March 9, 2026
Matt Pottinger
The Free Press
Trump Could End the War Tomorrow. I Don’t Think He Will.
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Trending Issues
Iran
The timeline and objectives of U.S. military operations in Iran
NBC News
Has Iran’s drone threat peaked?
The Spectator
Israel at War
Israel continues strikes on Iran
Fox LiveNOW
Is the Islamic Republic Down and Out in the Levant and Beyond?
Since October 7, 2023, Iran’s theocracy has watched its entire westward foreign policy crash, disabled by an Israeli counterattack and its shockwaves.
Hoover Institution
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.
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
What they're saying
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New York Times
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Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor
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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."
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
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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"
Javad Zarif
Iran's Former Foreign Minister
FDD's Long War Journal [is] the best source of public information on terrorism.
Michael Morell
former Acting and Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency
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George W. Bush
Former President
Overnight Brief: March 10, 2026
Read Full BriefToday In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
- "Gulf states have a stark choice — and Trump must make them face it," New York Post
- "Sisi Faces Modest Fury Over Iran War," Foreign Policy
- "Mojtaba Khamenei Brings Monarchy Back to Iran," The Wall Street Journal
- "Why Hezbollah Joined the Iran War," The National Interest
- "South Africa Should Stand with the Iranian People, Not Their Oppressors," The Algemeiner
- "Separatism Would Hand the Iranian Regime a Lifeline," Real Clear Defense
- "Who Is Mojtaba Khamenei?" The National Interest
- "Washington’s Chance to Force Qatar and Iran’s Breakup," National Review
- "The 'peace president' was right to go to war," Tulsa World
- "Iran’s ‘Hezbollah Blueprint’ To Survive the U.S. Military’s Massive Air War," 1945
- "Turkish Deployment of F-16s in Occupied Portion of Cyprus Raises Tensions in Eastern Mediterranean," FDD Policy Brief
- "Iran and proxy militias strike energy infrastructure, US bases, and Gulf capitals on March 6," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Iran continues striking civilian infrastructure and US bases in the Gulf (March 7–8 updates)," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Israel strikes over 500 targets in Lebanon, issues evac orders in renewed war with Hezbollah (March 2–6)," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Australia bans Hizb ut Tahrir under new hate laws," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Rockets target US Embassy in Baghdad after Iraqi Shiite militia group issues threat over war in Lebanon," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Similarities and differences in US and Israeli targets and objectives in Iran campaign," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Iran escalates attacks on Kurdistan Region of Iraq," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Mojtaba Khamenei Replaces His Father as Supreme Leader of Iran’s Clerical Regime," FDD Flash Brief
The Must-Reads
- Trump's Gaza plan on hold as Iran war pauses disarmament talks, sources say
- Iran’s leadership signals it is still in control and able to fight
- Iran says oil blockade will continue until attacks end, Trump threatens heavier strikes
- Trump says war against Iran is 'very complete,' CBS News reports
- WSJ Editorial: Iran isn’t winning this war
- Trump says he discussed Ukraine and Iran conflicts with Putin
- Lebanon seeks direct talks with Israel to end Hezbollah fighting
- France is sending a large naval force to the Middle East
- Bloomberg’s Karishma Vaswani: Why US strikes on Iran will harden North Korea's nuclear resolve
- Australia to send missiles to UAE, deploy military surveillance aircraft
- US to designate Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, State Department says
- Two charged in ISIS-inspired attack outside NYC mayor’s home