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The Complex Geopolitics Of The U.S.-Israeli War On Iran w/ Pepe Escobar
Reason2Resist with Dimitri Lascaris
Apr 21, 2026

Dimitri Lascaris speaks with independent journalist Pepe Escobar about the complex relationships and interests that are shaping the international response to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.



Transcript

Good day. This is Dimmitri Lasceras coming to you from Kalamata, Greece on April 20th, 2026 for Reason to Resist.
Today, we're very pleased to be joined by Pepe Escobar. Pepe hardly needs an introduction. But for those few of you who might not be familiar with his
groundbreaking journalism, Pepe is a Brazilian journalist known for his work in alternative media and geopolitical analysis. Uh he has reported extensively
from regions around the world most notably west and central Asia and has contributed to numerous international
publications over the years. Uh just a few of them I'll mention Asia Times, Al Jazzida and RT. Thank you so much for joining us today Pepe.
My pleasure Dimmitri. Uh greetings from Buddhist Southeast Asia peaceful latitude.
I hope they're still finding the capacity to meditate in these troubled times in our Yes, we we we we badly need it, right?
Meditation and massage,
especially here in Greece. So, Pepe, I'd like to begin uh by just reminding people to like and share this video if
they find it to be informative. Please join uh our subscription base if you haven't already done so. Help us to expand the reach of our uh resistance journalism. So with that, Pepe, uh,
after US naval forces attacked an Iranian cargo ship in international waters yesterday, uh, by all
appearances, the so-called ceasefire is hanging by a thread. And first off, I like your impressions, uh, your assessment of why you think the Trump
regime took the highly provocative step at this critical moment of attacking a civilian, uh, Iranian vessel in international waters during a ceasefire.
Wow. Because essentially they have no strategy.
Uh the whole strategy after the thing went completely sour in the first 24 to
after the decapitation strike against a Kam and and the leadership.
Everything is inside the head of a psychopath sociopath rattled with acute
dementia already and with his sidekick as a tattooed
drunken former platoon commander in Iraq. How can you have a strategy uh
when you are facing a probably the I would say the the geopolitical crossroads of the 21st century in front
of us everywhere. This is the crux of the war between the declining empire and
Eurasia as a whole. So they never had a strategy uh to start with. Uh their
tactics are appalling as everyone can see. uh even Americans in fact and now
when we are theoretically in the middle of the road towards Islamabad 2.
Islamabad one was not a total disaster because there's a little window open and
the Pakistanis of course they are doing their best to keep it open towards Islamabad too. So when we are on the brink of a possible Islamabad too by the
way it would be today but obviously there's no Iranian delegation in Islamabad
they come up with an attack against a civilian Iranian tanker coming from a
Chinese port we don't know what's inside but it may be something they they
focused their lasers on the tuska because they are ab almost absolute absolutely sure that in the cargo
they're going to find a sodium perchlorate which is an essential component solid fuel for Iranian
ballistic missiles that that that's the the tuska riddle let's put it this but
why do it now uh breaking the ceasefire because as you mentioned correctly this is an act of war in international waters
what do they expect to gain out of So obviously there's no strategy. Obviously there's nobody uh national security council, retired Pentagon generals,
whatever saying look let's wait there is the end of the ceasefire and there is lamabat too. Maybe maybe Vance and Kalib can come to some sort of agreement. No.
It it it's out of the blue. It it's so,
you know, it it baffles us because it's ch so childish in geopolitical terms. Uh these people are not even amateurs, you know,
they're they're typical pigeons kicking uh the chessboard completely, you know. So, so yes, please go ahead. Go ahead.
I just want to add one thing and please feel free to disagree with me, although I suspect you'll be in agreement. Even
if that cargo ship had jet fuel or just lethal armaments, it could be, you know,
man pads, it could be uh, you know, um,
missile components, it could be any number of things, air defense systems.
There's absolutely no violation of international law involved there. The Iranians as the victims of an aggression are perfectly entitled to call upon
friendly states to help them defend themselves. uh and so that would not even provide a justification for an attack on the vessel if in fact they found you know armaments or jet fuel,
rocket fuel, whatever it may be. I assume you uh you share that you Pepe. Is that fair?
No, I yeah of course I agree with you and of course this uh uh for instance what Russia is sending to we don't we
don't have the the nobody has these details. This is Ministry of Defense kind of secrets information. They have uh uh the famous Astraan Theran shuttle.
It's a never on surface. No way. And what the Chinese sent to to uh uh the
Iranians is same thing. These are cargo planes coming from from China. It's a completely different story. They will
never risk sending it through uh the Indian Ocean. No way.
So there's no this an extra no justification for something that from the start is an act of war. Right.
Correct.
So let let's switch to the Red Sea for a moment. Uh Iran's government has threatened to call in its Yemeni ally
and Saladalah uh to close the Babel Mand strait which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aiden. And the Babel Mandev
strait is certainly one of the most important check choke points in international maritime commerce. You were in Yemen uh about one year ago I
understand and you reported extensively on the ground there. Uh I think you may also have had the opportunity to speak to Yemeni government officials. What is
what was your assessment at the time about the situation on the ground? the capacity of Ansatala after the the the horrendous uh attacks it had to sustain
from the Israelis and the Americans to contribute to a closure of the strait.
Uh and do you think that we are about to see the entry of Ansat Alai into this conflict? They've been uh as you noted
before we started today rather quiet uh during the past six weeks. What's your assessment of where they're likely to go?
uh they are in a wait and see mode at the moment. It's fascinating how quiet
they are. Uh we we don't see uh uh their spokesman going. By the way, this guy is a pop idol all across the global south.
You know, we we met him. Can you believe that he visit us in our hotel in Sana
last year? He spent with us and we were desperate. We were why you're here. The Americans may know
that you're here. And the guy was unflapable, cool as a cucumber. Very well prepared. In fact, the whole
Ansarala leadership. We met many of them in Sana. And then they took us to Sada.
Why? Because they wanted to show us the birthplace of Ansar in the mountains of
Sada. It's about 120 140 kilometers from the Yemen Saudi border. So when you see
the geology of Sada, you understand it's it's a valley surrounded by mountains. It's perfect for guerrilla warfare.
That's where they learn how to how to do their Yemen version of Vietnamese guerrilla warfare. Very well
educated people, very wellprepared. They explained for instance the tradition in
engineering mathematics and physics since the time of Mao.
Can you believe it that this is something that I didn't know at the time? They took us to a uh there is a a Chinese obelisk on the hills overlooking Sana.
Uh and do you know what this obelisk is commemorating?
Chinese workers during the Mao era that were sent to Yemen to do public works.
Very few people in the west know about this. You know, you only know something about this when you go there, you know.
So, so this very close link between Yemen and China dates from the late 50s60s already. Same thing with Russia.
So they told us look for instance I went to the university in Sada it's a first class un by the way bombed by the Saudis
years ago then they rebuild it. So there is a long tradition of top level uh mass
and science for decades and of course with help from the Soviet Union and from
China. So that explains why they the great deal of their industrial military complex is developed by themselves. Of
course they had help from Iran. There's no question about that. But for instance, they've developed their own missiles, their own ballistic missiles.
So and they uh everything when you have a conversation with them, it's fascinating because it's not only about military matters or geopolitics.
there's always a very strong moral,
11 minutesethic, spiritual component. For instance, they frame their uh defense of
Gaza in a very very complex multi-level way and especially they are they are
morally obliged to defend our brothers the way they they frame it, you know. So
it's it's it's a it's very sophisticated and well but it's no wonder they are the Quran prophet Muhammad I think there are
more than 40 mentions of Yemenes in the in the Quran they practice original
Islam the real pure 7th century Islam not the Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia and there's no wonder why the Ahabis hate
them they have no bloody culture Yemen is a very powerful ancient culture These
are the navigators who brought Islam to here to Southeast Asia. The first navigators were Yemenes that arrived in
12 minutesThailand, in Malaysia, in Indonesia, you know. So, so it's on on a whole new level and it's immensely impressive. And
of course in terms of what they can do to you know serious
headaches not only for the Saudis but for the American Israeli abstin complex
what they can do in the Red Sea and the Bab al for them is natural. It's it comes natural. They say yes if we need
to block it again we'll do it. This is what they are saying last year. I'm worried this year because I lost contact
with some of my friends in uh we were talking about via telegram and they haven't answered my latest messages. I
am worried maybe there is an internal internet problem in Yep. quite possible, right?
To give you an idea, Dimmitri, they lost all their planes. They were they were saying, "Look, we would like to invite you guys again to come here this year,
but we have no planes." They were born by the bloody Israelis.
When you refer to the spokesman, I assume you're referring to Muhammad Alb Bukayiti. Uh,
yes. I talk I spent I spent more than one hour talking to Albukiti in Asana.
He's extremely well prepared.
We had the opportunity to interview him uh about a year ago. He did. Okay. Great. Great.
At the end of it uh I don't know if he introduced you to his boys but they were this wonderful children he brought to the screen at the very end of the
interview. And uh what impressed me about uh him is as you said it was his calm, his equinimity, his grace.
Uh not at all the picture that we we in the west are given about anal officials.
But I'm curious to know uh Pepe, you know, we've seen these incredible images of masses of people in Sana coming out
regularly to support uh the defense of the Palestinian people and the Zionist entity. Was it your impression when you
were there that the public public support for this defense of the Palestinian cause and the axis of resistance remains robust?
Dimitri, when you see that uh it's an enormous uh I would say it's a mix of a
square and a parking lot. Enormous with the mountains in the back. When you see 1 million people in front of you,
it's absolutely mindboggling.
Uh look, I have been as a foreign correspondent for 40 years everywhere literally. So you think that you've seen it all. No.
When you see something like this, you're like, and of course, um I had the supreme honor to have one minute to
deliver a message to them. Uh the guy said the guy said do you want to go on stage?
Yes definitely but please don't worry I'm going to be very brief give me one minute.
So I was your message I would most curious to know what basically my message was very simple and
uh of course that the next day I was known because I was in every Yemen TV channel. We were we were a very small
group of foreigners after all. And basically I said look the whole planet identifies with you and they support your struggle.
Wow. So the crowd W which is absolutely correct.
Absolutely. and and and and later you have time to to speak to me to many of them and it's fascinating because they
are from different tribes from all over Yemen, not only Houthis from the north,
they are from other tribes as well,
including tribes from the the deserts in in Hadammouth or towards the east, you know, and even people who were in Aden
uh the capital, they said, "Look, Aden has been destroyed. because of Arab interference,
Emirati and Saudis and many people left Aden to go back to Sana. There are a lot of people who are former Adam residents
who are now in Sana and they uh and and they now and they started supporting the Houthis only recently. So this means
that the Houthis they have this factor of a glutination of Yemen which eventually they will probably I would
say mid to long term they could even run the whole of the country because Aden
essentially is a UAE uh dominated Saudi UAE but more UAE and UAE as we
know now is collapsing in real time in front of in front of everyone. uh the Dubai business model is already dead and
the next is Abu Dhabi and they're running out of dollars. They're begging the US to have access to dollars. So this is the beginning of the end and
obviously they made their choice Dimmitri uh for instance QAR their protector now is Turkey Saudi Arabia
they have a defense pact with Pakistan and the UAE chose Israel as their partner.
So eventually they're they're going to go down eventually. And what about uh what about Bahin Pepe?
Well, Bahin is fascinating because uh I love following Iraqi scholars. So uh the
last time I was in Iraq was two years ago in in Baghdad and I met some some very very smart people. Some of them are
part of this government and they are already discussing the post American Gulf and they say look Bahin
they have two options uh they're going to be absorbed by Saudi Arabia which is probably not going to happen because the
majority is Shiite or they're going to be absorbed by Iran. That that's quite quite possible. Uh and the UAE they said UAE eventually will go back to Oman.
And whoa, that'll be a moment of great rejoicing in the anti-imperialist cause.
So, let me let me move over closer to your neck of the woods with my next question, Pepe. And that is the reaction
of the Chinese government and I'm going to put up on the screen.
It is indeed. I'm really curious to get your if I could just show you in our audience. Uh there have been a number of
statements, but here's one that came out a couple hours ago.
Uh this is uh I picked this up from the Irish Times, but apparently it's uh based on a report from Reuters that he called Saudi Arabia's crown prince,
which is an interesting decision.
And uh they he expressed concern over renewed instability around the strategic waterway. Uh he is China the report says
is the main buyer of Iranian crude. Of course we know that uh and China advocates an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and insists on resolving
conflicts in the Middle East through political and diplomatic channels. This is coming from the state news agency Shininoa citing President G. And finally
uh he's reported President G to have told the Saudi leader the straight of Hormuz should remain open to normal passage as this serves the common
interests of regional countries and the international community. So I this is extraordinarily
neutral uh ambiguous. It certainly doesn't sound like any kind of a warning to the United States. What do you make of the
statements coming out of the Chinese government today?
uh but they are the masters of understatement as we all know and they are never blunt
especially I'm talking basically about the ministry of foreign affairs but especially C
every sea world is calculated to oblivion
and he always needs to uh project this image of impartiality
of being neutral Of course, in the case of China in the in Persian Gulf, they have very good relations with Iran, but also with the Persian Gulf monarchies.
After all, especially Saudi Arabia, they buy most of their oil in the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia. By the way, most of it paid in E1,
but it's never advertised that it's paid in E1, otherwise the Americans will go completely nuts. It's very discreet. But
mo mostly the the the balance nowadays is more you want than petro dollars. And sooner or later they're going to pick up the phone to Riad. I said from now on
it's only petro dollars with you with Iran is already pro yuan for a long time which is one of the reasons of this
blockade which is a stupid blockade because uh China has so many sources
apart from uh everything that goes through the straight of vermoose they have uh Russia two pipelines oil and gas
they have Kazakhstan oil pipeline they Turk manistan gas pipeline. They have Myamar gas pipeline. Not to mention
inside they are 80 84 to 86% self-sufficient already.
It's something that you see in when you go to Sing.
When I was a sing last year, my first talk because I h I had not been to
western China for 10 years or so. When you come back after 10 years, it's like wow, it's totally electrified
22 minutesand you see forests of uh uh wind turbines, solar panels, solar farms with
that those poles where you know reflecting the sun you know hundreds of kilometers around. Sing Jang has so much
energy that they sell energy to the rest of China. So it's not that China is dependent on the straight of Hormuz.
This is uh let's say 13% of what they imported oil and gas it's not too much
and the Russians already said in fact Lavrov said that I think two days ago Max he said look you need more gas no
problem. Uh the the power of Siberia 2 is not ready. is going to be ready next year. But the power of Siberia 1 is
almost full capacity. But they can start using the spare capacity as well and China will get more gas from in in fact
the number one provider of gas to China now is already Russia.
So they are now worried. Not to mention they have reserves for months on end. So it's not complicated at all. But the
Chinese in public and this is for instance uh I spend a lot of time going through some Chinese channels that are
not directly linked to the the the pyramid of information uh Sinoa you know
China Daily all that uh my friends at Guancha in Shanghai they are semi-independent but you know you try to see some some of the some of their past uh academics,
they never enter directly into these um analysis. You know, of course, there's a there's a limit to what you may say
still even in non completely nonofficial press.
So, it's complicated, but I I I'm going there in three weeks. That would be my best shot to have uh from themselves.
How do they actually analyze the war in broader terms? Uh far away it's impossible to know. It's it's very
complicated because uh there is this element of u never interrupt your enemy when he's
committing serial mistakes which is the case. So they prefer to be quiet. They're just watching.
But now for instance this is a I would say this is a crucial example. You have
an attack on uh an Iranian vessel that left from a Chinese portal
port is in Zuhai in southern China. Uh going to Iran. So this is an attack on
China as well. So, how they're going to react to that specifically, you know, as much as they don't want a direct confrontation.
And we should never forget uh three weeks before Trump goes to Beijing, the
the meeting is still scheduled for May 14th.
Nobody knows if this meeting is going to happen.
My my sort of bigger uh maybe it's a sort of a primitive assessment of the situation for China is that if the Iran
the Iranian government were to fall and were to be replaced either Iran were to descend into chaos or the government were to be replaced by
some regime that is entirely subservient to Washington. Uh effectively the United States would have a strangle hold over
this incredibly important region, one which American military planners after World War II described as a stupendous
source of strategic power, the greatest imperial prize in human history uh for obvious reasons. It's not just the
resources, it's also the the geostrategic location, the trade routes and so forth. and the United States were
to obtain unchallenged control over this region would undoubtedly use that power to weaken China to the maximum possible
degree. Uh, and I imagine that the Chinese must be keenly aware of this and so I I would assume I could be wrong
that they think they have powerful reasons to assist Iran and to ensure that it doesn't fall. Do you think that
that's likely to be their their calculus?
Of course it is, Dimmitri. And uh it's this is very clear for the Moscow and
Beijing for the leadership. Iran must not fall whatever it takes. And if they thought
that this Iran will be on the brink of regime change, then they would intervene in a more direct way. For the moment,
27 minutesthey don't need to. First of all,
because the Iranians don't ask. And this is something that you learn when when you talk to for instance Iranian
delegations that go to Moscow all the time. So I was always talking to them when they were in Moscow and they were saying ah it's okay no problem. They
okay anything you want or anything uh we want we can talk to you but uh they also
said that uh they never asked anything from the Russians specifically
and when that comes the Russians said if that's the case we're ready to help immediately if you need if you really
need it. So there is this element of trust with China is more complicated because with China they have a very specific
deal they signed in 2021 the $400 billion 25 year energy
infrastructure deal. This is very very complex and obviously the Chinese know that they need Iran because Iran is
their focus for the new silk roads. The most important partner in central
Eurasia for uh uh China is Iran is the crossroads of all those uh there are six
or in fact there are seven uh corridors going from sing Jang across central Asia
towards uh Europe eventually some of them are blocked for the Trans Siberian for the moment is blocked because of
sanctions but the Chinese built a railway inside Iran to connect to the
railways across uh central Asia. So from Sing Jang it goes to Kazakhstan uh then uh Usbakistan, Turkmanistan and
then it crosses the border to Iran. The the Chinese built for this railway and guess what happened only a few weeks
ago? The Americans bombed a stretch of this railway, which means they bombed a new Silk Road project paid by the
Chinese. So they knew exactly what they were bombing, right? So So in terms of uh connectivity corridors for China,
Iran is the number one across. Well,
since it was since the ancient Silk Roads was always like that. So obviously they cannot even imagine the possibility
of pro-american government getting but they know that this is not going to happen. The Chinese
read the internal situation in in Thran very well and they are closely connected.
For instance, Arai talks to Wangi as much as Lavra talks to Wangi and at the highest level. So they know
what's going on and they're not worried that might be regime change especially they when they saw the response which
started half an hour after the capitation strike they could see that Iran was ready for it and they of course
they interfere with the way Iran is managing the whole thing they are very
worried of course about Ormus because from their point of view it's much obvious it's much much better to be
to have the trade of our mus completely open. And now even if until what two
days ago for Chinese ships it was absolutely open and many of them were not even paying the toll booth.
But then of course after the American blockade then they blockaded the uh the straight completely. Obviously the Chinese don't want that. When they say
we want the straight of our most open it also means open like it was until a few days ago.
because there was already a a government to government agreement Iran China that the Chinese tankers will be able to do the back and forth with no problem. The
31 minutesproblem was the problem now is the American interference with this illegal blockade.
And Pepe, do you think that China has enough leverage over to Iran uh if push came to shove to oblige the Iranians to
open the street of Hormuz? Do you think the Iranians are perfectly capable of saying, "Look, this is our ace in the hole, and while we understand your interest in seeing the straight open,
this is an existential war for us, and we deem it necessary to keep it closed."
What do you think the dynamic and and don't forget the Persians are very proud?
It's 2,500 years, you know, behind them.
They are very, very proud culture, sure of themselves.
They hate any form of foreign interference. And the Chinese are clever enough to not even try foreign interference. They don't admit that in
China. Why would the persons admit it in Iraq? Same thing. uh of course um
a at a level that we don't see at the highest level message have been sent to Thran
saying look we we got your back but of course we prefer that we can have our
energy traffic undisturbed. We understand that for the moment it's a little bit complicated but the Chinese
of of course are always they're always looking ahead always looking ahead and because the relationship at the highest
level is so strong they know that uh even if the new there there's going to
be a new jeridical status for the state of Hormuz everybody knows that it has already been approved by Iranian
parliament they start to discuss with Oman already. So on both territorial waters, there's going to be a toll boost inevitably.
That's fine with China. Absolutely fine w with them because they know that there
the the sing will be tankers from the so-called hostile nations or for
instance tankers from the UAE. UAE refuses to pay the toll boos, but they're going to have to otherwise
that's it otherwise they're dead. simp they simply won't be able to export anymore. Period. We all got to pay the piper sometime.
That's what I just Yeah, exactly. So, let's uh to conclude our discussion,
I'd like to shift things kind of taking you all over the world. Bey, I'd like to come back to the Eastern Mediterranean where I'm currently situated. And if you
just bear with me, I want to take a few minutes to kind of set the table for my question.
No problem. Go ahead. Yes. My question is going to relate to tensions between
Israel and Turkey and uh in particular how this how Greece and Cyprus play into this because they've clearly aligned
34 minutesthemselves with Israel both economically and militarily and I'm just going to show one example of this. Uh this is a
report uh from Al Jazza in February of this year. Uh and in that report uh the
Greek uh government officials from the Greek government told Al Jazza that Greece is interested in jointly developing weapons with Israel. The uh
chairman of the Greek parliament's defense affirious committee told Al Jazza his name is Angelus Cidigos we are an excellent customer of Israeli systems
the leap in our defense relationship will happen when there's co-production of defense systems and common planning.
Uh there's also uh strong evidence that Greece is helping uh Israel and the
United States to wage war on Iran. Uh I was recently at the uh Suda military
base, the US/NATO/Greek military base in the north of Cree. and uh from the Kanye airport which is a
joint military civilian project as we noted as I reported on reason to resist about a week ago there was a lot of uh
tanker uh uh military transport traffic going through that airport and recently within the last days uh some someone
compiled a graph from flight radar and you'll see here huge number of US military transport planes according to
flight radar uh 24 going from uh northern Europe, Britain down to West Asia. They're going through Greek
airspace. And if you pay careful attention, you'll see a lot of them are stopping in Cree, uh where presumably they're refueling or they're loading.
That's, you know, down in the eastern Mediterranean obviously. Uh so this is just one piece of evidence about the role that Greece is playing. Greece has
also, it's, this is a matter of public record, allowed the Israeli air force to use Greek airspace to practice bombing
runs on Iran. Uh, that was uh a couple of years ago. And then uh on top of that, we have statements like this
coming from is emerging. I want to be very clear.
Turkey and Qatar have gained influence in Syria, are seeking influence elsewhere and everywhere throughout the
region. And from here, I warn Turkey is the new Iran.
Erdogan is sophisticated, dangerous,
and he seeks to encircle Israel. And while some senior Israelis were on Qatar's payroll,
Qatar and Turkey are nourishing the Islamic Brotherhood monster that is
growing and eventually uh might become as dangerous as the one created by Iran.
Turkey and Qatar are gaining influence not only in Syria but also in Gaza through the front door
and everyone and trying to create a new choke rink. Uh Turkey is trying to flip Saudi Arabia against us and establish a
hostile Sunni access with nuclear Pakistan.
So um all of this has provoked a strong response from Turkish foreign minister
last week. uh Hakan Fidan criticized Greece and Cyprus over their cooperation with Israel, warning it could heighten
regional tensions and he said cooperation between Greece, the Greek criate administration and Israel does not bring more trust. It brings more
mistrust. It brings more problems and war and uh he added that Athens is pursuing an extremely dangerous policy.
quote, "There are very interesting aspects in Greece's attempt to pursue a kind of policy that no other country in Europe follows alone." So this is a bit
38 minutesof a delicate subject for me to address Pepe because I am in Greece and I'm while there's a popular uh opposition to
Israel and massive discontent with its crimes against uh the Palestinian people. Uh the fact is that there is a
significant percentage of the Greek population that believes that Turkey is a major threat and that our best protection when I say our I mean the
Greek people is to align ourselves with Israel. And there's a significant percentage of the Criate population ascribes to that view as well even
though I think most criates are very uh appalled by what Israel has done to the Palestinian people. And so from your perspective as someone sitting on the
outside I guess I have a couple of questions for you. First of all, how much is of this rhetoric that you hear going back and forth between Turkey and
Israel is theater? And how much of it do you think is serious? Do you think they actually do regard each other as uh a
major threat to their own security? Or are they more or less cooperating behind the scenes and just putting on a show for their own uh electorates?
Okay. Uh after I say something, I would like to ask you directly. How do you see
Greece profiting from this alliance with Israel? Is is it parallel to the Modi
Israeli alliance like Modi Modi expects to get uh military technology,
surveillance technology, etc. Is this what Greece is u aiming at? But okay,
from the position from from the point of view of a nomad outsider,
we all know that there's only one Zionist project which is to pit everybody against everybody else. Arabs,
Sunnis or Shiites, Persians, Turks,
Kurds fighting each other to kingdom come literally to the profit of ET Israel expanding their borders.
There's no other plan B for them. So obviously they need to create or recreate or invent enemies non-stop. So
they already thinking about the next enemy and apparently it's already designated. It's Turkey.
Okay. Considering that how uh um monolithic and monochromatic their
strategic thinking is, that's not uh anything that we should be uh the
problem is uh are they throwing Greece into this mix without even asking the people who actually run Greece?
If this is for Greek interests,
I think th this is the key question and that's my question to you. In fact, I don't see Greece profiting from th this
association. I don't see anything for Greece out of it. And especially because Turkey and Greece, it's something that can be negotiated.
there are rational actors on both sides which is not the case when when it comes to uh Israel and the axis of resistance
in West Asia. One is a completely irrational actor and the other ones are rational. In the case of in in the case of Greece and Turkey, they're both
rational actors. Uh in terms of Turkish public opinion, uh I I am sorry that I have not been to Greece lately. I am a pistocratic just to give you an idea.
But I grew up with Greek philosophy in my head. So obviously I was instantly attracted to to Greek culture since I
was a teenager already. But uh the vagaries of geopolitics take me to to
Istanbul. Many I even lived there for a few months during the the beginning of the DSMO. I don't see Turkish public
opinion uh seeing Greece as uh antagonistically.
You don't feel that when you when you are in Turkey and even talking to some Turkish officials uh okay outside of the
AP please uh for instance when you talk to chemists in east who
absolutely nothing against Turkey on the contrary because they value Greece on a cultural level on a high
cultural level. So this is a thing that maybe includes certain specific games or
the Greek ruling classes and this would be my question to you.
Is this a trick in the end?
So this is an excellent question uh Pepe. Uh, let me start by saying, and I I know this is always treacherous waters for a Greek to wait into.
Be careful. Be careful.
That's not my t that's not my inclination, but nonetheless do this with some trepidation because it is a sensitive subject. You know, obviously with the Ottoman Empire having, you know, occupied Greece for so long,
uh, that's that was that that's left a bitter taste in the mouths of many many Greeks and understandably so. But I don't believe and and I've had plenty of
interactions with Turks uh in the past uh few years and in fact one of the people who went on my trip to Iran was a
Turkish journalist who was a wonderful young man and we got along fabulously. Uh and so all my
interactions with ordinary uh Turks has been have been positive. I never felt that they were hostile towards me. I I
often that they were kind of worried that I might be hostile towards them because I was agree. But they never showed any, you know,
discourages to me because when they learned that I was Greek. I think that what happens is the Greek government pipes the threat from Turkey in order to justify absurd levels of military
spending. And a lot of that has to do with corruption. Uh they love that there's a lot of corruption in the military-industrial complex in Greece.
The oligarchy profits enormously from this. The oligarchy profits enormously from doing business with Israel, not
just in the military sector, but also a recent report came out which showed that uh Greek shippers have been providing
covertly a lot of oil, gas and coal uh and military equipment uh to Israel
during the genocide. Uh so and the Greek oligarchy has tremendous influence over the government and the government also
is highly subservient to Washington the Greek government and Washington wants us demands in fact that the Greek
government facilitate Israel's uh crimes. So that is also a factor and I really feel as a great that we are being
taken to the cleaners here. I think that what Israel is trying to do is trying to use us as proxies uh in uh potentially
some kind of military conflict in the future with Turkey. And you can be damn sure that if that happens that conflict is going to f be fought principally on
Criate and Greek soil, not on Israel's soil. Israel.
So I I'm curious about your thoughts of all of that. That's what I feel is happening here. And my final sort of uh
exhortation to my fellow Greeks is stop drinking the Kool-Aid. There's absolutely no reason why we can't get along with our Turkish brothers and
sisters. And the last thing we should be doing, I mean, if you can't bring yourself to side with Turkey in some kind of a conflict with Israel, fine.
But the last thing we should be doing is siding with Israel in any conflict. uh and absolutely you know so if you have anything to add
uh to that P no you you answer you answer the question uh Dimmitri because I think
you know hitting the nail on the head is how Israel always plays divide and rule and once again they are playing divide
and rule using both Turkey and Greece and public opinion in Greece and in
Turkey they have to be very very careful about that because they they will start playing Israel's game sooner or later.
They cannot do this thing uh in Iran or in Lebanon. In le in fact in Lebanon they do because in in Lebanon they they
provoke civil war inside Lebanon. This is what they're doing. They're basically supporting a government of traitors in Beirut against Hezbollah. So it's the
only thing that they know how to do apart from killing women and children. That's it.
Precisely. Precisely, brother. Thank you so much. It's been a a great pleasure speaking with you. Thank you, Demetri. Enormous pleasure.
I hope we can have you on again soon and uh you know tap your brain for any number of other pearls of wisdom.
After China is when I when I when I'm in China or leave China single I gonna have some juicy things to tell you.
Take care. Peace out. Okay. Take care. Cheers. Peace. Cheers. Let's go back.
Sync to video time

[admin]

The Iran War at the Crossroads: Diplomacy or Escalation? An Interview With Hassan Ahmadian
Drop Site News
Apr 21, 2026

The war against Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel on February 28 has not gone according to plan. What was initially portrayed as a quick regime change action that would destroy the Islamic Republic and spark a domestic uprising soon morphed into a war of attrition in which Iran stunned the U.S., Israel, and international observers. Six weeks after the opening strikes that assassinated much of Iran’s leadership, it is President Donald Trump who appears desperate to find an exit. The Iran war is now at a definitive crossroads and the coming days will prove decisive.

In a wide-ranging interview, Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill spoke with Iranian analyst Dr. Hassan Ahmadian, Associate Professor of Middle East Studies at Tehran University. Since the war began, Ahmadian has become one of the most prominent Iranian commentators in the Islamic world because of his viral appearances on Al Jazeera Arabic.

Scahill and Ahmadian talk about what Iran would be willing to accept as part of a deal with the U.S., how it could ensure that the U.S. and Israel do not renege on an agreement and restart the war, and how Iran will approach the issue of its enriched uranium stockpiles. They also discuss the internal decision-making process in Iran, debates among the political, religious and military echelons, and the role of Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baghar-Ghalibaf, Tehran’s lead negotiator in the current talks with the U.S. Ahmadian also offers a comprehensive overview of Iranian strategy and its perspective on reestablishing deterrence and regional balance in the aftermath of the U.S.-Israeli wars.

[admin]

Pakistan Visit Turns into Scandal Storm: Vance Meets Dubai Fraud Lord Zahoor, Imran Khan's Nemesis?
Hindustan Times
Apr 21, 2026

Umar Farooq Zahoor is a Dubai-based businessman of Pakistani origin whose appearance during JD Vance’s April 11 arrival in Pakistan drew attention because he has long been linked to major fraud allegations in Norway and Switzerland, while also being politically prominent in Pakistan for his role in the Toshakhana case. Reports say he was briefly seen at the airport as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff introduced people in the receiving line.

[admin]

Trump extends ceasefire indefinitely as Iran refuses to join peace talks | Janta Ka Reporter
Janta Ka Reporter
Apr 21, 2026

US President Donald Trump has announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire against Iran for an indefinite period. This was after Iran refused to send its delegation to Pakistan for the second round of peace talks. This also came as a huge setback for Trump who, in a TV interview on Tuesday, boasted about his country's ability to force Iran to accept the peace deal. Rifat Jawaid explains how the IRGC has now taken control of Iran's foreign policy.

[admin]

Nuclear Chief Kicked Out Of Pentagon After Trump Blocked From Codes
Jack Cocchiarella
Apr 21, 2026

Political commentator Jack Cocchiarella reacts to an insane report about a nuclear chief being kicked out.

[admin]

IRAN WON’T STRIKE FIRST — BUT WHEN IT DOES, EVERYTHING BURNS | Larry Johnson
Apr 21, 2026