Episode 5276: Trump Threatens Mass Annihilation In Iran; Miraculous Rescue Mission For US Soldiers

Summary

Podcast Summary: Bannon's War Room – Episode 5276

Date: April 6, 2026
Title: Trump Threatens Mass Annihilation In Iran; Miraculous Rescue Mission For US Soldiers
Host: Stephen K. Bannon
Key Guests/Contributors: Sam Faddis, Eric Bolling, Trita Parsi, others

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Bannon’s War Room delivers an urgent, detailed analysis of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, sparked by President Trump’s highly inflammatory threat to devastate Iranian infrastructure if the regime does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The episode also covers the daring US rescue mission of an airman shot down over Iran, the implications for US military strategy and alliances, economic and geopolitical fallout, and the collapse of near-term diplomatic options. The discussion is shaped by a “war room” style roundtable of military analysts, geopolitical experts, and economic commentators, weaving together breaking news, firsthand military analysis, and critical reflection on the state of America’s role in the region.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Iran Crisis and Trump’s Ultimatum

Timestamps: [00:34], [01:47], [04:10], [05:24], [05:32], [16:32]

• Trump's Graphic Warning: Trump issued an explicit threat via social media demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face “hell on earth”—a threat stated in unusually profane and direct language.
  • “Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day all wrapped up in one in Iran. There will be nothing like it. Open the fuckin strait you crazy bastards or you'll be living in hell. Just watch.” – Trump, quoted at [01:47], [05:32]
• Potential War Crimes: The threat included attacking civilian infrastructure, which commentators note is considered a war crime under international law, though Trump’s team argues the dual-use (military and civilian) nature of the targets.
• Global Backlash & No Consultations: European and Asian allies have spoken out against the war, with reports that Israeli PM Netanyahu encouraged Trump to strike due to Iran’s unprecedented weakness. Most US allies were not consulted ([04:44]).
• Deadline Tactics: Trump set and then extended a deadline (now 8 PM, Tuesday) for Iran to comply, positioning himself as both uncompromising and open to diplomatic escalation.

2. The Rescue Mission & US Military Operations

Timestamps: [04:10], [16:32], [17:09], [18:31], [20:35], [21:29]

• Heroic Special Ops: An audacious, large-scale joint rescue operation extracted a downed F-15 weapons officer from Iran, involving SEAL Team 6 and facing heavy resistance. Despite massive logistics, no American fatalities were confirmed, but several aircraft were lost or damaged.
  • “All credit where credit is due to the amazing folks who pulled off this op. We got the weapons officer out alive. As far as I know, we did not take any fatalities, although I do believe they were wounded.” – Sam Faddis, [18:31]
• Iran’s Resilience: Commentators stress that Iranian forces are far more capable, organized, and ready to sustain asymmetric warfare than many US policymakers expected.
  • “We were told these guys would fold in three days...That is not what we saw in Iran. We saw guys prepared to throw down...They are still an effective force.” – Sam Faddis, [18:31]
• Dispersed Command Structure: Iran has adapted by creating autonomous regional military commands, complicating US strategies aimed at decapitation or rapid collapse.
  • “They spent 20 years watching how we fight...Their response was to create 31 separate commands, autonomous commands all around the country. Each continues to fight on their own.” – Sam Faddis, [21:29]

3. The Ceasefire Push and Diplomatic Gridlock

Timestamps: [10:27], [37:04], [39:18], [41:09]

• Ceasefire Negotiations: Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt are brokering a proposed 45-day ceasefire as a last-ditch effort, but Iran has rejected any temporary pause as the US demands upfront concessions.
  • “The Iranians are open for negotiations, but they're not going to agree to a ceasefire unless they get what they want... If the starting point is essentially Iran gives up everything...they won't even bother contemplating phase one.” – Trita Parsi, [37:04]-[39:18]
• Negotiation Hurdles: Both sides hold maximalist positions, and trust is low due to previous violations of ceasefire agreements elsewhere (Gaza, Lebanon).
• Who Speaks for Iran?: US struggles to identify credible counterparts for talks—Indicates Iran’s internal divisions and diffuse authority, especially within the Revolutionary Guards. [39:18]

4. Geoeconomic Fallout: Oil, Inflation, and Escalatory Trap

Timestamps: [24:25], [24:50], [41:24]

• Oil Market Mayhem: Oil prices have surged ($130 Brent, $112 US, and rising), and further conflict could push them as high as $200/barrel. Even a prompt ceasefire would leave months of economic pain.
• Global Recession Risk: Disruptions at Hormuz and regional infrastructure could trigger a worldwide recession and prolonged inflation—particularly if Iran retaliates by striking Gulf state oil infrastructure.
  • “Even if the strait were opened today...months forward of pain at the pump, higher inflation and maybe send the world into a global recession.” – Eric Bolling, [24:50]
• Iran’s Leverage: Iran profits from oil tolls ($2M per passing ship), and its sales to China have increased revenue compared to prewar levels. Gulf allies face instability and economic crisis. [08:24]
• Escalatory Trap: Trump, facing public commitments and Iran’s defiance, is boxed in—needing to either back down or escalate, risking uncontrollable consequences.
  • “He’s caught in an escalatory trap. He actually has to escalate now...Will we get a ceasefire or will we get hell unleashed on Iran?” – Eric Bolling, [27:11]

5. Regional & Strategic Analysis

Timestamps: [03:00], [06:42], [08:24], [32:34], [35:03]

• War Aims Elusive: Despite US military superiority and heavy attacks, Iran’s regime is intact, hardliners have replaced moderates (with Khamenei’s son ascendant), and anti-US sentiment is reinforced.
• No Uprising, No Collapse: Hopes for a mass popular revolt in Iran are considered “fantasy”; internal security and regime cohesion are underestimated.
  • “This fantasy...that there’s going to be some massive uprising in the streets... We sent them to the Kurds...The Americans are always double-dealt by everybody.” – Bannon, [22:54]
• Asymmetric Warfare: Iran fights unconventionally—fields loitering drone munitions (“sky mines”) and exploits local knowledge and resilience.
• Regional Realignment: The war has undermined years of reconciliation between Iran and Gulf states, especially Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s push for stability and modernization. Now, instability reigns.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump’s Threat (quoted):
  • “Open the fuckin strait you crazy bastards or you'll be living in hell.” ([01:47], [05:32]) – highlights the unprecedented language and stakes.
• Strategic Caution:
  • “If Trump did go through with his threat...it would probably make the Strait of Hormuz impassable for decades...leave behind such ruin and rage that the idea of reopening it under any circumstances would be almost impossible.” – Analyst, [06:42]
• Military Grit:
  • “It’s the valor and savvy and toughness and grit of our troops. The pilot himself climbed up to 7,000 ft injured, just incredible.” – Bannon, [27:37]
• Iranian Leverage:
  • “The Iranians have the ability to squeeze the American economy in a manner that they didn’t have before this war was started...Trump can do a lot of things in terms of blowing things up, but strategically, the Iranians can do a lot to destroy his presidency.” – Trita Parsi, [41:24]
• Realism on Allies:
  • “We don’t have any friends in this region. None...They’re all looking out for themselves...You may have alliances of convenience.” – Bannon, [22:54]

---

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Description | Timestamp | |-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Cold open | Trump’s threat to Iran, explicit quote | [01:47] | | Iran/US strategy| The risks of escalation and long-term damage to regional stability | [03:00] | | Rescue mission | Details of the U.S. operation, military analysis | [16:32]-[18:31] | | Asymmetric war | Iranian resilience, decentralized command, tech/tactics update | [21:29]-[22:54] | | Geoeconomic impact | Oil market volatility, risks to global economy, Trump’s dilemma | [24:25]-[24:50] | | Ceasefire negotiations | Diplomatic deadlock, mediation efforts, Iranian leverage | [10:27], [37:04]-[41:24] |

---

Tone and Style

The episode features Bannon’s characteristic combative, urgent, and confrontational tone—mixing admiration for US military prowess with sharp skepticism about political and strategic decision-making. Guests provide nuanced, sometimes sobering reflections on the resilience and tactical excellence of US forces, the dangers of US escalation, and the limitations of military action for achieving lasting outcomes. The economic commentary is blunt, connecting global price shocks to strategic decisions in real time.

---

Summary Takeaways

• The US-Iran conflict has entered an unparalleled phase of explicit threats and brinkmanship, with the potential for massive escalation driven by miscalculation and rigid public commitments.
• American military operations are technologically and tactically elite, but Iranian resistance and adaptation expose planning weaknesses and challenge assumptions about easy victory.
• Diplomatic solutions are currently stalemated by mutually unreachable demands and low trust, with regional and global economic fallout already severe and likely to worsen no matter the outcome.
• The original war aims—regime change, containment, or regional stabilization—appear further from realization, with the risk of prolonged, destabilizing conflict looming over the US, the region, and the world.

---

This summary is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the episode’s major themes and arguments for those who have not listened, organized by topic and mapped to key quotes and timestamps for easy reference.

Transcript

[A]

This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people. You're just not going to free shot all these networks lying about the people. The people have had a belly full of it. I know you don't like hearing that. I know you try to do everything in the world to stop that, but you're not going to stop it. It's going to happen.

[B]

And where do people like that go to share the big lie? MAGA Media I wish in my soul, I wish that any of these people had a conscience.

[A]

Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved. War Room here's your host, Stephen K. Band. It's Easter Monday, the 6th of April, year of our Lord 2026. Later today at 1 o' clock there's going to be a press briefing by the President United States about the situation in Iran and potential ceasefire. Although I think that may have already been rejected by the by the regime. We're going to get into all that. We've got an all star lineup of analysts and observers to walk us through this. Break it down off you we're going to play and for those with a sensitive ears or children, we're going to play the newscast from yesterday's news as we always do in the cold open let you see a wide range of what happened. Some of the language is a little harsh because they're quoting a true social that the commander in chief put out at 5:00am Eastern Daylight Time yesterday morning. Let's go ahead and let it rip to open the war room.

[B]

No longer. He has just threatened Iran in extraordinary graphic terms, giving the Iranian regime just over a day to either make a deal, reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face hell if your children are watching. Be warned, the president did not use polite language. Quote, Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day all wrapped up in one in Iran. There will be nothing like it. Open the fuckin straight you crazy bastards or you'll be living in hell. Just watch. We should note that destroying civilian power infrastructure is generally considered to constitute a war crime under international law, though the President could argue that the infrastructure has dual use and also is utilized by Iran's military.

[C]

Sure. So then how does this resolve itself? Because let's assume that, you know, there isn't a kind of totally dramatic escalation where you have a complete free for all. But Trump decides to do more bombing and then just quits in say 10 days or two weeks, the Strait remains closed. At that point, is it left to, you know, countries like Saudi Arabia to find some way to negotiate with Iran and open the strait

[D]

free? There's two great unresolved issues, one I know you'll talk about later, which is the nuclear issue. And we could be looking at, if you will, open ended bombing by Israel and the United States kind of, rather than having a formal negotiator arrangement, kind of redlines. And if and when Iran more to move against them, there would be recurring military activity on the strait. It's what I've described as we broke it, you own it. The president could simply walk away and say as he's posted, that the United States is not directly dependent on energy moving through the strait. And then I think it's unrealistic to expect the local Arab countries or the Europeans to free it up. So I think then we're looking at a long term situation where Iran derives enormous revenue, not to mention political leverage, from operating the strait. And I would think that ought to be an unacceptable situation if you had those two things together, the strait and the nuclear. Talk about being worse off after initiating a war of choice that didn't have to happen. Strategically and economically, the United States and the world, as your opening take suggested, would be far worse off than it was five weeks ago.

[E]

President Trump is expected to detail the rescue of an American airman whose aircraft was blown out of the sky over Iran. He's also expected to take reporters questions afterwards, and there are many. Why the expletive filled social media post on Iran. Will he stick to his deadline of 8pm tomorrow for creating, as he put

[A]

it, hell on earth if Iran doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz?

[E]

And what's happening with cease fire negotiations?

[C]

Hardly anyone could argue that Iran posed a threat to its neighbors, let alone to the United States, which sits roughly 6,000 miles away. Donald Trump effectively admitted this on Wednesday.

[A]

We don't have to be there, but

[C]

we're there to help our allies. It's worth noting that none of America's European or Asian allies were consulted, and many have spoken out against the war. In fact, reports suggest that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu sold Trump on this war not because Iran was an imminent threat, but because its unprecedented weakness provided an opportunity to strike hard to effect regime change. Why else would Trump have closed his brief announcement at the start of the war by urging the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow the regime, a call echoed by Netanyahu in his own message?

[D]

Tuesday will be power plant Day and

[F]

bridge day all wrapped up in one in Iran, there will be nothing like it.

[A]

Open the fucking straight, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell.

[D]

Just watch. Praise be to Allah.

[F]

End quote. That's what the President of the United States has just posted.

[D]

So you have a theocratic regime with a lot of military power that has not been destroyed. As much as the president and Secretary Hegseth want to talk about the body count, as it were, of missiles and launchers and the capability to shoot. You know, Iran shot some more missiles into Israel just today. So you're seeing a regime that's hanging on that is saying we are now being attacked. It's hard to overcome 47 years of screaming at the US and Israel that they are the Great Satan. We're even worse Satans now because we seem to be killing a lot of civilians and trying to damage institutions which are rebelling against it. So I think it's going to take a lot longer time and I agree with David Ignatius about letting it die its own death. I also agree with Mark that it's going to die eventually, but I think it's going to be much longer.

[G]

So, Joe, I think we're still balanced between the two fundamental themes of this war. Tactical brilliance of the United States military. It was demonstrated in a different way with this rescue mission, but was an amazing feat of arms. Showed off our special operations forces the way they can do things nobody else on the planet can. But. But it also showed that Iran can withstand our best punch and has got an asset in the, in the Strait of Hormuz that, that it's very hard to. To take away absent diplomacy. I've been thinking that if Trump did go through with his threat to, to blow to smithereens every power plant, bridge, etc. That would probably make the Strait of Hormuz impassable for decades. It would leave behind such ruin and rage that the idea of reopening it under any circumstances would be almost impossible. I'm not sure Trump thinks through the consequences of that action. So we're again at a moment where to me the path out of this towards something that will stabilize the region and achieve the basic war goals. The United States requires us to work with our allies towards some kind of diplomatic solution. The idea you could just keep pounding the other guy and he's going to eventually say, okay, that's it. I think the evidence in this war points in a quite different direction so far.

[C]

Aside from devastating Iran and crippling its already weak military, which was predictable in Such a one sided contest, few of the desired results have been achieved. The regime has not fallen. Key leaders have changed for the worse. The 86 year old Ayatollah Khamenei, who famously banned the development of nuclear weapons, was killed and replaced by his son who is said to be more hardline than his father. In general, the Revolutionary Guards, who have always been more militant, seem to be ascendant, which makes sense in times of war. The Strait of Hormuz, which was free and open despite many threats through 47 years of U. S Iran tensions, is now blocked by the new leadership whom Trump terms much more more reasonable. President Trump says that after a few more bombing runs, the strait will open naturally because Iran will want to export its own oil. This misleads the situation. The strait is not closed. It is open to Iranian oil which is flowing freely, especially to China. The net result of the war is that Iran now makes about twice as much on its daily oil sales compared to before the conflict. In addition, if it continues to charge a reported $2 million per passing ship, Tehran will make hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue every month. Enough to rebuild its military and more. America's Gulf allies now face a far more unstable and tense environment than they did before the war. Their business models require peace, stability and economic integration. Saudi Arabia's co Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had mended ties with Iran in 2023 because he wanted to calm geopolitical waters to pursue his ambitious program of modernization. Today all that progress is in jeopardy as oil exports are crippled and the region has gone from having a path to be an oasis of stability rather than a cauldron of conflict.

[H]

We're learning more about this cease fire and potential to see whether or not there could be a deal by before the deadline tomorrow that the President has said. I should note he actually extended that it was supposed to be this evening. He then appeared to extend it until 8pm tomorrow. But to see if these potential talks could at least be staved off for the time being. Because as we heard from the President, particularly in that expletive Laden post that he shared yesterday, really threatening to bomb Iran, saying that he would go after infrastructure and energy sites as well if they do not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by that 8pm deadline tomorrow. So what we're learning is really the countries who we know have been crucial negotiators throughout this entire process, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, they're among those who have been pounding out a 45 day cease fire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and again try to buy some time before we could see the United States military really escalate their attacks on these different infrastructure sites. Now, the plan, we're told was sent to the US And Iran late Sunday and is used as a last ditch effort to try and see if they could find an off ramp to this war again, even if it is only temporary. Now we have also heard from the Iranians say that they said that they reject outright this idea of a temporary cease fire. But of course, throughout this entire process, there's a lot we've been hearing publicly not only from the Iranians, but also from the Trump administration. While things are happening, of course, private behind the scenes, I will say we did hear from a White House official. They did confirm that this potential 45 day cease fire is just one, they said, of many options that the White House is considering as they look ahead to how they want to proceed. But you know, based on this deadline that the President has set for tomorrow, I think we read the headlines. You know, when President Trump took action to take on Iran, you know, for 50 years presidents have talked about doing this and he's the first one to do it and face the scrutiny of instant gratification. Everyone wants to know, is it two weeks, is it three weeks? You know, give us a timeline. But he understood that it was going to take risk and it was going to take some short term hardships for a longer term gain for our country, for my three boys future certainly. So I think this just shows that freedom is not free and things have to be fought for and earned. And we have the best and the brightest in this country that are prepared. You think of those going in to rescue these pilots, they're trained, highly trained, the most trained people in the world to take this on. So my thoughts and prayers are with them. And this is the greatest country in the world, but it doesn't come without a cost.

[C]

But so far, has any American military action ever racked up so many costs for so few games?

[A]

Okay, welcome. Like I said, Easter Monday 6, April, you're the Lord 2026. We're going to the White House at 1 o'. Clock. Real America's voice. We're going to cover that and do some pre game analysis. The Israeli paper Harrits is just reporting now up on Zero hedge that the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard is not prepared to agree to any concessions as part of a deal to end the war. So like I've said before, we're in it. President Trump threw down pretty hard Yesterday, ticking time bomb, 8pm I think Eastern Daylight time Tuesday night is the deadline he's given them. We're going to get into all of that, the economics of it, the geopolitics of it, the national security. And incredible. And incredible. Incredible. Joint operation yesterday to retrieve the weapons officer on the, on the F15. Just incredible. Of course, people are asking, was that really just a cover to go after the nuclear dust? We're getting to all of that this morning. Eric Bowling, Sam Faddis, Trita Parsi, and more. A cast of thousands here in the warm, short break back in Riley.

[H]

It's Charlie too.

[E]

Hard to say.

[A]

What about when you took your shot and the one you called. The dollar's convertibility into gold ended in 1971. Gold was fixed at $35 an ounce. Well, fast forward to today and the US dollar has lost over 85% of its purchasing power. Gold, on the other hand, is increased in value by over 12,000%. That's why Central banks are buying gold at record levels. That's why major firms like Vanguard and Blackrock hold significant positions in gold. And that's why I encourage you to consider diversifying your savings with physical gold from Birch Gold Group. But it starts with education. Birch Gold just announced their Learn and Earn Precious Metals event. This free online event rewards you for learning the basics of investing in precious metals. Sign up to get a free silver on your next purchase. Get even larger incentives as you go. The more you learn, the more you can earn. But you must act now as this special event only runs through April 30th. The dollar lost its anchor in 1971. You don't have to lose yours. Text my name, Bannon B A N N O N to the number 989-898 to join Birch Gold's Learn and Earn Precious Metals event by April 30th. Text Bannon B A N N O N to 989-898 and do it today.

[E]

Here's your host, Stephen K. Ban.

[A]

Yeah, the, the, the, the president yesterday was a combination of Patton about Rommel and the general in charge of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne. His response to the Germans, he was giving it to him with both barrels. But Sam Faddes, let me start with you. I got Eric up here. A lot to talk about on the Strait of Hormuz and the convergence of geopolitics and economics. There's all these rumors going around of course, on the Internet about Yesterday's

[D]

really

[A]

a 48 hour magnificent evolution as we call it in the military to retrieve the weapons officer from the downed F15. And of course a lot of people saying, oh, this is just a cover on a failed mission to go get the nuclear powder. Your sense of things, what I think is striking to people and even leads to part of the conspiracy theory is it was a pretty big firefight and there were a lot of Seal Team 6 and Seals Team 6 are kind of the, the assassins, right? These guys go in as all SEAL teams are incredible as all of our Special Forces, Delta Force, you know, the Green Berets, Rangers, all of it. Force recon for the Marines, the special unit this the Air Force has. But send in Seal Team 6 and have their fight. And we still don't know if they're casualies from that or not, but I did, I believe we lost two C130s. And then this morning the, the, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard told President Trump no deals. Right? Nothing. We're not giving, we're not giving up on anything. Now that could change in 30 minutes, but at least that's what the Israeli papers are reporting. Your thoughts on that, Sam Faddis? Right.

[F]

Well, first, obviously all credit where credit is due to the amazing folks who pulled off this op. And we got the weapons officer out alive. And as far as I know, we did not take any fatalities, although I do believe they were wounded. Okay, fantastic. Best military in the world. And we should thank God for that. We should also take stock of what happened and what it took to pull off this op we had to send in. Now, this is not a chopper with a handful of guys that hopped off the side and picked up a guy. This was a major operation and a major firefight and we ended up having to blow up two C130s on the ground. I think a Littlebird helicopter as well. And then there were multiple other aircraft hit during the course of the overall operation. So, you know, some takeaways to come off the top of my head. We were told these guys were getting ready to quit and in about three days of bombing, it would all be over. That is not what we saw on the ground in Iran. We saw guys prepared to throw down. That does not mean we can't beat them. Just means you better stop thinking that they're going to fold. We were told their communications were gone, they can't communicate anymore. Well, we saw them in real time coordinate a very large operation to get this weapons officer and confront our guys. So obviously they can communicate and they are still an effective force. We were also told by the way, that their air defenses are no longer are non existent. Well there's F15 that went down tells you that that is not true. I mean we have destroyed some, some types of air defenses. They have, they have in place now very asymmetric non conventional air defenses. Like they literally have loitering munitions drones that just hover.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. The, the A10. The A10 also down by, by the strait itself also I think a couple helicopters got hit. I don't think anything went down. But, but I want to go back to something you said from the beginning that they've got an operational plan because they had a contingency this day was coming. So it's not like CENTCOM Central Command. They disperse. Where this incredible rescue mission took place is in a pretty, it's not a suburb of Tehran. Right. It's also not near one of their major where they dispersed defense capabilities. Right. It's a fairly remote part down close. You know, pretty close to Iraq. So your theory is not just simply a Tehran and these other four or five big military installations they've got but it looks like they may dispersed all over, Correct?

[F]

Yeah. Look, they spent 20 years watching the way we fight in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. They're smart boys and girls. They developed a plan knowing precisely how we wage war and knowing that it would begin with decapitation, taking out major sites essentially trying to destroy command and control. Their response to that was to create 31 separate commands, autonomous commands all around the country. And those pieces continue to fight on their own and at each and each one of those commands has access to everything you need to continue to fight, including the external, the military plus the basis the internal security guys, the thugs that beat people up in the street. They are all they, they understood what was coming. They have watched it for 20 years and they prepared for it. So that's, that's where we are now. The theory that you were going to hit them real hard in Tehran and they would collapse was never viable. It didn't happen. It hasn't happened. It's not going to happen. So okay, I'm not. That is not me saying we lose. It's just saying you need to accept that, face reality and adapt. Our strategy has to be modified. We can't keep just thinking we'll repeat the same thing we've done and get a different result.

[A]

Also this fantasy, at least a fantasy up till now that there's going to be some massive uprising in the streets. I think President Trump said hey, we sent some weapons because this gets down to are these people armed? Can they fight back against the internal security and we sent them to the Kurds. I think he said it looks like the Kurds kept them. Which if I'm a Kurds, probably not a bad, probably not a bad alternative. The Americans are going to send us weapons. You know, maybe, maybe we get them there and maybe we just keep them because we're always being double dealt by everybody. So let's just, let's just hunker down. This goes back to my point. We don't have any friends in this region. None. The world. America's the greatest ally. Ain't a friend. The Saudis are not a friend. Mbz, you know who glazes President Trump all the time. He's not a friend. They're all looking out for themselves and given what a cockpit that place is. Right. Maybe it's, maybe it's to their benefit to do that. But don't think you've got any friends over there. You may have alliances of convenience.

[F]

Yes, when it suits them.

[A]

Hang on for a second, Sam, I'm gonna get back to you in a second. All this I want to go to the, to the economics of it, Eric. Is it appropriate to say that even with the explosion of prices kind of over the weekend or for the last trades that people are kind of on tenterhooks now waiting for what President Trump says at one o' clock and then this deadline which has been pushed I think theoretically to 8:00pm Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday.

[B]

Yeah, he added 20 hours. It was supposed to end this evening. He pushed it to Tuesday. So very interesting phenomena happening. But first of all, regarding what's what Sam was just talking about, guys, we've been talking about exactly what's happening right now for the past four weeks. We said, in fact, Steve, we sent, I sent the video of us talking this exact idea into Hegseth and into Susie Wiles, that you need to bomb the literal daylights out of these folks. You need to take out their media, their infrastructure, their roads, their bridges, maybe clearly there'll be civilian deaths in it. But that's what you need to do to get the IRGC back to the bargaining table, hat in hand. And then you can work out some negotiations. And it feels like Trump is melding together this kind of the art of war, as Sam points out, with the art of the deal, which he is all about. And I just have this hope and suspicion that he's going to get what he wants. The other side of that is I also know Trump, as you do as well, that he's not going to be, I guess, disrespected on a global stage with the irgc. Tell him to go take a hike with all his attempts on negotiations and I believe he will unleash hell on them. And I think that's what everyone's waiting for. Will this be the, you know, will we get another 45 day pause? Will we get a cease fire? Will we get hell unleashed on Iran, which would be the oil markets. And so everything is kind of in limbo right now. Very nervously trading a very tight range. Oil, $112 a barrel, gasoline up to $4.12 nationally a gallon. Brent is trading $130 a barrel right now. It could be a lot higher. If we do do unleash house, bomb them back to the Stone Angels, you'll see probably a $150 barrel of US of WTI and 180, $200 barrel of Brent. So, and that would be very, very negative to the stock market. The other thing that we, you and I chatted about, Steve, offline, was this idea that, you know, this is, even if all things ended right now, there's an international un, I guess it was UN study saying even if the strait were opened today and cease fire declared today, we're looking at, we're looking at months forward of pain at the pump, higher inflation and maybe there's a possibility of sending the world into a global recession, which would be bad for everyone. Us too. But again, there's an off ramp. Trump may be thinking about various options, but he's got to portray that the only option to him left is to bomb the crap out of Iran, which I don't think is a bad idea. I think letting them know that he's willing to go and he's ready to go, that's what he's good at. And he's, he's, they've clearly seen that.

[A]

Then you're, you're saying that he's, when

[B]

he goes,

[A]

you, you're, you're saying he's caught an escalatory trap, that he actually has to escalate now, Is that what you're saying? Because these guys. Nothing over the weekend has shown, hang on, Nothing over the weekend has shown they're even prepared to negotiate with people or talk to people directly. There's something that JD's been up all night and trying to communicate with some guy. But the, the head, the guys came back today and said we're not giving up on anything.

[F]

Right?

[A]

We're not going to give one inch, one concession. I think they're coming back with their own 15 point plan. I tell you what, Eric, hang on for one second. Sam Fedis, Eric Bolling. To kick off Easter Monday, really an incredible heroic and it tells you about the, really the valor of our because the equipment's incredible, the communication is incredible. When it gets down to it, it's the valor and savvy and toughness and grit of our troops. The pilot himself what climbed up to 7,000ft injured, just incredible, incredible weekend, but we're now down into it. President at one o' clock from the White House, short break. Back in a moment. Everyone's focused on how the conflict in the Middle east is raising oil prices. But there's another grim reality to this contention. Oil isn't the only resource being constrained. About one third of global fertilizer trade happens through this region. And with spring planting season on top of us, American farmers are sounding the alarm with some saying they can't afford to plant their fields. When one piece of the supply chain gets hit this hard, you know what comes next? Higher fruit prices, reduced availability, maybe even panic buying. That's why having an emergency food supply at home makes so much sense. And that's where our friends at my Patriot Supply come in. Right [e-mail] that is preparewithbannon.com we've set up an entire just site for the war room posse. You go to preparewith Bannon.com that's all one word. Preparewith Bannon.com you get a three month emergency food supply. Don't include a free mega protein Upgrade, an incredible $200 bonus you don't want to miss. It's a simple way to protect your family from whatever comes next. Go to preparewithbannon.com that is prepare with bandit.com to get your emergency food supply today. That's preparewith bannon.com do it today. Go check it out. War room here's your host, Stephen K. Ban. If Sam, let me get to what Eric said. Do you think President Trump right now is, is trapped in what we call the escalatory trap, that he's got a, he's got to go up to the, he's got to go up the es, particularly if what heretz and some of the Israeli media is reporting that the Iranian guard because people don't really know who speaks for who, what faction, who's in charge. I mean one of the problems we got, you've got the Pakistanis and the Egyptians, the Turks. Everybody's trying to organize the Saudis, you know, you got A couple of guys here, a couple of guys there, but at least, and herit's a pretty good paper, they, they're saying the, the, the, the Revolutionary Guard is saying, hey, here's what you think about your 15 points. There's no deal, there's no ceasefire, we don't need a meeting. We're going to send you over our 15 standby. It sounds a little bit, they almost sound like they are taking the style of President Trump and using against President Trump, sir.

[F]

Yeah, well, I think we are, potentially. That's precisely where we are. I mean, this is what I mean by we tried something based on an idea we had of how, what would happen, that they would fold. And now since that didn't work, it appears our current plan is let's just do more of that without, without reevaluating, without, without stopping and thinking about what's really happening here. And I, as I keep saying, I mean, we're in this war, so we got to win this war. We don't have a rewind button. We can't go back and revisit that decision. We cannot walk away and have been defeated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. But we do need to think about why is it not working and let's change that. So if we're going to bomb them, what are we going to bomb exactly? Given that they have moved to a decentralized system, because continuing to think we're just going to bomb certain key nodes and they will collapse is not enough, we also have to anticipate as we back them further and further into a corner, what are they going to do? Up until now, you and I have been talking about how the Straits of Hormuz are the center of gravity here, by which we really mean oil and gas coming out of the Gulf. Okay, but when you get the Iranians in a corner and really out of options, what happens when they decide to destroy the oil and gas infrastructure of the Persian Gulf? So you're not looking at reopening the Straits, you're looking at, nothing's coming out of Kuwait and any other country.

[A]

One of the reasons, yeah, one of the reasons. And we're going to spend more time on this in the next couple days. One of the reasons we went back in recent history and Talked about the 1980s is as they've gone down on the command structure and taking out the senior people they're getting into mid level and below. These are all people that came in as volunteers, as first lieutenants, second lieutenants, non commissioned officers, the nine year old, the 12 year old kids that gave them a stick and said the Iraqis over there go charge. Like in World War I in Korea. These are not, we're not getting, as you go down the ladder, you're not getting to Jeffersonian Democrats are members or guys that went through the enlightenment. You're getting. The harder, you're getting harder core people who their entire life, their formation of them as young men was in a brutal war that was a war that they had to win against at that time, Saddam Hussein in the west, right? And so you're getting people that know how to dig in and these are Persians to start with. You layer on top of it. This, this radical theocracy, right? This martyr, this whole philosophy and religion based around martyrdom. These are, you know, these, these are tough people formed in the crucible of an apocalyptic war, which it was, I think, I think there was a million casualties. Yes, over the eight years of that war. And you think about in Vietnam, the, the casualties I think we had 50,000 killed, obviously, tens of thousands of more casualties and millions on the Vietnamese side. This was, and people should remember and this I told the Sunday Times, I said, look, the military's had 12,000 sorties. They're going to, I think the target right now is 13, 5 or 14,000 sorties before they say at least their initial mission is accomplished. We've only had a couple planes shot down. That is a pretty remarkable. But we're hitting these people. We hit them again last night. It's a relentless hitting of the kind of defangling and declawing of their conventional military apparatus. Sam but these guys are totally asymmetric now and they're going to fight an asymmetric war. And these appear to be people who would rather die than surrender or particularly capitulate to the great Satan. Sir.

[F]

Yeah, as I've said to you many times, I worked against the Iraqis and the Iranians for many years. The Iraqis were absolutely ruthless. The Iranians were every bit as ruthless, but frankly a heck of a lot more organized in that sense and smarter in the way they operated and more dangerous. They were the folks you really had to watch yourself against. And your use of the term asymmetric is dead on, Steve. I mean, look, we're worried about missile batteries and them shooting down planes the way we would. Okay, we should worry about that. But the fact of the matter is they've moved now to using these loitering munitions. And I'm not talking about things that go up in the air and then hit a tank on the ground, they're like sky mines. They go up and they hover thousands of feet in the air. And they have passive infrared sensors. And then when your F15 Strike Eagle comes by, they impact it. There's, they're, you know, it's not an area there. We're looking for radar systems, we're looking for SAMs, we're looking for all of this stuff. And they have relatively cheap munitions hovering over key areas. This is back to the psychology at least of the Vietnam War.

[D]

Right.

[F]

We're using massive conventional force and we're fighting an enemy that's fighting us very unconventionally and asymmetrically.

[A]

Yep. Hanger for in fact, a bomb to the Stone Age came, I think, from Curtis LeMay and the Vietnam War. Hanger. One second, Trita, where do we stand? Haritz is reporting that the Revolutionary Guard has responded to our feelers through various sources of trying to, you know, trying to try to have a climb down at least before tomorrow evening's deadline. And they're telling us, hey, no interest, no deals. We'll come back to you later with our own 15 point plan. Your thoughts?

[E]

I think the Iranians are open for negotiations, but they're not going to agree to a ceasefire unless they get what they want. Because the track record of Israel and the United States for the last two, three years when it comes to ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon has been very clear. Those ceasefires are rather quickly violated and they're used in order to be able to regroup, rearm and then relaunch attacks. So the Iranians are not going to fall for that. And particularly if it's these kind of phased ceasefires. First Iranians do everything up front and then in phase two or phase three, the US responds with some concessions. Those are complete non starters. And I don't think we should waste time on that because reality on the ground is this is not the type of scenario that existed before the war in which the US Had a lot of leverage vis a vis Iran. Now the Iranians have a lot of leverage over the US as well. That requires real compromises and that's going to take some time. But if you start off those negotiations with these kind of low ball offers, you're just wasting time, frankly. And right now, time is not on Trump's side. If I were him, I would move much faster towards real negotiations that did not require the Iranians to give up everything up front. And then the US taking measures in phase two, because those are just non starters, it's not going to work.

[A]

Trita, help me out here and help the audience out. When you say real negotiations, President Trump, this is one of the things that drove him crazy. And you and I talked about this, drove him crazy. Beginning that the Iranians would be in one room, you know, Witkoff and Kushner in another room. You have either someone from Oman or some intermediary passing notes back and forth. Who is he really supposed to negotiate with? If you had a recommendation right now, you got the Pakistanis working one thing, the Saudis working another, the Turks working another. You've got guys coming up as spokesman. I mean, if President Trump wants to make a deal and talk to somebody and it's, JD's been up all night, the, the, the media is telling us, talking to somebody who is the President of the United States supposed to interact with that not only can deliver a, or have a meaningful conversation about what you just talked about, but also, if they reached a deal, could actually executed inside of Iran. Sir.

[E]

So, Steve, earlier on, I think this was a very valid concern, that the methodology of the negotiations were highly problematic, and that was overwhelmingly the fault of the Iranians, in which they originally only had these meetings in which notes were passed from one room to another through the Omanis. The talks in Geneva, Kushner and Witkoff sat in the room with Iranian negotiators, and they were actually direct negotiations with them. So the methodology had improved and it should have been done so from the very outset. I think it was a huge mistake by the Iranians to do it in the manner that they did. At this point, however, I don't think the problem is in the methodology. The problem is that the two sides are two too far away from each other on the substance of the issue, and that both sides are driving rather maximalist positions, and particularly Trump kind of still acting as if he can dictate the outcome here. That is not the reality. On the ground. The Iranians have the ability to squeeze the American economy in a manner that they didn't have before this war was started. And as a result, even though, of course, the methodology needs to improve, etc. Etc. The real problem is in the substance here. Now, the US side can talk to the Iranians through the Pakistanis and others. There's nothing wrong with those channels per se. But if the starting point is essentially Iran gives up everything in terms of control of the Strait of Hormuz, and then in phase two, the US reciprocates, the track record of the last couple of years have made sure that no country that has leverage will ever trust the US to get to phase two or phase three. And as a result, they won't even bother even contemplating phase one. That's the problem of having done it the manner that the Israelis wanted to do it in Gaza and Lebanon. It's just destroyed that credibility and has put us in a much, much harder position.

[A]

I'm not saying this is reality, but I want to know the reality. As the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the folks running the country, and particularly run the military look at it, do they believe that they have the initiative in this war right now and not the Americans?

[E]

I think it's quite clear that that is their perception. And again, whether that perception is entirely true or not could be a very different story. But I think that they do believe that they have an escalatory dominance here. Because, for instance, let's say that Trump activates his threat. And by the way, the Israelis are currently bombing power grids and energy infrastructure in Iran long before the deadline has been met. Whether they're doing it right now in order to sabotage any small prospect for the Iranians agreeing to some sort of a ceasefire, or if all of this is once again another ruse in which the diplomacy is not serious from either side, we don't know yet. But nevertheless, they're doing it regardless of Trump's deadline. But let's say that that goes forward, what the Iranians can then do, and they've already shown the ability to do it, is to take out the oil infrastructure in the region, not just stopping ships from going through the Strait of Hormuz. The reason why we have high oil prices right now is not because oil is not being pumped out of the ground. It's because the oil is stuck in the Persian Gulf and it can't get through. But once the Strait opens, the oil will go through very quickly and oil prices can come down very quickly. However, if Trump activates his threat and goes after the oil infrastructure and other power infrastructure in Iran, and the Iranians retaliate by taking out the oil and gas infrastructure in the GCC state, that we're not just talking about oil getting stuck in the Persian Gulf, we're talking about oil and gas not getting out of the ground. And that will then require years of recuperation before it actually gets back to normal state. And then oil prices will not come down quickly. Rather, they will stay high for a long period of time. That will be devastating for the global economy and for the United States, and that will destroy Trump's presidency. That's why I think the Iranians feel confident that they have escalation, dominance. Trump can do a lot of things in terms of blowing things up, but strategically, the Iranians can do a lot to destroy his presidency.

[A]

Trina, I know you got about. Just hang on for a second. I got a couple more questions inside. Sam Fad is going to stick with us. We're going to get back to Eric Bolling on all things geo economics.

[G]

Short break.

[A]

The American health care system is broken and for most Americans, nothing changes. There's still delays, denials, high cost insurance, roadblocks. So when I find people doing things differently, I talk about it all. Family pharmacy is not your typical big chain pharmacy. This is an independent family owned pharmacy that gives you access to over 400 medications delivered straight to your door. They've got ivermectin, antibiotics, antivirals, nad, even your daily maintenance medications and so much more. If you already have a prescription, your doctor can send it directly. If you don't, their doctors handle it. As long as there is a medical necessity, they'll take care of you. And I'll tell you this, the feedback from people listening to this show and watching has been incredibly strong. People are using it, it's working for them and they're sticking with it. That's because it cuts out the delays, the middlemen and all the usual nonsense. This is about being ready before you need it. Go to allfamilypharmacy.com that's all one word allfamilypharmacy.com and use code Bannon10 to save 10%. The health care system is broken. Your pharmacy doesn't have to be. Do you owe back taxes or you haven't filed your taxes in years? Now is the time to resolve your tax matters. With the national conversation around abolishing the income tax, the IRS is fighting back and proving it's here to stay by becoming more aggressive than ever before. They're sending out more collection notices, filing more tax liens, and collecting billions more in recent years. If you owe, the IRS can garnish your wages, levy your bank accounts, seize your retirement and even your home if you owe or haven't filed. It's not a question of if the IRS will act, it's a question of when it will act. Right now, Tax Network USA is offering a completely free IRS research and discovery call to show you exactly where you stand and what they can stop before it's too late. Their powerful programs and strategies can save you thousands or even eliminate your debt entirely if you qualify. Don't make a costly mistake representing yourself or calling the IRS on your own waives your rights and cost you more money. They are not, and let me repeat, the IRS is not on your side. Get protected the right way with Tax Network USA and start the process of settling your tax matters once and for all today. Call 1-800-958-1000, that's 1-800-958-10000 or visit tnusa.com Bannon for your free discovery call with Tax Network USA. Let me repeat, 800-958-1000. Tell them Bannon sent you. Don't let the IRS be the first to act. Take advantage of first mover advantage. You move.