The Duran | Hormuz Leverage Could Become Long Term Trap | Aug. 8, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description: 

Hormuz Leverage Could Become Long Term Trap

Timeline:
00:00:00 Who is actually negotiating over Hormuz
00:00:57 Iran's account contradicts US claims
00:01:54 History of failed talks and the memorandum
00:02:55 Iran and Oman's single channel plan
00:03:53 Key point: a deal doesn't mean reopening
00:05:16 US and Gulf states oppose the agreement
00:06:40 Why would Iran give up its leverage
00:07:51 Does the US blockade stay in place
00:09:12 Toll or fund, who really controls it
00:11:13 Hardliner faction in Iran wants to resume war
00:14:35 The long war strategy explained
00:17:51 Iran's economic pressure and best path forward
00:21:48 Why closing Hormuz is a long term trap
00:24:07 Lessons from the JCPOA on trusting the US
00:27:37 Comparing Iran's choices to Assad's Syria

Pepe Escobar | IRAN Will Charge World To Use Hormuz Now – 12 Days Until FREE PASSAGE | Aug. 5, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube


Description:
Strait of Hormuz news today: Washington says a deal to reopen the strait could come within 48 hours — but the Islamabad Memorandum's free-passage clause expires on 16 August, and the arrangement replacing it is being negotiated in Muscat. Pepe Escobar and Zulfiqar Ali on the US–Iran MOU deadline, the Iran–Oman Hormuz agreement, and who is actually writing the terms.

What Article 5 of the memorandum actually says and why the sixty-day free-passage window matters more than the headline. The fee structure reportedly under negotiation between Tehran and Muscat, and how it collides with the freedom-of-movement framing given to markets this morning. 

Why crude moved today. The Pakistan channel: Ishaq Dar's invitation to Foreign Minister Araghchi, and the reported parliamentary visit stacked against Independence Day on 14 August and the expiry of the clock on 16 August. The Saudi reversal, the weekend phone call, and the strike that did not happen.

Analysis by Pepe Escobar, geopolitical analyst and correspondent, and Zulfiqar Ali, Transition Protocol. This episode distinguishes throughout between publicly confirmed developments and single-source reporting from our own channels; both are labelled as such on screen.

Larry Johnson | Why Trump Cancelled Iran Strike – Is The US Losing The War With Iran? PART 2 | Aug. 3, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Why did Trump cancel the Iran strike? Larry Johnson tells Transition Protocol that launch orders had already gone out for after 6 PM Eastern, and the pull-back came after that point. Larry Johnson and Zulfiqar Ali discuss Gulf warnings, Tehran's five conditions, GCC divergence, China's role in Iranian air defence, and diesel/aviation fuel constraints.