Washington’s newest campaign against Iran has a wartime nickname: “Economic D-Day.” The phrase may be theatrical, but the threat behind it feels real. President Donald Trump’s “crushing economic operation” involves the strict global isolation of Iran with pressure on foreign banks, businesses and governments to cut off all trade and financial dealings, cold turkey. But how far is the U.S. prepared to go, especially with Iran’s larger trading partners?
The pressure on Tehran is also playing out in Iraq. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf urged leaders of the Iraq ruling Shiite coalition to keep militia weapons out of the government’s hands, going against the U.S. public demand.
Syria, meanwhile, is becoming an increasingly uncomfortable meeting ground for Israel and Turkey with U.S. envoy Tom Barrack trying to keep two important partners from colliding. Next, we look at one of the region’s least understood power brokers: Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s intensely private foreign minister and possible successor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He may be indispensable in Ankara, but he’s a source of unease in Israel.
Don’t forget to check out the latest Iran Briefing podcast. In this edition, Andres Ilves is joined by Farzan Sabet, Middle East expert, and MBN Editorial Chair Matthew Kaminski, as they dig into whether Tehran actually wants this war to end or if continued confrontation serves it better.
Welcome back to the MBN Friday Briefing, our roundup of the best stories on our flagship Arabic-language Alhurra platform, which is also available in English. Read the Arabic version of this newsletter here. If you were forwarded this Friday Briefing, subscribe here. We’d love to hear from you at thebriefing@mbn-news.com.
This Week on MBN
When Americans Were Slaves in Tripoli
Long before the United States became a Mediterranean power, American sailors were being captured and enslaved in North Africa. In the latest episode of Founding Encounters, MBN’s Roya Hakakian revisits the Barbary crisis through figures such as James Cathcart and Capt. James Riley, whose captivity narratives helped shape early U.S. diplomacy and the American Navy. In Riley’s case, the crisis influenced the thinking of a young Abraham Lincoln. If you enjoy reading about piracy, ransom, diplomacy and an early encounter with the Muslim world, this story is for you.
Iran Pushes Iraq to Keep Militia Weapons
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf during a religious event in Karbala, Iraq.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf urged leaders of Iraq’s ruling Shiite coalition to let Iran-backed militias, U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, keep their weapons or place them with the Popular Mobilization Forces rather than hand them over to the Iraqi government, three sources told MBN. The proposal comes weeks before Baghdad’s Sept. 30 deadline to bring all weapons under state control and follows a similar message from Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani. Ghalibaf argued that turning over the weapons would effectively increase U.S. influence, offering another sign that Iran is trying to slow Baghdad’s push to disarm its allied factions.
Why Tehran Doesn’t Want the War to End
A model representing an Iranian missile is seen in Tehran amid a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, April 27, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters.
While Washington struggles to turn the expired ceasefire framework into something durable, Tehran’s powers-that-be have very little incentive to play ball, writes MBN’s Iran Editor Andres Ilves. The war has strengthened the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at home, expanding its grip over security, foreign policy and civilian institutions while weakening rivals within the broader Iranian government. Blocking the Strait of Hormuz gives Iran leverage over the U.S. and global energy markets. Peace, by contrast, would bring renewed scrutiny of Iran’s economic failures and revive internal competition, threatening IRGC dominance.
When Israel and Turkey Meet in Syria
Abu al-Duhur airbase following strikes, Syria, August 18, 2026/ Reuters.
Israeli strikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur air base have opened a new point of friction with Turkey, after Israel said Ankara was preparing to establish a military presence there. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack called the attack an “unnecessary escalation” arguing that Turkey had not been warned in advance, writes MBN’s Mustafa Khatib. The episode puts Washington in an increasingly awkward position between two important regional partners, as it tries to keep Israeli-Turkish tensions from spilling into a broader confrontation in Syria.
Pentagon Seeks Cheaper Drones
A U.S. soldier controls a drone during an exercise in Germany.
The Pentagon is racing to close a costly gap exposed by the Iran and Ukraine wars: Attackers can launch drones worth tens of thousands of dollars or less while defenders burn through interceptors costing millions to shoot them down. The U.S. military is now testing cheaper drones and AI-powered systems, writes MBN’s Ghassan Taqi, to create a layered defense without draining Patriot and THAAD stocks. One new approach, the Bumblebee V2, simply crashes into incoming drones, but other systems are being built to let a single operator control autonomous swarms. The challenge becomes producing enough at the speed and scale of drone attacks.
The Quiet Rise of Hakan Fidan
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to discuss stability in the region following an interim deal between the U.S. and Iran, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2026. Reuters /Amr Abdallah Dalsh.
Hakan Fidan has spent much of his career out of public view, first in Turkey’s security establishment and later as intelligence chief. Now, as the foreign minister, he’s increasingly discussed as a possible successor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. MBN’s Rami Al Amine examines the unusually secretive career behind Fidan’s rise, from his early years in Ankara to his role in some of Turkey’s most sensitive negotiations. His ascent has long unsettled Israel, where officials have viewed him with suspicion for more than a decade.
Division Within the Iranian Regime over Washington
Iran’s parliament. Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP.
Following Ali Khamenei’s death, Iran is facing an increasingly open struggle for power. A government camp is pushing for negotiations with the U.S. to ease economic pressure, while hard-liners led by the IRGC, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, and the religious establishment view talks as a threat to the regime’s survival. MBN’s Randa Jebai delves into the effort to consolidate support behind Mojtaba Khamenei that further exposed divisions within the leadership. Challenges to the supreme leader’s authority reveal a volatile balance of power destabilizing Iran’s future course.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Look, we have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us…One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition [wear down the enemy], so that if anyone else wants to attack Iran, they will know there is a cost.
— Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, top advisor to IRGC commander (through interpreter)
