollah would stop attacking Israel. However, to no one’s surprise, the shooting has continued. The Iranian regime is planning a three-day funeral for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which will reportedly take place in mid-June. Bahrain banned its citizens from traveling to Iran and Iraq for somewhat obvious security concerns. Another round of Iran sanctions hit the books yesterday. This time, Treasury targeted Iran’s digital asset exchanges and their leaders for helping the IRGC access the international financial system and evade U.S. sanctions. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation withSimone Rodan-Benzaquen, FDD's senior envoy for Europe. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • June 1 · 28 min

    The deal that dooms the Iranian people | feat. Moj Mahdara

    Headlines: The Israeli military is on the move in Lebanon. The IDF is set to move further north to do more damage to Hezbollah. We’ll keep with Lebanon and note here that the Europeans are nudging their way into this theater. The Brits are saying that they want the Israeli advance to end. The French have done the same. Ahmad al-Sharaa, the newish leader of Syria, says he wants all the remaining sanctions on his country lifted. One of the biggest Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Kataeb Hezbollah, says it will not disarm, despite calls from the United States to do so. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Iranian-American entrepreneur and activist Moj Mahdara. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 29 · 25 min

    The unfinished war on terror | feat. Joseph Zacks

    Headlines: The Sultanate of Oman committed to increase trade and economic relations with Iran. The Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which is the body that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard stood up to extort vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The IDF carried out a strike in Beirut yesterday — it was the first Israeli strike in Beirut in three weeks. The U.S. government is expanding its probe into the United Nations Relief and Works Agency — a.k.a. “UNRWA,” a.k.a. Hamas in UN clothing. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Joseph Zacks, FDD Adjunct Fellow and former deputy assistant director for counterterrorism for the CIA. Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 27 · 26 min

    Law and order in the Iran war | feat. Natasha Hausdorff

    Headlines: Israeli media reported that Shin Bet chief David Zini met with former Palestinian Authority security official Mohammad Dahlan in the United Arab Emirates. The regime in Iran executed a man accused of spying on behalf of the Mossad. The IDF expanded operations in Lebanon, pushing past the ceasefire line delineated in April — the so-called “Yellow Line. Iranian hackers were responsible for a breach of the Los Angeles transport authority earlier this year. An Israeli cybersecurity firm traced digital evidence to a known operation that’s believed to be affiliated with Tehran. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with UK international lawyer and barrister Natasha Hausdorff. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 22 · 28 min

    The anti-Israel propaganda pipeline feeding mainstream media | feat. Jacki Alexander

    Headlines Treasury sanctioned nine Hezbollah enablers who help preserve the terrorist group’s chokehold on Lebanon by obstructing peace or disarmament efforts. German federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against two individuals suspected of helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps plot the murder of Jewish leaders in Germany. The Trump administration is threatening to revoke the visas for the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations if ambassador Riyad Mansour doesn’t withdraw his candidacy for vice president of the UN General Assembly. Some bold statements coming out of Tehran. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Jacki Alexander, president and CEO of HonestReporting. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 20 · 24 min

    Can the IDF stop Hezbollah's FPV drones? | feat. Ryan Brobst

    Headlines: The Trump administration rolled out another batch of Iran sanctions, as well as a second package targeting four individuals associated with Palestinian terror groups and the Gaza flotilla. It’s official. Hamas has a new leader in Gaza. The world’s largest cable-laying company suspended work in the Persian Gulf after Iran demanded that the company obtain permits and pay fees to continue repairing subsea cables. Israeli troops reportedly found a document in Gaza last year indicating that Hamas spent the January to March 2025 ceasefire training new recruits. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ryan Brobst, deputy director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 18 · 28 min

    Hezbollah's West Africa money trail | feat. Daniel Swift

    Headlines: Iranian drone attacks, whether launched by the regime or its Iraqi proxies, continue to plague the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Remember the yellow zone in Gaza? You know, the territory that Israel controls and that surrounds the red zone that is still controlled by Hamas? Looks like Israel is slowly gaining ground on the terror group. The outrage continues over Nicholas Kristof’s column in The New York Times accusing Israel of training dogs to r*pe Palestinians in jail. The Israeli government just passed a death penalty law for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murder. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Daniel Swift, a senior research analyst from FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 15 · 27 min

    Washington's week with Beirut and Beijing | feat. David Daoud and Craig Singleton

    Headlines We’ve got another flotilla on the way to Israel. Just what we all needed, right? A Hezbollah drone attack wounded four Israeli civilians in northern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday that Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran to meet with Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. Fatah, the Palestinian Authority’s dominant faction, is on day two of a three-day conference to elect members to its Central Committee and Revolutionary Council, which is essentially the party’s parliament. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring FDD experts David Daoud and Craig Singleton. They examine the takeaways from the U.S.-China summit, the deadlock over Hezbollah's disarmament in the Israel-Lebanon talks, and what Washington can achieve on both fronts. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 13 · 22 min

    Why bombs alone won't beat Iran | feat. Andrew Fox

    Headlines: The UAE and Saudi Arabia both struck Iran during the latest round of conflict. Operation Economic Fury continues apace. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Qatar’s Minister of State for Defense Affairs in Doha. Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow defense systems have been working overtime but, after weeks — if not months — of speculation, the chair of Israel’s Rafael defense firm asserted that the country is not short of missile interceptors. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Andrew Fox of the Henry Jackson Society. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 11 · 28 min

    Groundhog Day in Gaza | feat. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib

    Headlines: Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan met with a group of Hamas officials in Ankara over the weekend. The New York Times reported over the weekend that Russia is shipping drone components to Iran through the Caspian Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal ran an exclusive on Saturday detailing how the Israelis set up a secret military post in Iraq that hosted special forces and served as a logistical hub for the Israeli Air Force. With elections slated for the fall, a heated political debate is erupting in Israel over Hamas and the October 7 attack. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, founder and director of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 8 · 25 min

    A broke and belligerent Iran | feat. Norman Roule

    Headlines: The Iranian regime and the United States traded fire in the Strait of Hormuz last night. The Trump administration issued another batch of sanctions as part of Operation Economic Fury. Reports yesterday suggested that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked the United States from using their bases and their airspace after President Trump announced Project Freedom. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claims he met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei — but it’s unclear if and when that meeting took place. An Israeli strike in Gaza killed the son of Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Norman Roule, former National Intelligence Manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and current Non-Resident Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 6 · 25 min

    Qatar's ICC influence operation | feat. Eugene Kontorovich

    Headlines: Reports broke suggesting that U.S. intelligence indicates Iran would need about nine months to a year to build a nuclear bomb. The United States, in partnership with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar proposed a UN Security Resolution to defend freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Arab Emirates came under attack on Monday and again yesterday. These were the first attacks on the UAE since the ceasefire took hold last month. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation between guest interviewer Cliff May, FDD Founder and President, and Eugene Kontorovich, Executive Director of George Mason University Scalia Law School’s Center for the Middle East and International Law. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 4 · 30 min

    A Middle East in flux | feat. Ahmad Sharawi, guest hosted by Sinan Ciddi

    Headlines: Hezbollah has been deploying a new category of drone that the IDF has struggled to counter. OPEC+, the broader alliance of oil-producing nations that includes OPEC members and additional producers like Russia, met on Sunday and agreed to bump up oil production by 188,000 barrels a day starting in June. U.S.-Iran negotiations hit another wall this past weekend. -- FDD Turkey Program Director Sinan Ciddi fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Ahmad Sharawi. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • May 1 · 24 min

    The blockade bleeding Iran dry | feat. Max Meizlish, guest hosted by Natalie Ecanow

    Headlines: The Global Sumud Flotilla is back — this time without Greta Thunberg. Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei released a written statement yesterday to mark National Persian Gulf Day. Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems reportedly signed a letter of intent with Volkswagen to acquire one of VW’s factories in western Germany. FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with FDD Research Fellow Max Meizlish. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief