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March 8, 2026
Mark Dubowitz
New York Post

Israel didn’t drag the US into war with Iran — they enabled us to fight it smarter and faster
FDD flame icon
March 8, 2026
New York Post
Mark Dubowitz

Israel didn’t drag the US into war with Iran — they enabled us to fight it smarter and faster

Mojtaba Khamenei Brings Monarchy Back to Iran

March 9th | Reuel Marc Gerecht,  Ray Takeyh
The Wall Street Journal

South Africa Should Stand with the Iranian People, Not Their Oppressors

March 9th | David May,  Theodore Schneiderman
The Algemeiner

Turkish Deployment of F-16s in Occupied Portion of Cyprus Raises Tensions in Eastern Mediterranean

March 9th | Sinan Ciddi
Policy Brief

Sisi Faces Modest Fury Over Iran War

March 9th | Mariam Wahba
Foreign Policy

Mojtaba Khamenei Replaces His Father as Supreme Leader of Iran’s Clerical Regime

March 9th
Flash Brief

Trending Issues

Iran
What if the war ends without dismantling the Islamic regime?
March 9th | Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus
ILTV
Mojtaba becomes Supreme Leader of Iran as the Islamic Republic widens the war
March 9th | Behnam Ben Taleblu
CNN International
Israel at War
Israel hit by Iranian closer bombs
March 9th | Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus
NewsNation
Israel didn’t drag the US into war with Iran — they enabled us to fight it smarter and faster
March 8th | Mark Dubowitz
New York Post
China
Trump Calls On Private Companies to Take On a Bigger Role in Cyber
March 6th | RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
The New York Times
China’s Defense Budget Keeps Growing While Economy Contracts
March 5th | Jack Burnham
Policy Brief
Russia
Trump demands Iran’s “unconditional surrender”
March 7th | RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
Fox News
Trump Calls On Private Companies to Take On a Bigger Role in Cyber
March 6th | RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
The New York Times
November 5, 2025
2:30 pm
EVENT: Containment Redux: Persian Gulf War Lessons from Iraq for U.S. Strategy Toward Iran
To examine the parallels between Iran in 2025 and Iraq after the First Persian Gulf War, FDD hosts Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and former U.S. special representative for Iran; Reuel Marc Gerecht, FDD resident scholar and former CIA Iranian targets officer; and Kenneth M. Pollack, Middle East Institute vice president for policy and former NSC director for Persian Gulf affairs. Moderated by FDD’s Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu, the discussion will analyze how Washington’s mix of deterrence, sanctions, and diplomacy aims to recalibrate U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic while preventing a 2003-style Iraq War outcome with Iran.
View All Events
Transcript

Featured Experts

Mark Dubowitz
Chief Executive
  • Iran Sanctions
  • Iran Human Rights
  • Syria
  • Iran Missiles
  • Iran
  • Iran Global Threat Network
  • Hezbollah
  • Iran-backed Terrorism
  • Sanctions and Illicit Finance
  • Cyber
  • Iran Nuclear
Jonathan Schanzer
Executive Director
  • Palestinian Politics
  • Iran
  • Iran Sanctions
  • Iran Global Threat Network
  • Hezbollah
  • Iran-backed Terrorism
  • Turkey
  • Jihadism
  • Sanctions and Illicit Finance
Behnam Ben Taleblu
Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow
  • Iran
  • Iran Sanctions
  • Iran Missiles
  • Iran Human Rights
  • Iran Politics and Economy
  • Iran Global Threat Network
  • Sanctions and Illicit Finance
RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow
Richard Goldberg
Senior Advisor
  • Iran
  • Palestinian Politics
  • Iran Sanctions
  • Iran Global Threat Network
  • Iran-backed Terrorism
  • Gulf States
  • Sanctions and Illicit Finance
  • International Organizations
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus
Senior Fellow
Reuel Marc Gerecht
Resident Scholar
  • Iran
  • Iran Politics and Economy
  • Turkey
  • Arab Politics
  • Egypt
Janatan Sayeh
Research Analyst
View FDD Team
Monographs

Unplugging Beijing

July 21 | Elaine K. Dezenski,  Josh Birenbaum
View Monograph
Visuals
Islamic Republic of Iran Attacks the Arab World
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| Bridget Toomey,  Ahmad Sharawi
What to Know About Iran's Nuclear Program
Sorry, your browser does not support inline SVG. UPDATED
| Andrea Stricker,  Anthony Ruggiero
View All Visuals

What they're saying

"Mr. Dubowitz’s campaign to draw attention to what he saw as the Iran nuclear deal's flaws has taken its place among the most consequential ever undertaken by a Washington think tank leader."
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New York Times
“The Foundation for Defense of Democracies understands as well as anyone that we are now in an era, once again, of Great Power Competition, primarily with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor
"I would like to express my appreciation to the FDD for its long-term focus on Taiwan and for continuing to increase the attention paid to Taiwan’s defense and social resilience."
Lai Ching-te
President of Taiwan
“FDD is highly influential in the area of public policy … I would like to thank FDD for publishing numerous articles advocating for international support of Taiwan.”
Tsai Ing-wen
Former President of Taiwan
“Thank you for all of FDD’s work… it is so critical to our fight in the United States against terror and against those who seek to do us harm”  … “[FDD has always] held Iran accountable for their continued nuclear activity and for their continued terror activity….which is key to America’s national security and our fight globally against terror, against Iran and its proxies, and against Hezbollah and Hamas and Palestinian Jihad.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
“What FDD puts out [in] the national and international conversation, … you really are  … a repository of knowledge on so many critical issues.”
Mike Waltz
"Thank you to FDD…for the many, many years of great work that you’ve done. I've known the organization and relied on its expertise long before this conversation today."
Jessica Lewis
Former Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State
"I will tell you that FDD has been such a partner. Whether it is dealing with the Iran deal and the flaws that were in it, all the way to human shields and all the things that we need to do to combat it, you've been a partner in a time where we need partners.  And so I appreciate that very much."
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Amb. Nikki R. Haley
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations
“Nobody makes the case better than FDD that the Islamic Republic is a threat to the region, its own people and the U.S., and that it needs to be dealt with, not wished away.”
Wall Street Journal
Weekend Interview
“I would add my own thanks to the FDD and the Center on Military and Political Power for … showing how important it is that we are talking, both on the military and the civilian side, about the importance of being prepared to protect and advance our national security objectives. That's exactly the kind of conversations that we're seeking to help our European allies and partners have with their citizenry. Thank you.”
Amb. Kate Marie Byrnes
Civilian Deputy and Foreign Policy Advisor, U.S. European Command
"A record low for the reach of petrodollars: CIA & FDD fake news w/ selective AlQaeda docs re: Iran can't whitewash role of US allies in 9/11"
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Javad Zarif
Iran's Former Foreign Minister
FDD's Long War Journal [is] the best source of public information on terrorism.
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Michael Morell
former Acting and Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency
“The Foundation is making a difference across the world.”
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George W. Bush
Former President

Overnight Brief: March 9, 2026

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Today In Issues:

Israel,   Iran,   Russia and Ukraine,   Hezbollah,   Iraq,   Turkey,   Lebanon,   Saudi Arabia,   Gulf States,   Korean Peninsula,   China,   South Asia,   Asia,   Europe,   Africa,   The Americas,   North America,   United States,   Cybersecurity,   Defense

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