While America is preoccupied with electoral politics and Israel is bogged down in war with Iranian terrorist proxies, it appears as if the Islamic Republic may be making a mad dash to complete its quest for nuclear weapons. Some intelligence officials believe that Iran is expediting its program and that the period between now and the inauguration of a new administration is the most critical in order to prevent a fait accompli. In response to this existential development, Foundation for Defense of Democracies fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu, along with his colleagues Bradley Bowman and Orde Kittrie, developed a strategic plan setting forth extensive recommendations that our government should rapidly implement in order to hinder Iran’s completion of nuclear weapons development. Taleblu stated, “The Islamic Republic did not invest billions of dollars and decades of time into a nuclear program because it is a science fair project. This is a quest for the ultimate weapon, but one that is advanced opportunistically and with minimal exposure to risk. To that end, as the presidential election nears and Washington looks inward, Tehran may hope to advance its atomic agenda by presenting the world with a fait accompli. Fortunately, Tehran’s hedging can be shaped and deterred by Washington, should it decide to credibly and clearly signal resolve and bolster its deterrence.”
Join us for an important discussion of what the U.S. government could and should be doing to stop the Islamic Republic from forever changing the face of the Middle East and threatening the West with nuclear war.
About this speaker: Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.
His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
