A broke and belligerent Iran | feat. Norman Roule

A broke and belligerent Iran | feat. Norman Roule

From FDD Morning Brief by FDD

May 8, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

The episode discusses recent tensions between Iran and the United States, including sanctions and military actions in the region.

Headlines: The Iranian regime and the United States traded fire in the Strait of Hormuz last night. The Trump administration issued another batch of sanctions as part of Operation Economic Fury. Reports yesterday suggested that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked the United States from using their bases and their airspace after President Trump announced Project Freedom. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claims he met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei — but it’s unclear if and when that meeting took place. An Israeli strike in Gaza killed the son of Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Norman Roule, former National Intelligence Manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and current Non-Resident Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

People in this episode

Host: Jon Schanzer

Guest: Norman Roule

Topics covered

  • Iran
  • US-Iran relations
  • Middle East conflict
  • sanctions
  • intelligence analysis

Keywords

  • Iran
  • sanctions
  • US
  • Middle East
  • intelligence
  • Norman Roule
  • Jon Schanzer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Trump administration

Places: Iran, United States, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait

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