"Iran Must Capitulate To Us Until They Behave" episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 23, 2026 · 1H 14M

"Iran Must Capitulate To Us Until They Behave"

from Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté · host Aaron Maté and Katie Halper

There’s a lot of words that Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff doesn’t want to use… but will use anyway.“The president is – I don’t want to use the word frustrated – but he’s curious as to why Iran hasn’t – I don’t want to use the word capitulated – but why they haven’t capitulated.”This comes as Trump is threatening another regime change war in the Middle East, ordering the largest US military deployment since the Iraq War. “Why,” Witkoff continues, “with the amount of naval power we have over there, haven’t they come to us and said ‘We profess that we don’t want a weapon’?”In the Obama-era nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from, Iran professed they didn’t want a nuclear weapon. Last year, Tulsi Gabbard released a report showing that Iran has no current nor future intention to build a nuclear weapon. Iran’s government has a fatwa against building a nuclear weapon.With all the evidence there, it is clear Witkoff and the US don’t actually care what Iran wants. They want to instead treat Iran as their child. And if his ‘capitulation’ line wasn’t condescending enough for you, wait until you hear this one:“They’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material,” Witkoff lies, following his talking points from Prime Minister Netanyahu exactly. “We can’t have that. This is something that they have to stick with until they prove to us that they can behave.”Also in this Monday Mourning: Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro backs regime change in Iran, the Trump admin gets caught in a lie about tariffs, and Mike Huckabee goes on Tucker Carlson to give the most insane Biblical defense for Israeli genocide yet.It’s all this, and more, on this week’s episode of Useful Idiots. Subscribe to our show to support independent media!We love your support! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 23, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

"Iran Must Capitulate To Us Until They Behave"

0:00 1:14:01

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté?

This episode is 1 hour and 14 minutes long.

When was this Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté episode published?

This episode was published on February 23, 2026.

Can I download this Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!