Ukraine, Realpolitik, and Gulf Alliances

After the US and Israel attacked Iran, Tehran's strategy of asymmetric warfare is clear: it closed the Strait of Hormuz and is attacking energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, causing global oil and natural gas prices to skyrocket, crashing stock markets, fueling inflation, and provoking an economic crisis that will hurt the USA and its allies. The conflict has also become a battle of attrition. Iran is using cheap missiles and drones to deplete the defense interceptors of neighboring countries, which will be very difficult to replace, due to deindustrialization, despite Trump administration efforts to boost production. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAc9mgZrE6E Topics 0:00 Iran conflict becomes war of attrition 1:10 US strategy: "punch them while they're down" 1:45 US military vs Iranian military 2:25 Asymmetric warfare 3:30 Decentralized mosaic defense doctrine 4:13 Guerrilla economic warfare 5:08 Oil price skyrockets to over $100 5:30 Strait of Hormuz closed 6:00 Energy infrastructure hit in Persian Gulf 7:19 Economic crisis on horizon 7:54 Trump: it's a "small price to pay" 8:46 Inflation fuels inequality 9:47 US midterm election coming soon 10:46 Donald Trump's approval rating 11:08 Fertilizer supply chain breakdown 11:28 Food price shock 12:33 Dubai airport shut down 12:54 Gulf monarchy reputation crisis 14:06 Iranian drones vs expensive missiles 15:15 Iran's Shahed 136 drone 16:56 Missile math in asymmetric war 18:47 Military-industrial complex profits 19:24 Gulf runs out of interceptor missiles 20:29 USA prioritizes Israel over GCC 23:26 What does victory look like? 25:25 US allies need more munitions 26:25 Deindustrialization 28:08 Trump meets with weapons CEOs 29:16 Corruption in Pentagon 30:49 Wall Street wins 31:45 US empire underestimates rivals 32:28 Iran destroys radar system 33:07 Iran hits energy infrastructure 33:32 Hotels hosting US military officials 34:54 US military uses civilian ports 36:10 Gulf monarchies are not neutral 37:08 Top oil producers, by country 37:35 Top oil exporters, by country 38:24 Top natural gas producers 38:39 Top LNG exporters 39:11 Strait of Hormuz alternatives 40:10 Saudi alternative oil pipeline 41:11 Iraq and Kurdish fighters 42:31 Insurance companies avoid region 43:13 Trump Hormuz US Navy proposal 44:15 China in talks with Iran 44:58 Asia imports most Gulf energy 45:38 China stockpiles commodities 47:58 China renewable energy strategy 49:23 India wants Russian oil 49:57 India's ties with USA & Israel 51:39 South Korea hurt by oil crisis 52:12 Europe faces new inflation shock 52:39 EU wants Russian oil 53:17 Ukraine backs Gulf dictatorships 54:08 Geopolitical reality 54:53 Gulf monarchy propaganda 56:00 Foreign nationals in GCC countries 56:34 Migrant workers in Persian Gulf 58:32 Asymmetric warfare results 59:59 End of "strategic patience" doctrine 1:00:55 Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei 1:01:57 Nuclear weapons 1:03:29 Clear losers of Iran war 1:04:42 Outro