Ken Pollack on Iran: What Keeps Him Up at Night

Ken Pollack on Iran: What Keeps Him Up at Night

In this edition of the MBN Iran Briefing podcast Andres Ilves joined by Ken Pollack, Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute, as we take up whether the U.S. deterrence strategy regarding Iran has succeeded or failed, how Iran built its own deterrent around the Strait of Hormuz and its regional proxies, and what regime change could realistically look like now that the initial window has closed. Ken also tells me the three things that keep him up at night and why his thinking changed after the pivotal day of March 17, 2000.

Iran After the MOU: Nuclear Risks, Hormuz, and the Houthi Wildcard

In this edition of the Iran Briefing Podcast, MBN Iran Editor Andres Ilves is joined by Dana Stroul, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Matthew Kaminski, MBN’s editorial chair, as they take up the MOU, Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, how Iran weaponized the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthi wildcard in the post-ceasefire landscape, and what genuine post-war strategic success looks like for Washington.

The US-Iran Nuclear Understanding: What It Solves — and What It Doesn’t

In this edition of the MBN Iran Briefing podcast I’m joined by Henry Sokolski, founder and executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, as we examine the newly announced US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, the fundamental flaws in inspecting nuclear fuel production, the overlooked plutonium threat at Bushehr, nuclear proliferation risks across the Middle East, and whether the sixty-day negotiation window can address half a century of unresolved nuclear concerns.

The Lebanon-Tehran Axis: Who Controls the Ceasefire Framework?

In this edition of the MBN Iran Briefing podcast I’m joined by MBN Washington Bureau Chief Joe Khawly and seasoned MBN journalist Rami Al Amine, as we examine Lebanon’s role in the broader Iran-Israel-US war, Iran’s direct control over Hezbollah, the troubled ceasefire negotiations, and why the real deadline isn’t the June 22 talks: it’s whatever deal, if any, Washington and Tehran reach.

Inside Iran’s Propaganda Machine: Ilan Berman on Information Control

"In the latest MBN Iran Briefing podcast, Andres Ilves speaks with Ilan Berman, longtime analyst of Iran, Russia, and Eurasian security. Their wide-ranging discussion covers Iran’s propaganda efforts and messaging in the West, how the regime controls the flow of information in and out of the country, and even draws some wisdom from boxer Mike Tyson,"