Geopolitical Economy Report

Iran is winning the war that was started by the USA and Israel. This is now admitted even by major Western media outlets. Tehran has successfully destroyed the US military bases in West Asia (aka the Middle East), forcing the Pentagon to operate from Europe.

Ben Norton explains Iran's goals, and how it is seeking to establish deterrence and escalation dominance, using asymmetric tactics.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV26rb-9YsE

Topics
0:00 Iran is winning the war
2:32 Iran's strategic goals
2:47 Failure of regime change
3:34 US military bases
4:25 Iran destroyed US bases
7:32 USA wages war from Europe
8:53 Bases used by USA in Europe
9:30 Iran's objectives
10:05 Gulf monarchies (GCC)
13:46 Normalization with Israel
14:54 Threats to Gulf regimes
16:40 Lifting of US sanctions
19:10 Oil and Strait of Hormuz
22:34 Escalation dominance
23:33 Costs of the war
25:34 USA running out of missiles
26:59 Deterrence
29:17 US and Israel are losing
29:42 Multipolar world
31:34 Outro

The US-Israeli war on Iran is transforming the geopolitical order, and could even unleash a global economic crisis. The conflict has caused the largest oil shock in history, disrupting global markets and driving up fuel and food prices.

To better understand the implications for the world, Geopolitical Economy Report editor Ben Norton interviewed economist Michael Hudson, who discussed how Iran is challenging US dollar dominance and undermining Washington’s control over the global oil market, which has been a key pillar of US foreign policy.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kocFwbTbs1Q

Read the transcript here: https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/war-iran-change-economy-michael-hudson

Topics
0:00 Intro
4:29 Highlights
7:21 Interview starts
10:10 US plan to control oil
12:25 USA war strategy
18:55 Struggle for sovereignty
21:06 Why the war started now
26:05 Petrodollar system
30:16 Strait of Hormuz
32:02 Largest oil crisis ever
34:14 Energy & food crisis
37:10 Debt crisis
39:31 Outro

The war on Iran is part of a larger attempt by the US empire to reverse the decline of Western hegemony and recolonize the Global South. After invading Venezuela, Donald Trump wants to "take" Cuba, Greenland, and Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel is annexing the West Bank and colonizing southern Lebanon. Ben Norton explains the imperialist plan.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xa_Kahzhic

Topics
0:00 Geopolitical context of Iran war
0:37 (CLIP) Trump vows to expand US empire
0:56 Plans to expand US empire
1:21 Colonial Donroe Doctrine
2:13 (CLIP) Trump wants Venezuela's oil
2:32 US military attacks Latin America
3:17 Lula: "They want to colonize us again"
3:51 US dominance declines, China rises
4:59 Trump threatens BRICS
6:25 Plans to revive Western colonialism
7:19 (CLIP) Marco Rubio praises colonialism
8:32 Marco Rubio
9:13 US oil blockade of Cuba
10:19 (CLIP) Trump hopes to "take Cuba"
10:49 US plan to recolonize Cuba
12:31 (CLIP) Trump on Cuban sugar barons
12:47 Exiled Cuban oligarchs in Florida
13:05 Cuban Revolution
13:48 Miami mafia
14:42 When Cuba was a US colony
15:39 US plans to colonize Greenland
15:53 Critical minerals supply chain
17:03 US attempt to save hegemony
17:45 (CLIP) Trump: USA will "own" Gaza
18:08 Israel is annexing West Bank
18:24 Israel invaded South Lebanon
19:48 Oil and gas in Middle East
20:21 Netanyahu's colonial Iran speech
20:56 (CLIP) Netanyahu on "barbarians"
21:32 (CLIP) Pete Hegseth on "savages"
21:48 Colonial rhetoric
22:25 (CLIP) Trump cites Manifest Destiny
22:45 Colonial propaganda
24:36 Gilded Age redux
26:39 Attempt to reverse decolonization
27:53 Will war backfire on US empire?
29:43 Outro

A top advisor to Donald Trump, billionaire venture capitalist David Sacks, warned that, if the war on Iran continues, "Israel could just be destroyed", or it could even use a nuclear weapon. Ben Norton explains how Washington sabotaged multiple peace deals and negotiations with Tehran, putting the world on the path toward catastrophe.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo9IHy0y8mo

Topics
0:00 (CLIP) US official warns of nuclear war
0:22 Israel's nuclear weapons
2:04 UN vote against nukes in Middle East
3:00 US hypocrisy on Israel & Iran
3:34 Trump advisor David Sacks
4:55 (CLIP) Trump advisor on Israel & Iran
6:04 David Sacks, Silicon Valley billionaire
8:35 US military escalates war on Iran
9:24 This war is unpopular
10:00 Iran wants deterrence
10:53 Israel is running out of interceptors
13:33 Reports of damage in Israel
14:09 Censorship in Israel & Gulf regimes
16:36 Limited water in Persian Gulf
17:48 (CLIP) Gulf regimes in danger
18:56 Dangerous to be a US "ally"
20:31 Ali Khamenei opposed nukes
21:38 New leader Mojtaba Khamenei
22:35 Iranian military criticized fatwa
23:37 Will Iran get nuclear weapons?
25:16 Iran negotiations with USA
26:48 US-Israeli surprise attack in 2025
27:19 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA)
28:09 Conclusion
29:27 Outro

In response to the US-Israeli war, Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, the most important oil chokepoint on Earth, causing energy prices to skyrocket. However, Tehran is allowing Chinese tankers through, and says other ships can pass if they agree to sell oil in China's currency, the renminbi (aka yuan).

Iran is also targeting offices of major American corporations, and wants to force them out of the Middle East (West Asia), while trying to expel US military bases.

Ben Norton explains how this war affects the petrodollar system, and the dominance of the dollar as the global reserve currency.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2zBWcGahuc

Topics
0:00 Iran war causes energy crisis
0:29 Oil price skyrockets
0:56 Fears of economic crisis
2:07 Strait of Hormuz
3:21 Iran permits Chinese oil tankers
4:17 Iran says: sell oil in RMB, not USD
4:43 Dollar dominance & petrodollar
6:28 Asymmetric warfare
6:59 US military bases in Middle East
7:47 Iran strikes CIA stations
8:46 Iran hits US refueling planes
9:10 US empire underestimated Iran
10:32 Iran targets US corporations
12:03 Economic warfare
13:07 (CLIP) Scott Bessent on sanctions
14:05 New leader Mojtaba Khamenei
15:21 Iran strategy spelled out
17:08 Tehran wants revenge
18:51 Yemen, Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab
22:16 US war on Yemen in 2025
23:23 Anti-colonial wars
24:16 Trump sends more US troops
25:21 Iran's Kharg Island
26:21 Global energy crisis
27:24 Trump wants military coalition
29:02 Iran allows Chinese ships
29:59 US dollar dominance
30:37 US current account deficit
31:20 Exorbitant privilege of dollar
32:19 Dedollarization
32:52 West seized Russia's reserves
33:49 Central banks buy gold
34:16 US Treasury securities
34:47 Oil sales in dollars
36:26 Trump threatened BRICS
37:16 Iran promotes dedollarization
37:42 China & Russia de-dollarize
38:33 India
39:34 UAE
40:18 Saudi Arabia
41:04 Iran & Indonesia join BRICS
42:14 Iran proposes BRICS currency
42:31 Divisions within BRICS
43:12 Struggle against imperialism
45:12 Outro