Economist Podcasts Naval piercing: strait shooting in Iran war
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May 5, 2026 
Arkady Ostrovsky, The Economist’s Russia editor and Kremlin watcher, and Vishnu Padmanabhan, Asia correspondent covering India and the region, dig into a tense Strait of Hormuz standoff, a fashion influencer who exposed widening Russian grumbling, and India’s punishing horn culture. They trace war risks, public frustration and the hidden toll of street noise.
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Why Project Freedom Will Not Reopen Hormuz
- Project Freedom is unlikely to reopen Hormuz because most ships still fear Iranian attacks without full U.S. naval escorts.
- America can only ease some outbound traffic; hundreds of vessels remain stranded and almost nobody will risk sailing back into the Gulf.
The Iran Standoff Is Drifting Toward War
- America and Iran are stuck in a dangerous no-war no-peace stalemate because each side thinks the other will crack first.
- Indirect talks continue via Pakistan, but every attempt to shift leverage, like Project Freedom, raises the odds the ceasefire collapses.
How A Beauty Influencer Voiced Russian Grievances
- Victoria Bonya, a lifestyle influencer with 13 million followers, suddenly posted a direct appeal to Putin instead of beauty content.
- Her carefully framed petition to the "good czar" aired everyday grievances and drew 30 million views from loyalist-leaning Russians.