Judging Freedom - Alastair Crooke : Trump's Iran Moves Worsen US Position

Episode Date: June 1, 2026

Alastair Crooke : Trump's Iran Moves Worsen US PositionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Starting something new isn't only hard. It is terrifying. So much work goes into this thing that you're not entirely sure will work out. And it can be hard to make that leap of faith. Trust me, I know. When I started my business, I wasn't even sure what I was doing. What if I make a fool of myself? What if this fails? Now I know that I was right in believing in myself despite all the fears and hesitations. But it helps when you have a partner like Shopify on your side. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S., from household names like Heinz and Mattel, to brands just getting started. Best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world-class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shopping to processing returns and beyond. What if people haven't heard about my brand? Shopify helps you find your customers with easy-to-run email and social media campaigns. And did I mention that iconic purple shop pay button that's used by millions of businesses

around the world? It's why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. It also helps boost conversions, meaning less carts going abandoned and more sales for you. It's time to turn those what-ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash freedom. Go to Shopify.com slash freedom. That's Shopify.com slash freedom. Undeclared wars are commonplace.

Pragically, our government engages in preemptive war, otherwise known as aggression with no complaints from the American people. Sadly, we have become accustomed to living with the illegitimate use of force by government. To develop a truly free society, the issue of initiating force must be understood and rejected. What if sometimes to love your country you had to alter or abolish the government? What if Jefferson was right? What if that government is best, which governs least? What if it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong?

What if it is better to perish fighting for freedom than to live as a slave? What if freedom's greatest hour of danger is now? Hi, everyone. Judge Andrew Napolitano here for a judging, freedom. Today is Monday, June 1st, June 1st, where does the year go? Monday, June 1st, 2006, Alastair Crook will be with us in just a moment. Trump's moves in Iran, making things worse for the United States. But first this. Don't you just cringe when people say, I told you so, sorry, I told you, gold and silver would reap the benefits due to excessive money printing, inflation, and global uncertainty. It's here.

It's happened. Gold and silver have reached all-time highs. Did you call Lear Capital and buy some? It's not too late. Experts are predicting higher prices ahead. Why? Nothing has changed. Geopolitical chaos, cost of living crises, and a weaker dollar are driving central banks to boost their gold reserves. Forecast suggests gold could hit $6,000 an ounce and silver, $200 in ounce. Even Morgan Stanley ditched the six. 6040 rule for 60 2020, putting 20% into precious metals. They're getting educated and you should too. Call the best in the business and the people I trust, Lear Capital. Get their reports, get the facts, get some gold and silver. Tell them the judge sent you and get up to $20,000 in bonus gold or silver. Call 800, 511, 4620 or go to Learjudge's nap.com. Alastair Crook, welcome here, my dear friend. Good day to you. Thank you for accommodating my schedule, as always. Can the Israelis effectively veto any deal that Trump might enter into with Iran that is displeasing to them?

Well, yes, but that is on two different planes. And we can see that happening. First of all, that Netanyahu. who has ordered major push to take place in Lebanon. And he's threatening to level Dahrir, which is a southern suburb of Beirut. The ceasefire plant precludes actually any conflict in Lebanon. It's supposed to be part of the ceasefire. But he's already promised that. And he's promised to take more land in Gaza.

So he's obviously trying to accumulate as a... much territory as possible in case there is some sort of agreement. However, unlikely that seems at the moment that he is killing many people. There are large numbers of Lebanese dead and more than a million have been displaced or now outside of their homes. But the second level is, according to what the reports that I hear and others have heard, is that Trump almost gets towards some sort of understanding with the Iranians. It's not really an agreement. It's just a sort of understanding because the Iranians don't believe in the agreement very much. I'll explain why. But as soon as that happens, then the, if you like, the element of the element

of the Israeli Jewish predominance come in at that point and say, but, you know, the nuclear issue, it's not tough enough. And then Trump seems to get cold feet, and he backs out of it. And sometimes we learn that Trump backs out of it, maybe from one day to another or even once or twice in a day. So there's nothing certain about what his position is. So certainly between the two elements of blowing up the ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza, and equally Trump panicking every time either Fox News or Mark Levine or others come in,

Hegaty comes in and says, this is not a good agreement. He panics and backs off. So yes, they couldn't stop it. And how can there be any meaningful agreement with Iran without a restraint on Israel? And how can Trump enter into any agreement that restrains Israel? This is almost a conundrum that can't be solved. It is precisely that, an unpassed, because there's no way that the United States can affect effectively restrain Israel.

I mean, we've seen very clearly, and we've seen that with the election of Thomas Massey and other things, that, you know, the control over Congress is very, very tight. And the control, so no one is actually going to restrain Israel in any meaningful way, because they don't have the leverage to do that, even if they sought to try and do that. Yes, Netanyahu now is in a very precarious position. He's in a precarious position internally because there's talk of a dissolution of the Kinesit, that's the parliament bill going through, and he's talking about he may have to actually give up his position in order to prevent going to jail under the corruption charges,

because still also the pardon hasn't come through for him on those charges. And the charges, there's not much time to go through the legal process in the Knesset, to have all those charges completely removed, if you like, from jurisdiction. So he is in trouble, but that's not really levered, because if you like the elements within the United States are determined. And I think what we're going to see or what is seemingly what's going to see is from the suggestion, the proposal from those elements in the United States, the predominance elements in the United States are suggesting moving from

weekend war to a long war. So the head of the FDD, the defense of democracy, so called, is proposing two and a half years more of war, that it should, the job's not done and it should continue, presumably not at an all-out level, but presumably a sort of skirmishing level of antagonism against Iran, saying still, and Netanyahu is still saying it's still possible to overthrow the government in Iran.

It's still possible. We were robbed, he's saying, by Netanyahu and by Erdogan. Because they didn't send in the Kurds, and if they'd sent in the Kurds, we would have, everything would have been different. Of course, this is special pleading. But, I mean, nonetheless, I mean, there is a talk of this. And this may well mesh with the other proposals going through Congress, which I see where there are proposals to fuse and mesh the Israeli defense forces with the American defense system,

data, AI, everything sort of interchangeable and fused. I mean, so they're playing for big, big gains. that would give them effectively control over American military power. This would be, you know, this would be the endgame to have complete control over the American military. Not complete control, but near complete if they're completely fused. There was no way that the U.S. would be able to easily pull back from joining in with us. So, I mean, I think what we're going to see possibly now is peace without peace. I mean, no agreement.

And like we've had in the last two days, the United States attacking some radar station, Iranian radar station, which they say is a threat, but don't give any evidence of it. And then Iran reacts in Kuwait and attack. American military sites in Kuwait. And so the thing bubbles on in a sort of level of skirmishes whose flames supposedly can be controlled by the Pentagon. But of course, these sort of skirmish type wars extended over a period can easily go wrong.

I want to play a clip from Robert Barnes. Robert is a former defense official, former Trump lawyer, former Trump supporter on my friend and colleague Mario Nafal's podcast explaining exactly what this legislation does. This is in the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act. If you've ever read the NDAA, you'd be the only person on the planet to read it. It's the thousand-plus page budget of the Pentagon, but snuck in there where no nobody knows it's there are little tidbits to favor favored congressman and this is one of them. Chris, cut number four.

The U.S. military is subject to the authority of the Israeli military. The more neutered version of it is that it gives them access to as if they're part of the U.S. military in terms of classified access, technological access. It allows for armed shipments to be made and military technology. and national security technology to be shared without any special vote or particular action of the president. And the problem of this deal is it takes it out of having to do deal by deal. And so, in fact, it legally authorizes Israel to effectively get away with it to a degree. Whereas if we sold the weapons to them and it came under certain conditions and then they subsequently shared it,

we could directly take action. This is so loose and free going that you're going to have Israeli military personnel in the room when some of this is getting developed. It's truly unprecedented in American history that as a matter of law, no matter who the president is, and no matter what the president wants, the Israeli military will have access to American national security secrets and its generals will be on a par with ours. And this will probably happen because it's buried in the NDAA, as I explained, without any serious debate. Yep. The predominance will have their disposal then the whole forces of the United States to pursue their aims in the region and beyond. And it will be presented as something that has benefits to both sides. But that's clearly false because it's really in no interest of the United States to give up its sovereignty in this way to another state to give up its sovereignty. and also all its data and also all its technical abilities to hand it over to a foreign state.

So I can't imagine what will be the consequences of this, but as you say, it'll probably pass through. Yes. So the preliminary deal that seems to be leaked out by various sources is that the Strait of Hormuz will be open on Iran's terms, and the U.S. will lift its blockade. The follow-up deal, presumably, even though neither side trusts the other, will address enriched uranium and lifting of U.S. sanctions. Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz was open. Before Trump destroyed the JCPOA, enriched uranium was capped out at 3.67 percent. Now it's up to 60 percent after he destroyed the JCPOA. Does the President of the United States even understand what he's doing? Oh, I don't know. Perhaps Robert Barnes would be better place to answer me because he seems to

follow it very closely about, you know, what's going on in the situation room. And he's quite credible in what he says. But I mean, there really are, if you like, you know, these basic equations rather than anything else in the deal. As you say, hormones would be open, but there would be fees extracted, just as, for example, vessels sailing through the boss pay Turkey fees according to their tonnage for environmental elements and for the maintenance of the waterway. And Iran will do the same. It's already in law. They're just enacting it in the mansion at the moment. So one element, the equation is, yes, it will be open subject to Iranian terms, and the naval blockade would have to be. removed. The other equation is that any military attack on Iran will result in attack on infrastructure,

equivalent infrastructure in the Gulf at the same time. So any attack on Iran, infrastructure. And to start the process, there is the requirement, if you like, this is the thing. third equation, to start the equations, you have, first of all, to return to Iran its frozen assets, at least half of them, 12 billion assets. And what's changed now and why it's so hard, and you hear so much nonsense being talked about these things is because the Iranians believe nothing that comes out of the White House or its negotiators and mediators, Kushner and Whitkoff. They believe nothing that is said or nothing even that is written. So they only take something is happening as being implemented when they actually see the naval

vessels not move, you know, 500 kilometers away from where they are. now, but leave the area and the blockade ended. They only will move when they see 12 billion in their bank account. They will only go ahead when they understand that this is accepted, the naval blockade is over, and then they will open homoes on that basis. But they trust nothing that comes. And, you know, because we are inundated also by lots of stories that come out of so-called mediators of different sorts that are saying, oh, well, the Iranians have agreed. In fact, I saw in the latest piece by David Ignatius in the Washington Post, he says

that Kushner and Whitka are talking with all sorts of Pakistanis and Omanis and others who may have context with Iranians of some sort, that they're trying to promote the idea that wouldn't it be great if we had some real estate deals going on in Tehran and an investment fund for Iran? And then Iran, according to this thinking, is quoted by Ignatius, says, you know, then Iran can hope the people of Iran will be taken with the idea that they can become like these shining tires of Dubai and Gata, and think of the good life coming to them. And it's again another misunderstanding

of the whole Iranian revolution, which was precisely a reaction against this particular sort of material nihilistic structures of thinking, that it is all material and there is nothing beyond the material. And this is the whole element of sheism, is turning it inside out, turning the inside outside.

The real world is the outside, not the inside of just pure materialism. So they're not particularly appealed by this. After everything we've been through since February 28th, even going back to last June, the Americans, the Trump administration, the State Department, the Pentagon, and Trump's negotiators still don't understand the Iranian. So that's basically what you're telling us.

Exactly. Wow. Exactly. Let me ask you one of the reasons. Let me ask you one or two questions about the Israelis. Do the Israelis care if the Strait of Hormuz is closed and the American economy and by extension the world economy suffers? I don't think so because, you know, the big donors to in the United States and the people who matter, therefore, the billionaires that are supporting Israel so much. And during this last period since 2008, have really, you know, there's been such a transfer of wealth to the 1% from the rest of the American economy, same in Europe. and those people have got massive good assets, plenty of assets. And so I think a recession or even a depression, for many of them,

will be viewed not as a threat, but as an opportunity. They'll be out there buying up American farmland, for example, or whatever, because that's what happened in 2008, and that's what I think is likely to happen again. they've put away enough money, they can go and buy all sorts of opportunities if it does emerge into an economic crisis. So I don't think that threat works for that level of people. It certainly works for the electorate, the American electorate and the European electorates who are getting increasingly anxious. You're seeing this both in Germany and Britain and and France.

Yes. Do the Israelis recognize that they cannot fight and win, depending how you define that term, a war against Iran without the active military involvement of the United States? Oh yes, they all know that. That's a given, that they can't, they can't do that. All they can do is false flag operations.

small false flag operations and hope to pull America into the war in that way. I mean, the question is, when you look at the FDD talking about, you know, that we really need a longer war, a two and a half year more war. Was that always the plan? Did Israel really believe it could be done over a weekend, as seemed to be confirmed, in that New York Times piece, I think, of the 11th of June, when it talked 11th, 11th of February, when they had the situation room meeting with the Israelis,

and they were told, you know, the Trump team were told it would be very simple, it would be over very quickly. We put huge investment. The Kurds are going to swarm in, and they'll be all armed and go in, and it will be over very quickly. there will be an uprising. Did they really believe that? I can't answer that. But I mean, I wonder when I

see, you know, people coming out and saying, well, the head of the FD, saying, you know, we haven't finished the job, you know, it needs to be a longer war. Was that always the intent? And this is, I mean, underlying this is very clear, very clear message. And this is why I'm saying that the lessons of Iran have passed around the world because one of the lessons of Iran for the Iranians very clearly is that this operation was never about regime change in Iran. It was about the destruction of Iran. It was about its, if you like, dismemberment into sort of ethnic, little small ethnic states at odds with one another.

And now, and this is where, I mean, this is a huge shift. You were taking, I mean, serious commentators in Russia are writing that Russia has to understand that the attack on Russia from Europe, particularly Europe, And the U.S., but particularly Europe, is not about regime change. It's not about pushing Putin out of ISIS. It is to finally destroy Russia, to break it up and to destroy it as a powerful state. So the lessons are sort of widening and the results are coming back to us in different ways. And that's why the Russians are being so tough now, and warning the Europeans and warning others that this is, you know, you can't go on.

You can't just go on firing, you know, your missiles, Britain giving Ukraine 120,000 drones and long range, some long range missiles to fire deep into Russia to kill our people. And you think that you can do this with impunity in that you just do more and more and more and ratcheted up further and further. And they say that's just not acceptable. And I think the turning point came with the destruction of that dormitory with all those young teenagers who were killed. 21 of them were killed at that.

They said that's the last straw. We're not going to tolerate this. And if you don't get it, we're going to follow the Iranian pattern. We're going to understand, you know, you've got some. vulnerable assets in different places using conventional weapons we may have to hit those later if you still don't get the message then it may turn to tactical nuclear weapons so i mean this whole thing has become you know it's the and the iranians understanding this and are treating that's why they say we will only believe the the you know the blockade on the the the

straits is lifted when the naval vessels are removed from my Gulf all together, not just move back a little bit and not just half done. So and no promises about, you know, relief or your frozen assets coming. We'll believe it when we see it in the bank account. Until then, we believe nothing. Alistair, thank you, my dear friend. I was going to ask you about Russia, but you read my mind and you addressed the very topic that I was going to press upon you. Another terrific interview, if I may say so. Thank you for your time. We'll look forward to seeing you next week, my dear friend. Thank you. Thanks to you. Bye, sure. Bye-bye. And coming up on all of this, if you're watching us live in 32 minutes at 9 o'clock this morning, Larry Johnson at 10 this morning,

Ray McGovern at 3.30 this afternoon, Professor Jeffrey Sachs. Judge Napolitano for judging freedom.