FDD Events Podcast

Israel has launched precision strikes against nuclear and military facilities in Iran — just days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) formally declared Iran in violation of its nuclear nonproliferation commitments for the first time since 2005.

The Islamic Republic — closer than ever to acquiring a nuclear weapon — had dismissed U.S. diplomatic overtures and accelerated its nuclear program in ways that clearly exceed any plausible civilian use.

What are the implications for regional security and America’s allies? How will these developments affect Iran’s nuclear trajectory? And how might continued escalation shift the strategic balance across the Middle East and beyond?

To deconstruct, Jonathan Schanzer hosts an all-star lineup of experts: RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, Eyal Hulata, and Mark Dubowitz.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

TURKEY'S NEO-OTTOMAN VISION

HEADLINE 1: The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on a network of sham charities that fund Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or “PFLP.”

HEADLINE 2: Israel carried out strikes against Yemen’s Hodeida port.

HEADLINE 3: The IDF took out two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak — author, researcher, and one of the world’s foremost experts on Turkey — from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND ... GRETA THUNBERG?

HEADLINE 1: Iranian intelligence agencies say they’ve acquired a cache of sensitive Israeli documents.

HEADLINE 2: Al Qaeda in Yemen is back in the spotlight.

HEADLINE 3: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon may soon be a thing of the past.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Founder and President Cliff May.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

TURKEY'S INTERNAL CHALLENGES AND EXTERNAL INFLUENCE

HEADLINE 1: Israel’s defense exports increased 13 percent in 2024.

HEADLINE 2: Israel is arming jihadi criminals in Gaza.

HEADLINE 3: The Syrian government agreed to give the International Atomic Energy Agency access to former Assad regime nuclear sites.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Sinan Ciddi, director of FDD's Turkey Program.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

For malign actors seeking to undermine U.S. global leadership and economic prosperity, AI is the latest battleground. To learn how U.S. adversaries leverage AI to advance their military, cyber, and malign influence capabilities, join RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI); Matt Pottinger, chairman of FDD’s China Program and CEO of Garnaut Global LLC; and Leah Siskind, AI research fellow and director of impact at FDD.

This panel will discuss how the government and private sector innovation base can collaborate to combat national security threats, counter adversarial AI use, and expand the innovation capabilities of America and its allies around the world.

For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/06/04/battleground-ai-us-national-security-and-adversarial-use-of-ai/

QATAR'S MALIGN INFLUENCE AND ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA

HEADLINE 1: The Trump administration okay-ed the integration of foreign fighters into the Syrian army.

HEADLINE 2: Rumors are swirling about who will replace Muhammed Sinwar as Hamas’s commander-in-chief. OK, maybe not swirling. We think we know who it is.

HEADLINE 3: Chaos is festering on the Gaza aid front.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with writer and Middle East analyst Eitan Fischberger.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

GAZA AID, HAMAS, AND THE 'DAY AFTER'

HEADLINE 1: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is talking about normalization with Israel.

HEADLINE 2: The United States, Britain, France, and Germany, are planning to submit a resolution to the International Atomic Energy Agency board declaring Iran non-compliant with its non-proliferation obligations. Because it is.

HEADLINE 3: A Saudi-led delegation of Arab foreign ministers was supposed to visit the West Bank yesterday. Israel blocked it.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with John Spencer, who serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at West Point's Modern War Institute.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

U.S.-ISRAEL TIES, INTERNAL ISRAELI POLITICS, AND THE HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS

HEADLINE 1: The IDF announced that it has successfully used lasers to shoot down enemy projectiles.

HEADLINE 2: The Lebanese Armed Forces reportedly dismantled most of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in south Lebanon.

HEADLINE 3: After 13 years, the stars and stripes are flying again in Damascus.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with Jacob Magid, who serves as the U.S. bureau chief at The Times of Israel.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

WHAT'S THE STORY WITH HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA?

HEADLINE 1: Israel and Syria are holding direct talks.

HEADLINE 2: Germany is starting to change its tone on Israel.

HEADLINE 3: The Palestinian flag is about to fly at the World Health Organization.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Distinguished Fellow Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN K-12 SCHOOLS AND BEYOND

HEADLINE 1: Israel and Turkey reportedly established a new mechanism to help prevent unwanted military incidents in Syria.

HEADLINE 2: Two more Houthi missile attacks were recorded.

HEADLINE 3: France is working with Saudi Arabia on a proposal for Gaza that would require Hamas to disarm.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Brandy Shufutinsky, director of FDD's brand-new program on education and national security.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/