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.
The war in Ukraine is not just about Ukraine and Russia with the US and NATO acting as seemingly benevolent supporters of Ukraine, as the Western media portray.
The United States and its NATO allies are deeply involved in the conflict. The military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 – after 20 years of futile occupation – was a calculated “reorganization of firepower” against Russia, says Pepe Escobar.
Ukraine is merely a proxy and ultimately cannon fodder for American imperial planners.
This war is part of a bigger geopolitical confrontation between the US and Russia, China and other nations that are pushing for the emergence of a multipolar world. That is a multipolar world no longer under the hegemony of US-dominated Western capitalism.
Pepe Escobar assesses the bigger picture and outlines how the US imperial state is in "panic mode" to shore up the collapsing American-controlled global capitalist system, and in particular the privileged position of the US dollar.
Going to war with Russia presently and in the longer term against China is part of the desperate dynamic to prolong the dominant position of Washington that was established after the Second World War. That postwar imperial order – euphemistically called the "rules-based order" – is increasingly falling into disrepute from unbridled imperialist wars and abuse of financial controls.
The vast majority of the planet wants liberation from the US/Western warmongering system that underpins capitalist exploitation that only enriches a global elite. The war in Ukraine is but the manifestation of the breakdown in US global power and the desperation to preserve the systematic inequality that defines capitalism.
This year is fraught with extreme danger, says Pepe Escobar. But if the psychotic US deep-state planners can be contained by Russia and China without an all-out catastrophic war erupting then there is a chance of a more hopeful, peaceful and just world order emerging.
Pakistani officers in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh war room say they sit in the same room as CENTCOM and Israeli officers — and that target selection in the war on Yemen is done by CENTCOM and the Israelis. Host Zulfiqar Ali brings their account; Pepe Escobar, from Bangkok after midnight, brings Yemen's next targets and Iran's clock.
Sourcing note: The war-room and MBS reports are our host's own sourcing from Pakistani military personnel and cannot be independently verified. The "Mossad" and "17 people" remarks are Pepe Escobar's information; the host said on air he could not report it.
The Saudi spokesman's Eilat statement is as Escobar describes it; we have not located it. Public record: Riyadh airport was attacked on 6–8 October and operations resumed on 9 October; an Aramco facility south of Riyadh burned on 3 October; Turkey's foreign minister said on 8 October the Mecca pact is "not an offensive agreement"; Pakistan called the New York Times report of PAF strikes "fake and fabricated" on 8 October. An April report said Pakistan had deployed ~10,000 troops to the Yemen border; our host's sources deny it.
Timeline:
00:02:49 The next round: Aramco headquarters and King Khalid Airport, according to Pepe Escobar.
00:28:58 Pakistan's real role: 15 advisers, "not even a team" — per our host's sources.
00:35:39 Same room: what Pakistani personnel in the war room are reporting home.
Description:
BRICS 2025 Summit delivers shocking revelations as Pepe Escobar exposes how the BRICS 2025 summit exceeded all expectations despite initial skepticism. In this exclusive BRICS news analysis, renowned geopolitical expert Pepe Escobar breaks down the major developments from the BRICS Summit 2025 in Rio, revealing how Russia's announcement about the New Development Bank (NDB) bypassing SWIFT represents the most significant de-dollarization move yet.
Discover why Lula's leadership surprised everyone, how Modi's strategic partnership with Brazil positions India as the next BRICS chair, and the real reasons behind Xi Jinping's absence. Escobar reveals exclusive insights from BRICS Business Council meetings, the emergence of a BRICS media alliance, and how BRICS partners like Malaysia and Iran are reshaping global geopolitics.
Learn about BRICS expansion strategies, the critical role of Southeast Asia and ASEAN integration, and how the Global South is building parallel financial systems. This BRICS summit analysis covers everything from Indonesia's growing influence to the formation of alternative payment mechanisms that challenge Western dominance.
Get the inside story on BRICS trade developments, media platform initiatives, and why Trump's immediate tariff response proves BRICS 2025 highlights represent a genuine threat to dollar hegemony.
This BRICS 2025 analysis doesn't include detailed technical specifications of new payment systems, specific investment figures for China-Brazil projects, or comprehensive coverage of all BRICS partners' individual policies. We don't explore internal NDB restructuring processes, detailed ASEAN member country positions, or extensive analysis of Iran-Indonesia bilateral relations outside the BRICS framework.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction and welcome to Think BRICS
00:45 - Reflections on the BRICS Summit in Rio and early skepticism
01:35 - Success of the summit and key pre-summit engagements
02:53 - BRICS Business Day and global participation
04:00 - Discussions on BRICS investment and networking
05:15 - Major announcement: NDB to bypass SWIFT
06:42 - The role of Dilma Rousseff and NDB challenges
08:05 - Importance of the Rio Declaration and its geopolitical impact
09:10 - De-dollarization and BRICS economic strategy
10:33 - Lula’s renewed leadership role at BRICS
12:46 - Anwar Ibrahim’s impactful speech and ASEAN connection
13:55 - Malaysia’s diplomatic leadership in ASEAN
16:16 - Key takeaways: Trade in national currencies and geopolitical coordination
17:12 - Hybrid war threats and regional destabilization
18:33 - Leadership dynamics: Anwar Ibrahim’s role and BRICS unity
19:30 - Proposal for an intra-BRICS media alliance
21:01 - Guancha, Sputnik, and Brazil247 media collaboration
22:30 - The need for decentralized media across the Global South
23:00 - Examples of BRICS-aligned media initiatives
24:10 - Audience reach of Guancha and Think BRICS' growth
25:25 - NDB’s second golden decade and expansion plans
26:30 - Importance of NDB’s visibility and future growth
27:45 - Reflections on the Rio summit’s improvisational success
28:56 - On Xi Jinping's absence and Modi’s central role
30:35 - Xi’s strategy and Brazil-India cooperation
31:48 - Major Chinese investments in Brazil are already underway
34:42 - India’s growing influence in BRICS and global outreach
36:28 - BRICS support for Iran and final declaration diplomacy
38:15 - Iran’s vocal participation and united BRICS stance
38:55 - Tensions between India and China within BRICS
39:55 - The importance of Iran and Indonesia as key BRICS members
40:55 - Looking ahead to India’s BRICS chairmanship
42:45 - Conclusion and future outlook
Description:
Carl Zha has an incredible conversation with legendary journalist Pepe Escobar, fresh off the road from a groundbreaking trip across China's Xinjiang region. We traveled the modern Silk Road, from the high-tech capital of Urumqi to the ancient oasis of Kashgar, and what we witnessed completely shatters the Western media narrative.
In this episode, Pepe contrasts his travels in Xinjiang from 25 years ago with the reality on the ground today. We discuss the mind-boggling modernization, the seamless integration of ethnic groups, the truth behind the "redevelopment" of Kashgar's old city, and the shocking scale of the Belt and Road Initiative's infrastructure. This is a firsthand, on-the-ground account you won't get anywhere else.
TIMESTAMPS: Key Topics Discussed
(00:00) - Introduction to Pepe Escobar, the "OG" Foreign Correspondent
(01:45) - Pepe's Career: From Asia Times to Being Smeared as a "CCP Agent"
(06:50) - The Mission: Documenting the New Silk Road in Xinjiang
(08:45) - First Impressions: The "Enormous Shock" of Modern Xinjiang
(11:30) - The Karakoram Highway & China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
(13:45) - Crossing the Taklamakan Desert: A Modern Engineering Marvel
(16:10) - The Reality of Kashgar: From Segregated City to Integrated Hub
(19:30) - An Emotional Moment: Showing Locals Footage of Their City from 1998
(22:45) - People-to-People Exchange: Han Chinese, Uyghurs, and Others Living & Working Together
(25:15) - The Tourism Boom: Driven Domestically, Missing Westerners Due to "Demonization"
(29:00) - On the Ground Security: Facial Recognition, Polite Police, and the Real Story
(33:45) - The Upcoming Documentary: A "Multipolar" BRICS Production
(37:20) - Plans for Part 2: Focusing on Northern Xinjiang and Central Asian Borders
(41:50) - Xinjiang as a High-Tech & Green Energy Hub
(47:10) - The Power of Long-Term Planning: 5-Year Plans vs. Western Short-Termism
(52:30) - The "Asian Century" is Already Here: The Vibe of Development vs. Western Decline
(58:00) - China's Offer to the Global South vs. The Washington Consensus
(01:01:30) - How to Follow Pepe Escobar's Work
Description:
Pepe Escobar joins to analyze how Russia is sending a stark message with one of its most powerful weapons and no one is talking about it except the panicked European backers of Ukraine's dying regime. Meanwhile, Trump is escalating an oil tanker war against Venezuela and the Western hemisphere that is already backing him into a corner that won't end well for the flailing US empire.
Description:
Iran holds the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen’s forces now hold the Bab al-Mandab. Saudi Arabia is boxed in on both coasts — and Transition Protocol says it knows why Yemen went all-in.
Recorded after midnight in Moscow, Pepe Escobar and Zulfiqar Ali (Mr. Z) break down five interlocking developments: the quiet understanding between Ansarallah and the White House behind Trump’s “the Houthis called us”; CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper’s meeting with MBS in Jeddah; the postponed Iran–Gulf Hormuz talks that Iran blames on Riyadh; the UAE’s surprise BRICS sit-down with President Pezeshkian; and Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi’s talks with Wang Yi in Beijing.
The hosts also say they hold information — which they say was confirmed at senior levels in Tehran and Islamabad — explaining the ferocity of Yemen’s offensive. They explain on air why they are not releasing the details yet.
Also: diesel at the $9.99 pump limit in California, who turned down MBS’s requests for help, Yemen’s next moves on Taiz and Marib, and Pepe Escobar’s scenarios for Saudi Arabia.
Guest statements about sources, intelligence and future events are the speakers’ own reporting and analysis and are labelled as such on screen.
Support independent analysis: subscribe to Transition Protocol on Substack (same name). New: Friday Fire with Pepe Escobar, every Friday.
Description:
Iran is prepared to take the war beyond the Strait of Hormuz and into the Indian Ocean if nothing moves this week — that is what Pepe Escobar’s contacts and three separate decision-level sources in Tehran are telling Transition Protocol. Here is the way out Washington did not take, the deadlines that start the clock, and who will and will not fight.
In the first edition of THE WEEK AHEAD, Pepe Escobar — speaking from Bangkok at 1 a.m. Monday — joins host Zulfiqar Ali to map the seven days that could decide the Iran war.
— Xi’s off-ramp: according to Escobar, Xi Jinping told Trump face to face to go back to the memorandum both sides signed. Chinese state media reported Xi backed a return to the June 17 Islamabad memorandum.
— The clock: Mohsen Rezaei’s four-to-five-day window runs out Monday 28 September; Wednesday 30 September is a second deadline, as Escobar describes it.
— Hormuz on Iran’s terms: pay the fee, get IRGC Navy clearance — or be attacked.
— Yemen: the Saudi strike on a market in Taiz, and what comes next.
— Pakistan’s answer: will Islamabad join a Saudi–Pakistani–Turkish campaign against Yemen? The host’s sources say no. On Tuesday he brings the answer from a decision-maker.
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.
Description:
Pepe Escobar's Russian contacts count 14 Ilyushin cargo flights into Iran — contents unknown. A senior Pakistani military officer told the host Pakistan would supply Iran "with everything that Iran needs" if war comes. And a source close to the Supreme Leader says two men set Iran's terms: Ghalibaf and Mohsen Rezaei. Plus Pakistan's energy decision, its new partners, and Brazil's vote.
What the episode covers: how Pakistan is balancing its people's energy needs against its IMF commitments; what a senior officer says Pakistan would do if war comes; who sets Tehran's terms for any deal with Washington; what Russia is committing to Iran, per Iranian and Russian sources; what the new Badr MoU means for Pakistan, Qatar, Türkiye and Indonesia; why nothing moves before the 3 November midterms.
Sourcing note: The Pakistani officer's account and the report of the two Iranian negotiators are the host's own sourcing and cannot be independently verified in full. The count of 14 Russian cargo flights is Pepe Escobar's information; he says their contents are unknown.
The Russian LPG cargo for Pakistan has not been confirmed — the host says so on air. Public record cited on the video: Pakistan's Commerce Ministry withdrew its 3 October suspension of trade at the Gabd and Taftan crossings on 16 October (Dawn); the Badr MoU was signed in Doha on 21 October by Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar and Indonesia (Geo News); Iran International reported on 7 October that Ghalibaf's negotiating role was approved by the Supreme Leader; Lavrov met Araghchi in Tehran on 19 October (Al Jazeera); President Trump said on 8 October the US would not attack Iran before the midterms. The Brazil segment was recorded before polls closed; crowd figures quoted on air are not official estimates.
6:21 If war comes: what a senior Pakistani officer says Pakistan would do
8:00 14 Russian cargo planes, and what Escobar can and cannot say about what is inside
17:40 The two men who decide for Iran, per a source close to the Supreme Leader
Description:
According to sources with direct access to decision-makers in Pakistan, the Gulf war may be days from ending — with President Trump expected to travel to Islamabad to meet Iran’s President Pezeshkian and sign the “Islamabad Accord.”
In this episode of POWER SHIFT, Zulfiqar Ali, Pepe Escobar, and former CIA officer Larry C. Johnson lay out the full picture: the three-stage roadmap (Israel halts Lebanon and Palestine → the Strait of Hormuz reopens → the accord is finalized), a 24–48 hour announcement window, China’s role behind the scenes with Putin’s blessing, and the real risks that could still derail it.
⚠️ This reflects source-based intelligence on a deal that is NOT yet signed. We present it as developing, and we mark what we know versus what we don’t.
Timeline:
• 00:00 The breaking story
• 00:50 The 3 stages
• 02:30 The Islamabad Accord
• 03:00 Trump vs. Netanyahu
• 03:30 America’s options
• 05:55 Johnson: the source & caveats
• 07:53 Escobar from St. Petersburg
• 09:24 “The mother of all game changers”
• 11:45 Why Munir matters / accord vs. treaty
• 16:54 MBS & Pakistan force the issue
• 18:46 The 20–25 day timeline
• 21:09 A Chinese deal, blessed by Putin
Iran has refused Trump's last counteroffer in full and decided that ships crossing Hormuz will pay in rials only, Transition Protocol's sources say — decisions taken hours before this recording and not yet announced.
Host Zulfiqar Ali and Pepe Escobar, speaking from Bangkok after midnight, on what Tehran just decided, why the last diplomatic channel may be dead four weeks before the US midterms, and why Pakistan's diplomats see the Yemen war as the biggest threat yet to the House of Saud.
Timeline:
00:03:13 The rial rule: nothing other than Iranian currency, cleared through China's CIPS
00:04:34 The refusal: the Qatari-carried counteroffer rejected categorically
00:06:34 The clock: Escobar says the channel is dead; four weeks to 3 November
00:12:15 The Mecca question: an alliance to defend Saudi Arabia, but none for Gaza?
00:19:21 Pakistan's troops near Yemen: defence only, the host's sources say
00:30:01 Brazil's 25 October runoff, after Flávio Bolsonaro's first-round lead
Description:
Tehran has priced the Strait of Hormuz. The bill went to Washington through Qatar, with Pakistan named as a consultation partner and the terms agreed with Beijing first.
Iran has set out what it wants in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Seven conditions were relayed to the United States through Qatar; three have been published and four have not. Sanctions relief is not among them — and in this episode Pepe Escobar explains why Tehran did not bother asking for something Congress and a Security Council veto make undeliverable.
The part that is not being reported anywhere else: before Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington on Thursday 24 September, Abbas Araghchi flew to Beijing and told Wang Yi that Iran had reached a plan with Oman to reopen the trade. Transition Protocol’s reporting is that the three points were agreed between the two foreign ministers ahead of that visit. That specific claim is ours and is not independently confirmed; everything around it is sourced and linked below.
And if Washington refuses? On the recording Pepe Escobar says the retaliation will not be two to one or five to one but “20 to 2, or maybe 30 to 2.” That figure is Iran’s stated position as relayed by Escobar — it is not a Transition Protocol forecast. Separately, and on his own sourcing, Zulfiqar Ali puts the figure at 22 to 1. We have left both on the record rather than splitting the difference, because they come from different sources and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
Description:
They told you one story about Xinjiang. Pepe Escobar went to see for himself. What he found was not oppression, but an economic and technological boom that will leave you speechless.
In this latest episode of Counter Currents, Pepe takes us on a journey across China's new Silk Road, revealing:
• The truth about development and life in Xinjiang.
How China built a highway with Wi-Fi across a deadly desert.
• Why Chinese brands are now BETTER than Western ones.
• The end of American dominance and the rise of a new world.
Forget everything you think you know. Watch to see the real China.
Timeline:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Pepe Escobar’s Trip to China
00:01:19 - Journey Planning and Reflections
00:02:44 - Xi Jinping's Influence and Modernization
00:03:05 - Tianjin Summit and Major Events
00:05:07 - Silk Road Journey Begins in Xi'an
00:06:20 - China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
00:10:18 - Exploration of Xinjiang’s Silk Road
00:11:06 - Modernization in Remote Areas of Xinjiang
00:13:56 - Crossing the Taklamakan Desert
00:15:05 - Lost Tribe of the Taklamakan and Uyghur Life
00:17:15 - Modernization and Infrastructure in Xinjiang
00:27:11 - Energy Hub of China
00:29:31 - Economic Transformation of China and Belt and Road
00:48:28 - Chinese Meritocracy and Central Planning
00:51:21 - Technology Leadership and National Development
00:56:17 - Decline of Western Influence
00:59:16 - The Future of Global Relations
01:02:34 - Final Thoughts on China's Development and US Relations
Description:
The US–Iran signing was supposed to happen in Geneva. Instead it reportedly moved to Versailles overnight — and according to sources cited in this episode, the reason was a credible assassination threat against Iran's delegation.
Pepe Escobar and Zulfiqar Ali break down what their sources at the table are saying about the Iran–US MOU, the Strait of Hormuz red line, Israel's continued bombing of Lebanon, and a reported Monday deadline that could trigger Iranian retaliation within 72 hours.
In this special edition of Transition Protocol, we connect the dots between Iran's claimed “strategic victory,” the threat to close the Strait of Hormuz (and what that means for global oil prices), Iran's reported readiness to pursue a North Korea–style nuclear path, and Pakistan's elevated role as power broker — backed in the background by China and Russia. We also examine why sources describe Trump as boxed in, and what choice the White House faces this weekend.
Source note: Pepe Escobar is a veteran geopolitical analyst covering Eurasia and the multipolar world order; Zulfiqar Ali brings reporting sourced through Pakistani and Iranian channels. Some claims in this episode are source-based and developing — we flag verification status on-screen and present them as attributed reporting, not confirmed fact. Transition Protocol is a serious, source-driven geopolitical analysis channel.
Timeline:
00:00 — Why the Iran–US Signing Vanished
00:45 — Versailles, Not Geneva: The Hidden Reason
02:30 — Why This Is NOT a Routine Ceasefire Story
03:18 — The Assassination Threat at the Table
04:48 — Iran's Red Line: “We Break It Twice as Hard”
07:12 — Why the Supreme Leader Almost Refused to Sign
09:34 — Is the MOU Dead on Arrival? The 72-Hour Window
11:10 — Zulfiqar's Sources: What Iran's New Leadership Decided
12:39 — The “North Korea Path” on Nukes
15:09 — Pakistan's Elevated Role + The Hormuz Threat
17:09 — Why Washington Can't Accept the New Chessboard
20:08 — How Pakistani Intelligence Intercepted the Plot
22:14 — Trump as a “Caged Animal”
24:11 — The World Has Changed: Final Word
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.
Description:
Geopolitical analyst and independent journalist Pepe Escobar joins the show to discuss the announcement by Trump & Iran that a deal to end the war, and the Iranian strike threat which accelerated Trump's desperation to seal it.
Desription:
Iran’s parliament has voted 400–0 to accelerate the country’s nuclear capabilities. Sources close to Tehran’s decision-making now tell Transition Protocol that a nuclear test on Iranian soil is being openly discussed at the highest levels — with a final decision expected within days if the Sunday Pakistan–Qatar mediation window collapses.
In this episode, veteran geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar and former CIA analyst Larry Johnson join Zulfiqar Ali to map the critical week that could determine whether a U.S.–Iran war breaks out.
We examine:
- Trump’s reported personal phone calls to Field Marshal Asim Munir seeking an off-ramp
- The Pentagon’s Crisis Action Teams returning to full 24/7 war footing
- The arithmetic no one in Washington wants spoken aloud: Larry Johnson’s assessment that the U.S. Army currently holds only 56 units of its newest precision missile
We also break down why Iran believes it only needs to hit ten fixed targets — from Al Udeid to Erbil — while the United States faces roughly a thousand regenerating launch sites along the Strait of Hormuz; what an Iranian NPT withdrawal vote would actually signal; why Hezbollah now considers itself unbound; and the escalation card that has not yet been played: Bab el-Mandeb.
Source note: This episode combines publicly confirmed reporting on the collapse of the June 17 MOU with source-based information developed by Transition Protocol’s contacts. Claims that have not yet been independently verified are flagged on screen. Pepe Escobar is a globally published geopolitical correspondent; Larry Johnson is a former CIA analyst and State Department counterterrorism official.
Description:
Trump messed around and found out says Pepe Escobar as his seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers accelerates a century humiliation for the West says geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar. Russia and China have stepped in to bolster the defenses of Nicholas Maduro and war is rapidly approaching. Trump's latest failures are about to change everything. Watch until the end to understand how and why.
