The US claimed it launched attacks on two missile launchers preparing to attack Persian Gulf shipping on Iran’s Larak Island. Iran says two military personnel were killed and two injured, and launched overnight counterattacks targeting US military sites in Jordan and the Arabian Peninsula.

In the latest episode of badlands, I discuss the inevitability of the return to warfare as well as the escalating rhetoric preceding the bombing and the danger of the type of “preemptive” war thinking that drives the US thinking.

In an interview with BBC News, I also discuss the deadly capsizing of a ferry departing from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Plus more talk about Iran as well as the CIA chief’s visit to Moscow last week in interviews with India’s NewsX World.

It’s the six-month anniversary of the Iran war, and the conflict shows no sign of ending soon, even as fighting has momentarily calmed down. It is shaping up to be another forever war, but one that has ramifications for the whole world.

In the latest episode of badlands, I briefly assess the state of the conflict, with a focus on the US bases that were hit by the Iranians during the war and may never ever be rescuscitated.

I also examine the diplomatic fallout of the conflict, including a new strategic alliance formed by regional countries in reaction to the chaos and unpredictability of the US, which I discuss in an interview with South Era Networks.

An extraordinary series of images published by Tanker Trackers showed the ship-to-ship transfers being used by the US to get oil across the Strait of Hormuz despite an Iranian blockade of the waterway.

In the latest edition of badlands, energy analyst joins me to sort through the lies and hype to figure out just how much oil is being moved out of the Persian Gulf and whether global energy supplies are dwindling.

In an interview with India’s NewsX World, I discuss the latest US efforts to impose Iran sanctions on other countries. Will they comply or not?

I also discuss, Microsoft founder and Epstein class member Bill Gates attempt to rehabiliate his image by rebranding himself as an advocate for controls on artificial intelligence. Should we trust tech oligarchs to police themselves when it comes to AI?

Both US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Iran Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf acknowledged that the US is treading on fragile economic ice with bond yields spiking and oil reserves plummeting. In the latest edition of badlands, I discuss why the US imposition of sanctions on Iran risks damaging an already weakened global economy.

Also in this edition, I discuss the potential efficacy of the sanctions with India’s NewsX World.

Also, in this episode I discuss the Pakistan’s continuing mediation efforts with the US and Iran in an interview with Pakistan’s AsiaOne News.

US Secretary of State Scott Bessent launched the Trump administration’s “D-Day” sanctions on Iran to much fanfare.

In the latest edition of badlands, I delve into the sanctions and attempt to assess whether they will be any more effective than previous rounds of sanctions on Iran.

Plus, Nadim Shehadi and I debate models for the future of the Middle East, whether glittery global-connectedness of Dubai or the gritty resilience of Tehran is more desirable or feasible, as well as the successes and failures of the US wars in the Middle East.

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After full-throttled war and half-hearted diplomacy, the administration of Donald Trump has settled on sanctions as away of achieving its goals on Iran. But does it even know what those goals are, and are they achievable?

In the latest edition of badlands, retired American diplomat joins me for a discussion about the ever-shifting nature of US policy on. Alan is a noted Iran specialist and fluent Persian speaker who became famous on Iranian social media for his eloquent posts and stellar language skills.

Also in this episode, join for me a lively discussion with Pakistan TV about the efficacy of US sanctions—whether the Trump administration’s scheme to use economic pressure to get Tehran to accede to its demands might work.

In a separate inteview with India’s NewsX World, I discuss the recent shift by Iran’s armed forces toward a more aggressive posture.

And in non-Iran news, I discuss the recent attempts by governments and courts to rein in the abuses and power of big tech social media companies.

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The US has begun to unveil the next phase in its campaign agaisnt Iran, and it looks a bit like previous attempts to pressure the country. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the aim is to use the combination of sanctions, international pressure on third countries, and a naval blockade to “collapse” Iran.

In the latest edition of badlands, I discuss the sanctions and what “regime collapse” could mean.

Also in the episode, a replay of an April interview with Hossein Rassam, the former adviser to the UK Embassy in Iran about the current crisis and how the Iranian government may evolve as a result of the war.

Finally, I discuss what the world should do about an increasingy reckless and belligerent US and Israel and a range of topics—in a pair of interviews with India’s NewsX World.

The New York Times this week published a well-reported piece about how Israel is destroying the economy of the West Bank.

In the latest edition of badlands, I discuss the various ways in which Israel has manipulated its control over the territory meant to be the main component of a future Palestinian state to impoverish the population and prevent the economy from thriving.

The New York Times piece follows a June 15 report by Joost Hiltermann of the Crisis Group warning of an economic collapse in the West Bank thanks to the restrictions.

In the latest episode, I repost an edited version of that interview with Joost.

Plus, in a brief interview with India’s NewsX World, I discuss Oman’s dilemma following the Trump administration’s threats to bomb it.

Iran has been warning for months that it plans to escalate its war against the US unless the Americans take steps that include unfreezing its assets and acknowledging its authority over the Strait of Hormuz..

It has not only signaled such escalation. It has begun to implement its plans, activating or coordinating with proxy forces to spread the conflict from the Persian Gulf to the Levant, to Iraq, and to the Red Sea.

It recently listed all the sites it would strike if the US were to launch an attack on Iranian civilian infrastructure.

In the latest episode of badlands, I talk apart a recent Wall Street Journal article on Iran’s not-so-secret war plans. The report contained some nuggets of decent reporting, but was dishonestly framed as a revelatory scoop. It also depicted Iranians as devious warmongers and Americans as naive simpletons merely hoping to wind down the conflict.

Also in this episode, I speak about the latest security developments in the Gulf in an interview with India’s NewX World.

Finally, the episode includes a rerun of my interview with Ali Ahmadi, a former advisor to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, in which he discusses Iran’s military capacity—a topic that seems especially relevant at this juncture in the conflict.

Donald Trump plumbs new depths of dishonor and disloyalty by threatening to bomb one ally while throwing another to the nuclear-armed wolves.

In the latest episode of badlands, I ask why Iran or any country not named Israel would trust the US or make any deals with it.

Also, badlands re-posts an interview with former Chinese diplomat and host of the podcast “Devil’s Advocate” Han Yang from March, when the war between Iran and the US was raging.

I made a number of predictions on the war’s outcome. Listen or watch to assess how well or poorly I performed.

Lots of threats and bluster by Iranian officials over the weekend, including a warning that Iran would “cut off the legs” of Donald Trump, who prompted the exchange of ballistic trash talk with his apparently jocular vow to turn the Strait of Hormuz into American territory.

On the latest episode of badlands, I discuss the latest rhetorical flourishes by US and Iranian officials.

In interviews with India’s NewsX World and Pakistan TV, I also dicuss the latest news, including the impact of the conflict on US amd international politics.

One kidnapped innocent people and forced them into concentration camps. Another aired a forced confession live on television. Yet another stole people’s homes and terrorized their inhabitants.

In this very special, jam-packed episode of badlands, three misbehaving governments compete for the dubious honor of “rogue regime of the week.”

I also give a quick update on the latest scheme by the administration of Donald Trump to laumch a new pressure campaign against Iran.

Plus, in an inteview with India’s NewsX World, I discuss the latest comments from Norway’s foreign minister about the Persian Gulf crisis as well as the latest on the Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon.

Foreign policy podcaster and former US Department of Defense official Jasmine El-Gamal joins badlands for a lively discussion on Syria, her area of focus when she was in government, as well as on latest diplomatic and security machinations surrounding the Iran war.

Among the topics of discussion Syria’s death sentence against Bashar al-Assad, the return of refugees to Syria, and its enigmatic, ascendant new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as the convuluted thinking that has gotten the US and the Western countries mired in countless quagmires.

“We tried to do the whole Shia crescen and Sunni thing and it just isn’t a helpful way to look at the region because what happens is that then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in how other countries, particularly Western countries, view the region,” she says. “And then these become the good guys and these become the bad guys.”

Please check out and subscribe to Jasmine’s excellent podcast now!

Also in this edition of badlands, I discuss the Pakistani interior minister’s visit to Tehran and ongoing repression of Palestinians in the West Bank in an inteview with India’s NewsX World.

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Recent comments by US President Donald Trump on Iran show how stuck he is in his Iran failures.

In the latest episode of badlands, I break down Trump’s latest lies and misinformation and sketch out how Iran has become a hell of his own making.

A Syrian court just sentenced former dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over his role in the country’s 13-year civil war. His brother Maher and cousin Atef Najib were also convicted and sentenced to death by a Syrian court.

Assad fled to Russia in 2024 as rebel forces seized control of the country after a years-long conflict which left more than half a million people dead.

In the second part of Syrian-British author Robin Yassin-Kassab’s interview with badlands, we discuss whether the original democratic and civil spirit that spurred the Syrian uprising in 2011 still exists.

We also discuss a range of topics including:

• How Hezbollah laid the seeds of its own demise by taking part in the Syrian civil war on behalf of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

• How Syrian president and former rebel leader Ahmed al Sharaa should be assessed.

• Turkey’s outsized role in promoting Syrian interests and Sharaa on the international stage.

Robin is the author of the recently released book, “The Blood Between Us.”

In this episode, I also discuss the latest Ukraine strikes deep inside Russia, and how they are undermining the US plan to keep oil prices low by helping tankers dodge Iranian missiles and drones on the way out of the Strait of Hormuz.

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American defeat in Iran can lead to a smarter, less militaristic, and ultimately more succesful US.

Meanwhile, an Islamic Republic victory could lead to a more arrogant, belligerent, and repressive Iran—an authoritarian regime with a measure of historic legitimacy and a renewed lease on life.

On the latest edition of badlands, I step back from the headlines a bit to discuss what the emerging modus vivendi in the Persian Gulf conflict could mean in the long run, even as the war continues to unfold, with much of the latest fighting in the Red Sea and Yemen.

In interviews with India’s NewsX World, I also discuss the latest talks over the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman and the escalating conflict between Houthis and Saudi Arabia and its allies along the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

Two major developments in the Middle East this week. The US appears poised to hand control of the Strait of Hormuz over to the Iranians, even as it whines that it doesn’t need it anyway.

Meanwhile, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan inked a major security partnership, dissing the US attempt to corral the countries of the region into the pro-Israel Abraham Accords. That prompted pro-Israel shills to downplay the Mecca agreement and predict its demise.

As a bonus for Arabic speakers, I was interviewed by Egypt’s Al Qahera TV about the latest developments in the Iran conflict.

Israel continues to hammer away at Lebanon and occupy much of the country’s south, even as the US and Iran appear to be heading toward another deal on the Persian Gulf.

In the latest episode of badlands, scholar joins me for a deep analysis and debate about which country—Iran, Israel, or the US—ultimately played the biggest role in turning Lebanon into a basketcase, and a site for regional conflict.

Also in the episode, I discuss the latest effort by corporate Democrats in the US to grapple with the rise of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul el-Sayed and the leftwing of the party. Instead of voting blue no matter who, they are launching a $15 million effort to sabotage Democrat Socialists of America by digging up dirt and publicly smearing them.

Progressives and sane people celebrated an imporant victory for Senate candidate Abdul el-Sayed, who defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Michigan Democratic Party primary.

The Israel lobby and other corrupt donors spent more than $60 million Stevens, but the very narrow margin of victory will likely convince them they could have won if they’d only lavished a few more million on the campaign.

Sayed will face an even tougher challenge as he takes on Republican Mike Rogers in the general elections coming up in November, I say in an interview with India’s NewsX World.

Meanwhile, it looks like missile depletions combined with market troubles are forcing the US to give in to Iranian demands on the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the obvious US losses and the seemingly impossible path to anything resembling a US victory, warmongering warmongers won’t let up, and appear unable to learn anything. Perhaps they need to take up a hobby.

It’s not just the Israel lobby. It also the defense lobby. And the insurance, gun, banking, law, pharamaceutical, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates lobbies. Washington has become a fetid cesspool of corruption that is increasingly failing ordinary Americans, whether they are trying to get through a summer storm or through a disastrous airport.

In the latest episode of badlands, I discuss the Michigan Democratic Party primary election today between Abdul el-Sayed and Congresswoman Haley Stevens. It is now considered the most expensive US Senate primary in history and a battle between the pro-Israel establishment and the insurgent wings of the party.

I discuss how the race has been especially sensitive for Michigan Jews, including those for or agaisnt Sayed, as chronicled in a New York Times video.

Featured in the episode is part two of my interview with College of Dupage professor David Goldberg and a discussion of what it was like for him to break away from the pro-Israel ideology of the US Jewish community.