FDD Events Podcast

Headlines:Iran's currency plummeted to a new low yesterday. We're talking over 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar. Iran is reportedly offering cash rewards for anyone who captures or kills an American soldier.Israel eliminated the leader of Hamas's Northern Gaza Brigade yesterday. The U.S. is set to withdraw all remaining forces from Iraq today and hand security over to Baghdad.A flydubai flight headed to Israel from Dubai was emergency diverted to Saudi Arabia due to a violent incident in the cockpit which is now being investigated as a potential terror attack.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ambassador Jeff Bartos, the U.S. representative for UN management and reform.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The internationally recognized government in Aden says it killed or injured 2,316 Houthis over the last 72 hours.Iran's Rev Guards said yesterday that they seized an American submarine drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Turkey continues to explore ways to get back into the F-35 club.Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said this weekend that Israel cannot break the resistance in Lebanon. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Bilal Saab, senior managing director of TRENDS US.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:China has reportedly sent tons of dual-use components to Iran for use in missiles and drones.Iran is once again threatening to attack its neighbors, this time going after regional airports.Turkey agreed to withdraw from a military base in northern Iraq, handing control back to Baghdad. In exchange, Iraq committed to crack down on armed groups that Ankara considers a threat — namely, groups connected to the Kurdistan Workers Party, otherwise known as the PKK.I mentioned the Saudis just a few minutes ago. And those missiles that were shot down. As it turns out, it was the Greeks who shot down at least one ballistic missile and one drone over Saudi Arabia. And guess what? They did so using the American-made Patriot air defense system. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Fellow Ben Cohen.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The UK has agreed to help Saudi Arabia fight the Houthis by providing aerial refueling services to Saudi planes for the next few weeks. The Trump administration is reportedly setting up a multi-billion dollar investment fund to help repair the energy infrastructure destroyed by Iran in the Persian Gulf. In an exclusive for The New York Times, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi laid out his plan to disarm Iran-backed Iraqi militias. Israeli troops conducted multiple counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samariah during the Yom Kippur holiday on Monday. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The State Department approved the potential sale of dozens of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia yesterday. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Jordan's King Abdullah and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun yesterday as part of a broader effort to raise funds for the Lebanese Armed Forces, or “LAF.”The Trump administration sanctioned members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, denying them visas to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week. Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade diplomatic ties following a meeting between their foreign ministers on Wednesday.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD AI Fellow Leah Siskind.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is in Beijing today to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.A Russian bank just got dinged by the US Treasury for laundering dirty Iranian money.Malaysia seized three shipping containers headed for Israel as they transited through a major Malaysian port.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Bernard Haykel.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The Houthis seized the Yemeni port of Mokha yesterday, days after launching a combinedballistic missile and drone attack in Saudi Arabia.President Trump warned that the U.S. could strike Pickaxe Mountain — the deeply buried, hard-to-reach nuclear facility in central Iran near Natanz.Algeria severed diplomatic ties with the UAE, citing quote “provocative or hostile” actions.Iran's Basij force is reportedly tightening its grip over the country under the direction of its returning commander, Hossein Taeb.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman of the Council on Foreign Relations.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Yesterday, the Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia, setting oil facilities on fire and wounding at least 73 people. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has just sounded the alarm on Iran's nuclear program. Rafael Grossi says Tehran still won't cooperate with inspectors and has cut off access to all its declared nuclear sites.  London has just announced that it is banning all trade with West Bank settlements. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli actress Swell Ariel Or, star of Netflix's "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem."Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Russia is helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles.Remember the Gaza flotilla? Well, it's back. Leaders from the so-called “Freedom Flotilla Coalition” said the group is planning to set sail once again and arrive in Gaza by October.Declassified Canadian intelligence indicates that Ottawa awarded an Iranian agent over $2 million in government contracts.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Lara Burns, retired FBI Special Agent and head of terrorism research at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Lebanese President Joseph Aoun petitioned Greece to help implement a future peace agreement with Israel, which would see the Lebanese Armed Forces, or “LAF,” disarm Hezbollah and deploy to areas of south Lebanon as Israel gradually withdraws from them.Israel will build a multi-tier air defense system to defend Greece against drones, ballistic missiles, and other aerial threats. The Houthi terrorist group in Yemen is deepening its ties with Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Brandy Shufutinsky, director of FDD's Education and National Security Program.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:USAID, the US Agency for International Development,released a new report on Friday, confirming what we already knew — namely, that UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, is infested with Hamas terrorists. A retired Shin Bet official named Adi Rotemhas come out of the shadows to confirm reports that Israel held direct talks with Hamas in 2024. Donald Trump announced a major oil deal with Venezuela just before the weekend. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Kuwait and Pakistan signed a military cooperation agreement yesterday, building on a deal signed in 2023. The IDF is poised to surge troops into the West Bank as violence over there continues to escalate.Iranians this week rushed to stock up on fuel and food in anticipation of supply shortages.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with world-renowned Turkey scholar Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:China blasted the United States after the Trump administration rolled out Operation Economic Outcast, its new pressure campaign to completely isolate Iran from the global economy. Let's stick with Iran, shall we? Iran and Oman are considering establishing a joint shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Military officials from Uganda and Burundi visited Israel last week to discuss troop deployments to Gaza. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Miad Maleki.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Some mixed messages out of Iran's rump regime. We've got President Masoud Pezeshkian saying that a new MOU is the best way out of the war. He warned that the country's economy is in a downward spiral. And he's not wrong. Reports over the weekend suggest that the regime may now ban all contact with foreigners.Four kites out of Gaza drifted over Kibbutz Nahal Oz. The last time kites flew over the territory, they were either on fire or contained explosives. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Jonathan Tobin, editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS).Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

Headlines:The Trump Administration sanctioned the International Criminal Court's president and top lawyer over their egregious, corrupt, politicized conduct.The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade and financial transactions with Iran after Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at the gulf country on Tuesday.Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency began excavating a suspected secret nuclear site run by the former Assad regime in Syria. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The U.S. and Israel have agreed to establish two Gaza working groups: one related to Hamas disarmament and the other to public health in the Strip. Russia is reportedly replenishing Iran's munition stockpiles by shipping drone parts, ammo, and even ballistic missile components to the regime via the Caspian Sea.President Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it obstructs the administration's efforts to clinch a deal with Iran.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Shira Efron, distinguished Israel policy chair at the RAND Corporation.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The rump regime in Iran claims that the government of Qatar is holding three of its pilots that were shot down in the open stages of the most recent war.The Houthis are still at it in Yemen. The port city of Mocha, controlled by the good guys in southern Yemen, continues to get hammered with Houthi missiles. A Hamas delegation led by chief psychoKhalil al-Hayya began meeting with the Egyptian intelligence chief on Sunday.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Emily Schrader of Israel's ILTV News.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:A tense situation is playing out in the West Bank village of Qusra. Israeli settlers, or perhaps not settlers but anarchists, depending upon who you talk to,have been besieging two Palestinian homes since Sunday, cutting their water and electricity. The IDF killed Hamas commander Jamal Mahmoud Abu Kamil in a targeted strike in Gaza City on Thursday. The Navy's swapping out its Middle East carrier — the USS George Washington will replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports and has now been at sea over 250 days, and without a port call in 200. The Qatari propaganda outlet Al Jazeera quietly ended contracts for at least 24 of its Gaza-based staff. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with President Daniel Chamovitz of Israel Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:U.S. forces fired on a Panama-flagged ship early Tuesday for running Washington's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, hitting its rudder after the crew ignored warnings.Last Thursday the leaders of India and Israel had a phone call. Some called it "out-of-the-blue." But the conversation between Modi and Netanyahu was decidedly not random.Former Hamas hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen took the stage to perform nine songs he wrote entirely in his head during 498 days in captivity.---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Laura Kelly, foreign policy reporter for The Hill.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The IDF and the Shin Bet have acknowledged that a special unit has been established to hunt down and kill every single Palestinian terrorist involved in the October 7 attacks.The Houthis are attacking south Yemen.Russian and Syrian officials met this weekend to iron out the fate of several Russian bases that were once bustling during the Bashar al-Assad era. The Weekend at Bernie's shtick is still going, with Iran's impotent president Masoud Pezeshkian claiming to have talked with absentee supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Mossad chief Roman Gofman has removed two of the agency's top officials over their role in a failed plan to topple Iran's regime. Speaking of the regime: Iran's execution campaign against January's protesters isn't winding down — it's expanding. A seventh round of Israel-Lebanon talks wrapped up yesterday in Rome, and the two sides are still claiming that progress is being made. But it's far from perfect. America's missile stockpile is a problem. But turns out, this munitions problem is now Israel's problem too.--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

Headlines: Syria reportedly agreed to decrease its Russian oil imports. The International Monetary Fund, or “IMF,” announced a new technical assistance program for the country after wrapping up a visit there late last month. A seventh round of talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off yesterday in Rome. An Indian-flagged ship was struck by a projectile off the coast of Yemen yesterday. ---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Nadav Eyal, columnist for the Israeli outlet Yedioth Ahronoth.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Two more Iranian nationals have been executed by the regime for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel.Reports are swirling in the region that the Saudis may need to go back to military operations against the Houthis in Yemen. If the Strait of Hormuz doesn't open, the Brits could experience a serious recession in 2027.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP).Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Last night President Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to give up its weapons and hand over power in Gaza to the newly established National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (or NCAG).U.S. officials say multiple U.N. relief agencies continue to stonewall a U.S. probe into their ties to Hamas, withholding key documents and other information that could reveal their employees as affiliates of the terror group.--FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of 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: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with CMPP Chairman LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Greece is planning to buy a multi-layer air defense system, drones, and other military aircraft from Israel. Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs is pushing to shutter the Turkish Consulate in Jerusalem.Iranian strikes on CIA facilities in the Gulf has intel folks wondering: is Russia helping the Islamic Republic target American facilities? A congressional letter landed on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's desk this week. The topic: Malaysia.--FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with Ilan Berman, senior vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council.Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The Lebanese Armed Forces started deploying troops to areas in south Lebanon formerly held by the IDF.The Iran-backed Houthis sent an email blast to shipping companies warning them not to load or offload cargo at Saudi ports.Hamas announced the election of Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader, replacing the late Yahya Sinwar who was killed back in October 2024.The Wall Street Journal reports that Saudi Arabia has been granted approval by Donald Trump to begin operating a civilian nuclear reactor. --FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with Alexandria Paolozzi Moore, senior director of government relations at FDD Action.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The Israelis were forced to activate their air defenses on Saturday night as an Iranian missile hurtled toward Aqaba, the southern Jordanian city that is nestled right next to the Israeli city of Eilat.Two Iranians were hanged over the weekend for anti-government protests and activities. The Wall Street Journal reports that the ceasefire between the Islamic Republic and the United States enabled the regime to get a bunch of its oil out onto the open market. --FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with FDD Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned seven companies and individuals that are part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' weapons procurement network. Iran instructed the Houthis in Yemen to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the U.S. strikes Iranian power infrastructure.Syrian authorities thwarted an attempt to smuggle arms from Iraq through Syria and onward to Hezbollah in Lebanon. President Trump announced the release of a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen from the Islamic Republic almost two years after she was detained. --FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with former UK Commissioner for Countering Extremism Robin Simcox.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The regime in Iran publicly hanged two people accused of membership to the Islamic State. Yes, you got that right. The world's most prolific state sponsor of terrorism is punishing, uh, terrorists.President Donald Trump hosted Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House yesterday. Lebanon and Israel have resumed talks over in Rome. This is the sixth round of direct talks, but the first since the two sides signed a framework agreement last month.--FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with foreign policy expert and "Oh My World!" host Hagar Chemali.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Sad news on Sunday morning. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina passed away following a brief illness after returning from a trip to Ukraine.Iraqi prime minister Ali al-Zaidi is due in Washington today for high level talks with the Trump Administration.Channel 12 in Israel released the contents of a handwritten letter penned in 2022 by none other than Yahya Sinwar.--FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Miad Maleki.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with documentary filmmaker and "Operation Arnon" producer Hannah Puder.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with CMPP Senior Research Analyst Cam McMillan.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery,  senior director of FDD's Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI), fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Celeste Wallander, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs of the United States.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is giving the Iran-backed Iraqi militias until September 30 to give up their weapons.Iraq and Syria agreed on Monday to strengthen cooperation across a number of sectors, including energy and border security, but also water, agricultuare and transport.Israeli forces eliminated three senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza.The International Monetary Fund reached an agreement with Egypt that could unlock over $1.6 billion for the country.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Ahmad Sharawi.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Israel and Lebanon, under the auspices of the United States have entered into a new diplomatic agreement.Reports out of Israel suggest that Hamas may be making some sort of a comeback.Egypt and Iran played soccer against eachother on Friday in Seattle. That's not really news. The World Cup match, which ended in a 1-1 draw was overshadowed by the fact that both countries were outraged that their game was designated as a Pride Match.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Remember the Gaza Board of Peace? Yeah. It's been pretty quiet lately. Well, presentatives from the Board are planning to meet in Cyprus next week.OPEC, the oil cartel for oil-producing nations, is in danger of losing another member.Secretary of State Marco Rubio just wrapped up a three-day tour of the Gulf.Confusion continues over the state of affairs in Lebanon.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Saudi media reported that Hamas leaders recently met with French officials on an undisclosed date in an unspecified location in the Middle East. Really informative, right? So now, for something more specific. This is the first reported meeting between Hamas and European officials since October 7.Turkey just concluded joint military drills with Qatari land forces.Iran and Oman agreed to form a joint working group to keep talks going on the future of the Strait of Hormuz.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Rep. Max Miller (R-OH).Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring the Free Press columnist Eli Lake and FDD expert Janatan Sayeh.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Does the MOU play Strait into Tehran's hands? | feat. Bernard Haykel and Jonathan HessenFDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring FDD experts Bernard Haykel and Jonathan Hessen.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:President Trump suggested that Syria should fight Hezbollah instead of Israel.Sources told the Wall Street Journal that the U.S. is going to allow Iran to begin selling oil and fuel as soon as the ceasefire deal is signed.France and Britain are planning to deploy a multinational coalition to the Strait of Hormuz if and when the ceasefire with Iran comes into effect.We spend a lot of time talking about war in the Middle East, but don't forget that there's a brutal civil war ravaging Sudan. Foreign powers have gotten involved on both sides — and Iran is one of them.--FDD Turkey Program Director Sinan Ciddi fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Middle East analyst Eitan Fischberger.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP episode of the FDD Morning Brief featuring FDD experts Miad Maleki, Bradley Bowman, and Ahmad Sharawi.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring FDD experts Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, and Behnam Ben Taleblu.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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

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/fddmorningbriefTo 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/

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

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

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