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A covert network of fake watchdogs and news sites is advancing Qatari interests and has even fooled ChatGPT. On today’s FDD Morning Brief, host @NatalieEcanow & @FDD_CCTI Max Lesser break down how Qatar corrupts the information space. xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/2VNEjOrJB…
🚨NEW: Trump Admin FP Tracker | Turkey is trending negative
As Houthi attacks on Riyadh and Saudi energy infrastructure destabilize the region and push up global oil prices, Turkey has not announced air defense or intelligence contributions to help its allies.
More from Helin Unal: fdd.org/analysis/trump-admin…
The hackers accessed cryptocurrency wallets owned by Binance itself (not its customers) and quickly drained the funds. In the space of 20 minutes, the hackers made off with roughly $6.3 billion in various currencies, explain @afixler & @MatJunsuk: fdd.org/analysis/policy-brie…
There is a theory that the riots are so bad now that the soft left won't vote for Melonchon because of his open support for this riotous behavior.
@aroberts_andrew joins @CliffordDMay on Foreign Podicy to discuss what this could mean for France's elections and a potential matchup between Melonchon and Le Pen: youtube.com/watch?v=LYvvNAEa…
FDD retweeted
I reviewed 110 financial documents and reports of main Iranian land and sea transportation companies along with regional custom data. Here is what @CENTCOM new Task Force Iron Gate — announced today to squeeze Iran’s land borders and the Caspian — is actually up against.
Since April 2026, a U.S. naval blockade has shut Bandar Abbas and Chabahar, ports that handled roughly 163 million tons of cargo and about 80% of Iran’s trade.
But Iran has seven back doors: Iraq, Turkey, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Together they carried about $22 billion in trade in 2024–25 — $15.3B out, $6.8B in. Since the blockade, every one of these corridors shows traffic surging.
That is the gap Iron Gate has to close. A thread with the numbers, corridor by corridor. (1/10)
China isn’t the only one assisting the Houthis with satellite data, stresses @BridgetKToomey.
During the Houthi campaign against commercial shipping over the war in Gaza, Russia passed targeting data for maritime attacks to the group via Iran’s IRGC.
nationalinterest.org/blog/mi…
🚨NEW: Trump Admin FP Tracker | Korea is trending neutral
The Trump administration maintained economic pressure on North Korea, but friction with Seoul over intelligence sharing and wartime command overshadowed that progress.
🔗 @MatJunsuk & @jiwonma_92 give the rundown: fdd.org/analysis/trump-admin…
The future of Iran is messy. No matter what comes next. But messy doesn’t mean hopeless—and turning that uncertainty into opportunity is exactly what America’s strategy in the region should be.
Here's what @therealBehnamBT has to say on The Iran Breakdown with @mdubowitz: youtube.com/watch?v=TuUri7cv…
Washington should use all appropriate means to make clear to the ICJ judges that they should rule consistent with the existing standard of proof for genocide — and not lower the bar., explains @ordefk:
fdd.org/analysis/will-the-in…
FDD retweeted
Iran’s IRGC Spox just said the regime had lifted Khamenei Sr.’s previous 2,000 km ballistic missile range ban.
Think this is another victim of Trump’s war? WRONG.
Khamenei Sr.’s declaration was nothing more than a political shield to allow years of work on threshold MRBM/IRBM platforms like the Khorramshahr while also working on both liquid-propellant and solid-propellant Space-Launch Vehicles that could be reconfigured for longer-range strike missions.
And with the attempted strike at Diego Garcia during the 40-Day War, the post-2,000 km era for Iranian projectiles was inaugurated without any formal comment on change in doctrine.
I covered this pathway at length in my 2023 monograph for @FDD on the origins, evolution, and future of Iran’s ballistic missile program.
FDD retweeted
Impact of Midterm Elections on the U.S.-Iran War
I appreciated the opportunity to join @CSPAN's Washington Journal (@cspanwj).
c-span.org/program/washingto…
🚨NEW: Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: November | Israel is trending neutral
Israel held its first election since the October 7, 2023, attacks, but the results have not yielded a clear path to a new government.
🔗 @DavidSamuelMay gives the rundown: fdd.org/analysis/trump-admin…
Why should Americans care about malign foreign influence?
As @FDD_CCTI's Max Lesser explains on the FDD Morning Brief with @NatalieEcanow, these covert operations by countries like Iran and Russia are shaping U.S. discourse — and the websites behind them are even being cited by ChatGPT.
Full episode: bit.ly/3TOHrnC
In Yemen, the Houthis are causing chaos and destruction in Saudi Arabia, and there’s little sign of the attacks stopping. Targets have included civilian and energy infrastructure, and the Saudis have been left scrambling for a response, writes @BridgetKToomey:
nationalinterest.org/blog/mi…
The disagreements between these parties are fundamental, touching on national security and the obligations of citizenship, not simply the ethnic makeup of their members. Even Arab parties disagree among themselves on these issues.
More from @AhmadA_Sharawi: latimes.com/opinion/letters-…
Hezbollah carried out a wave of bombings in Paris in the 1980s. Max Lesser & @AhmadA_Sharawi: a social media brand framing its leader favorably may violate France’s rules against apology for terrorism.
fdd.org/analysis/made-in-leb…
Iran’s regime hasn’t fundamentally changed. It’s a hardline Islamist national security state in survival mode that believes it has to kill to stay in power. But that survival mentality may also be its greatest vulnerability.
@therealBehnamBT joins @mdubowitz on The Iran Breakdown: youtube.com/watch?v=TuUri7cv…
The FBI formally blamed Pyongyang for a $6.3 billion hack of the Binance exchange at the end of October — the largest theft in the history of cryptocurrency.
Details here from @afixler & @MatJunsuk: fdd.org/analysis/policy-brie…
FDD retweeted
Appreciated the opportunity to join @cspan’s @cspanwj to discuss the conflict with Iran, the new announcement from @CENTCOM this morning, and what comes next.
Brad Bowman (@Brad_L_Bowman) of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (@FDD) joins us to discuss the latest developments in the Iran war and how the midterm election results will impact President Trump's plans in the region.
Watch here: tinyurl.com/44dcw6y4
Axis of Aggressors cooperation is multifaceted, growing, and increasingly consequential:
▶️ making each adversary more formidable than they would be otherwise
▶️ empowering current aggression and helping them prepare for future aggression
New FDD Visual by @Brad_L_Bowman, @ElaineDezenski & @MarkCMontgomery: fdd.org/analysis/axis-of-agg…
The new Congress is set to overhaul how Washington confronts China. The House China Select Committee could be downgraded or dissolved entirely—and Democrats plan to reset competition priorities across AI and economic policy.
@Ty_D_Stapleton joins @NatalieEcanow on the FDD Morning Brief: youtube.com/watch?v=-RGCHj9g…