Iran Has Lots Of Secrets. Its War Plans Ain’t Among Them (S01E132)

Wednesday, August 19, 2026, ParisIran has been warning for months that it plans to escalate its war against the US unless the Americans take steps that include freezing its assets and acknowledging its authority over the Strait of Hormuz.It has not only signaled such escalation, it has begun to implement its plans, activating or coordinating with proxy forces to spread the conflict from the Persian Gulf to the Levant to Iraq to the Red Sea.It recently, listed all the sites it would strike if the US were to launch an attack on Iranian civilian infrastructure.In the latest episode of badlands, I talk apart a recent Wall Street Journal article which contained some nuggets of decent reporting, but was framed as a revelatory scoop depicting Iranians as devious warmongers and Americans as naive simpletons merely hoping to wind down the conflict.Also in this episode, I speak about the latest security developments in the Gulf in an interview with India’s NewX World.Finally, the episode includes a rerun of my interview with Ali Ahmadi, a former advisor to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, in which he discusses Iran’s military capacity.badlands is a viewr-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe