About the Episode

Welcome to The Iran Breakdown, hosted by Mark Dubowitz.

If you know anything about Mark, you know he lives and breathes one mission: stopping a nuclear Iran and ending the Islamic Republic.

Back in 2018, The New York Times put it this way: “Mark Dubowitz’s campaign to draw attention to what he saw as the flaws in the Iran nuclear deal has taken its place among the most consequential ever undertaken by a Washington think tank leader.”

This excerpt was actually a hit piece that blamed Mark for President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal — the Times later issued multiple corrections to the piece because it was riddled with so many errors.

A year later, The Atlantic dubbed FDD “D.C.’s ground zero for research and policy recommendations aimed at highlighting and fixing what Dubowitz saw as the flaws in the nuclear agreement.”

Even Tehran took notice. In 2019, the Islamic Republic sanctioned FDD and Mark, accusing them of being “the designing and executing arm of the U.S. administration” on Iran policy. Guilty as charged.

Why? Because a nuclear Iran isn’t just a threat — it’s the threat. The regime’s race for the bomb is the most dangerous challenge coming out of Tehran, and in this episode, you'll learn why.

About the Guest

Here to help Mark break down Iran's nuclear file is Rich Goldberg, who served on the National Security Council as the director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction. He helped architect key parts of President Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign — a campaign that aimed to block Iran’s every pathway to nuclear weapons. Or as the regime calls the campaign: "economic terrorism." Rich also served in the Senate and the House where he drafted many of the key pieces of legislation sanctioning the Islamic Republic. Like Mark, Rich is proudly sanctioned by the Islamic Republic.

About the Music

Our intro and outro music samples (with artist's permission) Liraz Charhi's single, "Roya" — check out the full version of the song and the meaning behind it here.