
Why a Weakened Iran Remains Dangerous, with Behnam Ben Taleblu
From School of War by The Free Press
June 9, 2026 · 43 min
About this episode
Behnam Ben Taleblu discusses the implications of a weakened Iran and its recent military actions against Israel.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Iran Program and a senior fellow specializing in Iranian security and political issues, returns to School of War to discuss the latest round of fighting between Israel and Iran. Why did this latest wave of Iranian missile attacks feel different? Why does a weakened Iran seem emboldened? Where is the regime most vulnerable? And will politics in Washington prevent the U.S. from doing what is necessary to stop it? 02:30 - Israel in Southern Lebanon 04:37 - Iran's Missile Barrage Against Israel 06:20 - FPV Drone Warfare in Lebanon 08:30 - A New Iranian Strategy? 12:16 - Cover for Terror Proxies 14:14 - The Danger of a Weakened Iran 17:44 - The Nazi Germany Comparison 21:00 - The Wehrmacht's Last Stand 22:07 - Iran's Reaction to Pressure 25:09 - Targets in Iran and Israel 30:15 - Where Is Iran Most Vulnerable? 31:47 - The Iran-Iraq War Analogy 32:44 - Exploiting Divisions in Iran 35:09 - Political Obstacles to Maximum Pressure 38:17 - Trump's Record on Iran Policy Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press. Learn more about your ad choices…
People in this episode
Guest: Behnam Ben Taleblu
Topics covered
- Iran
- Israel
- Missile Attacks
- Political Issues
- Security
- Military Strategy
Keywords
- Iran
- Israel
- missile attacks
- politics
- security
- military strategy
- Iran-Iraq War
- drone warfare
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Foundation for Defense of Democracies, The Free Press
Places: Iran, Israel, Washington, Southern Lebanon, Iran, Israel
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