Before Hamas. Before Al-Qaeda. Before the Islamic State. There was... (🥁) The Muslim Brotherhood. And for nearly a century, it has played the long game by building influence across the Middle East and even deep inside the West. But what exactly is it — a political movement? A terrorist organization? The ideological engine behind modern Islamism? Some combination? Bill is joined again by longtime friend of the show Edmund Fitton-Brown, now his colleague at FDD, to discuss....
May 18, 2026•33 min
Hezbollah's missiles may be depleted, but cheap FPV drones are changing the battlefield — slipping past defenses, targeting Israeli troops, and exposing a dangerous new vulnerability. Bill and David Daoud unpack Hezbollah’s drone evolution, the psychological warfare behind the footage, and why Israel may be drifting back toward the failed security zone dynamics of the past.
May 13, 2026•59 min
Iran’s nuclear program is in ruins, but the threat is far from dead. Deputy Director of FDD's Non-Proliferation Program, Andrea Stricker and Bill dive into the desperate gamble Tehran is making at the negotiating table with the U.S. — and the terrifying chemical contingency they might be holding in reserve.
May 07, 2026•29 min
The world’s most vital trade artery is under siege. As the U.S. launches "Project Freedom" to break the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, global shipping remains in a chokehold. This week, Bill sits down with shipping expert Sal Mercogliano to break down the stalemate, the dual blockade, and the massive economic ripple effects threatening the global supply chain.
May 05, 2026•35 min
Tehran is shifting the battlefield from missiles to markets, turning the Strait of Hormuz into leverage and testing whether Washington will trade long-term strategy for short-term relief. Bill and Behnam discuss.
May 03, 2026•1 hr 4 min
Across Mali, jihadis are seizing territory, encircling the capital, and pushing a fragile regime toward collapse. Backed by a sprawling network and years in the making, Al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate has launched its most ambitious offensive yet—one that could redraw the map of West Africa. Bill and Caleb unpack.
Apr 28, 2026•32 min
Iran says it’s not in a rush to negotiate, but reality signals something else. Bill is joined by FDD senior fellow Miad Maleki — former U.S. Treasury sanctions architect — to break down why Tehran walked away from talks, what the Strait of Hormuz blockade is really doing, and why the regime may be under more pressure than at any point since 1979.
Apr 23, 2026•37 min
Bill joins fellow FDD colleagues, Cameron McMillan and Ryan Brobst, from the Center on Military and Political Power to reassess the combat objectives met by the U.S. military after seven weeks of engagement in the Iranian War. Can the Department of Defense stand by their robust claims about Iranian hardware destruction? And, will the recent naval blockade be the military operation that ultimately breaks the Iranian regime?
Apr 16, 2026•40 min
FDD Senior Fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown joins Bill to assess the current state of the Iran War. From the dual blockade in the Strait of Hormuz to the failed peace negotiations, they consider: why did Pakistan step up as mediator? Can Tehran stretch the Houthis for even more leverage in the Red Sea? Has the war pushed the Gulf States closer together?
Apr 14, 2026•42 min
FDD Senior Fellow David Daoud and Bill examine the recent and fragile ceasefire in the ongoing Iran War. Will the fighting in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah break the peace, and has the Iranian resistance movement missed a golden opportunity?
Apr 09, 2026•48 min
Bill and FDD Senior Analyst, Cameron McMillan, unravel the complex rescue of two US airmen shot down over Iran - including the strategic coordination and risks involved with the operation - as well as the current state of the Iranian ballistic missile program, and Tehran’s strategic adaptability amidst the dynamic conditions of this war.
Apr 06, 2026•45 min
FDD’s Janatan Sayeh is back with Bill for an update on the Iran war, including: the potential for concrete regime change, last night’s address by President Trump, rumored U.S.-Iran deliberations, the fragile balance of power on the ground, and the possibility of a popular uprising against the wounded Islamic Republic.
Apr 02, 2026•51 min
As U.S. and Israeli strikes hit inside Iran, the regime is firing back outside its borders — and the war is expanding because of it. Iraqi militias target U.S. forces. The Gulf is under attack. The Houthis are back in the fight. This isn’t spillover — it’s strategy. Ahmad Sharawi and Bridget Toomey are back with Bill to assess Iran’s expanding proxy war — and the growing risk that America is funding forces now targeting its own troops.
Mar 31, 2026•33 min
Kharg Island looks like the perfect target — take it, and you choke off Iran’s oil. But it’s not that simple. Bill is joined by Ryan Brobst and Cameron McMillan to discuss why seizing Kharg could hand Tehran exactly what it wants: a wider war, a vulnerable U.S. position, and a fight on the regime’s terms.
Mar 27, 2026•43 min
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed. It’s not. Ships are still moving. Oil is still flowing. Just not for everyone. Friends pass. Also anyone with millions of dollars to spare. Enemies don’t. This isn’t a blockade. It's a shakedown. Bill Roggio sits down with shipping expert Sal Mercogliano to break down Tehran’s latest act of war: turning the world’s most critical shipping chokepoint into leverage.
Mar 25, 2026•48 min
The bombs are falling. The regime is reeling. But revolutions aren’t won from 30,000 feet. As Washington and Jerusalem pummel toward a mission accomplished, Bill is joined by FDD's Jon Schanzer to grapple with a harder question that looms: what happens if there’s no uprising when the bombing stops?
Mar 23, 2026•59 min
As pressure builds inside Iran, the regime is lashing out across the region. Bill Roggio, Joe Truzman, and David Daoud break down Tehran’s expanding battlefield from internal strain to external escalation and the question at the center of it all: Is this strength or a regime under stress trying to change the game before it loses control? Mentioned by Bill We didn't light it, but we tried to fight it. Day 14 of the Iran War Don't want the regime to have nukes? Eliminate the regime....
Mar 19, 2026•1 hr 3 min
As the US and Israel strike targets inside Iran’s borders, the regime is firing back outside of them. Across the region from tourist hubs and capital cities to energy infrastructure and U.S. military bases, Iranian attacks are dragging the region into the war and raising the cost of conflict. Ahmad Sharawi joins Bill to assess Tehran’s strategy and the threat it poses to Middle East stability — including a nightmare maritime scenario that no one is talking about.
Mar 16, 2026•38 min
As U.S. and Israeli strikes pound Iran’s military and Tehran threatens shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the conflict is entering a dangerous new phase. FDD’s Bradley Bowman joins Bill to break down what the strikes have achieved — and the harder question that remains: is the goal to weaken the regime… or bring it down?
Mar 13, 2026•44 min
After 12 days of war—and the death of Iran’s supreme leader—the Islamic Republic is under unprecedented pressure. Bill and Janatan Sayeh assess this initial phase of the war, the gap between Washington and Jerusalem’s goals, and the decisive question still looming over Tehran: will the Iranian people finish the job?
Mar 11, 2026•32 min
For decades, many Americans believed conflict with the Islamic Republic would be a new war. But as Bill and Behnam explain, the truth is simpler: this war began in 1979 — with hostage-taking, terrorism, and a regime built on hostility toward the United States and its allies. Now, after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader and a campaign to dismantle Tehran’s missile arsenal — and as Iran widens the war by firing at its neighbors and daring them to join — the question isn’t how the war started. I...
Mar 09, 2026•42 min
Bill and Edmund Fitton-Brown recorded this conversation before the U.S. and Israel conducted the military strikes inside the Islamic Republic that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. In it, they pondered the question that Washington was wrestling with at the time: should the U.S. strike Iran, and what would happen if it did? From whether airpower alone can truly cripple Iran’s nuclear and missile programs to why regime change may be impossible without an actual armed resistance. They also ...
Mar 06, 2026•1 hr 5 min
It’s day four of Operation Epic Fury. So... what's the strategy? Bill Roggio is joined by FDD military analyst Cameron McMillan to assess the objectives of the campaign, the forces now deployed across the region, and why destroying Iran’s weapons before they launch them may be the only way to protect American forces.
Mar 04, 2026•41 min
Emerging reports following today's U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran suggest Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead. If true, is regime decapitation the opening salvo of the fall of the Islamic Republic? What happens next? David Daoud and Joe Truzman are back with Bill to unpack what we know, what we don’t know, and whether this is the moment that reshapes the Middle East. Indeed, the stakes are generational, and the next few weeks could define the next few decades....
Mar 01, 2026•37 min
Bill and Joe discuss the emergence of anti-Hamas militias in Gaza, their dynamics, challenges, and the response from Hamas, highlighting the complexities of the situation in Gaza and the uncertain future of these militias in the broader context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Feb 23, 2026•31 min
After slaughtering tens of thousands during a nationwide internet blackout — the bloodiest crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s history — the regime still stands. President Trump now has three options: negotiate, strike, or wait. Is this the moment to help finish what the 12-Day War started? Or would U.S. intervention only prolong the Long War? Can this regime fall without a true revolution — and how much blood would that require? Bill Roggio and Behnam Ben Taleblu convene for a hard debate over ...
Feb 19, 2026•1 hr 16 min
In its latest report on the state of global jihad, the UN reveals that al-Qaeda is expanding — and one critical fact the report doesn't mention: al-Qaeda’s leader is based in Iran. Bill Roggio is joined by his FDD colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown — who previously oversaw the UN’s sanctions and monitoring team that produces these assessments — to unpack what the report gets right, what it misses, and why al-Qaeda — not ISIS — remains the most dangerous long-term jihadist threat facing the West....
Feb 10, 2026•1 hr 36 min
In Part 37 of Big Yikes in Syria , Bill and Ahmad unpack yet another round of bad alliances and strategic failure in the war-torn country.
Feb 04, 2026•30 min
One month into the uprising in Iran, the regime is still killing. With the internet shut down, foreign militias unleashed on civilians, and reports of more than 30,000 dead, Tehran is waging a war on its own people. FDD's Janatan Sayeh joins Bill to share what he’s hearing directly from inside Iran, why this is no longer “just protests,” and what it will take to finally break the Islamic Republic’s grip on power.
Jan 30, 2026•24 min
Three weeks into the largest uprising in the Islamic Republic’s history, the country has gone dark. With the internet shut down and security forces unleashed, thousands — possibly tens of thousands — of Iranians have been massacred in an unprecedented and brutal crackdown. Behnam Ben Taleblu joins Bill to unpack what this revolution means, why defections — not protests — are the real tipping point, and why the West’s failure to act may leave permanent scars — on Iran, and on U.S. credibility....
Jan 15, 2026•42 min
