The Duran Podcast - Preventing a wider war in the Middle East

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

Preventing a wider war in the Middle East The Duran: Episode 1819

All right, Alexander, let's talk about the developments in the Middle East. And we are all waiting to see when and if there is going to be a retaliation from the Biden White House. And what that retaliation is going to look like and what is the purpose or the goals of this retaliation? We have had some reports from the media in the United States saying, that Biden wants to avoid a wider war, but that this retaliation is going to be a long retaliation a couple of weeks, and it's going to be multifaceted. It's not only going to target military installations, it's going to be a cyber attacks, and I imagine sanctions and economic attacks as well. So what are your thoughts on, and I guess we're waiting to see if there's going to,

something's going to happen? I imagine something is going to happen. I mean, And that's pretty much a given at this point. But I guess we're waiting to see when and if and what it's going to be. And what's going to be the response from Iran as well. Well, indeed, what this whole business shows, because I mean, you remember this attack on this base, the American base, and we now know it was on Tower 22, which is just located over the border in Jordan, but is clearly connected in some way to the ultimate. Tampf base that the United States illegally has in Syria. But anyway, that attack took place several days ago. We have huge numbers of American military assets across the Middle East.

We've got an aircraft carrier, the Dwight D.I. is now. We have an Ohio-class nuclear submarine with something like 100-plus Tomahawk cruise missiles. and we've got, you know, strategic assets of every conceivable kind. And, you know, we've been waiting for days. And so far, none of these assets have been used. And there's talk about options being put to the president. The president himself has come forward and said that he's decided on these options. But again, there's been no actual, there's been no action so far.

Now that tells me a number of things. Firstly, that there has been no consensus or agreement in Washington for some time about what to do in the event that there was a strike on an American base that killed Americans. There's clearly been a big, ongoing argument about this. The various factions in Washington have been arguing and disagreeing with. each other about what to do. And now this strike came and instead of a immediate decision being made and a consensus being reached, those arguments, if anything, look like they've intensified. And we're getting all these very, very strange reports that the United States, the administration, is contacting the Iranians through the Swiss and they're saying to the Iranians,

please, please, let us launch a strike against you on Iranian territory, somewhere on Iranian territory. And we'll make sure that it's not a big strike and it doesn't do any great harm. And in return, please don't respond because we don't want a big war. We can't really afford to get into a big war. And we don't think you want a big war either. I mean, on the face of it, that is completely ridiculous. You say to a country, another country, we want to attack you, but don't take it too seriously.

This isn't a real attack. This is all done for show. Anyway, the Iranians apparently have come back and said, we're not interested. If you attack us, as far as we're concerned, that is an attack on our country. And of course, we will respond, and we will launch strikes right across

the Middle East targeting your basis. So what these arguments are doing in Washington is that they are showing indecision. They're showing that there are some people have cold feet and it is conveying weakness to Iran. I mean, that's what they've managed to achieve. And we see again as a result of this, this dead end into which the neocons have led the United States and the Biden administration has led the United States,

because they've taken this extraordinary strong position over the Middle East outwardly. They've said an attack on America, which kills Americans, is a red line. The United States will respond. But when it happens, what we see is that they've got cold feet. some of them are nervous. They don't know how to respond. Arguments are taking place and they're taking days to resolve. And eventually, there will be an attack.

And we were told the attack will take place over various several days. And we're told that there will be missile strikes against Iranian assets in Iraq and Syria and other places. But attacks on Iran itself will only take the form of cyber attacks. And as if that's going to make any difference, the Iranians are still going to see that as an attack on their country, which of course, an attack as cyber attacks is what they would be. I mean, you know, so it shows that the U.S., there are people in the U.S. who understand how misconceived, how wrong this whole situation is, but they've not been able to get, to prevent the United States getting into this position

in the first place. Do you think there's, there are talks right now with Iran? Well, through an intermediary with Iran in order to figure out targets where the U.S. doesn't lose face. You know what I mean? Like, we need to look tough. we need to look like we're really sticking it to Iran, but we don't want a war with Iran because it's not going to turn out well for us. It's going to be a disaster. But, you know,

help us out Iran or through the intermediary, help us out so we can, you know, pick some targets and then use the media to make it seem like this was a huge strike from a very strong president and Joe Biden. As they always do, use the media to pump it up. Did you think something like that's going on? Well, I don't think there's any doubt that it is indeed going on. I mean, there are lots of reports about this, and they're appearing on all sorts of places, and the intermediary, in fact, is the Swiss. And the Iranians must be absolutely bewildered.

I mean, they must find this completely ridiculous. I mean, you know, let us attack you, but in a small way, and they don't respond, so that we save face. Why should the Iranians help the Biden administration to save face? I mean, it doesn't make any sense. What the US is conveying to Iran is that they're scared of Iran, which is the opposite of what this whole idea of launching strikes against Iran is supposed to convey. I mean, this is no longer an attack that is intended to deter Iran.

It's an attack that is intended to do exactly what you've just said, which is to save face in Washington so that it creates something that the media can spin and which looks good on the new side so that, you know, Admiral Kirby can go out and give his

interviews and wag his fingers and say you know this is a final warning to Iran they do this again, you know, we'll do something we'll do something even worse. I mean, the Iranians must be stunned. They must be incredibly.

when they are confronted with something like this. And they must be saying to the United States, look, if you don't want to attack us, you don't want this thing to escalate, then don't attack us and work towards a diplomatic outcome of the situation in the Middle East. Now, what the Iranians are going to do, I have no idea. They're very intelligent and very sophisticated people.

But as I said already, I'm sure that they're saying to the Americans, look, we have our red lines too, if you cross them, if you cross them by attacking our country, we are obliged to respond and we will respond strongly. What if the U.S. does hit significant targets? What if they really do go after Iran? The neocons and Biden, what if they really do want to escalate? And they do escalate, then what? Well, the Iranians say it's the opposite of the previous scenario. Say they really, there is no diplomacy and they really hit Iran hard. Yeah, I mean, in that case, the Iranians have made it very clear that they will respond,

and they will respond in kind against American targets, and they've already demonstrated that they have the ability to do it. Now, the best thing for the United States to do in this situation, the logical thing that the United States to do in this situation, is for the US to contact in Brahms and say, look, there's been this attack on this, base, we're not going to attack you. Don't attack us. Let us try to work together to find some kind of means to de-escalate a situation, which is now spiraling out of control. But of course, in order to do that, what the United States, what the administration needs to do is to get

control of the really dangerous situation, the one that is the source of the source of the whole problem, which is the situation in Israel and in the Palestinian territories. And that's the one thing the administration doesn't seem to know or have the ability to do. So the result is that they're giving the Iranians no reason to help the United States save face, which is what the Americans are basically asking for. Does the Biden administration want to get a handle on what's happening in Israel? It doesn't seem like they do. They say they do, but nothing happens.

I don't even know how serious they're taking the ICJ ruling the U.S. and Israel. I mean, one thing's the words that they say, and blinking with his speeches and Cameron talking about a two-state solution now. But, you know, what they say and what's happening is two very different things. Well, absolutely. What is actually happening is this. We have a very, very divided administration. There are some people, like Tony Blinken, for example, who have gradually come to understand what a disaster, an all-out conflict in the Middle East would be. We have some people in the Pentagon who are worried about this as well. They say the United States is catastrophically overextending. We've got a losing war in Ukraine. We are finding ourselves in a crime. We are finding ourselves in a crime. ISIS in the Middle East. We've got a quarter of the American fleet trying to escort merchant ships through the Red Sea and failing. And we've got to try and retrench and pull back. We can't afford another war with Iran at this time. And they're the people who are trying to find some way

to sort of cool this down, who are telling the Iranians, leave us to just hit somewhere in Iran or launch a cyber attack upon you, and we won't escalate further if you don't escalate at all. That's what they're trying to say. But of course, the other faction, the hardline faction, they, of course, still want that big strike on Iran. and you can tell that they're becoming increasingly active and increasingly angry by the fact that the most hardline individual of all, Victoria Newland has now made an appearance,

which isn't what she generally likes to do. Victoria Newland likes to work bureaucratically behind the scenes, but she's now come out and she's made statements. And remember, last week there was all that talk about the US. pulling its troops out of Syria, getting them out of harm's way, or at least retrenching in some fashion. And she's come out and said publicly, no way, no way at all is the US pulling out of Syria. So there's some people in Washington, slightly more realistic. They want to try and avoid a wider wall. They want to start pulling US troops and assets back, getting.

people out of harm's way, that there are others who far from wanting a retreat in the Middle East. They want to further advance there. They want to keep the troops in Syria. They want to keep the troops in Iraq. They want to strike harder to run. And they are agitating all the time to achieve that. And they're de facto, I won't say she's the leader, but one of their most important figures has now come out publicly and has given us an insight into the kind of things that she's saying in private. All right. We will end the video there. The durand. Dot locals.com. We are Rumble, Odyssey, Bitch, Telegram, Rock Finn, and Twitter X, and go to the Duran shop. 15% off. Use no code. Take care.