Iran in the Possession of The U.S. Weapon That Could Change the Middle East Forever

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Excited to be with you as always. The most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever built, at least from our perspective, which designed— basically was designed to, in this case of Iran, to really destroy Iran's underground nuclear bunker. And this bomb just failed. To explode. That's the interesting aspect. And now Iran has it. Iran is in possession of one of those bombs. So what happens when your most classified weapons— because it is classified— ends up in the hand of so-called your enemy or what have you? Which is a question that is worth asking, because when you think about it, Consider this, and, and this is a logical question that those involved in global security, international affairs, geopolitics ought to consider, and that is: what if the most expensive airstrike in modern history didn't just fail, it actually made Iran stronger? And that's exactly what many experts across the field are now warning that the IRGC revealed what they are found— what they have found on the ground. So in this live stream, I'm going to be providing you my own analysis, my own insights. I'm going to share with you some clips. Make sure you stay with me till the end and put this in perspective for you to understand, because we've seen it before. I've seen this back in 2011 when Iran got a hold of one of U.S. drones. And I'll show you pictures and clips and all that stuff as I move forward. So what actually happens? This is where you need to understand the background. The IRGC reported that its specialized forces managed to destroy 3 American GBU-57. I worked on this for the last 24 hours to give you the pictures. This is a GBU-57A. They are, uh, GPU-57B. It won't matter if they're all both, which is a Massive Ordnance Penetrator known as MOPs, M-O-P, uh, and defuse. This is what Eran was able to do. It destroyed 3 because it was able to defuse, uh, uh, uh, destroy the first 3 but able to defuse the 4th one. And this was during the recent hostilities. So the bombs were discovered during operations to neutralize unexploded ordnance. That's part of conflicts and so forth. And this, when did it happen? It happened during the ceasefire period, ongoing, even though it's very fragile. What has been reported also additionally is that IRGC forces discovered and neutralized more than 9,500 bomb plates. Those are small type of bombs, very, very, very small, as well as various, uh, various rockets and missiles which were fired from— you guessed it right— F-15s, F-16s, and the F-35s. And some of them have failed to detonate. And I have it on good authority as of literally last 24 hours or so, based on my own conversation with someone that I know in the know, that we did indeed have a lot of ammo that left. This is that didn't explode. And this is exactly what Eran or IRGC got a hold of. So because remember when the US attacked the nuclear sites, the Fardau, Natanz and Isfahan, uh, and that involved about, to my knowledge, about 14, 14 GBU-57A and B. That includes the bunker buster bombs, which was, uh, at that time delivered by none other than the B-2 strategic bomber. And that in itself some of them didn't, didn't detonate. And this again, where we are looking at, okay, what happened? What happened? So what I'm gonna do now, I'm gonna play one short clip for you. It's very short, just to highlight to you. I'll do the translation for you here, then we'll move on with part of the analysis. Then I'll play other clips and highlight to you the big picture regarding not only these developments, but also Hormuz blockade, which, by the way, once again, and I have the sources to confirm to you that ships are crossing through the Strait of Hormuz. What the US is saying versus the reality on the ground are completely the opposite. So let's take a lesson— or I'm sorry, not the lesson, but I'm going to just share this with you. I unmute it because it has soundtrack. But it's also in, uh, in a foreign language. So this way you don't have to— again, I did the translation for you. So what it basically says is that while Trump was speaking of an imminent end of the war with Iran culminating in a resounding victory, the IRGC was simultaneously announcing what he termed the seizure of more than 15 American missiles that had fallen intact into the hands of its forces in Hormuzgan Province. And according to the Iranians, the captured American weaponry compromised— comprised, rather, a diverse array of models including GBU, the BLU variant, among others, ranging from, uh, bunker buster munition and cruise missiles to drones such as the the, the Harop, Lucas, and MQ-9. The Iranian challenge to Trump did not stop here. Rather, it escalated with the revelation that from the onset of the conflict of the present day, more than 60 American missiles and drones had been detected, neutralized, or destroyed. All of this unfolded at a time when reports indicated that Iran had put forward a new proposal to end the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for postponing nuclear negotiations. This implies that the concession Iran will offer Trump to bring the war to, uh, to a close is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that was in fact already open beforehand, while making absolutely no concessions regarding its nuclear program, which according to the Americans was the primary cause of conflict. And that's again what I need you to understand, uh, where, uh, this is going. And, and reality suggests that the Trump administration has been just saying nonsense, basically. Now the question that comes with this is Uh, why is this strategically significant? The first thing that should come to your mind is reverse engineering, and that's a common practice by so many countries, by the way. Don't be surprised. And this is sort of— from the American perspective, this is arguably the most serious concern. Why is this? Because the GBU-57's hardened casing delayed fuse mechanisms, guidance architecture, and of course the penetration physics represent some— literally one of the most advanced bunker buster technologies ever deployed so far, making even partial recovery strategically significant. And that's again why I find the comparison to what took place back in 2011, and I was still in Washington. I used to travel a lot to the Middle East. I was aware of that case of the Iranians getting a hold of the RQ-170 because it was in 2011. And let me show you a picture. I remember I wrote, I think, an article or something about it. I couldn't remember. This is what Iran captured in 2011. It's a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel stealth recon— reconnaissance drone after it entered Iranian airspace. So there is a precedent to all this, and has also— what Iran has done has also reverse engineered older Western weapons such as the BGM-71. And I'm going to share a picture with you about this particular weapon. It's right here. And guess who is using some of this? To my knowledge, is none other than Hezbollah, which, by the way, uh, next live stream I'm going to do for you is about how much damage Hezbollah is causing for the Israeli military. Of course, the media is— there is a blackout on that info, but I have some information that I gathered from overseas, and I'm gonna share it with you in due time. So the BGM-71, which is anti-tank guided missiles like the one I showed you here, Iran was able to reverse engineer that. Very, very, very sort of, uh, interesting step. In addition to that, Iran was also able to reverse engineer the ScanEagle recon drone. Here is a picture of it. And this was at the time when it came out, very, very sort of top of the line as far as technology and so forth. Not anymore. Not anymore. This is why I'm saying, what makes us think that Iran will not be able to reverse engineer this GBU? That will be like, really, really, uh, it will be hubris on our part to think other countries can't do it. No, they can't. And this is exactly, uh, again, and I'm going to share a link with you for the article about Iran capturing that, uh, uh, uh, MQ-170, or RQ-170, I'm sorry, if you feel like reading the article later on. Let me put it in the chat box here for you and you can read it later on. Once again, I get you the information, of course, once I verify it myself. I, I check, double-check to make sure of its accuracy. And reference it against other similar articles to see if there is— because I can tell if there is some comparison as far as the content of the information. And once I confirm that, I know that the article is solid, and, and I— it gives me confidence to go ahead and share it with you. So, but here is what's more alarming that I need you to understand, is that Iranian sources have confirmed that Tehran has successfully reverse-engineered the GBU-57. I know some will say, oh, Dr. O, this is nothing but propaganda on part of Iran. Okay, my argument, if this is part of the argument, how can we explain, for example, uh, let me show you a picture right here, uh, the Qaem-100 missile. How can we explain that one? That, by the way, Iran was able to develop other sort of, uh, uh, versions of this particular missile. How about Emad missiles? How about Qadr missiles? How about Khorramshahr-4 missile? I mean, all this you think about, okay, how this happened. So that's why I'm not surprised at this, because when you consider, for example, the development of Fateh hypersonic ballistic missile Let me show you the picture of that particular one. Uh, I don't know where I put it. I hope I did. Maybe I didn't. Yeah, I didn't. My apologies, my apologies. I thought I had the image. Anyway, Fatah missile, which is the hypersonic ballistic— Iran was able to do it. And you're looking now at a modern— more modern versions are under development. And they already— Iran deployed the, the Khorramshahr-4, which was part of this re-engineering. And again, I'm trying to make a point for you here to understand that this field testing, as far as Iran warheads, it can also penetrate about 20 meters deep. They can increase the range for that. Of course, the American version reportedly achieved penetration depth of 60 meters. But it's just a matter of time. It's like the ICBM, it's just a matter of time. As a matter of fact, uh, to later on I'm gonna share a clip with you that shows maybe Iran has already developed the ICBM, they just didn't want to disclose it. We'll see. I'll share this with you and let you decide for yourself. Now here is the, the interesting dynamics is that the U.S. also Is reverse engineering one of Iran's drones? This is Shahid, uh, uh, or Shahid. I'm sorry, I mispronounced either Shahid or Shahid. To those who speak Farsi, if you are watching this, please make sure the correct— I'm pronouncing it correctly, because when I read it in the Arabic version, it says, it says Shahid. On the other one, it says Shahid. But in any event, Shahid or Shahid 136, this is the Iranian version of that. And here is the interesting aspect, is that the US was able to reverse engineer. So I'm going to share a clip with you for you to see it with your own eyes this way, because I like to provide you with the information as I know it. Take a listen, please. It's in English, I don't need to do translation.

The US has been drowning Iran with its own weapons. Task Force Scorpion Strike deployed the LUKAS drone in combat for the first time in history during Operation Epic Fury. LUKAS is a direct reverse-engineered copy of Iran's own Shahed-136, built by Arizona-based Spectre Works. The Shahed-136 is arguably the most consequential cheap drone of the last decade. Iran used it to harass Gulf shipping and US bases across the Middle East. Russia adopted it wholesale to grind down Ukrainian infrastructure night after night., and Ukraine then reverse-engineered captured Russian versions to hit targets inside of Russia itself. Now the US has done the same thing, except with better electronics and better guidance. According to CENTCOM's Commander Admiral Cooper, the LUKAS costs $35,000 a unit and has been fired in countless numbers at Iranian targets. Take a listen.

Task Force Scorpion Strike launched countless one-way attack drones, achieving massive effects. I'd like to point out these drones were originally an Iranian design. We took them back to America, made them better, and fired them right back at Iran.

The US has been drowning Iran with its own weapons.

Okay, okay, let's stop there. And I, uh, I give credit to the Business Basic, uh, that's, that's their clip. So it's always appropriate to give credit where credit is due because that's the right things to do. Uh, the second part I want to share with you about this one has to do with, as part of my own analysis, about the third-party technology transfer. And this, once again, to those who are familiar with what happened in, in, in Abbottabad in Pakistan when we raided at the time UBL Osama bin Laden's compound, uh, there was one decision was made after move the body out into the one of the helicopters. What happened with the, the other helicopter? We went ahead and put, uh, sort of, uh, explosives and blow it up. And even with that, the Pakistanis turned that particular wreckage to the Chinese. That's why my reference here is the third-party technology transfer. And this exactly echoes what happened in 2024, where the US formally requested Lebanon to hand over an exploded Israeli precision-guided munition after intelligence assessments found it that it has failed to detonate. And of course, that was Washington's concern about the sensitive guidance technology and navigation systems and so forth. Of course, at that time in 2024, the US was concerned about Hezbollah getting this. Well, of course, if Hezbollah gets a hand of it, it's going to turn it over to Iran. This is no, no rocket science. It's normal procedure. Then you have the other elements, and the other elements is the countermeasure development. And this is what's important about this. Now, Iran's having its hand on this GBU bomb that did not explode, was able to defuse and so forth. Access to intact— this is the key— access to intact guidance and sensor systems will allow, in my case, in this case, in my opinion, will allow Iran now to develop more effective jamming or interception countermeasures against Western powers, not just the US, any other. And that in itself will be undermining one of the primary strategic advantages the US and Israel hold. And of course, Iran is not going to— is going to share that with the Russians and the Chinese and the North Koreans. I don't know about Pakistan because Iran doesn't trust Pakistan. So, and you have the other aspects of it, and this has to do with the long-term, the escalation, uh, problem. We're talking about long-term here, and this is where you think about the, the, uh, situation that underscores now how, for example, modern strikes campaign against hardened nuclear targets carry long-tail escalation risks. And what is that risk? Is if the bomb doesn't explode. So an unexploded penetrator like the GBU-57, let me put it back for you guys to see. That one can outlast political objectives and reenter strategic competition through technological exploitation. That is one of the things. And by the way, I have a picture that I get it from a source here. This is when the Iranians were defusing. I know some will say, oh, Dr. O, that picture is just fabricated. Maybe, maybe not. But the facts so far suggest that, uh, and I have the, uh, let me put the link for you about this GBU, and you can once again, uh, read it yourself because I trust your judgment in coming up to the conclusion. So now what I'm going to share with you is about the— I want to go back to this, uh, and this I got it through my tweet, uh, feed here. And this one has to do with— about Iran, uh, uh, has already prepared about 500 ICBMs in response to potential US attack. And here is the hard truth: we are working on probably resuming the strikes on Iran. And could it be, once again, just thinking outside the box, the video that I did for you a few days ago regarding the ability of Iran's, uh, uh, turning the Qaem into an ICBM? And I said, I remember saying that Iran might not disclose that it has ICBM in his possession, and that will come at a surprise to the Americans. I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud here. So let me share the clip with you, uh, and, and, and we go from there and let you, uh, decide for yourself. And once again, this one has to do with Iran's claim that it has already prepared 500 ICBMs in response to a potential US attack. And Iran warned that if If it is attacked, US territory will be targeted, including Washington and New York City. And that is exactly, in my opinion, why the conversation was about the distance between Tehran and Washington, which is 10,800 kilometers. Iran might have already prepared something for that. So let's just watch this one here. And again, it's, it's kind of the idea of where we are with this. And I'm not going to be surprised that Iran might have developed the ICBM. It's just they're not going to disclose it. And I think so far what I have learned from the beginning of this war, Iran has some wild cards that they are not going to play. Those are a last resort, a last resort. And that could include either these ICBMs or it could include tactical nukes. I don't know, but I'm thinking outside the box. So, but here is some important caveat that I need to share with you about the temper, if I may use the term, of these experts being alarmed. Regarding the Iran development or reverse engineering of GBU-57. One of them has to do with the source credibility. Of course, they're going to disclose that, oh, IRGC just making this up, whatever. And again, what I've learned is that so far I didn't see IRGC bluffing. What do you think? Are they just bluffing for propaganda sake? Because when I look exactly what Iran has developed from Khorramshahr to, to Ahmadiyya, to Fatah, to Qader, they disclose this later and they won't bluff in. So what will make Iran in this case, or IRGC, bluff about this? That's why I'm convinced. But I'm going to share with you how other think tanks from other parts of the world are thinking into this, for them arguing that all Iranian-affiliated outlets are nothing but, uh, uh, they lack credibility, you know. On the other hand, I'm thinking about the ability of Iran to successfully reverse engineer, which has succeeded in doing so. So if they are saying, oh, this is just nothing but an exaggerated propaganda value, then I say, how can you contradicts that with what Iran did with, for example, the RQ-170 when he captured it and reverse engineered and developed something better that now we are— we, the US— reverse engineering the Shahed-136 that belongs to Iran. So I'm not ruling that out, but nonetheless, we will disclose it. Then you have the destruction versus the exploitation. What do I mean by this? Iran, or IRGC, I'm sorry, is stating that it destroyed 3 of the 4 GBU-57 found in Xinjiang and only delivered one intact to appropriate centers. By the way, I want to show you the map where this took place in Hormuzgan Province. This is the map of it, just to let you know where, because we had operations in this part. We did have operations, of course, was classified at that time. It was still— and that's part of where some of the weapons have been captured, just to let you know. So destroying a bomb and exploiting it are very different sort of outcomes, and I agree with that. But at the same time, if Iran was able to get its hand on one and defuse it, that's all it needs. Why would you need 4 for? You know, you can't do it because you're unsure how the bombs— the bombs could explode unexpectedly or what have you. But when you are sure about your ability to defuse one, that should do the trick, because you take it to the labs and you do the work on it. The other aspects that I have to agree with this assessment is the gap, and the gap about the ability of this reverse engineering whether it will reach the level of GBU-60 meter deep. So far Iran has 20 meter deep, but at the same time I would not rule that out. It's just matter of time before they work on this and, and, and develop it to 60, if not even further. What makes the American version, uh, uh, achieve this kind of penetration depth of, uh, up to 60 meters. There is some key components I would like to share them briefly with you. Capability of dependent material science. You have the precision manufacturing, you have the fuse technology that takes years to replicate. But at the same time, what makes us think that Iran cannot do that? And the last one of this caveat will be the diplomatic leverage. Which is another key. Iran may have— some will say, why just exaggerating possession of these weapons as a negotiating tool? Well, if they are doing this, and I go with this argument of those they're saying, and I counter it by challenging them and say, if they are doing this, why aren't they at the negotiating table? Because it's Iran that decides now, not the Americans. So if they have this as leverage, they will be sitting at the negotiating table, won't you agree? But they're not. And even if we go to with this argument, we see that there is that sort of technological parity to deter future strikes from the US. In this way, Iran will be able to strengthen its hand in the negotiations, which I don't believe in that. Because Iran made it clear, no, no, no, we're not going to negotiate with you because you can't be trusted. That's one. And second is the idea of Iran. Iran has the upper hand so far. I mean, I'm watching this carefully. No matter where I go, I'm keeping an eye on this development because it's very, very crucial. As a matter of fact, Donald Trump just told his negotiating team, the Kushner, and which is, which is pathetic, Kushner and Whitakoff. Those individuals are not even have no background whatsoever in, in the world of diplomacy, in a world of foreign affairs, in the world of global affairs, in the world of geopolitics. You know, how can they negotiate? You know, because they're going to be negotiating like a transaction here. So now Donald Trump is telling them, don't go. J.D. Vance also, don't go. Well, that tells me, you know, Iran is not willing to bow. And here is what I need you to understand. What just Iran did regarding the possession of the GBU and other types of weapons, including some types of missiles that have not exploded, is that this is real and also can be qualified as a strategic concern in Washington. So, because when you have the recovery of one large GPU or even some of its components, this one, in my opinion, will represent a meaningful intelligence windfall for Iran, you know, because Iran will be now in a position will be in a position to develop its own deep strike weapons. And can you imagine what those weapons are going to do to US bases in the region? Because we all remember. At the same time, Iran will be able to develop its countermeasures for this. And history— this is again when I use history as my guide— history shows that Iran takes these opportunities seriously. I was in the middle of it in 2011 when I witnessed that development. And here we are. So yes, the gap might still be there. I'm not denying this, but the success of replicating that weapon won't be a problem, won't be a problem for the Iranians. That's the way I see it. So, and let me play one another clip for you pertain. And this one has to do with the idea of the announcements from the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mujtaba Khamenei. No, okay, let me just share this with you here. It's very, very, very brief here. All right, where is it? Here we go. What it says there, Iran, which means Iran defies America once again. The era of imposing security from across the seas is over. The Iranian Supreme Leader advisor on the international affairs states that the era of imposing security overseas has come to an end. This is, of course, a very clear message directed at the United States. And that's exactly where we stand regarding this issue. So when you have a statement like that, it tells you something about what is going on. And when you think about these aspects of, uh, let's say— let me see something here. One of the documentaries I came across and, and, and verified it from Al Jazeera itself, which I couldn't help it but, uh, uh, think of— I'm gonna, I'm gonna share this with the community because it's very, very crucial and important to understand. So what I'm gonna do, I'll play the entire clip, and I give credit to Al Jazeera for this because it was in Arabic and so forth. So I read I get the transcript, read it in Arabic, and confirmed the information and found it to be accurate. So let me share the screen with you, and we'll go ahead and I'll do the translation for you. And once again, because it's in— I'm not gonna play the sound because it also has some soundtrack on it.

So—

So here is what it says. No ships shall pass. The Strait of Hormuz is open. The Strait of Hormuz is closed overnight. The situation shifts dramatically within this vital passageway, a corridor upon which the eyes of the entire world has been fixed since the onset of the war against Iran. Yet amidst this apparent contradiction, one constant remains, one upon which Donald Trump adamantly insists: a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. But how exactly is this blockade being reinforced or enforced? In a mission that appears daunting to execute, the— where is that one? Daunting to execute. The entire, uh, the Strait of Hormuz, uh, the US military, uh, is, is blockading Iranian ports within the Strait of Hormuz, deploying a force comprising of 10,000, uh, troops and more than a dozen naval assets, in addition to an array of fighter jets and drones tasked with monitoring commercial ships in the region. This formidable force is not, however, stationed in close proximity to the port, nor within the Strait of Hormuz itself, as some might assume. Indeed, how could it be? The waters there are riddled with naval mines planted by the IRGC. Moreover, the narrowness of the waterways and the relative shallowness of its waters render any vessel trans— uh, traversing traversing it highly vulnerable to attack. Where then are these forces positioned? Here in this specific zone encompassing the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, the operation unfolds as follows: the participating U.S. warships take up their position here, maintaining a watchful eye on vessels depart from Iranian facilities and exit the strait. Awaiting the opportune moment to act. The instant a commercial— the instant a commercial vessel comes into view, the US forces intercept its path and compelled it to turn back. On occasion, should a released— should a vessel venture too close to the blockade zone, it receives a warning. US Central Command recently released an audio a recording of a radio broadcast directed at a ship in the region, explicitly stating that the military stands ready to employ force should circumstances require it to compel vessels to comply with the blockade. This strategy was facilitated by the fact that the entire area possesses a single, easily sealed entry and exit Point, a geographical feature that resulted in approximately 14 vessels being forced to turn back within just the first 3 days of the blockade. Meanwhile, shipping data firms report that some vessels linked to Iran or subject to sanctions that departed the Gulf via the strait have either halted their movement, switched off their wireless transponder, or turned back towards the Iranian coast. While this all sounds simple in theory, it is difficult to execute in practice. So how is the US actually attempting to implement? To understand this, one must first recognize that the forces participating in the blockade accounts for 15% of the entire US Navy fleet deployed in the Middle East, a significant portion proportion, rather, that underscores the gravity of the situation in the strait. Yet regardless of their number, these forces have or face a dilemma that Iran has successfully exploited for years, and that is ghost ships, or what is known as the shadow fleet. Defined differently, these are vessels that alter their identities, disable their tracking systems, or manipulate them by tampering with the transponders. Consequently, the key to this blockade lies not in military might, but in a blockade driven by algorithm, what is known as a smart blockade. For this mission, the US Navy relies on artificial intelligence systems and sophisticated algorithm to track vessels, accurately identifying their identity and cargo even before they reach the strait. Vessels attempting to evade detection typically switch off their automatic identification system known as AIS transponder. However, these algorithms cross-reference satellite imagery with radar signals. If radar detects a massive metal object that is not broadcasting identification data,, it is immediately flagged as a suspicious target at a time vessels broadcast false coordinates claiming to be probably in the Indian Ocean, for instance. And this was to execute this mission, the United States deployed the unmanned aerial vehicles such as MQ-9 Reaper as part of the naval blockade. So, and this is what I need you to understand, at least these dynamics as to where the— where this is. Let me close this one here. Where this is going, because it makes more sense to understand how things are. And Iran, it knows also how to play with this aspect. So despite Washington claims that it has forced all Iranian vessels to return to port, that's not true because you have at least— and I am being conservative in this— at least 34 ships linked to Iran as part of this shadow fleet managed to successfully transit and evade the US naval blockade. And this happens during the period between April 12th or 13th to April, I think I was in one location on 22nd. Yeah, in this time between April 13th and 22nd. And that in itself allow Iran to deliver approximately 9 million barrels of oil to global markets. So of course there are others who saying, oi, Dr. O, Iran is losing money and so forth. Yes, it might be the case, but We're going to have to think a little bit different about that. If the truth matters to you, hit like, subscribe, and tap that bell. No spin, no agenda, just the stories they don't want you to know. So don't watch from the sideline. Be part of the movement. Your support keeps the truth alive. Thank you very much. Indeed. While I'm thinking about this, uh, please allow me to share this with you. It was from an avid supporter, Abel Malcolm. I've known Abel for— known him virtually, not physically here, virtually, because I've always read his comment, very, very informative. And then he wrote something very important. I want you, please, please, for the community, just read this. He is with us here and, and respond to him for this. I will greatly appreciate it. So that's why we stand in, in, in this community. So thank you, Abel, truly appreciate you for that. Uh, now I want to do just one brief, uh, uh, part of this analysis, then I'm going to go ahead and share some clips with you because they are important to understand and I'll provide you my own conclusion about this particular, uh, uh, uh, livestream or this topic about Iran be having the— or Iran is in possession of the GBU-57. Now, as I said, there are some analysts overseas, there are even here in the US, there are some former military at the ranking of, uh, uh, colonel and up, generals and so forth. And, and I listen to what they have to say, and sometimes I have to disagree with their assessment. Nonetheless, it is worth listening to the arguments. So when we think about, for example, uh, which we do have a clear, clear absence of some sort of a political, uh, setting by which, uh, uh, to deal with the upcoming phase— there is an upcoming phase in the US-Iran-Israel war. Israel is not even participating, is now the US that is That is, we are— we do this on behalf of Israel. It's like what just happened in Ohio. You have a new member of Congress is saying now we're gonna have to give the veteran benefits to those who will go and fight for on behalf of Israel. I mean, if this— you know, it's beyond belief. But anyway, what we need to think about When you think about the US operation, you have the giant C-17 cargo planes, you have the arrival of the third aircraft carrier, George Bush, and as a matter of fact, the fourth one is on its way. And what did all this signify? It signifies some sort of the massive scale of the amassed force. But for what? When we couldn't even achieve whatever. If you are signaling deterrence, well, obviously your deterrence, meaning the US, didn't work. The other concern is that if this deterrence transition to a state of operational ready for the second phase of the war. So, and this is going to put the US in a, in an even deeper hole. And this is again where I see the problem, where the other, uh, my argument with this is that to those who say, well, yeah, Iran is losing money, I'm not saying otherwise, but Iran also is able to have its ships transfer and send oil to the rest of the world. You know, so far, and it's estimated by Iranian government itself, so far the war has cost Iran about $270 billion. Throughout the course of the conflict. But on the other hand, you think about the Gulf states, which they host the US military installations. They are losing. When I say they, I'm referring to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain. And those are the key ones. And by the way, United Arab Emirates just announced this morning that now they want to leave the OPEC, that they want to be a member of the OPEC anymore. Well, you know, United Arab Emirates is doing the bidding of Israel and the US behind the scenes, so good riddance for them. So they are losing— they, all those countries in the Gulf— 14.5 million barrels of oil on a daily basis. Now do the math on a daily basis. If the barrel is at $100, do the math, you'll be looking at about $1.5 to $2 billion on a day, on a daily basis. And this is why you have to think in terms for how this is moving forward. Is it to the favor of the US?

No.

Is it to the favor of the Gulf?

No.

And it's going to become just a matter of time before these Gulf will have to decide for what the next step is. So now let me play some clips for you and I'll do my conclusion and wrap up this, uh, the first one I want to share with you, it has to do with Iran seizing a ship that has to do with Israel or belongs to Israel or what have you. I looked into this and I give credit to the Al Arabiya TV, uh, Al Arabiya TV News that announced this one. I checked it in a different source and I found the article that That confirms this. And the article dated on April 26th. It was the same day I was traveling to a different location from where I was. So let me play this for you quickly here, and I'm just going to show you, uh, I'm just going to show you this one. I think it's— I don't know, English or not, I, I couldn't remember. All right, let me share this one. All right, here, share. There we go. Let me see. Oh, I'm sorry, it doesn't have, uh, it doesn't have— it has just soundtrack, which I'm gonna silence here. So, and I'm gonna translate to you. Here is what it says: Iran announced the complete control of, uh, Sufun. Remember, didn't see Safina, which means in plural, more than one that belongs, or tabea al-Israel, belongs to Israel. So, and, and that ship is MSC, which I verified. MSC, I verified, and I found the article, and I'm going to share it with you. Not from the US, of course. Nothing like that is going to ever be published here because the media here in the US doesn't want the American to know what's going on. So, and if you look at the date on this, right there it says April 26, 2026. So yeah, it has soundtrack. I didn't want to play that one. So now let me put the link for you.. And you can read the article yourself, should you decide to do so, before I play the next one. And appreciate you staying with me here till the end, truly appreciate you. Uh, next one. This one has to do with an Iranian pilot. What's interesting about this, it was this Iranian guy— pilot, not a guy, pilot— who went ahead all the way to Qatar and targeted an Al Udeid base. So he flew the F-5, the fighter jet, into— I'm sorry, not Qatar— into Kuwait, dodged all the radars, the high-tech fighter jets, the anti-aircraft missiles, and destroyed a US base and made it back home safe. What an embarrassment for us. And I was in Kuwait. As a matter of fact, my unit back when I was in the service, we had the rotations into Kuwait and into Egypt as part of the signal back in the day. So let me share the clip with you and let you see this for your own self. And it's in English, I believe. Hold on. I'm, I'm sorry, it's not an— it's not a— it has just a soundtrack. Okay, my apology. Let me upload it for you and I want you to take a look from start to beginning. Okay, and that's, uh, uh, it was on my Twitter feed. Okay, all right, let's see this one here. There we go. Take a look. And again, it's no— it's just because there's soundtrack. I don't want to do this. And this one has to do with the Iranian pilot with the 60-year-old F-5 that flew to Kuwait. Very interesting dynamics then for him to go all the way there. Now, some might say, oh, this is nothing but propaganda, whatever. And I'll, I'll, I'll provide the clips and let you decide. And he was speaking Farsi. So anyway, next one I want to play is actually— I want to show you an image, and the image of what happened during the Correspondents' Dinner. Where, where somebody entered with the gun. And that's the individual that entered with the gun. So his name is Thomas Allen, Cole Thomas Allen. What's interesting about this, uh, what's interesting about it is that when the FBI looked into— he's married to an Indian girl there— uh, when the FBI looked into the background of the social media posting, whatever, they found one particular image where he was wearing an IDF shirt, Israeli Defense Force. Of course, the conspiracy is going to come. And now, of course, already here in the US, they, they trying to blame Iran for it. I'm here to tell you Iran has nothing to do with this. Iran is not interested in this kind of stuff, you know. The other conspiracy is that, is Israel trying to take him out? Well, you might, you might think about that. And there is the third option, and the third option is, was this staged? And I am leaning more towards the third. As a former military, you know, you kind of think about the security perimeter, which wasn't done properly. You think about an event like this which wasn't done properly. And the key to all this, it has to do with who was the first person to be removed from the room. Who do you think was? No, it wasn't the president, it was the vice president. Which gives you an idea right there was this stage, because usually the protocol is in any event, should the security protocol be breached, the first thing you do, you remove the president from that vicinity, whatever that is. Not in this case. It was the, uh, it was the vice president who was removed first. So let me, let me show you Hold on, let me share it here. And it was, it was— I, I'm, I'm leaning more and more towards this being staged. Just another, another one. All right, let me, let me see. Is there a sound to this? They just discovered that the shooter yesterday is on social media wearing an IDF t-shirt. So people are now asking, was this an attempt on part of Israel to assassinate the president? Subscribe for updates. They just discovered that the shooter yesterday is on social media wearing an IDF t-shirt. So people are now asking, was this an attempt on part of Israel to assassinate the president? So makes you just wonder. And again, I'm not saying what it is. It's just I'm thinking of the possibilities. It just doesn't make any sense to remove the vice president first before the president. No, uh, so I'll let you decide for that for yourself. And the last two clips I want to share, one of— one from a former CIA. As a matter of fact, I had him on the channel here a few months ago, way back, uh, John, uh, Kiriakou. So I'm— I know of him, I know him. So let's, let's play, let's play his clip. And he's spot on, he's really spot on. Take a listen, please.

As an American, I am embarrassed to say, I'm ashamed to say, that it appears that President Trump is getting his intelligence on Iran from the Mossad. That's really where this is all coming from. The CIA has been clear in writing, both in classified channels and in unclassified channels, that Iran was not a threat to the United States. We know that the Director of National Intelligence argued against this war, saying that there was no threat to the United States and that the United States should not do Israel's dirty work for it. And the president, uh, decided to ignore that advice. And it's more than just the CIA. We're talking about the entire American intelligence community, which, believe it or not, is made up of 18 separate intelligence services. It's not just the CIA, it's NSA and DIA and Army Intelligence, Navy Intelligence, Air Force Intelligence. All of these organizations together all concluded unanimously that Iran was not a threat. And then you have this very unusual situation on top of it where the Israeli government is leaking to the Israeli media the fact that they have been able to convince President Trump to do what Benjamin Netanyahu wants him to do. It's the Israelis making the calls. George Galloway, a well-known British parliamentarian, said just a couple of weeks ago, half jokingly, that Benjamin Netanyahu hadn't been seen for 7 days. So who's running the United States? And that's really what it comes down to. That as strong and as tough as Donald Trump wants to appear in the media, He takes his marching orders from Benjamin Netanyahu.

By the way, I give credit to that clip to Al Mayadeen. Al Mayadeen is a news outlet in Lebanon, believe it or not. So, and John Cariaco used to work in Middle East. And the last one I want to share with you is from another, uh, fellow citizen here, is none other than Professor Jeffrey Sachs. Who I disagree with sometimes. I say it on the record, but I have great respect for him and his knowledge. So usually scholars, you have to disagree. You can't agree just to whatever everybody's saying. So that's the norm in academia, as long as you present a valid argument or counterargument for that. Let's take a listen, please.

4% of the world population presuming to control the world. 4%, and the world doesn't want this, and nor should it want this. But that is the idea. It has been the idea for decades. And when this war started, Mr. Netanyahu tweeted, 'This is my 40-year dream come true.' That is accurate, by the way. I had to correct myself. I've been saying for years that it's his 30-year dream come true. I missed the 10 years before he became prime minister, but since the day he became prime minister in 1996, his aim has been to control the Middle East for the purpose of what they call Greater Israel. This is a delusion that can get the whole world into world war. The United States is even more delusional because it doesn't aim just at the Middle East. It aims for the world.

Very interesting. And by the way, that was a conference, I think it was either in Malaysia or Indonesia. Please forgive me, I couldn't remember. And this brings me to my— brings to mind Indonesia or Malaysia. One of those countries is about to do something very major, very, very major. I'm yet to confirm it, but— and this has to do with the Strait of Malacca. That's another— okay, I, I think if I'm not mistaken is Indonesia, if I'm not mistaken. But I'll, I'll keep you posted on that one as I move forward because it's very, very— if this happens, we're looking at a different dynamics in the Strait of Malacca. So, so I'm, I'm keeping an eye on this as I move forward. So now I just want to conclude this so I can, uh, uh, I don't I don't want to hold you up longer than we have to here. And of course, if I don't have anything of substance to share, I stop anyway. Uh, let's just recap all this. What began as one of the sort of the most ambitious military strike campaign in modern history, which it was in this, in comparison to, let's say, 2003, whatever, may have left now behind some sort of an unintended and dangerous legacy. That's the reality. The US has deployed now some of its most advanced systems, most classified, in service of Israel, of course, and most powerful non-nuclear weapon to neutralize Iran's nuclear program. And we failed miserably. And here is the key, is that some of these weapons have failed to detonate, and now the battlefield has shifted in one way no one planned for, including the planners inside the Pentagon. Iran now has some sort of access to technology that took American engineers decades and, of course, billions of dollars to develop—our tax dollars. We still—what are we sending our tax dollars? It's beyond me. The assumption now is going to be, whether Tehran or Iran, for that matter, can fully exploit it or not. It won't matter because that one, it won't matter. And I am sure they will. There is one thing that is clear and for sure: the US strikes didn't end when the bombs stopped falling. No, no. In many ways, the most consequential battle that as we speak might be happening right now. It's not about missiles. It's not about bombs. It is happening in the Iranian labs, technology behind closed doors, far from the cameras, reverse engineering the technology. That is now the most consequential aspects of all this. And with this, I want to leave you with one question. And once again, I thank you all for putting some comments in the feedback, in the chat box, in the comment section, and I read them when I get an opportunity to do so, all of them, no exception. Sometimes I might not be able to respond to all. Here's the question: if the United States knew there was a risk of leaving behind unexploded weapons with classified technology. In your opinion, should they have still launched these strikes, or does the threat of Iran's nuclear program justify that risk no matter what the consequences? So make sure to drop me your thoughts in the comment section. I really would love to read your feedback because it's very, very important. Once again, I just want to let you know I will be working on stories for you. One of them has to do with Hezbollah that is now causing massive havoc on the Israeli forces. Of course, it's not being disclosed. We shall see as we move forward, and I'll share that with you as soon as I can. I take this opportunity to say thank you to Hubbard Ford for your super, uh, for buying me, uh, uh, cups of teas in support of my upcoming Asia trip. Speaking of my upcoming Asia trip, I want to share with you as where we are today. And here is the thing, uh, I do intend to travel to Asia towards the end of the summer, and by June or even July, mid-July, If I don't reach 50% of the goal of this fundraising, then I am not going to go. I want, I want just to be frank and be honest and transparent with you. It's because what I intend to go, what I intend to do and where to go, I did the maths, I calculated stuff between flights and so forth. I will need about $10,000 in support of this trip. For the community. This is not— let me, let me, let me repeat this just to put it on the table. This is not for tourism. And if I want to go on tourism, I'll pay out of my own pocket. It's like what I recently was, different places that I— this has nothing to do with the community. Where I want to go next time in Asia is to one specific location that I have in mind, and I need to report to you about that and put an end to the lies that have been propagated here in the West regarding that particular location. So we'll see. We still have time. I hope some individuals who might be wealthy enough to support this trip, whatever, just— I want to be clear with you, if by, by June, if we don't reach 50% of this amount, then I'm not gonna go. So I just— I'll save it for the following year. So, so here is the link if you want to support this upcoming Asia trip, should you decide to do so. And by the way, I combined even those who bought me coffee in support of the channel. I moved that— those funds that's been deposited in support of the Asia trip, even though I usually keep things separate. One is for the channel, one is for the Asia trip. So, and here is the one for, for the channel. You know by now the type of information that I provide you, and I, I spend a few hours in my day to just gather the information for you because I want you to be informed, I want you to be aware, and I want you to talk to others armed with knowledge. That is the key, so you won't get misled by the media or what have you. So anyway, that's, that's where we are at. If I get to completing the research for what's going on with Hezbollah, I will do it. Otherwise, I am going to be also working on another story for you, and this has to do whether the US is preparing behind the scenes for new attacks on Iran. And I think this time around, Iran is already preparing with the developments of certain— if they have a 500 ICBM being prepared, I would say we need to think twice about that. So I hope we won't get crazy enough to go ahead and launch a second attack. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and I look forward to seeing you next time. As always, remember, Geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, bye-bye.