Inside the CIA Director’s Mysterious Moscow Mission | Ben Swann

We now know more about CIA Director John Ratcliffe's mysterious trip to Moscow. The Kremlin has confirmed that Ratcliffe traveled to the Russian capital for contacts between American and Russian intelligence services. Ratcliffe reportedly did not meet directly with President Vladimir Putin, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Putin was immediately briefed on the results. Moscow described the intelligence contact as a “positive development.” That is dramatically different from the speculation that surrounded Ratcliffe's trip only hours earlier. Claims circulated that he had been expelled from Russia and that the U.S. Embassy was shutting down, while five E-6B Mercury aircraft associated with America's nuclear command-and-control system were reportedly airborne. Ben emphasizes that these aircraft conduct regular training and readiness missions and that their presence did not mean the United States was preparing for nuclear war. But one major question remains: What did Ratcliffe and Russian intelligence actually discuss? One unconfirmed report may offer an answer. The Hormuz Letter, citing two senior Iranian sources, reports that Ratcliffe asked Moscow to pressure Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The report also claims Russian entities connected to Iran could face additional American sanctions if Moscow refused to cooperate. Neither Washington nor Moscow has confirmed that account. If accurate, however, the situation would contain a remarkable irony. After years of sanctions designed to isolate Russia over the war in Ukraine, Washington may now be turning to Moscow for help resolving another conflict. On this episode of America Now with Ben Swann, Ben separates the confirmed facts from the speculation and examines what Ratcliffe's rare Moscow mission could tell us about U.S. policy toward Russia and Iran.Catch our entire lineup of shows featuring hosts like Jeff Dornik, Shannon Joy, Ann Vandersteel, Patrick Howley, Ted Rall and Dr Michael Scheuer on Rumble, X and your favorite podcast platform.Pickax is the primary home for Freedom First Network, so be sure to sign up for Pickax, and then follow and subscribe to FFN: https://pickax.com/freedomfirstnetwork