DeProgram with John Kiriakou and Ted Rall

Death Valley | DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou

Mar 11, 2026

A tense look at attacks, mine-laying and drone strikes constricting the Strait of Hormuz and the military risks of escorting shipping through a potential war zone. Discussion of Iran’s regional escalation, targeting of banks and commercial vessels, and the prospect of widening conflict. A separate look at BART’s collapsing ridership, looming budget crisis and drastic service cuts being proposed.

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INSIGHT

Strait Of Hormuz As An Economic Death Valley

The Strait of Hormuz is now an economic choke point the U.S. calls their "Death Valley" as Iran can exponentially amplify global pain by mining and attacking shipping.
Ted Rall and John Kiriakou note Iran still has abundance of small boats and minelayers, enabling hundreds of mines and strikes on LNG and oil tankers to maximize chaos.

INSIGHT

Iran Shifts To Economic And Infrastructure Targets

Iran escalated with drones and mining and announced targeting banks, shifting the confrontation into an economic and infrastructure war.
John and Ted highlight strikes near Dubai airport and Iranian threats against regional financial institutions as deliberate economic pressure.

INSIGHT

Analysis Can Be Ignored By Policy Makers

Analysts should always prepare 'what if' contingency papers, but policy choices can override intelligence assessments.
John Kiriakou stresses that analysts produce ready plans like 'What if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz?' yet administrations may ignore them for policy reasons.

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Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou deprogram you from mainstream media every weekday at 9 AM EST.

Today we discuss:

• In the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration is trapped between the specter of a global economic recession and a naval catastrophe. Energy arteries are constricting to a point of “nonlinearity,” where every day the Strait of Hormuz remains closed multiplies the economic pain exponentially. Iran will bomb Liquefied Natural Gas tankers first—vessels that could “explode like the Beirut bomb”—followed by oil tankers to maximize environmental and economic chaos. But there’s also a huge risk in sending US naval assets as escorts into a war zone. White House analysts call the Strait their “Death Valley.”

• Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to CNN. Despite US claims of having destroyed 14 Iranian minelayers, Iran still retains upward of 80% to 90% of its small boats and mine layers, so its forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway.

• Iran attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf. Two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest. Iran’s joint military command announced it would start targeting banks and financial institutions in the Middle East.

• San Francisco’s iconic mass transit system, BART, has entered a death spiral. Ridership cratered during the pandemic and remains less than half of what it was. The very future of the familiar white and blue trains, which have zipped around the Bay Area since 1972, is in doubt. BART says that only Bay Area residents can rescue the system by passing a new sales tax in November to cover its $400 million annual loss. Absent that, the board recently warned that it would take eye-popping actions out of desperation in 2027: Fewer trains. Higher fares and parking fees. Ending service at 9 p.m. instead of midnight. Laying off a quarter of its work force. And shrinking the system almost back to its original footprint by shuttering 15 stations. All of which will further reduce ridership. Meanwhile, the Iraq War costs $2 billion a day.

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