Transition Protocol | Iran Says It Seized a U.S. Underwater Drone Iran Pounded a US Base in Jordan. Trump Didn’t Hit Back | Pravin Sawhney | Sept. 11, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Iran says its forces recovered a U.S.-operated underwater drone at the Strait of Hormuz. The United States says the Anduril Dive-LD malfunctioned during a survey mission. In this episode, defence analyst Pravin Sawhney joins Zulfiqar Ali to explain what the vehicle can do, why its 6,000-metre operating depth and roughly 10-day endurance matter, and what the incident may reveal about the underwater contest around the world’s most important oil chokepoint.

The discussion also examines Iran’s confirmed ballistic-missile launches toward a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer, Tehran’s newly announced maritime restricted zone, the Iran–Oman shipping corridor, the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia–Türkiye defence framework, the Yemen escalation and the approaching BRICS summit in New Delhi. Damage claims, casualty reports and private-source assertions are identified as disputed or unverified rather than presented as settled fact.

Pravin Sawhney is a defence analyst and author focused on military technology and the changing character of war. Transition Protocol is an independent, source-driven geopolitical channel examining shifts in military power, global finance and the emerging multipolar order. Subscribe for high-signal reporting that separates verified developments from analyst judgment and source claims. 

Larry C. Johnson | US Bases in Jordan Suffer Sustained Iran Missile Attack — U.S. Power Just Cracked | Transition Protocol | Sept. 9, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Washington said it would answer tanker for tanker. Iran struck US bases in Jordan and hit ships in the Gulf. By the time this conversation was recorded in St Petersburg, the American answer still had not come.

Zulfiqar Ali speaks with military analyst Larry Johnson about the Gulf confrontation, the diesel shortage that matters more than the crude price, Iran's exit from the dollar system through Chinese banking channels, Pakistan's emergence as Tehran's financial back door, and what the missile-versus-interceptor exchange over Jordan revealed about American air defence. Johnson also recounts a private dinner with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, and gives a blunt assessment of where Ukraine ends.

Larry Johnson is a former CIA analyst and former deputy director of the State Department's Office of Counterterrorism, speaking from St Petersburg. Transition Protocol is an independent, source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis channel.

This episode contains analysis, forecasts and claims attributed to the speakers and to their unnamed contacts. Several are single-source and have not been independently verified. Where accounts differ from official statements — including the scale of the Jordan strike — we have said so on screen. Consequential claims should be independently verified.

Pepe Escobar | North Korea Just Delivered Carrier-Killer Drones to Iran | Sep. 8, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description: 

Pepe Escobar, reporting from Seoul, and Zulfiqar Ali on Iran's shift from defense to offense, a reported North Korean underwater-drone delivery, and the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's leadership has concluded that this war cannot be settled at a negotiating table. Recorded 8 September 2026, they lay out how diplomatic off-ramps brokered by Pakistan collapsed and what that means for the wider Iran war. 

Zulfiqar Ali reports, from sources inside Iran's power structures, that North Korea has delivered stealth underwater attack drones to Iran through a corridor involving China and Pakistan, and that the decision to go on the offensive was cleared by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, President Pezeshkian, Speaker Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Araghchi. The channel marks this as source-based reporting, not independently verified. 

Escobar assesses a possible American counter-response and what a strategic defeat in West Asia and Ukraine at the same time would mean for US power.

Larry Johnson & Pepe Escobar | Iran Told Trump "GET LOST" 10-Day Ceasefire REJECTED Trump Begged Iran | Transition Protocol | Sept. 2, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Iran told Trump "get lost." Sources with direct contact to Islamabad and Tehran tell Transition Protocol that Trump offered Iran a 10-day cessation of hostilities this week — and was refused. Then, through Qatar, the White House asked Iran to allow "performative strikes" with no retaliation. Iran refused again. 

Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir has stopped returning Trump's calls after being sent to Tehran twice and reneged on twice. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite official claims it is "wide open," CENTCOM has re-stood up a 24/7 battle staff, and Iran's retaliation doctrine is now 2-to-1, 3-to-1, 5-to-1 with a war plan built to run through the US midterms.

Larry Johnson explains why the bond market — not the Pentagon — is forcing Trump to back down: Treasury yields are rising and, in his words, "nobody's buying." Pepe Escobar breaks down the tanker-for-tanker gamble that could detonate global shipping insurance, Ghalibaf's warning that "if we cannot export oil, nobody will," and the SCO development bank being built outside the US dollar at Bishkek and Vladivostok ahead of the BRICS summit in India. Zulfiqar Ali reports Tehran's final position: diplomacy only through the Islamabad MOU — no more negotiations.

Guests: Larry Johnson, former CIA analyst and State Department counter-terrorism official; Pepe Escobar, veteran geopolitical correspondent covering BRICS, SCO and Eurasia from the ground; hosted by Zulfiqar Ali. Inside-source claims in this episode are attributed and identified on screen as developing; nothing unverified is presented as settled fact. Transition Protocol is a serious, source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis channel — evidence-based reporting on global power shifts and their financial consequences. Subscribe and join us on Substack for twice-weekly briefings 

Pepe Escobar | Iran Gave TRUMP a Way Out of WAR Return to the MOU or Hormuz Stays SHUT Why He Said NO | Transition Protocol | Sept. 2, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Trump called Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir repeatedly — "find me an off-ramp" — according to a source close to Munir cited by Zulfiqar Ali. 

Munir went to Tehran and, Zulfiqar reports, persuaded a reluctant Iran to offer Washington a way out; Trump rejected it because he could not present it as a victory. 

Days later the Strait of Hormuz tanker incident restarted the bombing. The call-level details are Zulfiqar's sourced reporting and have not been independently verified; the 14-point Islamabad MOU is public (link below).

Pepe Escobar then lays out what Washington won't: Iran's actual terms (return to the MOU or Hormuz stays shut), the timeline Tehran is reported to be planning for, the endurance contest over interceptors and resupply, and why the global economy cannot sustain a forever war at the world's most important chokepoint.

Then the story the West ignored this week: the SCO summit in Bishkek. The declaration on the attack on Iran and "indivisible security"; the proposed SCO energy consortium and development bank outside the dollar system; 

Mongolia and Afghanistan moving toward membership; Pakistan's 2027 chairmanship; and the Saudi–Pakistan–Turkey Mecca Defence Agreement moving from paper to institution. What is confirmed, what is developing, and what it means for oil, the dollar and the next phase of the war.

Pepe Escobar is a veteran geopolitical analyst who has covered the SCO since its 2001 founding. Zulfiqar Ali's reporting draws on sources inside Pakistan's military and diplomatic leadership. Transition Protocol is an independent, source-driven channel; claims from insiders are labelled as such on screen. Subscribe and turn on notifications — tomorrow: Larry Johnson on Vladivostok and the Eastern Economic Forum. 

Pepe Escobar | BREAKING: The Nuclear Signal Nobody Expected.Why the Next 72 Hours Decide Everything | Aug. 27, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
IRAN HAS SIGNALLED IT MAY OPEN THE NUCLEAR FILE — and the Strait of Hormuz has 72 hours to prove whether the deal is real. 

Pepe Escobar and Zulfiqar Ali break down the Iran–US architecture now being assembled through Pakistani mediation: the closed Strait of Hormuz, the war-risk insurance premiums that will move before any government speaks, the six billion dollars sitting in Qatari banks, and the three-capital joint statement that sources say could land within 48 hours. Sources close to the talks indicate Iranian negotiators may show flexibility on the nuclear dossier at a later stage — a reversal from the position held a day earlier.

Also in this episode: why Iran has shut Omani territorial waters to transiting ships and taken control of the whole strait; why Pakistan has refused to enforce US secondary sanctions on Iran — described here as a first in its history — alongside coordinated foreign-ministry pushback from Russia and China; the role of former Pakistani army chief Raheel Sharif in carrying the framework to Riyadh and onward to Washington; the 40 million Pakistani Shias offered to Tehran as a guarantee of good faith; and the 60-to-90-day framework of indirect talks and cessation of hostilities now under discussion, with Pakistan as mediator and Qatar as the financial channel. Islamabad and Switzerland are both being pushed as the signing venue.

Pepe Escobar is a veteran geopolitical correspondent who has covered Eurasian politics and energy for decades; Zulfiqar Ali reports from direct contacts across the Pakistani and Iranian political and military leadership. Claims sourced to those contacts are marked DEVELOPING on screen and are not independently verified. Transition Protocol is a source-driven geopolitics channel covering de-dollarization, BRICS, the multipolar order and the financial consequences of global power shifts. Subscribe for the follow-up the moment the joint statement lands. 

Pepe Escobar | BREAKING: MUNIR GETS IRAN’S GREEN LIGHT, HE Met the Man Who Threatened to Shut Off Gulf Oil | Aug. 26, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Iran has told Washington that if the United States succeeds in economically suffocating it, not a drop of oil will leave the Gulf — not from Saudi Arabia, not the UAE, not Qatar, not anywhere.

That message was carried out of Tehran this week by Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and delivered to the acting US ambassador in Islamabad within hours of their return.

Pepe Escobar and Zulfiqar Ali break down the full sequence — the Trump phone call that started it, the six-point mechanism now on the table, the Strait of Hormuz deal-breaker, and the message from Beijing that landed in the room while the talks were still running.

Also in this episode — what Iran is demanding before it returns to the table (frozen assets, sanctions relief, an end to the naval blockade); why the new US Treasury sanctions package is functionally aimed at China; the single American decision that would collapse the entire process overnight; Iran's four-step escalation ladder and the NPT exit that sits on the first rung; and why both analysts now describe this as the last chance saloon. Chapter markers below.

Pepe Escobar is a globally recognised geopolitical correspondent covering Eurasia, BRICS and the multipolar transition. Zulfiqar Ali reports from direct channels in Islamabad and Tehran. Transition Protocol is a source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis channel focused on evidence-based reporting and high-signal breakdowns of global power shifts and their financial consequences. Some claims in this episode are single-source and are identified on screen as such.

Larry Johnson & Pepe Escobar | Trump Tried to Buy Iran's Revolutionary Guard IRAN REJECTS TRUMP'S BILLIONS IN BRIBES | Transition Protocol Aug. 20, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Trump's White House tried to buy off Iran's Revolutionary Guard with a multi-billion-dollar offer modeled on the Venezuela playbook — and got refused twice, first by IRGC commander Vahidi, who called it treason, and then by Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir, who told Trump directly that Islamabad would not help destabilize Tehran's leadership.

In this episode, Zulfiqar Ali, Pepe Escobar, and Larry Johnson break down the failed bribery attempt, China's directive to Pakistan to prioritize its Iran relationship, and why the collapse of the US–Iran memorandum of understanding is now pushing Washington toward open discussion of a nuclear strike on Iran.

The panel also covers the global diesel and aviation-fuel shortage triggered by the Strait of Hormuz blockade, the UAE's public cutoff of trade with Iran days after reportedly sending Tehran billions in cash and gold, and why Oman and Qatar are now openly rejecting US pressure over who controls the strait.

This episode is built on direct reporting from sources inside Tehran and Islamabad and lands the same week the US–Iran MOU formally expired (August 17–18, 2026), with Iran declaring a shift to a fully offensive posture on Hormuz.

Zulfiqar Ali reports with direct access to decision-making circles in Islamabad and Tehran; Pepe Escobar is a veteran geopolitical analyst covering Eurasia and the multipolar order from the ground; Larry Johnson is a former US intelligence and State Department official providing military and strategic analysis. Transition Protocol is a serious, source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis channel focused on evidence-based reporting and high-signal breakdowns of global power shifts and their financial consequences.

Pepe Escobar | EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s Secret Iran Backchannel COLLAPSED-Pak Army Chief Refused Trump’s Request | Aug. 18, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding has expired — and this episode reveals exactly why. Pepe Escobar and Zulfiqar Ali break down two secret back-channel plays Washington ran to bypass Pakistan and reach Iran’s military command directly, why IRGC leadership refused both times, and what Iran’s newly appointed #2 official signaled by shifting toward "offense."

The conversation goes deep on nuclear-normalization talk reportedly circulating in Washington, Iran’s retaliation posture, Pakistan’s damaged mediator role, and the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi where Iran, Russia, and China’s presidents are expected to meet.

Pepe Escobar is a globally recognized, veteran geopolitical journalist with decades of on-the-ground reporting across Eurasia; Zulfiqar Ali hosts Transition Protocol with direct sourcing inside regional decision-making circles.

This is Transition Protocol — independent, source-driven analysis of the shift away from a unipolar world order. Subscribe for continuing coverage of the Iran-U.S. standoff, and join our Substack for twice-weekly deep intelligence briefings

Larry Johnson | BREAKING: ”Iran Is Done Playing Defense”-Insiders WARN of a Strike on a US Warship | Aug. 17, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Iran has moved from defensive to offensive posture — and sources in Tehran and Islamabad tell Transition Protocol the next step under discussion is an attack on a US Navy warship. Meanwhile, the American fleet enforcing the Iran blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is running out of food, having lost its forward resupply warehouses in Bahrain and Oman and half its fast combat supply ships to a decade-old budget cut. Today the US–Iran MOU officially expired. Larry Johnson and Zulfiqar Ali break down what happens next.

In this episode: why Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman, and the Hormuz transit-fee agreement that likely triggered it; why oil moving off ships is reportedly changing hands as high as $260 a barrel while the tanker ETF has gone from $67 to $387 since February; why the global diesel and aviation fuel shortage cannot be solved by pumping more crude; how BRICS, China’s CIPS payment system and six new Pakistani overland routes have made sanctioning Iran into isolation impossible; why the Turkey–Pakistan–Saudi Mecca pact cannot fight for 12 to 18 months; and what was reportedly discussed about the nuclear option at Camp David this weekend.

Larry Johnson spent 27 years in US intelligence and counterterrorism, including the CIA and the State Department’s Office of Counterterrorism, and has run joint military operations planning for over two decades.

Zulfiqar Ali reports with direct visibility into decision-making circles in Tehran and Islamabad. Transition Protocol is a serious, source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis channel focused on evidence-based reporting and high-signal breakdowns of global power shifts and their financial consequences. Some claims in this episode are source-based and developing; each is identified as such on screen. Nothing here is investment advice.;

Pepe Escobar | EXCLUSIVE: UAE Flew GOLD SECRETLY to Tehran,Iran's Warning: 2k ATTACK Boats Are Waiting | Aug. 15, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description: 

Iran has reportedly given Washington a matter of days — not weeks — to change course on the Strait of Hormuz, according to Pakistani and Iranian mediation sources detailed in this Transition Protocol special. I

n this breaking-news episode, Zulfiqar Ali and Pepe Escobar break down MBS's second phone call blocking a revamped US strike on Iran, the UAE's stunning gold-and-cash outreach to Tehran, Pakistan and China's central role as mediators, and Iran's readiness — including a reported 2,000-boat swarm fleet — to defend the Strait of Hormuz if diplomacy fails.

Pepe Escobar is a veteran geopolitical analyst and journalist covering Eurasia, BRICS, and multipolar world affairs for over two decades; Zulfiqar Ali hosts Transition Protocol, a source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis show reaching audiences in fourteen languages. This is analysis and source-based reporting — claims marked DEVELOPING or UNVERIFIED are clearly flagged throughout.

Larry Johnson & Pepe Escobar | Breaking: Exposes Bessent's Dumbest Claim Yet Trump Says “Total Control” Iran Says No | Aug. 12, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Strait of Hormuz irrelevant in two years? Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said so on Aug. 8, claiming pipelines will replace most Gulf oil flow — but existing bypass capacity covers less than a quarter of what actually crosses Hormuz.

The same week, President Trump claimed “total control” of the Strait, and Iran's newly confirmed Supreme National Security Council chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said it stays shut until the US ends the war and returns frozen assets. Pepe Escobar, Larry Johnson, and Zulfiqar Ali break down all three claims against the actual numbers, plus the new Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and a US Strategic Petroleum Reserve that just hit its lowest level since 1983.

Beyond the headlines: what a stalled Hormuz reopening means for global diesel and jet fuel supply, why the US emergency oil reserve matters for every driver and airline, and what Pakistan's active back-channel diplomacy with Tehran could mean for the weeks ahead. Verification note: claims in this episode are labeled Confirmed, Developing, or Assessment/Unverified throughout. Source-based intelligence is clearly flagged and should be weighed accordingly — we'd rather be right than first.

Pepe Escobar | Khamenei Pivots After Secret Six-Hour Meeting with Pezeshkian; Pakistan Mecca Pact Shakes Eurasia | August 12, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
On Transition Protocol, Pepe Escobar walks through a tightly packed Iran–Pakistan–Eurasia brief: a reported secret six-hour meeting between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, and what a “pivot” in Tehran’s internal and regional posture could signal.

Escobar also flags Pakistan’s Mecca-linked diplomacy as a potential shock to wider Eurasian alignments—how religious, security, and trade vectors can move together when great-power pressure is high.

The conversation ties these moves to the broader multipolar map: Iranian decision-making under stress, Islamabad’s balancing act, and why opaque elite meetings matter more than the daily headline cycle.

Transition Protocol | Danny Haiphong :Iran to US- Meet 6 DEMANDS or Hormuz Stays SHUT-What Happens If the US Says NO | Aug. 10, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
Transition Protocol discusses: Danny Haiphong :Iran to US- Meet 6 DEMANDS or Hormuz Stays SHUT-What Happens If the US Says NO.

Larry Johnson | BREAKING: Where Was Mojtaba Khamenei? Iran's UNSEEN Leader Made 1st Move- Who Signed Iran's Decree?? | Aug. 10, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube, Sonar21.com



Iran replaced the secretary of its Supreme National Security Council last night — by decree of a Supreme Leader the world has not laid eyes on since the strike that killed his father in February. Every newsroom carried the decree. None of them could tell you who signed it.

Transition Protocol has been told by a source close to him that Mojtaba Khamenei has largely recovered, that the change at the top of Iran's security apparatus was his own decision, and that Iran's answer to Washington is being carried to Islamabad this week. We report that as what it is: single-source and unconfirmed. We are telling you who told us and what they are in a position to know, and you can weigh it.

In this briefing, Larry Johnson and Zulfiqar Ali cover why Western analysts are misreading the elevation of Mohsen Rezaei as the arrival of a hardliner; what Iran's updated ten points now demand, including four names that were not in the April version; why six strikes on shipping in eight days have drawn no American retaliation; what the emerging Oman arrangement means for transit permission, tolls and the currency they are paid in; why Saudi Arabia cannot win the exchange it is now in with Yemen; and why Japan's refineries — not the barrel count — are the hidden mechanism behind the global diesel and jet-fuel shortage.

Analysis by Larry Johnson, former CIA analyst and former Deputy Director of the US State Department's Office of Counterterrorism, with Zulfiqar Ali. Hosted by Transition Protocol.

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.

Sabby Sabs | Iran denies Hormuz deal – Iran’s threat worked, Trump backed off – Can Trump still punish Iran? | Aug. 4, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube, Sabby Sabs yooutube



Description:
Iran has officially denied reports of any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, contradicting claims that a new deal had been reached. In this episode of Power Shift, Zulfiqar Ali is joined by Sabrina Salvati (Sabby Sabs) to examine what happened, why Tehran rejected the reported deal, and what this means for the growing US-Iran confrontation.

We break down Iran's official statements, the geopolitical implications for the Strait of Hormuz, the role of Oman, rising tensions in the Gulf, and how these developments could affect global oil markets and international security.

In this video:
- Iran denies any Hormuz reopening agreement
- Trump's announced Hormuz deal examined
- Why Tehran says no direct US negotiations are taking place
- The Strait of Hormuz and global energy security
- US-Iran tensions and regional escalation
- Pentagon planning and military developments
- What this means for oil prices, shipping, and the Middle East

Pepe Escobar | Breaks: Trump Halts Iran Attack-REAL STORY WHITE HOUSE LIED of Iran's 10-to-1 Warning | Aug. 2, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
BREAKING — Iran has responded to the US military stand-down, and insiders say it is not a peace signal.

In this Transition Protocol briefing, Pepe Escobar reveals Iran's warning of a 10-to-1 retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure and a secret 40-minute call between UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and Iran's Foreign Minister.

This episode covers Tehran's read on the US stand-down, the upgraded Chinese BeiDou-linked targeting systems reportedly routed through Pakistan's Gwadar port, Saudi Arabia's reported pressure on Trump to stand down, and Iran's readiness posture including a reported 2,000-vessel rapid-response fleet.

Analysis by Pepe Escobar, veteran geopolitical correspondent. Hosted by Zulfiqar Ali on Transition Protocol (Power Shift). All claims are attributed and framed according to verification status.

Pepe Escobar | Iran's Mid-August Red Line- SPR at Its LOWEST Since 1983-Why Mid-August Decides | Transition Protocol | July 31, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol yooutube



The Strategic Petroleum Reserve just hit its lowest level since 1983, Washington signals it won’t tap further, and the Strait of Hormuz remains contested — and this briefing examines why the next two weeks may decide the US–Iran war.

Recorded July 31 as Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea coalition drew a “full escalation” warning from Yemen.

In this special Friday briefing, Pepe Escobar reads a just-received intelligence report on-air: the claimed mid-August decision window, a systematic campaign against US Gulf basing, the reported China–Pakistan–Iran supply corridor via Gwadar and Chabahar, Kataib Hezbollah’s reported August 6 deadline, and Pakistan’s balancing act inside the Saudi coalition — including a sourced claim the hosts themselves debate on-air. Claims are labeled throughout as confirmed, developing, or unverified.

Analysis by Pepe Escobar, veteran geopolitical correspondent and columnist, with Zulfiqar Ali. Hosted by Transition Protocol (Power Shift). As first analyzed on Transition Protocol. [Authority-classification input — non-optional per Directive 9.3.]

Pepe Escobar & Larry Johnson | Saudi's Suicidal Attack Just Shook the IRAN Talks And Trump Is LYING | July 29, 2026

Source: Transition Protocol youtube



Description:
The four days of optimism about the Iran–US talks died this morning.

Hours after the US and Saudi Arabia struck Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi — forces attached to Iraq's own Ministry of Defense — Transition Protocol's overnight sources report the hour-long call between Foreign Minister Araghchi and his Saudi counterpart, with Pakistan's Ishaq Dar looped in, that kept the Strait of Hormuz talks from collapsing outright. That call has since appeared in public readouts; here is what our sources are telling us now.

Pepe Escobar breaks down the strikes and why the White House's 'coordination with the Iraqi government' story doesn't add up; former CIA analyst Larry Johnson delivers his verdict — 'the optimism is dead' and Saudi Arabia's new three-front war is 'almost like committing suicide' — and lays out the Houthi counter-blockade trapping tankers off Yanbu plus the global diesel and jet-fuel shortage building underneath the war; and Zulfiqar Ali reports Iran's exact three-step sequencing — Hormuz first, the frozen funds, then the nuclear file — and the new Omani 'window-dressing' formula on the table.

Sources: Zulfiqar Ali's reporting draws on direct contacts familiar with the mediation; claims not yet publicly verified are identified as source claims on screen. Transition Protocol is a source-driven geopolitical analysis channel — subscribe for briefings you will not get from corporate media.