FDD

Some evening listening for ya! In this episode of GREAT POWER PODCAST, I talk to @JSchanzer of @FDD about how the war with Iran is reshaping the Middle East - and what it means for “great power competition” writ large. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gre…

"If the United States can hold firm for the next few weeks, it can fully degrade Iran’s war-making apparatus. This would usher in a multiyear interval of calm of the kind that neither sanctions nor diplomacy has been able to produce in over four decades. In that window, a better regional order could emerge." -- By @FDD's @MarkCMontgomery nytimes.com/2026/03/19/opi…

Read more: trib.al/R8OpPAs “So winning the battle of Hormuz is essential. Is it a mission impossible?” @CliffordDMay of @FDD writes.

“There may be NO good airstrike option.” Andrea Stricker says the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility may be too deep to destroy from the air. “That could force a special forces operation — going inside the complex to eliminate it once the regime is further degraded.”

“The level of penetration into Iran is significant… this is the participation of the Iranian people.” Former Israeli National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata, who also spent 23 years in the Mossad, explains how real‑time tips have enabled Israel to target key Iranian leaders even in deep hiding.

Iranian drones and missiles hit ports, oil and gas facilities, and US bases in the region (March 17-19 updates) longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/…

🎥@StrickerNonpro on @FoxNews @IngrahamAngle 👇

RFE/RL just published an important investigation into how Iran's sanctioned state broadcaster, IRIB, is operating inside Bosnia and Herzegovina using local television to spread pro-regime propaganda. I’m pleased to have my analysis cited. Key points include: IRIB has been active in Bosnia for nearly 30 years. Its Bosnian-language channel, Sahar Balkan TV, still airs on a Sarajevo municipality-owned station whose management claims it didn't know IRIB is under EU sanctions. That's a problem. The EU, US, Canada, Australia, and UK have all sanctioned IRIB for broadcasting forced false confessions obtained through torture and suppressing free information inside Iran. IRIB cooperates with the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. When Iranians peacefully took to the streets in late 2025, IRIB was simultaneously sending Bosnian media footage of pro-government rallies and materials comparing protesters to ISIS. Meanwhile, the regime killed thousands of the Iranian citizens. I am quoted in the piece saying that "domestic demonstrations, in which millions of Iranians took to the streets to protest their government's repression, are being portrayed as riots instigated by foreign actors. This is an approach that regime officials are repeating both in state media and on international channels. It also reminds me of the moment in 2009 when Iranian state media falsely portrayed the murder of protester Neda Agha-Soltan as a fabricated conspiracy by the Western media, even though a video of her murder by Basij members went viral on social media.” Bosnia is a candidate up for EU membership. It is legally obligated to align with EU foreign policy as a condition of candidacy. Letting a sanctioned Iranian broadcaster air on public television is not alignment. EU institutions should take note. IRIB reportedly employs between 30,000 and 50,000 people, more than the BBC. Use google translate to read the full article in English: slobodnaevropa.org/amp/iranski-me…

The dynamic writing duo @FDD @ReuelMGerecht and @CFR_org Ray Takeyh in @WSJopinion on how the degradation of Iran as a military and nuke power has been enormous and is likely irreversible.

The Dynamics - And The Stakes … - Great Power Podcast. My convo here with ⁦@ilanberman⁩ on the wider lens to view the Iran war. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

The President would be wise to allow the military to complete the air campaign and destroy the IRGCs tools of regional power projection. Only then can we set the conditions for conducting convoy operations and opening the Straits. nytimes.com/2026/03/19/opi…

10 major Iranian naval targets struck in Operation Epic Fury @BridgetKToomey in FDD's @LongWarJournal: fdd.org/analysis/2026/…

Japanese Prime Minister Looks To Balance Regional Issues With Iran War During Meeting With Trump 📑 @JackBurnham802's latest analysis: bit.ly/4sVJthk

Wars have a way of destroying presidential legacies or securing them. For Trump, his presidency’s success, both now and in history’s retelling, hinges on battlefield performance and a paradigm shift. @JSchanzer commentary.org/articles/jonat…

W/ 2 cents from yours truly to @EliLake of @TheFP on the connective tissue between Iran’s opposition and Israel, and why this matters as the Jewish state continues to pave the pathway for protests by targeting the regime’s apparatus of repression.

Naim Qassem says Hezbollah will continue fighting Israel, frames war as defense of Lebanon @DavidADaoud in FDD's @LongWarJournal: fdd.org/analysis/2026/…

The US and Israel are dismantling the war-making and repression machinery that enables the regime in Iran to fight, deter, and survive. I’ve got more on the Israeli side of the campaign in my latest:

On @FoxNews @AmericaNewsroom with @DanaPerino and @BillHemmer: If Japan won’t help defend Hormuz — despite depending on it for over 70% of its energy — Beijing will draw conclusions about allied resolve when Taiwan is on the table.

What are the three phases of Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion. I explain:

From former Rear Admiral @FDD’s @MarkCMontgomery: “If the United States can hold firm for the next few weeks, it can fully degrade Iran’s war-making apparatus. This would usher in a multiyear interval of calm of the kind that neither sanctions nor diplomacy has been able to produce in over four decades. In that window, a better regional order could emerge.” nytimes.com/2026/03/19/opi… via @NYTOpinion