China's MidEast reckoning | feat. Gen. H.R. McMaster

China's MidEast reckoning | feat. Gen. H.R. McMaster

From FDD Morning Brief by FDD

April 17, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses recent developments in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Lebanon and U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil smuggling, featuring insights from Gen. H.R. McMaster.

Headlines: A ten-day ceasefire is now in effect in Lebanon. The Treasury Department issued a fresh batch of sanctions targeting a network of people, companies, and ships involved in illicitly smuggling Iranian oil. A group of U.S. senators sent a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asking him to explain why the Trump administration dropped a criminal case against Turkey’s Halkbank. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, met with a pair of Kurdish leaders yesterday to discuss the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces — or SDF — into Syria’s state forces. Word on the street is that there was meeting between the U.S. and Hamas in Cairo earlier this week. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States and chairman of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

People in this episode

Host: Jon Schanzer

Guest: Gen. H.R. McMaster

Topics covered

  • Middle East
  • Iran
  • U.S. foreign policy
  • sanctions
  • military strategy
  • ceasefire
  • Syrian conflict

Keywords

  • Middle East
  • Iran
  • sanctions
  • Hamas
  • ceasefire
  • U.S. foreign policy
  • Syrian conflict
  • military strategy
  • Gen. H.R. McMaster

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Treasury Department, Turkey’s Halkbank, Syrian Democratic Forces, Hamas

Places: Cairo

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