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The Iran Breakdown with Mark Dubowitz

The Iran Breakdown with Mark Dubowitz

FDD 62 Episodes Jul 21, 2026

The Iran Breakdown with Mark Dubowitz is a miniseries from FDD that explores the geopolitical and human rights challenges posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hosted by Mark Dubowitz, the podcast covers Iran's nuclear ambitions, support for terror groups, domestic oppression, and alliances with China, Russia, and North Korea. Over 10 episodes, it delves into the regime's declining legitimacy and the global response to its actions.

Episodes

Pickaxe Mountain: Iran’s “Unbustable” Nuclear Bunker? (feat. Andrea Stricker)
Pickaxe Mountain: Iran’s “Unbustable” Nuclear Bunker? (feat. Andrea Stricker) Jul 21, 2026 2426 Iran isn’t dismantling its nuclear program—it’s burying it deeper underground.At the center of growing U.S. concern is Pickaxe Mountain, a massive underground complex that signals the regime has no intention of abandoning its nuclear ambitions. Buried deep beneath solid rock and heavily fortified, the facility may be the most challenging nuclear target the United States has ever confronted, raisin
The End of the Ceasefire as We Know It? (feat. Rich Goldberg)
The End of the Ceasefire as We Know It? (feat. Rich Goldberg) Jul 10, 2026 3060 The United States has launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran, hitting roughly 90 targets along the country's coastline, as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz threaten to unravel a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. With diplomatic channels strained and the regime holding Hormuz hostage, the path back to de-escalation looks increasingly uncertain.To unpack what comes next,
Lebanon: More than "a Piece of the Puzzle" (feat. Carine Hajjar)
Lebanon: More than "a Piece of the Puzzle" (feat. Carine Hajjar) Jul 1, 2026 2898 The Israel-Lebanon framework brokered by Secretary Rubio may be historic, but Hezbollah still hasn't disarmed. The deal ties Israeli withdrawal to the Lebanese army securing designated pilot zones — yet Hezbollah and its parliamentary allies have already rejected it outright. Meanwhile, the U.S.-Iran MOU threatens to undercut the whole effort, handing Tehran leverage over Israel's right to
What Iranians Think About the US-Iran Deal (feat. Medhi Parpanchi)
What Iranians Think About the US-Iran Deal (feat. Medhi Parpanchi) Jun 25, 2026 3159 The 60-day MOU between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States may dominate headlines, but for 90 million Iranians it changes nothing. The agreement contains no mention of the Iranian people — who only months ago faced a brutal massacre by the regime of an estimated 40,000 protesters. Deal or no deal, the Iranian people face water shortages, power outages, staggering inflation, frozen e
Breaking Down the US-Iran MOU (feat. Robert Greenway)
Breaking Down the US-Iran MOU (feat. Robert Greenway) Jun 19, 2026 3484 President Trump has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran, opening a 60-day window to negotiate a final deal. The debate is fierce: does the US-Iran MOU go far enough? Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missiles, regional proxies, and frozen assets all remain unresolved — leaving critical questions about what any final agreement may actually deliver.Robert Greenway — military vet
What Does Winning In Iran Look Like? (feat. Marc Thiessen)
What Does Winning In Iran Look Like? (feat. Marc Thiessen) Jun 9, 2026 3016 The clock is ticking on the Islamic Republic — but what does finishing the job actually look like? With the regime battered, broken, and the pressure campaign at a critical inflection point, the U.S. faces a defining choice: double down or negotiate from strength? What tools remain in Washington's arsenal, and how does the Trump administration turn military and economic pressure into lasting p
Strait Victory: Bypassing Iran's Hormuz Chokepoint (feat. Richard Goldberg)
Strait Victory: Bypassing Iran's Hormuz Chokepoint (feat. Richard Goldberg) Jun 3, 2026 3712 The Islamic Republic played one of the few cards it had left: the Strait of Hormuz. How did military planners prepare for this moment? Was a closure inevitable? If the U.S. and Israel had not confronted the Islamic Republic, where would we be today? And is Hormuz a diminishing weapon of leverage in the hands of Iran as countries take steps to reduce their dependencies on the straits?Mark Dubowitz
Stolen Revolution: Behind Iran's Protest Movements (feat. Bozorgmehr Sharafedin)
Stolen Revolution: Behind Iran's Protest Movements (feat. Bozorgmehr Sharafedin) Jun 3, 2026 3450 Every Iranian revolution begins with an ordinary life hitting an extraordinary wall. Stolen Revolution captures those moments — the personal reckonings with a regime that promised faith and delivered suffocation. Co-authored by award-winning journalists Yeganeh Torbati and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, the book traces six Iranians living the full arc of modern Iranian history: a Khomeini devotee cast fro
The Iran Deal - What Trump Got, What Iran Got, and What Comes Next (feat. Richard Goldberg)
The Iran Deal - What Trump Got, What Iran Got, and What Comes Next (feat. Richard Goldberg) May 26, 2026 3609 A deal has been struck. The Strait of Hormuz is reopening. Iran's nuclear program is — allegedly — being curtailed. And sanctions relief is on the way. But what did the United States actually get? What did the Islamic Republic walk away with? And does this agreement close the door on Iran's path to a nuclear weapon — or just delay it? Richard Goldberg — FDD's Senior Director for Energy
The Iran Ceasefire Didn't End the Battle for Hormuz (feat. Aaron MacLean)
The Iran Ceasefire Didn't End the Battle for Hormuz (feat. Aaron MacLean) May 14, 2026 3976 Is the U.S.-Iran ceasefire built to last? While the bombs have stopped, the strategic Battle for Hormuz continues to threaten global stability. In this episode of The Iran Breakdown, FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz is joined by Aaron MacLean — CBS News national security analyst and host of the School of War podcast — to assess the military, strategic, and geopolitical stakes of the Iran war. Is the ceasefir
Winning the Iran War — Whether Washington Knows It or Not
Winning the Iran War — Whether Washington Knows It or Not May 4, 2026 1199 In this special solo episode of The Iran Breakdown, FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz pushes back hard on the narrative that America is losing the war with the Islamic Republic. Step by step, he makes the case that Tehran has just suffered the most severe strategic defeat in its 47-year history — its leadership decapitated, its nuclear program gutted, its air defenses shattered, its proxies in ruins, and its
The Door Tehran Kicked Open: MBS, The Bomb, and The Battle for The Gulf (feat. Bernard Haykel)
The Door Tehran Kicked Open: MBS, The Bomb, and The Battle for The Gulf (feat. Bernard Haykel) Apr 29, 2026 3648 Riyadh is pressing Washington with a blunt message: don't leave the job half-finished.Saudi Arabia publicly condemned the strikes — and privately urged Trump to launch them. Now MBS faces the question he's long telegraphed: if Iran gets a bomb, the Kingdom follows. With IAEA inspectors locked out, is that still a signal — or active policy?Bernard Haykel, Princeton's foremost scholar of

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