Sleepwalking Into A Forever War With Iran (S01E110)

Friday, July 17, 2026, ChicagoAs the Iran war escalates, Donald Trump rehashes his nonsensical election conspiracy theories. The Democrats come out strongly opposed to the war, but their criticism that the US has no plan appears off-the-mark. Washington indeed seems to have a single-minded goal for the escalation: get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, and potentially create regional divisions inside Iran.Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio shows his desperation, while Vice President JD Vance positions himself against the neocons, and reporting on a well-known Israeli influence operation and Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Israeli intelligence finally reach the mainstream media. Plus, interviews with me on India’s NewsX World and the Pakistan TV about the state of the conflict and US and Iranian political calculations. badlands is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts 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