What Happened at Bandar Abbas? Geopolitical Trends

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Excited to be with you on this, uh, April 28th. Oh my, the end of the month is already here, so hope you had a, a relaxing weekend and you are geared up for the new week. So with all the surprises and challenges that comes with the daily life, so anyway, Very, very excited to be with you. I am going to be addressing the ongoing nuclear talks between the United States and Iran that took place in Oman on the weekend, but also with the massive explosion that took place in Bandar Abbas and at the port of Rajahi. So I'm going to be providing you my own analysis and details and updates about what's going on regarding the front. And I'm also going to be providing you in my assessments, to those who do not know, the clauses of the 2015 JCPOA agreement versus now what the US wants. And this way it'll give you an idea, uh, to put things in perspective, and you reach your own conclusion. I have some clips, some pictures, so that's what I was working on on a weekend for you guys. So, all right, first let me say hi quickly to our wonderful community. Leanne, good to see you. Timeline Dunkley, as always. Hang Twa, good to see you. Willie Holman, Truth Seeker. Athene Wu, YT Laval, good to see you. Uh, Laval. Sangman Piu, good to see you from Mauritius. Yeah, here it is, guys, check this out. Wait, yeah, please type in where you are joining us from here, it would be great. Uh, Taiwan still, as always. Uh, Marco W, good to see you. Uh, History Discover, good to see you as always. Alistair Loken. And who else is here? Yeah, that's about it here. So maybe more will join us. So, all right guys, let's get in into, uh, our conversations here. I have some headlines for you, but I want to mention to you something about some housekeeping stuff. I am, as I mentioned earlier, I am in talks with some very high-profile individuals that I'm going to be bringing them on the show here once we coordinate, uh, the timing, the, the dates and so forth. Those people are very, very busy, uh, but you are in for a treat once I lock in the dates and, and, uh, the timing for this conversation. So stay tuned for that, and I'll, I'll keep you posted on that. All right, let's do our headlines here. I have some pictures I want to share with you. Uh, first of all, we're gonna do— which one is first here? So, uh, we're gonna do the Houthis, believe it or not. And I am planning on doing a live stream for you regarding— you need to know what's going on. Of course, the media is not disclosing much. So what's going on with all that? Well, here is the thing, uh, and again, I need to do a video for you and I will do it. So here's the thing. That Trump right now, as it looks regarding the Houthis, has reached a dead end, uh, with, with Ansarullah. Because, because here is the thing, and I did say this, guys, when we, when we, when the US started bombing on March 15th, I said, Mike, my word, it's on a record there. I said, it's going to end up in two ways. Either you're going to have to enter into some arrangements with the Houthis behind the scenes, or you're going to have to leave, meaning the US will have to withdraw. Both options are not good for the US. And as a matter of fact, that is the reason why I'm going to do a live stream for you to detail for you that last week it was a visit by the representative of the UN. It is my belief that the representative of the UN was sent in accordance with the US because the representative of the UN was— wanted to ask the Houthis to stop its attacks. So why the UN will do this when they couldn't talk to the Americans to stop their attack on the Houthis? That just didn't make sense to me. So this is why I want to do an update for you. But anyway, here is the thing, uh, uh, as I said, Trump now has reached a deadline, or dead end rather, with the Houthis because this may resort into either appeasement before his visits to the region. Remember, Trump is going to the region, so So now, after nearly 6 weeks of intensive bombardment that we are causing on Yemen and targeting the civilian, uh, locations, not a military— so, so this is where the problem is. The group Houthi continues to assert that its operations in the Red Sea and against Israel target will not stop. Until the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza Strip stops. So, and this is where you start to realize, uh, because here's the thing, Houthis just targeted Israel, uh, uh, uh, Israeli Nevatim base in, in the Negev, uh, desert with a ballistic missile recently. They also shot down another MQ-9. So that just, it tells you the story right there. So I'm, I'm going to do an update for you regarding this. Second headline has to do with this one here, guys. And, and I know some of you will recognize the one on the right, but that's the point. My point in this picture, I need to show it again for you guys to know, because we are to ask the questions. And the question here is that when the pictures of children in Vietnam changed the world perception, we're going to ask ourselves the logical question: why isn't it shaken by the pictures of the children in Gaza? So if the world was saying this and this and that in Vietnam, which is right so, because we were doing what was wrong, targeting Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and so forth, and what we— the, the usage of the Agent Orange and so forth, I mean the, the havoc we caused in that part of the world. And at the end, we didn't even defeat the Vietnamese. That's the thing. But my point in this, it's just the picture speaks loud for itself, you know, like they say, uh, a picture is worth a thousand words. So you're, you're, you think about this one and you say, okay, why isn't the world sort of shaken by the pictures in Gaza same way it did with Vietnam? Because here is the thing, In 2 days, April 30th, which is after tomorrow, that's going to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, or I should say of the defeat of the US in Vietnam. Yeah, so, so the bloody events that took place in Vietnam officially came to an end, of course, as you know, when the North Vietnamese entry into the South capital, uh, Saigon at the time in— does anybody know what year was it? Can you type in, in the chat box, what year was it when the North Vietnamese entered the capital, Saigon? Let me just see in the chat box, guys. To those who follow history and so forth, just type in the year if you know it. I know it takes a while here to show up. Uh, oh, Milti Tom, you got it, you got it! 1975, that is correct. And this, of course, following the humiliating evacuation of the American forces who suffered, you know, one of the greatest defeats in our history. We did. Second thing happened in Afghanistan, the way we left. You all know the rest. And the third, the third headline I want to share with you, because I, again, I can provide all sides of the arguments. And so this one has to do with the China and the US. And this one pertained to the arrest of a US soldier that's been now sentenced to 7 years in prison for spying for China. So, and I kind of digged into the guy. He was in the MI— I was in the MI unit, uh, in my military career. So, uh, his name is Corbin Schultz. He's 25 years old. So he's going to be sentenced now to 7 years And he was right here in the base in Texas, by the way. And he provided some classified documents and information about the US military, including strategies, weapons, and defense tactics. And by the way, he even shared with the Chinese, he shared the assessments of the US about Chinese military capabilities. So, so anyway, I just wanted to, because I like to provide you all, you know, we don't just cherry-picking, we don't do that. In this, in this channel here. So all right, let's get into our conversation here because there's a lot to cover regarding this. Of course, the ongoing talks that took place in Oman, in, to be specific, in Muscat, which is the capital of Oman, this past weekend on Saturday. So, and of course, that wasn't, uh, it was just a picture there. It was the And I give credit, by the way, to Tatiana Makeeva. That's the picture belongs to this individual here. So what happened is that on Sunday, which was yesterday, right after the meeting, the third phase now, that Raisi stated that, you know what, the differences remain between the US. And of course it is expected because the one reason is that the Iranians cannot trust the Americans. That's one. It's because you have to think in terms of where the, where the flip-flopping on part of the American representatives, representatives of the government like Marco Rubio, which I will talk about, when he's flip-flopping between, oh yeah, Iran can have certain, uh, nuclear, uh, peaceful, uh, programs, whatever, and later on it will say Iran cannot have any nuclear program. And this is where you start to see the, uh, as far as the third round, uh, of, of these talks focused on two things. One of them is the technical talks at the expert levels, because the diplomats, they have no technical knowledge of this, which is common sense. So, and this is where, uh, uh, of course was based on the conversation that took place in Rome The agreement was made that next talks, uh, we're going to be addressing the technical aspects of it. So, and of course, you have to think about in terms of, uh, uh, uh, Iran looking at this from the perspective of the Americans, uh, uh, wanted to now completely have Iran, uh, dismiss all its nuclear civilian programs. Well, it's not going to work because one reason and one reason only, it's because now it's Israel that is dictating to the Americans what the term ought to be. And this is why, uh, Abbas Erhajji, the, the foreign minister of Iran, this is why he stated this morning that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was the one dictating 'What the US President Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran.' End of quote. Yeah, it's very problematic because it becomes the question of why are we doing this for? Yeah, because it's a question that is worth asking. Why are we doing this for? Why are we entering into all these talks after we the one who broke the deal or the agreement unilaterally? That's as simple as it can get. So, and here is the thing, one, one thing you need to understand is what the media is not reporting on openly. And this is why I wanted to do the analysis for you here. It's because the Israelis are looking at it from a different perspective. They are realizing that there might be a momentum that is now gathering between the talks, uh, uh, regarding the talks between the US and Iran. And this was in response to the third round of the US-Iran negotiations, which took place, as I said, on Saturday. So, and this is why the Prime Minister of Israel reiterated the demand that Iran's nuclear program be entirely dismantled. Yeah, well, good luck with that. And second, who the heck are you to dictate? Because remember, Iran is part of the NPT, and under NPT clauses, you are allowed to pursue nuclear— civilian nuclear programs for, you know, generating electricity, whatever you want to do. I mean, they can use it for the hospitals, for the X-ray machines, and so forth. So that's part of the sovereign right for Iran. And when you have the Prime Minister of Israel saying, oh, Iran's nuclear program are to be entirely dismantled. So, and this is why the Prime Minister— the Foreign Minister, I'm sorry, of Iran is saying we have to move cautiously with this because there is an optimism, but he has to be cautious. It's because you know how the Americans will flip quickly. So, and this is why it's not going to hold, uh, uh, uh, now that the Israelis have been put on alert, because Israelis are calculating that what if— in other words, what if the possibility of the US and Iran reach an agreement? I don't see this happening anytime soon. I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong because I rather see peace than tensions or war or conflicts or whatever. But again, I've been following this for decades, understanding the dynamics of how the US will approach this kind of issues. Because there is one reality that you need to know: we only wanted to have one major power in West Asia or the Middle East. There will be no second, only one. You all know what that is. And this is why now Israel is on alert, thinking that what if they reach a deal? Because remember, Israel was opposing vehemently to the JCPOA in 2015, and that is why Mr. Trump pulled the US unilaterally in 2018 because of the pressure from the Israelis. It's not that Mr. Trump did it on a whim of his, you know, Donald Trump, his, you know, Donald Trump is Donald Trump, you know. But again, this is the type we are dealing with right now. So, uh, and this is one of the key, uh, aspects you have to understand about the seriousness of these negotiations. You know, the, the progress is made to a degree But again, from the Iranian perspective, they are stating that the other side, meaning the Americans, have to show seriousness. And I agree, because we say one thing and the next thing, the next day, we will comment with the opposite of what we said earlier. And this is why the Iranians are very specific as to requiring that the other side, meaning the Americans, demonstrate good faith, demonstrate seriousness, and demonstrate realism in what they expect. So, and that is exactly what Raffi stated during an interview following the talks, the third round. So he said, and I quote, we will enter negotiations seriously on Saturday if the other side also enters seriously, there is a possibility of progress, end of quote. And that interview, by the way, was on Friday, right before the, uh, uh, before the meeting on Saturday. Now here is where I'm gonna be providing you a comparison, because you need to understand the comparison between 2015 agreement and the demands of 2025. In addition to one other, uh, uh, uh, uh, key factor, it's the Israeli role into this. So, so here is what Marco Rubio stated, which by the way, he flip-flops. As a matter of fact, it was an article in the Foreign Policy magazine regarding him as to how he's flip-flopping, and I'm going to share that with you as I move forward. So, so what Mr. Rubio is announcing. And here is what he announced on Wednesday. And Wednesday was— let me see the date here so you have the accurate date— on Wednesday, on the 23rd, 23rd of April, 3 days prior to the, uh, third round of talks in Oman, uh, in Muscat in Oman. Here is what he said, and I'm paraphrasing here: Washington accepts Iran's possession of a peaceful nuclear program, which also indicating a de-escalation in the disputes between the two sides after the agreements in the negotiation process recently launched in the Sultanate of Oman. End of quote. This is what Rubio is saying. So basically Rubio is saying that we have no problem with Iran possessing a peaceful nuclear program. Now you need to understand the division that exists within the US government. Now, was Marco Rubio speaking on behalf of Trump? I don't think so, because Mr. Trump's statement is saying, no, we don't want Iran to have any nuclear program whatsoever. Because Marco Rubio is a neocon. Remember, you have Marco Rubio and you have Waltz, the National Security Advisor— two neocons, two war hawks. And of course, this is where the flip-flopping of Marco Rubio comes in. So, and what makes it concerning for the third party, which is Israel in this case, is that Mr. Irakshi the foreign minister of Iran, signaling the possibility of reaching an agreement. Yeah, even Marco Rubio is saying this. So here is the, the comparison that I'm going to be providing you, certain key points. In 2015, the international powers and Tehran, known as P5+1, reached the agreement and marked a turning point in the relationship between the two sides. Okay, now back then, the agreement centered on measures to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, as you know, because it's public knowledge. So, and what was in return for that? It was the exchange— for an exchange of the lifting of the international sanctions. The second thing regarding the 2015, the agreement included the clear provisions restricting Iran's nuclear program, okay, such as, for example, low enrichment of uranium, and of course the prohibition of Tehran from using modern centrifuges. That was back then, and Iran agreed to those. So now the agreement also— this is in 2015— stipulated that Iran will not build any new heavy water nuclear reactors for 15 years. So 2015, so it's going to end by 2030. So the agreements also at that time stipulates that Russia will supervise the provision of nuclear fuel to Iran. This is, by the way, one of the arguments that Marco Rubio is making now. Marco Rubio is saying Iran needs now to shut down all this and it will have to import the heavy, uh, the nuclear fuel from abroad. I don't think so. But anyway, let's keep going with the 2015. In return to this, the agreement stipulates the lifting of the European and the American economic and financial sanctions on Iran. So, and by the way, it was also during this agreement— and this is the key point that I need you to understand— at that time when this agreement, uh, uh, stipulated also that in exchange Iran's commitment, the other parties, meaning the P5+1, pledged to lift all sanctions on Iran, including those imposed by the United Nations. Under the agreement, the United States and the European Union pledged to not to impose any new sanctions on Iran. And you all know what we did in 2018 and what we just did recently. So, and this is again Why you need to understand the importance of this till what happened in 2018. So, and this is what happened in 2018 because why? Because of Donald Trump decision. In response to this, Iran withdrew from the agreement and was able to enrich uranium up to 60%, which by the way approaching, the level that would enable it to build a bomb, which is a requirement for about 90%, to my knowledge. So, and of course, when the, the US unilaterally— and the Europeans couldn't take stand by saying to the Americans, you can't do that, because the agreement was a collective, it wasn't unilateral— but the US withdrew unilaterally. What do you think Iran is going to do? Iran went ahead and start to operate and advance centrifuges. Yeah, what, what do you expect? Iran is going to have to look for its own interests. So, and this is where now when you think about the primary objective of the United States, goal was to prevent now Iran from developing, uh, the nuclear bomb. That's what they're saying. There is one key aspect that we need to talk about during this period, 2015, is because— and I need your answer on this because I disagree with the assessments that was made regarding this, because I read an analysis that says in 2015 Iran was politically strong. And why is this? It's because it has its, uh, support from the pro-Iranian regime in Damascus. Which is now— it's gone. You have also Hezbollah, which is now, some say, is weakened, you know, which those sort of represent setbacks for Iran in its war against— with Israel. Uh, for Hezbollah, that was— what do you guys think? Do you think that Iran was in a better position in 2015, or it is currently in a better political, political possession. So, and I just wanted to get your feedback on this. And this is why the concern now from the Iranian perspective is that the Americans will be asking for new changes or a set of new demands, which I believe will be wrong anyway because Iranians will not agree to that. And this is one of the key that I need you to understand. Here is the, the other aspect of 2015 agreement. You know what it was? It was that the missile program of Iran was off the table completely. The US now is asking that will be part of the talks. Iran is saying is a red line. So, so, and this is once, once again, you have to understand all these aspects. And this is why when you hear Marco Rubio saying something and the reality is another, I am left to, to just question his judgments onto all this. And like I said again, uh, the, the Secretary of State has been criticized harshly. It's because of his flip-flopping. You know, it was an article by Howard Finch that includes scathing criticism of Marco Rubio, explaining that he has adopted positions contrary to those he previously advocated for since assuming office. So that's— I had the, I had the chance to read this in a foreign language, by the way. So, and this is why it's important for you to understand these dynamics. Liking this video so far? Don't just be a watcher. Go ahead and hit the like, share, and subscribe button, and don't forget to tap the bell so you will not miss any of my videos or live streams. This way, you will be supporting a channel that stands for the truth and objective reporting. The choice is yours. Thanks for your support. All right, now let's talk about the Israeli position, then I'm going to get into the, the explosion in Bandar Abbas. So, because we cannot ignore the Israeli position regarding all this. So, and of course, as I mentioned earlier, and I wrote about it in my, uh, in my, uh, in my Iran book, uh, in 2015, Israel strongly opposed the nuclear agreement between Iran and the international powers. As a matter of fact, which one— what other country opposed to that? And I did say this couple times, so can you type in which country in addition to Israel at that time that opposed the Iran nuclear agreement with the P5+1 or the major powers? Let me see here, because yeah, I just want to see your answer. Oh, Sophia Martinez, Sophia Martinez, you got it! It was the— Samir, you got it! Saudi Arabia. Saleh, Saudi Arabia. You're absolutely correct. Uh, uh, Dave H, Britain. No, no, it was Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia was vehemently opposed to that, so But anyway, we focus about Israel here in this case, no? And this is why now Israel is currently deeply concerned about the possibility of new agreements between the United States and Iran, even though I am not— and again, my personal opinion, I could be wrong— I, I just don't see this happening knowing how things have been, you know, and even during my days in Washington You have to understand how the US government— not US government entities, being the Pentagon, State Department, CIA, Finance, Treasury, you name it— they don't work cohesively. Each one of them is fighting its own turf battle regarding the dominance and so forth. So, and this is why you are always hearing that the Prime Minister of Israel is threatening to launch a military strike on Iran almost on a daily basis. And as a matter of fact, the Iranians are not— they are taking this seriously. This is why as of Wednesday, they went ahead and strengthened the security measures around two main deep tunnels complexes connected to the nuclear facilities. So I do not know the locations. But if I am to guess, it will have to be the Bashar and Isfahan. That's the only— but again, that's just my own guess, uh, uh, that I'm thinking. So, but Israel has something else to deal with, uh, which is the Houthis, which again, I am going to be addressing, uh, this one comes tomorrow or Wednesday because you need to know what's going on and why the envoy of the UN is in Yemen wanted to have talks with the Houthis to ask them to stop. So once again, I find it hypocritical for the UN to be asking the Houthis to stop. Why not asking the United States to stop the attacks? So why the UN is not asking Israel to stop the attacks in Gaza? So to me, it's fairness, and that's again When you have to, uh, uh, when, when you do analysis, you have to provide both sides of the arguments. And this is the one that I am seeing as to what's going on. So now let me move into talking about what took place in Bandar Abbas. Now this is a major— I'm going to do a little geography for you because you need to understand. But before that, I am going to play a clip for you, uh, this way you have an idea. Then I'll, I'll, I'll deal with the geography briefly on this one here. All right, let me share a screen with you, share the footage. Here we go. Uh, not this one we are doing, this one here. I have another one here. And by the way, it says right there in Arabic, this is the moment during the explosion at the Rajahi port. The Iranian port. All right, I just wanted to share those clips with you before I'll get in into talking about, uh, uh, the Bandar Abbas and so forth. First of all, we need to look at the geography here, and I'm going to share a map with you. A lot of people have no idea where Bandar Abbas is. Uh, it's not easy to— if you don't know, been around, to understand where that is. So let me share the map with you guys here, so this way you'll see while I'm explaining a few things for you. To have a better understanding. So if you notice, Bandar Abbas is not on this map here. It's, uh, it's not disclosed. Actually, it is Bandar Abbas right here, but there is another island here that's called Gharq, Gharq Island, which is right here on the Persian Gulf, actually near the— but our focus here is going to be in this area of, uh, but of, uh Bandar Abbas, and specifically the Rajaei Port. Why is this important, you may ask yourself? Well, it is important because Rajaei Port, and proximity of course to the Strait of Hormuz, Rajaei Port is one of Iran's most prominent commercial ports and a vital point of maritime trade. So I have a picture that was taken from an ISS, the International Space Station, That was taken a few years ago. I, I kept it in my record here for my own use if I ever— take a look at this, uh, this is from space. So, and what you're looking at, this is Gark Island. It's called the Gark. So, and I'll, I'll address this one, Gark and the, uh, Bandar Abbas or Rajah Airport importance. So, so for now, suffice it to say that the Rajah Airport is located in Bandar Abbas which is the southern part of Iran. And this port serves as the country's main gateway to the Sea of Oman. Why? Because it makes it a very critical, uh, uh, importance to regional and international trade. So, and this is where Garg Island comes in, and Garg Island is the one I showed you on the picture. Garg Island. So the Garg Island, when you think about it, is Iran's primary oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. So, and this one here, guys, sort of, uh, you have to understand, in addition to its commercial and strategic importance, it has fresh water. So And that is why it also has biological importance. So, and that's what's supporting the area of, uh, that's the picture, by the way, you were looking at, uh, uh, from the space stations. So when you think about the port, especially the one in Rajahi Port, the port is used to receive and export a variety of goods, including raw materials uh, uh, consumer goods and petroleum products. The port is also a major hub for the Iranian petroleum product export to the global market, because remember, uh, where it's located— it is located near the Strait of Hormuz. So, and the maritime gateway, when you consider Strait of Hormuz about 35 kilometers, but only about 3 kilometers, they have both directions for the ships to go through. So, and of course, we all know the Strait of Hormuz accounts for about 20% of the world, uh, oil trade. So it's, it's, it's, it's no small matter that these aspects of now the explosion is in the port. And I'm gonna get into what happened based on my knowledge, and there is still, by the way, investigations, going on regarding this one here. So, so, so far there have been a disclosure in Dubai, which is near, uh, in United Arab Emirates, Dubai, that the— there are about 40 deaths and over 1,200, uh, people injured. This is what's been reported as of yesterday. I'm sure this figure is still, uh, climbing, changing, and so forth. 2 things you need to pay attention to. Russia has already sent a crew to deal with this. Did Russia also send some individuals to help in the investigation? I couldn't tell. What I read based on the assessment is that Russia sending the, the, the, uh, the crew to help with extinguishing the fire. And this is why there is that question that comes to mind right now. You all remember what happened at the Beirut port 2 years, 2 or 3 years ago, the explosion that took place. So, uh, seems like the massive explosion that took place in Rajahi Port in Bandar Abbas, it's almost similar to the one that took place in Beirut. The one in Beirut involved some highly flammable products. There is an argument that the possibility could be the same as what happened in, uh, in Rajai Port near Bandar Abbas. And as a matter of fact, we even— for us here in the US, in my state, as a matter of fact, it's only about 2 hours from where I am. It was an explosion here a few years ago, way back. I remember because I was in Baghdad when I got a word about it at that time. It was a, it was a fertilizer plant in a city called West. We had similar explosion here, and the federal government got involved. They sealed off. They didn't want the information to, uh, be, uh, released as to what really happened. Could it be the same here? I don't know. So what I, what I am in, what I am interested in is understanding that how the incident coincided with the start of the third round of the nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, which was supported by the Sultanate of Oman. A coincidence, or is it a targeted incident? What do you guys think? What is your opinion? Was it just coincidence, or is it a targeted? Let me see your answer in the chat box. So It's because, you know, sometimes you have to ask the questions that matter. So, and this is why this large explosion— now the cause remain unknown. And I am here to tell you that even if Iran finds out, it is unlikely they will disclose the true reason why that is. Any country will not do that anyway. You all remember the, the, the, the, the flight, the 370, that disappeared in Southeast Asia? Remember Malaysia? Somewhere around there. We never knew why till today. So now there are reports suggesting that the explosion was caused by the shipment of a missile fuel. Of course Tehran denied this, and I can't confirm this because that's what I read in the assessment, but I can't confirm it. So all I'm doing here, guys, sharing what I know, and I'll let you reach your own conclusions. So, and this is why I'm saying, as of today, Iran has already launched, uh, uh, uh, an investigation. And as a matter of fact, there are now, uh, over 46 dead So, so, however, it was, it was a report from the government inside Iran, from specific departments. It's called Iran's Infrastructure Communications Company. Whether it's affiliated with the government or not, I do not know. But here is what it said. It says, it said that it has repealed, repealed rather widespread and complex cyber attack. Once again, I'll let you be the judge on this, because if I am to go with this theory, we've seen this before, especially with the Stuxnet. You all remember that, who was behind it. So that's my point. I need you to understand this kind of dynamics. So however, we cannot jump into conclusion by saying, well, Iran— Israel did this, the US did this, third party did this. We don't know, you know, because here is the thing: before something like this, Iran will state that it was Israel behind. They didn't say this on this one here.— is the same argument I could make when the nuclear scientists, the Iranian nuclear scientists, were targeted inside Iran, because that shows a big gap in the security apparatus of, of Iran domestically, which means it's easy to get in. It's the same argument I've made about the Houthis being targeted, uh, have their leadership That means there is a human intel that is feeding the intelligence to the Americans. Could this be the same? Maybe, maybe not. I do not know. So, so far the question looms large: what caused the explosion? The precise cause of the explosion, the explosion rather, has not been determined yet. There is an ongoing investigation. So, and yet the Iranian government will have to provide a comprehensive, uh, official account regarding this. Otherwise, it will lose credibility with its own population. So of course, they are understanding the complexity of this, and this kind of things, it will take time to confirm, uh, as to what really happened. But if it is the port stores some sort of explosive materials, the possibility is there. As I said again, uh, I witnessed this one right here in my own state with the explosion of West, which was, uh, the high flammable, uh, chemical, uh, products there. So suffice it for you to understand as to why you reach this conclusion is what type of material was stored at the port at that time of the incident. Well, according to the Iranian government, especially the Iranian Customs Administration, they are arguing that the incident likely, uh, that occurred at the warehouse, uh, because, uh, it contained hazardous and chemical material. So likely that they caught on fire. However, the Iranian government will not disclose the exact type of materials, which is a common practice. You're not going to disclose. The one we had right here in Texas, the federal— the Fed steps in, they took over the investigation, they told the state stay aside, which is the law in our country. Usually when the federal law supersedes that of the state, so when you start having the feds flashing their badges, the state authorities will have to step aside. So, and this is why, uh, uh, the, the Iranians wants to make a distinction that this one, this incident, is not related to oil refineries, is not related to fuel tanks, and is not related to oil pipelines. So the other hand, you're going to have to have now the Ministry of Defense in Iran also will have to do some confirmations regarding Was there a military shipment of military equipment or explosives? And if it was, was it part of the explosion also? So then the second question that we're gonna ask is, who's responsible for the incident? No one came forward. And Iran government cannot just threw, or throw rather, the word, oh, there might be, must be some terrorism. No, no, no, no. Terrorism acts. No, you can't. You're gonna have to get to the bottom of it. So, and this is why they launched now the, uh, comprehensive investigation, because they're gonna have to get to the bottom of it to understand how this is going forward. So, and as I mentioned earlier, Russia has already sort of sent, uh, aid in, in form of, uh, aircraft carrying specialized teams that deal with this kind of explosives. So now moving forward, what can we expect the impact? Because there will be an economic impact. Could it be the objective for why the explosion happened, assuming it was intentional, to further, uh, uh, uh, sink Iran's economy? Because Iran is going through some hardships economically. I'll tell you two things. One of them has to do with the unemployment, and second one has to do with wages. Wages in Iran dropped from about $300 a month to about $180, to my knowledge, recently. That's almost 40% plus, almost 50%. So then you add inflation to all this, and all this will have to be taken into consideration as to what the impact of something like this— because the port, Port Rajahi, uh, importance to the national economy is very, very crucial. So because the impact is going to have is on the Iranian trade. So, and this is what was reported by the government itself. The port is one of the country's largest maritime, uh, transit, also one of the largest commercial ports, which handles about 50 to 55% of Iran exports and imports. It also handles about 70% of Iran's maritime transit. And of course, we can ignore the 85% of containers operations. So it's no small matter that when you have massive damage to a port like this, uh, it end up harming the infrastructure, the economic infrastructure, uh, of the— which, by the way, uh, the ports, at least the assessments that I've been reading, uh, they are major damage. Major damage. You're talking about distances that have been impacted by this. And this leads us to also into the conversation of what this means now for the security, internal security in, in, inside, uh, Iran, but also this, the, the security and this secure transit of goods passing through this vital artery of the Iranian economy. And all this is important to put in place. Uh, uh, I remember, uh, when I did— I think I still have it. Yeah, let me share it with you right here. Oh, not this one, sorry. Yeah, right here. When I did this conversation about, uh, presentation— I'm sorry, about Iran back then, I had to talk about these particular locations. And this is the Garg Island. Once again, you think about the energy, and most of this importance is because of the access, because of the free passage of this. 20%, 20% of, uh, of, uh, world oil goes through that location. So, but suffice it to say that when you consider both locations, makes you just wonder. Meaning both locations, the, the Strait of Hormuz and of course the Bandar Abbas and the Garkh Island also, because that's where the oil and energy goes through. Excuse me. And all this, you have to put it within the context of the talks that's going on, uh, right now between the US and, uh, Iran regarding the nuclear program. I, I can't jump to conclusions and say there is a third party that caused this. I, I, I, I can't, I can't disclose, I can't state that because I don't know yet. So, and if it becomes clear, uh, uh, So it, it, it just— you have to keep that possibility open. What if? What if? Oh, Marvin Vargas, thank you so much for your super sticker. You wrote, you ever see Beirut port explosion? Suspicious. Yeah, it is indeed, because that just— it was massive. You know, you're gonna always, when it comes down to geopolitics or international security, you're gonna always have to think in terms Yes, while, while it's tragic, you have to think in terms who will benefit from, because nothing happens in a vacuum. There's always somebody who wants something from an event. It's like for us when we went through whatever conflicts we get involved in, uh, we got involved because we want something, and most of the time it ends up not being good anyway. So, so once again, uh, Marvin, thank you so much for your Super Sticker. So, so I just want you guys to understand these aspects of where this is headed and why and the timing and the coincidence of it. So, so this way at least you are armed with some knowledge to put things in perspective before you start hearing and reading. And, uh, you know, and there is a lot of— I don't know what to use the term— information on YouTube that You know, I hope, I hope the people who present this information take a step back and reconsider the accuracy of the information they are sharing, uh, with their audiences. Because you can't just aim at— because, oh, it's sensational or whatever— that's not right. You have to do the objective reporting, and then when you don't know, you say I don't know. There's nothing wrong with it. There is no shame in saying that we don't know everything. So, and that is again one thing, as I said earlier, please make sure to subscribe in support of this channel that stands for the truth and objective reporting. That, that's the only objective for this. So, and, and I am very, very, very grateful to you for that. So, okay guys, that's all I have to— oh, the Army with Harmony. Thank you so much for, uh, gifted— thank you so much for your continued support, Army with Harmony. I am very, very grateful and I can't thank you enough. So appreciate you for that. Uh, once again guys, just to wrap this up, like I mentioned earlier, I might do— I'm gonna be looking at some info this afternoon and, and, uh, address for you the developments that's going on regarding the Houthis, because they are— so far the Trump administration is really stuck, is stuck with this. They don't know what to do. So, oh, I forgot to share picture here. This is inside an Iranian nuclear facility. So that's where they enrich the uranium there. So, uh, uh, Garg Island. This is Garg Island, by the way, to those who do not know where it's located exactly. So right at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. So very, very important, uh, to understand, uh, the location of it. Most of the, uh, oil from those countries has to go through here, and this is why Iran, in case of a conflict, the first thing they're going to do is shut this down. And they do have certain ordinance in the water that deal with these specific aspects. In case any vessel, military vessels, come in from the enemy or whatever that is, it will detonate. So, to my knowledge. Anyway, guys, I hope you enjoyed this. I look forward to seeing you maybe tomorrow, maybe after tomorrow, we shall see. And please remember, uh, to support the channel. So I'm gonna share links with you here. I would greatly appreciate, uh, your support for the channel. Let me get to it right here. There is the one for the channel, and I'm very grateful to those who have already, uh, uh, supported the channel by buying me coffee. I also want to extend my thanks to those who bought me tea in support of my, uh, upcoming, uh, Asia trip. So, uh, I think the last person, if I am not mistaken Let me, let me, allow me here, guys, to— and I'll share with you where we are right now. Yeah, allow me here to do this quickly, if I may. Okay, it's all right. Yeah, bear with me here, guys, because I want to just say thank you to the last person, uh, that, uh, oh, Diana, she bought me 5 cups of tea. Uh, Valentina, thank you so much for buying me 5 cups of tea. American Citizen, uh, twice. Eric, uh, Stefan, Chan, uh, uh, Hangin G, all of you guys, I want to say thank you for your continued support for my upcoming Asia trip. So, all right guys, Uh, 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.