Lawfare Daily: How Two Intelligence Community Veterans View the Iran Conflict, with Chip Usher and Aaron Faust

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Recorded27 Mar 2026

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On today's episode, Lawfare Senior Editor Scott R. Anderson sits down with two veterans of the intelligence community to get their take on the ongoing Iran conflict.Before leaving government last year, Aaron Faust was a senior official in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), where he had previously served as Division Chief for Iran, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula. William "Chip" Usher, meanwhile, is the Senior Director for Intelligence at the Special Competitiveness Studies Project and a professor of practice at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. He previously spent 32 years with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), much of it focused on the Middle East.Together, Scott, Aaron, and Chip discuss the national security threats that Iran presents, the challenges that large-scale military operations against Iran were expected to present, and where the Trump administration—and Iran—may take the conflict from here.For more of Chip's analysis, read his newsletter "Fault Lines" and check out his podcast, "Intel at the Edge.” You can also find Aaron's satirical takes on current affairs on his Substack, Ridiculocracy.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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