Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Ark Media

Political and geopolitical analysis from the world's top experts, hosted by Dan Senor.

  • 49 minutes 20 seconds
    Is the Iran War Ending? - with Rich Goldberg

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    Is the Iran War actually heading toward an end, or just getting started? 

    Almost two weeks into the conflict, the United States and Israel have laid waste to Iran’s external war capabilities. As the Pentagon signals the end of "Phase One," the focus shifts from destroying missile launchers to a much bigger question: can advanced technology and air superiority achieve what was once thought possible only with boots on the ground? Dan is joined by Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to unpack the military scorecard, the high-stakes messaging of the oil markets, and the "science fiction" reality of modern AI-driven warfare.

    In this episode:

    05:20 – Military Progress: Assessing the Damage to Iran’s Arsenal

    09:25 – Economic Warfare: Using Presidential Messaging to Control Oil Prices

    11:05 – Breaking the Siege: Ending Iran's Control of the Strait of Hormuz

    14:05 – Intelligence Debates: Is the Iranian Regime Near a Tipping Point?

    26:10 – The Ground War Debate: Why Air Superiority Might Be Enough

    31:40 – The High-Stakes Mission to Extract Buried Nuclear Material

    36:35 – Beyond Iraq: How AI and Technology Have Changed War-Fighting

    42:45 – The Future of the US-Israel Defense Tech Partnership

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    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    12 March 2026, 4:00 am
  • 41 minutes 47 seconds
    Iran's (buried) Uranium Treasure - with Amit Segal and Fred Kagan

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    Could a buried stockpile of uranium decide the outcome of the war with Iran?

    Dan is joined by Israeli journalist Amit Segal and military historian Fred Kagan to unpack reports that roughly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% may still be recoverable from a bombed Iranian nuclear site. They discuss why that level of enrichment matters, what it would take for U.S. or Israeli forces to extract the material, and why the race to secure it could shape the next phase of the war. The conversation also explores the broader campaign against the Iranian regime, the possibility of regime change, renewed Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel, and what Iran might look like if the current leadership collapses.

    In this episode:

    01:50 – Hezbollah’s renewed attacks on northern Israel

    04:05 – The broader military campaign against Iran’s regime infrastructure

    08:20 – The race to secure Iran’s buried 60% enriched uranium

    12:15 – Why 60% enrichment puts Iran close to nuclear weapons capability

    16:40 – What it would take for U.S. or Israeli forces to extract the material

    23:30 – Netanyahu’s “surprises” and the strategy to destabilize the regime

    28:55 – The rise of Mojtaba Khamenei and what it means for the regime

    35:10 – Could regime change in Iran trigger a civil war?

    Learn more about AEI’s Critical Threats Project. 

    Learn more about the Institute for the Study of War.

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    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    10 March 2026, 4:00 am
  • 36 minutes 35 seconds
    Why Are Liberals Against Liberation? – with Elica Le Bon

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    How did the oppressive Ayatollah regime convince the Western left that they’re the victims?

    Dan speaks with Iranian-American lawyer and activist Elica Le Bon about the ideological narratives that form (and distort) the West’s reaction to the Iran war. Le Bon explains the deep divide between the Iranian people and the Islamic regime, the cycles of protests and repression, the imperialist roots of the regime’s long-standing obsession with Israel, and the Marxist prism through which the Western left understands the conflict.

    In this episode:

    06:30 – Elica Le Bon’s family story and the legacy of the 1979 revolution

    07:45 – Life under the Islamic regime and the experience of repression

    11:05 – The gap between the Iranian people and the regime ruling them

    14:42 – Why the Iranian regime sees Israel as central to its ideology

    20:32 – How ideological narratives in the West shape perceptions of the war

    23:42 – The “mind virus” of anti-Western and anti-Zionist thinking

    26:46 – Protest movements inside Iran and the risks people face

    31:04 – What a post-regime Iran could mean for the Middle East and the world

    Listen to the latest episode of For Heaven’s Sake.

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    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    9 March 2026, 4:00 am
  • 8 minutes 35 seconds
    Amit on what victory in Iran might look like…(INSIDE Call me Back sneak peek)

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    This is a sneak peek from the latest Inside Call Me Back, the members-only edition of the podcast. In this episode, Dan Senor is joined by Amit Segal to answer subscriber questions about the war with Iran and what victory might actually look like.

    Has Israel already neutralized the strategic threats from Hamas and Hezbollah? Why might the political stakes of this war be higher for Donald Trump than for Benjamin Netanyahu? And if Iran’s regime weakens further, could the entire regional balance shift overnight?

    To hear the full conversation, become a member by following the link in the description or visiting https://arkmedia.org.

    In the full episode:

    In this Inside edition of Call me Back, Dan Senor and Amit Segal answer subscriber questions about the war with Iran, the strategic stakes for Netanyahu and Trump, the possibility of regime change in Tehran, Qatar’s role in the region, and whether anti-Israel sentiment on the American right is growing. Along the way, they also discuss how the war is reshaping Israel’s alliances and why the U.S.–Israel partnership looks very different than it did in past conflicts.

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    7 March 2026, 11:30 pm
  • 38 minutes 8 seconds
    Trump’s Gamble - with Walter Russell Mead

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    Why would a president risk a war in the Middle East in an election year? 

    Dan is joined by Walter Russell Mead to unpack the strategic and political gamble behind the U.S. conflict with Iran. They discuss why Trump may have chosen this moment to act, how generational attitudes toward war shape the debate, and what success (or failure) could look like. The conversation also explores Iran’s potential strategy, its impact on Russia and China, and how countries like India are viewing the unfolding conflict.

    In this episode:

    - 05:45 – Trump’s High-Stakes Bet on War

    - 08:15 – Why the Case for the War Feels Unclear to Many Americans

    - 10:25 – The Generational Divide on U.S. Military Power

    - 15:40 – Why Trump Chose This Moment to Strike

    - 23:20 – What “Winning” the War Could Actually Look Like

    - 26:20 – Iran’s Endurance Strategy: Drag the U.S. Into a Quagmire

    - 30:05 – What Russia and China Want to See Happen

    - 32:10 – Why India Is Watching This War Closely

    See Rachel Goldberg-Polin in conversation with Dan at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center on April 20 to discuss her upcoming book "When We See You Again.” Purchase tickets before they sell out.

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    5 March 2026, 5:00 am
  • 45 minutes 50 seconds
    Did Israel force America into war with Iran? - with Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz

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    Was America dragged into the Iran war by Israel, as some commentators seem to suggest?

    An out-of-context statement by State Secretary Marco Rubio seems to give credence to the conspiratorial accusation that America is fighting Israel's war in Iran. Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to discuss the truth behind these claims, the delicate politics behind the decision to launch the war, and how it all plays out in American public discourse. They also cover the possible succession of Iran’s Supreme Leader, the campaign against Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, and the broader strategy shaping the conflict—along with what outcomes Israel and the U.S. would ultimately consider a victory.

    In this episode:

    - 04:20 – The strike in Qom and the disruption of Iran’s leadership succession

    - 06:05 – The possible rise of Mojtaba Khamenei

    - 11:05 – What the past 72 hours reveal about the military campaign

    - 13:25 – Why Qom is central to the Islamic Republic

    - 15:05 – The emerging strategy to pressure the regime from within

    - 20:05 – The debate in the U.S. over how the war began

    - 37:35 – Iran’s strategy for surviving the conflict

    - 40:05 – What Israel and the U.S. would consider a victory

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    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    4 March 2026, 5:00 am
  • 38 minutes 28 seconds
    How Israel wiped out Iran's leadership in 10 minutes - with Ronen Bergman

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    How did Israel manage to eliminate Supreme Leader Khamenei and his top lieutenants within the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion? How was the Iranian regime infiltrated? What tactical abilities were necessary to deliver the final blow? And how much of it was luck?

    Ronen Bergman, senior correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth and The New York Times Magazine, takes Dan through the story of Khamenei’s killing from plan to execution, and through the many ways in which things could have gone differently.

    In this episode:

    3:00 – How did Israel know where Khamenei was hiding?
    8:43 – Was Iran careless?
    14:50 – How did the plan to strike Khamenei take shape?
    15:34 – 6am on the morning when it happened
    22:01 – Sponsor break: United Hatzalah
    22:57 – Immediate aftermath: What happened after the decapitation strike?
    23:37 – The second and third waves of the attack
    28:33 – Iran's attack on Arab states: another miscalculation?
    33:25 – What's the mood in Iran?

    This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    2 March 2026, 5:00 am
  • 33 minutes 58 seconds
    What is the military strategy in Iran? - with Gen. David Petraeus

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    What's the state of play after the first day of operation Roaring Lion? What tactical resources have the United States and Israel deployed and what's their division of labor? What are the operation's risks and opportunities? General David Petraeus joins Dan to examine the strategic and tactical planning and goals of the war.

    General Petraeus is a retired four-star U.S. Army general and former CIA Director who led coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and is widely recognized for shaping modern U.S. counterinsurgency strategy. He's also co-author of 'Conflict' with Andrew Roberts.

    In this episode:

    - 1:00 – Khamenei killed: The decapitation strike

    - 3:00 – Day one of the war: Epic Fury and Roaring Lion

    - 5:00 – How a strike like this gets built

    - 8:00 – The daylight gamble

    - 12:00 – U.S. forces in position

    - 16:00 – Regime change or something else?

    - 20:00 – U.S.–Israel coordination

    - 28:00 – What comes next for Iran

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    1 March 2026, 5:24 am
  • 47 minutes 22 seconds
    EMERGENCY EPISODE: WAR WITH IRAN - with Mark Dubowitz and Nadav Eyal

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    The United States and Israel have launched coordinated strikes against Iran, and the region is now at war.

    In this emergency episode of Call Me Back, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to break down the opening operation, Iran’s retaliation across the region, and the high-stakes question at the center of it all: Is this about degrading nuclear and missile capabilities, or is this the beginning of regime change?

    They discuss the decapitation strategy targeting Iran’s senior leadership, the possibility that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed, the international response, and what comes next. As sirens sound in Israel and ballistic missiles fly across the Gulf, this is real-time analysis of a historic turning point in the Middle East.

    In this episode:

    - Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion: How the war began

    - Iran’s regional retaliation and the widening battlefield

    - Targeting the leadership: Decapitation and the Khamenei question

    - Nuclear reconstitution, Pickaxe Mountain, and the missile threat

    - Regime change or strategic degradation?

    - International reaction and Gulf alignment

    - The American message and what it signals

    - How this ends and what comes next

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    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

    28 February 2026, 5:57 pm
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    Purim and Destiny - with Rachel Goldberg Polin

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    Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins Dan for a Purim special to explain why this is possibly the most misunderstood holiday in Jewish tradition. Rather than simply a fun masquerade for kids, Purim presents a profound meditation on hiddenness, courage, and stepping into one’s moment. Rachel walks Dan through the Book of Esther, unpacks its drama and philosophical depth, and explores why a story where God is never mentioned may be the most relevant text for a confusing, fractured age.

    In this episode:

    - The world of Persia and the backstory to Purim

    - Vashti, Esther, and the making of a queen

    - Haman, Amalek, and the logic of antisemitism

    - “For such a time as this” and the Esther moment

    - Where is God in a story without God?

    - Masks, hiddenness, and the illusion of randomness

    - Unity, generosity, and the mitzvot of Purim

    - Discovering your purpose when no one summons you

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    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    26 February 2026, 5:00 am
  • 46 minutes 9 seconds
    Trump’s Options on the Brink of War - with Mark Dubowitz and Nadav Eyal

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    As American military assets flow into the Middle East and Tehran prepares its response to Washington’s demands, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to assess whether President Trump is leaning toward diplomacy or decisive military action. They break down what’s real, what’s signaling, what would be the goals and scope of an American attack, and whether Israel is preparing to take part in it.

    In this episode:

    3:00 - Is Trump leaning toward a strike or a deal?

    3:30 - What “zero enrichment” really means and why it matters

    9:30 - Pickaxe Mountain and Iran’s rebuilding nuclear infrastructure

    11:00 - The scale of U.S. military deployments in the region

    16:00 - Israel’s preparedness and the missile defense dilemma

    22:30 - Hezbollah, Gulf states, and regional spillover risks

    27:00 - Symbolic strike or regime-level operation?

    39:00 - How politics, legacy, and red lines shape Trump’s decision

    More Ark Media:

    Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

    22 February 2026, 8:05 pm
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