Behnam Ben Taleblu and What is Next on the Iranian Front
Date: Wednesday October 29, 2025
Time: 12 o’clock Noon
On September 27th, 2025, France, Germany and Great Britain levied the “snapback sanctions” against Iran. Last August, European negotiators had told the United Nations Security Council that Iran had violated “the near entirety of JCPOA commitments.”
The Iranian economy has been severely impacted by these renewed international sanctions, leading to widespread inflation and a sharp increase in the cost of living for ordinary citizens. Key industries such as oil exports have faced significant restrictions, further straining the country’s financial stability. Businesses are struggling to operate due to limited access to foreign currency and international markets, which has resulted in rising unemployment and economic uncertainty.
Following both Israeli and American joint exercises during Operation Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer in June of 2025, airstrikes targeted Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, which also struck Iranian military bases, their energy infrastructure and several nuclear scientists. Is Iran attempting to rebuild its nuclear, its missile and its defensive capabilities? How are Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni states reacting to this? Is this bringing Iran closer to the orbit of Russia and China?
Here to discuss all of this is Behnam Ben Taleblu
About our Speaker:
Behnam Ben Taleblu is senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Iran Program, where he oversees the breadth and depth of FDD’s work on Iran in addition to serving as a senior fellow specializing in Iranian security and political issues. For well over a decade, Behnam has supported FDD’s Iran program as a senior fellow, research fellow, and senior Iran analyst. 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 Persian-language skills, Behnam closely tracks a wide range of Iran-related functional and regional topics including nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles and drones, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, diplomatic, military, academic, and policy audiences in Washington, across the United States, and around the world, Behnam has testified before various committees in the U.S. Congress, the Canadian Parliament, and the UK House of Commons.
Behnam’s analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Politico, and Axios, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or coauthored articles for The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, Newsweek, and The National Interest. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including PBS Newshour, BBC News, Fox News, CNN International, CBS News, C-SPAN, France 24, and Deutsche Welle.
Behnam earned his M.A. with honors in international relations from The University of Chicago, and his B.A. in international affairs and Middle East studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Behnam is also a member of the Anti-Defamation League’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities and a contributing editor to National Security Journal.
