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Real Clear Defense
November 5, 2025
2:30 pm
EVENT: Containment Redux: Persian Gulf War Lessons from Iraq for U.S. Strategy Toward Iran
To examine the parallels between Iran in 2025 and Iraq after the First Persian Gulf War, FDD hosts Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and former U.S. special representative for Iran; Reuel Marc Gerecht, FDD resident scholar and former CIA Iranian targets officer; and Kenneth M. Pollack, Middle East Institute vice president for policy and former NSC director for Persian Gulf affairs. Moderated by FDD’s Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu, the discussion will analyze how Washington’s mix of deterrence, sanctions, and diplomacy aims to recalibrate U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic while preventing a 2003-style Iraq War outcome with Iran.
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Mark Dubowitz
Chief Executive
- Iran Sanctions
- Iran Human Rights
- Syria
- Iran Missiles
- Iran
- Iran Global Threat Network
- Hezbollah
- Iran-backed Terrorism
- Sanctions and Illicit Finance
- Cyber
- Iran Nuclear
Bradley Bowman
CMPP Senior Director
Edmund Fitton-Brown
Senior Fellow
Andrea Stricker
Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow
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Former Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State
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Former President
Overnight Brief: November 6, 2025
Read Full BriefToday In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
- "Meet the Muslim Brotherhood," The Washington Times
- "The US must not endorse Russia and China’s vision for cybersecurity," The Hill
- "Iranians Challenge the Regime by Celebrating Cyrus the Great," FDD Policy Brief
- "Iran’s October Oil Exports Hit 2025 Peak, Reflecting Failure of U.S. Sanctions Enforcement," FDD Policy Brief
- "Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: October 27–November 2, 2025," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Norway Pauses Ethical Divestment by Sovereign Wealth Fund Amid U.S. Scrutiny," FDD Flash Brief
- "U.S. Administration Submits Proposal To End UN Sanctions on Syria," FDD Flash Brief
The Must-Reads
- Hundreds of Hamas fighters are stuck in tunnels in Israeli-controlled Gaza
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- WSJ Editorial: Hitting Putin where it hurts
- WINEP’s Michael Jacobson: Removing Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism: retaining leverage and ensuring accountability
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- Bloomberg’s Karishma Vaswani: China’s railway diplomacy is losing steam in Asia
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