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 Pakistan and China in shaping what comes next. 

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 developments reveal about China’s position on the Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz, and the future of Chinese-Iranian relations.

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 Washington Institute for Near East Policy, as we look at the human impact of the war on young Iranians and Lebanese.

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 Ghoddoosi as we look at the latest from Lebanon and at how people in Iran are coping after two months of war and fragile ceasefire.

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)

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 Correspondent)

Matthew Kaminski (MBN Editorial Chair)

3 Men Who Run Iran — MBN Iran Briefing
https://alhurra.com/en/18993 

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 on the ground — where, even with the ceasefire in Iran, fighting continues, and people are being displaced. Leila, Matt and Andres  explore this gap. The stakes are even higher in the U.S. military and energy standoff with Iran. So are we at turning points or as so often in the Middle East more and possible bigger trouble ahead?

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 strategy, the rise of the "martyrdom" narrative in Iranian recruitment, and why the current conflict is becoming the first truly global crisis of the century. Plus, Leila Bazzi shares a powerful perspective on the rising voices of sovereignty within the Lebanese Shia community.

This week’s panel:

• Andres Ilves (MBN Iran Editor)
• Leila Bazzi (MBN Editor-in-Chief)
• Matt Kaminski (MBN Editorial Chair)

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 the war.

 Plus Lebanon isn’t on the same side of the conflict with Israel the way that the Gulf states are but there’s a break emerging in Beirut with Iran.

Articles mentioned in this episode: 

Scoop: Who Rules Iran — MBN Agenda

Hedging Bets — MBN Iran Briefing 

The War Is Going Better than You Think — New York Times 

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.