MBN Iran Briefing Podcast
by Andres Ilves
The war around Iran is no longer confined to the battlefield—it is rapidly spilling into global markets, energy supplies, and regional stability. In today’s Iran Briefing podcast, three MBN senior voices unpack the latest developments: Iran’s new leadership doubling down on escalation, attacks spreading across the Gulf, and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. With tanker traffic collapsing and oil prices surging above $100 amid the conflict, the conversation looks at how this crisis could reshape Gulf economies, global trade, and the geopolitical balance far beyond the region.
Episodes
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Iran’s History, 9/11 and the Current Conflict
In the upcoming Iran Briefing podcast, we speak with Alan Eyre, former U.S. diplomat and the first Persian language spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, about the connections between 9/11, the current conflict, the motives of Iran’s regime, and the broader sweep of Iranian history.
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Does Iran Really Want This War to End?
In the latest episode of Iran Briefing, Farzan Sabet and Matthew Kaminski examine whether Tehran really wants the war to end, how the IRGC and hardliners emerged more entrenched despite major leadership losses, and why the conflict’s lasting legacy may be a reshaped regional map rather than…
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Iran, Repression and Exile: Mehrzad Boroujerdi’s Personal Story
What does Iran’s history of political repression look like through the eyes of someone whose own family paid a devastating price? On this episode of Iran Briefing, Andres Ilves speaks with Mehrzad Boroujerdi about the latest developments in Iran, repression following the Iranian Revolution, why…
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Iran’s War Expands: Why Arab Neighbors Are Now in the Crosshairs
Five months of war have transformed Iran’s confrontation with the U.S. and Israel into a wider conflict with its Arab neighbors. In a new episode of Iran Briefing, Andres Ilves, Leila Bazzi and Abubakar Siddique examine Tehran’s strategy, the risks facing its hardliners, and what is really...
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From Protests to Massacre: The Reality of Modern Iran
In this edition of the MBN Iran Briefing podcast I'm joined by Shahin Milani, Executive Director of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, as we take up what actually happened during the regime’s massacre of thousands of Iranians in January, why the world's attention has moved on, and how…
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How Gulf businesses have adjusted to war as the new normal ?
In this edition of the Iran Briefing podcast I'm joined by Scott Wilcox, Senior Advisor at the Sicuro Group, a global risk management and operational resilience firm. We take up how Gulf businesses have adjusted to war as the new normal, why the brunt of the strikes has fallen on Bahrain and…
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Pakistan, China and the Future of the Iran War
In this edition of the MBN Iran Briefing podcast I’m joined by MBN Washington Bureau Chief Joe Kawly and Mohammed Soliman, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, as we look at the shifting geography of the Iran war, U.S. President Trump’s call to expand the Abraham Accords, and the roles of...
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Trump-Xi Summit: China, Iran and the Strait of Hormuz
In the latest MBN Iran Briefing podcast, Andres Ilves speaks with MBN China Editor Min Mitchell and MBN Israel correspondent Yehya Kassem about Trump and Putin’s visits to Beijing, the Trump-Xi summit, and a groundbreaking story by our correspondent in Jerusalem — unpacking what these…
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How Iran and Lebanon’s Gen Z Is Reacting to War
How are Iran and Lebanon’s Gen Z reacting to the war and the conditions they live in? To find out, check out the latest Iran Briefing podcast. In this edition I’m joined by MBN’s own Editor-in-Chief Leila Bazzi and by Holly Dagres, curator of the Iranist Substack and Senior Fellow at the…
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Iran Briefing| War, Lebanon, and Hezbollah
Why are there roadblocks in Iran manned by soldiers who don’t speak Persian? How is Lebanon’s Hezbollah planning to return to the 1980s? To find out, check out the latest Iran Briefing podcast. In this edition I’m joined by MBN’s own Rami Al Amine and renowned former BBC journalist Pooneh…
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Beijing: Trump, Xi, Iran, and more
Big stakes at next week’s U.S.-China summit. What’s the connection to the Iran war? How are the world’s superpowers gaining — and losing — from the conflict? Min Mitchell (China Editor) Andres Ilves (Iran Editor) Matthew Kaminski (MBN Editorial Chair)
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Endless ceasefire, crazy rich Iranians and meme wars
President Trump extended the ceasefire — without any new deadlines. The sons and daughters of Iran’s ruling elites find their high life in the West imperiled. Iran goes on meme offense, waging the information war in the region and beyond. Andres Ilves (Iran Editor) Roya Hakakian (Senior...
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Lebanon, Hormuz, and the Regional Fallout of the Iran War
The MBN Iran Podcast reckons with diplomacy—and reality. Starting with Lebanon. For the first time in 30 years, Lebanese and Israeli officials sat in the same room. The meeting in Washington this week was the first step toward what would be a historic breakthrough. But there is a different story…
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The Iran Cipher: Who is Really Calling the Shots?
With an internet blackout in Tehran and a "virtual" Supreme Leader, the world is flying blind. Join MBN’s leadership team—Leila Bazzi, Matt Kaminski, and Iran specialist Andres Ilves—as they decode the latest intelligence. They discuss the stark contradictions in the Trump administration's...
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Iran War Week 4: Will the Fighting End?
Andres Ilves, Leila Bazzi, and Matt Kaminski take up Week 4 of the Iran war. The U.S. and Iran are talking — is this it for the fighting? Who will cave on what? Then they give their latest read on the life expectancy of the Iranian regime, based on what we hear from inside Iran and the state of…
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Inside Iran’s Proxy Network: Iraq Militias Explained
Andres Ilves sits down with Michael Pregent — senior fellow at Hudson Institute and former intelligence officer — to break down Iran’s proxy forces and militia networks in Iraq. A must-listen conversation on regional power, security, and what’s really happening on the ground.
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Amin Tarzi on Iran, the Gulf, and Why the Old Middle East Is Gone
The old Middle East is gone. In a new episode of Iran Briefing, Andres Ilves speaks with Amin Tarzi about the region’s structural transformation, Gulf security, Iran’s shifting pressure tactics, and why China may emerge stronger in the post-war balance.
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Iran War Update: Strikes, Proxies & What Comes Next
War with Iran. Breaking news every day from the Middle East. What does it all mean? Andres Ilves, Leila Bazzi, and Matt Kaminski figure it all out in a lively and timely discussion in this week’s episode of the #MBNIranBriefing podcast. The decapitation strategy to take out the Islamic Republic’s...
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What’s Happening Inside Iran?
The war around Iran is no longer confined to the battlefield—it is rapidly spilling into global markets, energy supplies, and regional stability. In today’s Iran Briefing podcast, three MBN senior voices unpack the latest developments: Iran’s new leadership doubling down on escalation, attacks...
About this show
The war around Iran is no longer confined to the battlefield—it is rapidly spilling into global markets, energy supplies, and regional stability. In today’s Iran Briefing podcast, three MBN senior voices unpack the latest developments: Iran’s new leadership doubling down on escalation, attacks spreading across the Gulf, and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. With tanker traffic collapsing and oil prices surging above $100 amid the conflict, the conversation looks at how this crisis could reshape Gulf economies, global trade, and the geopolitical balance far beyond the region.
Hosted by
Andres Ilves
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