The New Atlas | US preparing for more strikes on Iran: using "Leave it to Bibi" to pass the blame | Oct. 22, 2026

Source: The New Atlas youtube



Description:
- The Western media is once again attempting to sell the notion that Israel, not the US, is pushing for war with Iran and bringing a "reluctant" US along unwillingly;

- This is a deliberate policy published in papers as early as 2009 discussing the use of US proxy Israel to start a war with Iran and ultimately absorb most of the blame and retaliation for doing so;

- The US has repeatedly used this strategy under the previous Biden and now Trump administrations - and even repeatedly under the current Trump administration;

- The notion the US is planning strikes on Iran around "elections" is betrayed by the material reality elections do not effect US foreign policy and especially not policy regarding Iran - as continuity of agenda has continued against Iran for 26 straight years regardless of who controlled Congress or sat in the White House;

- And no, just because Israel is a proxy of the US doesn't mean it is not just as guilty as the US itself for the crimes its government, military, intelligence services, and their civilian supporters commit as proxies of US power;

References: FT — Netanyahu made plans to restart Iran strikes earlier this month (Oct. 22, 2026); Brookings Institution — Which Path to Persia? (2009); Brookings Institution — Contributors List (2024); The New Atlas — Who Really Controls US Foreign Policy & What They Gain By Convincing You Otherwise (Jun. 10, 2026).

Anthony Aguilar & Ray McGovern | Iran Blows Up US-Israeli Strike Plan; Russia Joins War | Oct. 21, 2026

Source: Danny Haiphong youtube



Description: 

Trump & Israel are scrambling to launch a massive strike plan but Iran has other ideas. New reports suggest that Iran has blown up the attack but that hasn't stopped the masters of war in Washington and Tel Aviv from building up toward a new round of war that could begin at any moment. Former Lt. Colonel Anthony Aguilar and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern join to break it all down.

Patrick Henningsen | WSJ: 23 Million Barrels of Oil Flow Through Hormuz Every Day | Oct. 21, 2026

Source: Dialogue Works youtube, 21stcenturywire.com, 21st Century Wire youtube



Description: 

Nima Alkhorshid says the Wall Street Journal and Kpler claim that 23 million barrels of crude oil are flowing through the Strait of Hormuz every 24 hours. Patrick Henningsen says he finds a return to pre-war volumes impossible, calls the figure likely disinformation ahead of the US elections, and says a Brent futures price near $108 a barrel is well below the $150 to $200 he says it costs to move a barrel from the dock into a refinery.

Andrei Martyanov | Rubio Enlightened | Oct. 21, 2026

Source: Andrei Martyanov youtube, smoothiex12.blogspot.com



Description: 

ISW--war amateurs. Big Three meeting idea source. Andrei Martyanov says he agrees with Marco Rubio that it is not unusual for the leaders of the three most powerful nuclear-armed nations to communicate, and that Rubio is right that there are three superpowers and the rest depends on what those three settle among themselves.

Alexander Mercouris | Putin Trashes EU/Kiev Offer In Witkoff Meeting; No Truce November Talks; Russia To Bomb Kiev Bridge | Oct. 21, 2026

Source: Alexander Mercouris youtube



Description: 

Vladimir Putin has dismissed the Oslo plan Steve Witkoff carried to St Petersburg, telling him the European and Kiev proposals offered little useful for ending the Ukraine conflict. Alexander explains why forcing Russia to choose between Donbas and Ukraine staying out of NATO was always doomed, why the November 10 trilateral talks will come with no ceasefire, and why recent Russian glide bomb strikes near the Kiev and Dnipro bridges look like rehearsals for something bigger as forces close in on Zaporozhye. With Zelensky refusing every concession and Biletsky now running the Donbas battle, is a negotiated settlement still possible at all?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Intro and the latest US push
00:01:40 Putin rejects the Witkoff proposals
00:03:09 How we got here: Anchorage and the drone offensive
00:07:43 Russia's air campaign cripples Ukraine
00:08:38 Glide bombs near the Kiev and Dnipro bridges
00:12:20 Europe asks Washington to reopen talks
00:15:10 The Trump Zelensky diesel dispute
00:19:57 Why Zelensky refuses every concession
00:25:22 Oslo meeting and the Donbas or NATO plan
00:28:55 Ushakov's readout of the St Petersburg talks
00:33:14 Talks set for November 10 with no ceasefire
00:37:46 A new European security architecture?
00:40:25 Lavrov on reversible US concessions
00:42:34 Why the meeting lasted three hours
00:44:46 Hubbard, diesel, Middle East and the APEC idea
00:47:01 Li Qiang in St Petersburg and the China factor
00:50:06 Kaja Kallas and the endless conflict option
00:52:16 Why Russia will return for the Kiev bridges
00:59:35 Zaporozhye front: Kamianske and Malokaterynivka
01:05:24 ISW numbers, Operation Vivaldi and Biletsky

Seyed M. Marandi | Trump halted Israel's planned strike on Iran | Oct. 21, 2026

Source: Dialogue Works youtube



Description:
Seyed M. Marandi, on Dialogue Works, on Trump halting Israel's planned strike on Iran. 

Pepe Escobar | MBS wants Pakistan. Trump needs Iran. What did Munir deliver? Munir in Tehran | Transition Protocol | Oct. 21, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
MBS wants Pakistan. Trump needs Iran. Pakistan’s Field Marshal Munir is in Tehran — and our host’s sources say MBS gets a no. Pepe Escobar says what Munir carried: a quiet return of IAEA inspectors, for little more than the interest on Iran’s $6 billion in Qatar.
— 06:10 The offer: IAEA inspectors back in Iran, and what Iran would get in return — according to Pepe Escobar.
— 14:21 “Show us the money”: why Escobar says Tehran won’t take it — before the 3 November midterms.
— 30:01 What MBS wants from Pakistan, and why our host’s sources say Islamabad will refuse.
What you’ll learn: what Field Marshal Asim Munir carried into Tehran · why Washington wants a concession from Iran before the midterms · how sanctions, the IMF and the border gates squeeze Pakistan · what Lavrov proposed in Tehran · what our host’s sources say about China’s backing, the Riyadh war room and Saudi pressure.

Sourcing note: The Qatari–Pakistani IAEA idea and its price are Pepe Escobar’s account; we have not located them in public reporting. The Pakistan–MBS and China reports are our host’s own sourcing from Islamabad and Rawalpindi and cannot be independently verified. 

The Najran delegation, the three Black Hawks and the Article 2 wording are as Escobar describes them; we have not located them. Escobar’s Balochistan remarks are a scenario, not a report. Public record: Fars said Munir’s trip was finalised on Monday 19 October; Reuters reported on 20 October — after this recording — that Mohsen Rezaei told Munir there would be “no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met”, and that Iranian officials see “little prospect of a breakthrough before the November 3 vote”; Trump has said the US would not strike Iran again before 3 November. The 1934 Treaty of Taif was signed between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Alex Christoforou | Putin's Two Options; Witkoff Oslo Ukraine Plan; Zelensky Has No Clue | Oct. 20, 2026

Source: Alex Christoforou youtube



Description: 

Europe is finally ready to talk to Russia, but the two option offer reported by the Financial Times looks designed to be rejected. Alex walks through the Witkoff Oslo meeting with the E4, Zelensky lobbying US senators against Trump, Elon Musk distancing Starlink from Star Shield, plus curfews in France, Albania blaming Russia for its protests, the Kim Jong Un coma rumor and Christiane Amanpour leaving CNN. Why would Putin pick either door when Russia is already winning?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Europe ready to talk to Russia
00:01:13 FT reveals Europe's two options for Putin
00:03:47 Why Russia will reject a ceasefire and the NATO trade
00:06:26 Setting Russia up to say no and the next escalation
00:07:29 Starlink, Starshield and Musk distancing
00:09:33 Witkoff heads to Oslo to meet the E4 and Ukraine
00:12:43 Kushner joins virtually as US and Europe coordinate
00:14:52 Trump lashes out at Zelensky over leadership
00:17:04 Trump floats a Trump Xi Putin denuclearization meeting
00:20:43 Zelensky lobbies US senators against Trump
00:26:21 Republicans tie Pentagon funding to a tougher Russia stance
00:27:18 France curfews, Macron in the UAE and Italy deploys troops
00:29:31 Hegseth in Israel and talk of another Iran strike
00:30:48 Clown World: Albania protests and Rama blames Russia
00:34:28 Kim Jong Un coma rumor and Amanpour leaves CNN

Pepe Escobar | Ansarallah Captures Strategic Mountain, Munir in Tehran and Hegseth in Israel | Oct. 20, 2026

Source: Dialogue Works youtube



Description: 

Nima Alkhorshid says Ansarallah has captured Jabal Han, a strategic mountain in the encirclement of Taizz, and that the siege is closing on Saudi-backed forces in a city of at least two million people. Pepe Escobar says a Najran tribal delegation pledged allegiance in Sanaa, and that Sergei Lavrov went to Tehran before Munir.

The Duran | Desperate Maneuvers To Get Russia To Stop | Oct. 20, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description: 

Europe and Washington are quietly drafting a new offer for Moscow, and Russia is almost certain to say no. In this episode we break down the Financial Times report on Europe's two option plan, Witkoff's Oslo talks, the rumored Trump Putin Xi meeting at APEC, and why the public Trump Zelensky feud may be cover for coordinated escalation through Starlink and Star Shield. Is the West setting up Russia's rejection as the excuse for one last big round of escalation?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Russia grinding Ukraine down as Western diplomacy turns chaotic
00:00:48 Rumored Trump Xi Putin meeting at APEC in China
00:01:16 Witkoff in Oslo and a possible trip to Moscow
00:01:42 Financial Times reveals Europe's two option plan
00:02:59 Endgame since September and the West's push for a freeze
00:04:16 Ratcliffe threats and Witkoff Kushner offers rejected
00:06:47 Was the tripartite summit really Putin's idea?
00:09:07 Trump links the meeting to denuclearization
00:10:39 Why China won't want a three way meeting
00:12:30 Rassvet, Oreshnik and Ukraine's financial crisis
00:14:49 Trump Zelensky feud versus quiet US Europe coordination
00:18:46 Starlink, Star Shield and the intelligence sharing confusion
00:21:08 Kellogg plan, the summer drone offensive and Vietnam parallels
00:26:10 Zelensky lobbies US senators against Trump
00:32:05 Through the fog: Russia will say no

John Helmer | Trump's Russian Diesel Deal Is Slopaganda | Oct. 20, 2026

Source: Dialogue Works youtube



Description:
Dialogue Works discusses: John Helmer: Trump's Russian Diesel Deal Is Slopaganda. 

Larry Johnson | Lavrov Lands in Tehran, MBS Is on His Own, Trump Is Out of Options,Hegseth Summoned Generals | Transition Protocol | Oct. 20, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Trump said Russia was doing “very little, if anything” to help Iran. Today Sergey Lavrov sat beside Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson asks whether that was a coincidence — and host Zulfiqar Ali’s Pakistani and Turkish contacts say the leader who is really on his own is MBS.

— 09:29 Lavrov in Tehran: “You think that was just a coincidence?”
— 19:55 MBS on his own: why Pakistan and Turkey have cut their support, per our host’s contacts — and China’s position.— 30:48 “There are no good military options”: Trump’s only way out, according to Larry Johnson.

What you’ll learn: why Lavrov’s visit contradicts Trump’s claim about Russia · why Pakistan’s border “closure” is two gates, not the border · what our host’s sources say about MBS, Pakistan, Turkey and China · why Iran wants the Islamabad MOU, not the JCPOA · what Johnson expects before the 3 November election.

Sourcing note: The reports on Pakistan’s and Turkey’s support for MBS, on China’s position, on sea traffic through Gwadar and on US helicopters off Pakistan’s coast are our host’s own sourcing and cannot be independently verified. Johnson’s report of a Quantico meeting of senior officers on 20 October had not been publicly reported at the time of publishing. 

Public record: Lavrov met Araghchi in Tehran on 19 October and said Russia is committed to its 20-year strategic partnership with Iran; Pakistan suspended trade at the Taftan and Gabd crossings (18 October; some reports say four crossings) and Iran’s foreign ministry cited “technical issues”; Trump said on 16 October that “Israel’s been very helpful to Saudi Arabia”; IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi was killed in Saravan on 24 September; Pakistan’s information ministry on 18 October called claims that the US Navy operates from Pakistani territory against Iran “baseless”. 

Alex Christoforou | Xi, Putin, Trump Meeting; Macron Blames Trump, Then Flees France | Oct. 19, 2026

Source: Alex Christoforou youtube



Description: 

In the video I reference the Putin-Trump call on October 9th. I said "December 9th" multiple times. This is my mistake. I meant to say October 9th. My apologies for the error.

Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump may meet at the APEC summit in China to discuss Ukraine, and Zelensky is not invited. Alex breaks down the Wall Street Journal report, Trump's blunt Truth Social message to Zelensky after pausing Graham's sanctions, Russia's Rasvet guided strikes on western Ukraine, and Macron's speech blaming Trump for fuel prices before flying off to the Gulf. Is Europe's leadership running out of excuses as protests spread from Paris to Milan?

Timeline:
00:00:00 Xi, Putin and Trump to meet at APEC in China
00:04:05 Why Zelensky is not invited
00:06:48 Trump defends pausing Graham's sanctions bill
00:09:10 Trump on Iran and his blunt message to Zelensky
00:11:14 Witkoff and Kushner call and what Putin may propose
00:13:12 Zelensky blames the US in NBC interview
00:15:40 Russia hits western Ukraine using Rasvet
00:17:56 Kyiv strikes and the US warning claims
00:21:19 St Petersburg drone flight path via Lithuania
00:25:18 Macron's speech and the Celine Dion concert
00:29:38 Macron blames Trump and the Middle East
00:33:12 Macron leaves France for the Gulf
00:35:06 Italy's Crosetto dismisses public opinion
00:36:54 Trump endorses Netanyahu
00:38:49 Clown World: Zelensky's NBC interview

Jeffrey Sachs | Europe Implodes, Trump and Bibi Strike Iran — WW3 Is Next? | Oct. 19, 2026

Source: Danny Haiphong youtube



Description: 

Economist Jeffrey Sachs discusses the break down of Europe as massive protests and riots shake the continent and renewed Iran war begins with new US strikes ahead of Israel's critical election on October 27th.

John Mearsheimer | Bigger Bombs Can't Fix Trump's Losing Strategy in Iran | Oct. 19, 2026

Source: Daniel Davis youtube



Description: 

On Deep Dive, John Mearsheimer and Daniel Davis discuss why bigger bombs cannot fix Donald Trump's losing strategy in Iran.

Scott Ritter | Trump vs. Zelensky — End of Ukraine, NATO & EU | Oct. 19, 2026

Source: Glenn Diesen youtube



Description: 

Scott Ritter tells Glenn Diesen that the largest drone attack on St. Petersburg did not exploit a hole in Russian air defenses so much as a corridor along Belarus, Poland, and the Baltic states, where intercepting the drones would put Russian assets into NATO airspace, and that the precision implies guidance beacons inside NATO countries. He says Zelensky made the quarrel with Donald Trump personal, a mistake he calls fatal, and that the split points to the collapse of Ukraine and, with it, of NATO and the European Union.

Andrei Martyanov | Convulsions | Oct. 19, 2026

Source: Andrei Martyanov youtube, smoothiex12.blogspot.com



Description: 

Big Three, real one. Stand-off arsenals. Andrei Martyanov says political and military elites have brought Europe to the end, with France convulsing, and that only the United States, China, and Russia will decide a relatively peaceful world, because Russia's standoff arsenal, used every day, is not comparable to what he says remains of U.S. munitions after the Iran war.

Larry Wilkerson | Iran's 'Father of Missiles' Responds to Trump's MOAB Threat | Oct. 19, 2026

Source: Dialogue Works youtube



Description: 

Nima Alkhorshid reads Iran's foreign minister answering Donald Trump's endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu and the claim they will finish the job, then an IRGC brigadier general who said a MOAB strike on Iran would be answered with a father of missiles Iran has not used yet. Larry Wilkerson calls that talk a path toward another round of war, likelier after the November 3 election than before it, and says Egypt's President Sisi would be unwise to send troops to Yemen after Tehran warned of consequences.

The Duran | Graham 500% sanctions collapse; Zelensky wants €155 billion | Oct. 19, 2026

Source: The Duran youtube



Description:
Donald Trump has waived Lindsey Graham's sanctions, shelving the 500% penalties on Russian oil. The episode argues the Graham-Blumenthal bill was a trap ahead of the midterms, while Zelensky arrives in Brussels asking for more money and warning of 20 million refugees. It also asks how the EU funded its 90 billion euro Ukraine loan, and whether Russia's frozen assets in Euroclear are being used as collateral.

The Duran, episode 2652.

0:00 Trump waives Lindsey Graham's sanctions
0:58 Why 500% sanctions on Russian oil was always a bad idea
3:11 Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and the global energy crunch
4:13 Trump's waiver authority and why it is rational
5:12 Why did Trump let this bill get so far?
7:13 A neocon setup for a Putin puppet narrative
9:40 The tariff trap after the Supreme Court ruling
12:47 Blumenthal and Congress react with fury
14:27 Midterms, investigations and impeachment talk
16:32 Zelensky in Brussels asks for another 70 billion euros
18:30 Who is funding the 90 billion euro loan?
21:02 Merz and Sikorski refuse to hand frozen assets to the US
23:52 Are frozen assets being used as collateral?
26:05 How the asset freeze backfired on Europe
28:45 Zelensky warns of 20 million Ukrainian refugees 

Pepe Escobar | Pakistan Navy warns off US Black Hawks; Iran locks 400 targets, porous border, open routes | Transition Protocol | Oct. 18, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Pakistani military sources say Pakistani naval aircraft warned US helicopters away from the coast off Karachi. The same weekend, trade across the Iran–Pakistan land border crossings was halted — and our host’s sources say Iran has 400 targets locked, many of them in Israel. Zulfiqar Ali brings both accounts, checked in Islamabad and Tehran; Pepe Escobar, from Bangkok after midnight, brings the dollar-bypass talks the closure interrupted — and the one country whose cargo still crosses.

— 07:57 The Black Hawk encounter, per Pakistani military sources.
— 16:30 Except China: the cargo that still crosses, per our host’s sources.
— 27:17 Iran’s 400 locked targets: the warning our host’s sources relayed.

What you’ll learn: why Pakistan and Iran suspended trade at their border, and what officials on both sides say it was for · whether Washington pressured Islamabad — and the answer our host was given · what the US Navy is doing off Pakistan’s coast · why Chinese cargo is still moving · where Iran stands on the Mecca defence pact · what Egypt and the OIC are doing about Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.

Sourcing note: The Black Hawk encounter, the Chinese-cargo exemption, the saboteur arrests and the position of US naval assets are our host’s own sourcing from Pakistani military, naval and coastal officials and cannot be independently verified; we found no public report of the encounter. “3 nautical miles” is the distance as reported to our host; Pakistan’s territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles, and the host says the helicopters did not enter Pakistani territory. 

A Pakistani brigadier told our host the detained saboteurs were financed by the UAE; that is one officer’s allegation and has not been independently verified. The 3,000-truck figure and its banking cause are Pepe Escobar’s information. 

Public record: Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce suspended trade through the Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan crossings (memo of 16 October, announced 17 October); Pakistani officials cited security, counterterrorism and smuggling and said the border is likely to reopen soon; Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman called the closure temporary and cited “technical issues”; more than 2,000 containers were reported stranded at Gabd-Rimdan, while passenger traffic continued at Gabd-Rimdan. 

The 400 locked targets are our host’s sourcing and cannot be independently verified. The Iran–Pakistan central bank meeting is Escobar’s reporting; the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings ran in Bangkok on 12–18 October. Iran’s interest in the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is contested: our host’s sources say Iran has expressed interest; Escobar says it is not being discussed in Tehran; Iran’s foreign ministry said in August it had received no formal invitation.