Provoked with Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton
EP:29 – Bombing Iran Again?!
January 3, 2026

Overview

In this episode, hosts Scott Horton and Darryl Cooper tackle the resurgence of U.S. regime change rhetoric and actions toward Iran amidst ongoing protests, economic instability, and rising tensions. They dissect current propaganda, media narratives, and geopolitical posturing, reflecting on the historical pattern of American interventions and their catastrophic consequences. The conversation spotlights both hosts’ skepticism toward renewed calls for war, critiques of political cynicism, and examination of public opinion’s shift on foreign policy, particularly on the right. The episode also delves into how information operations and public narratives are manipulated in policy discourse, weaving in personal reflections, memorable moments, and expert insights.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

U.S. and Allied Calls for Regime Change in Iran

• Context of Current Protests

  • Large-scale protests in Iran, fueled by severe economic conditions and a freshwater crisis ([01:00]-[02:20]).
  • Western media and social media figures, especially monarchists and "Zionists," frame the protests as the beginning of the end for the Iranian regime.
  • Repeated historic pattern: external actors regularly predict the imminent fall of the Iranian government, regardless of the nature or scale of internal unrest.

• Trump's Threats and Policy Shifts

  • Discussion of Donald Trump’s Truth Social post: “If Iran shoots and violently kills protesters, the US is coming” ([02:23]).
  • Comparison to Obama’s Libyan intervention: Use of “protesters killed” as pretext for war ([04:15]-[06:12]).
  • Expansion of U.S. interventionist justifications—shifting from nuclear threats to missile programs to internal dissent ([13:16]).

• Cynicism and Diminished Public Resistance

  • Increasing ease with which U.S. presidents initiate new wars—with less public outrage or debate.
  • Both hosts mourn America’s transformation from a “naturally patriotic” nation to an “agent of chaos” globally, destabilizing rather than stabilizing conflicts.

The Propaganda Machine and Manufactured Consent

• Media Spin and Historical Amnesia

  • The cycle of overstating the significance of Iranian protests for regime stability.
  • "Every time this happens… Israeli leaders and other Western leaders… jump right on it and say, ‘see, it’s the fall of the regime…’” – Scott Horton ([01:00]).
  • Media used as a tool to build public support for regime change without honest accounting of the consequences.

• Public Relations & Manipulation

  • Israeli and American manipulation of narratives around missile threats, democracy promotion, and regime legitimacy.
  • "We have to expedite the chaotic collapse to Syria so that then we can control the better outcome. And this is the better outcome. A bin Ladenite regime..." – Scott Horton, referencing David Wurmser’s strategy ([11:07]-[12:35]).
  • PR strategies observed: “highlight Israeli support for women’s rights/gay rights… elevate concerns that Hamas wants to destroy all Jews…” (discussion of internal Israeli PR studies, [38:28]).

The Realities and Fallout of U.S.-Driven Regime Change

• Civil War, Chaos, and Repression—The Pattern

  • If U.S. policy succeeded: likely years of police-state repression, mass resentment, and possibly civil war, echoing the aftermath in Iraq, Syria, and Libya ([06:16]-[08:25]).
  • “You’re looking at, best case scenario, just decades of brutal, brutal repression.” – Daryl Cooper ([06:44])
  • U.S. officials exhibit little to no concern for civilian suffering or genuine reconstruction ([10:24]-[11:07]).

• No Lessons Learned

  • "It's all the people who are old enough to remember what happened back then...who are the ones cheering it on." – Daryl Cooper ([06:24])
  • American amnesia—failure to internalize the lessons of Iraq, Libya, Syria.

Intervention, Sovereignty, and “Democracy Promotion” Skepticism

• The Mechanics of External Interference

  • References to NED, US AID, Soros-backed NGOs involved in Iranian and other “color revolutions” ([17:08]-[22:05]).
  • Regime change rarely brings genuine democracy—usually just client states, more instability.

• The Impossible Choice for Targeted Nations

  • Authoritarianism as a forced choice in the face of foreign subversion, infiltration, and sabotage.
  • “You almost have to be a police state or just hang up your boots and let somebody else do it.” – Daryl Cooper ([20:53]).

Domestic Political Implications & the MAGA Movement

• Fractures in Trump’s Base

  • Younger "America First" supporters are demoralized and feel betrayed by Trump’s foreign policy priorities, especially his deference to Israel ([28:50]-[29:53]).
  • Discussion on the disconnect between his online base's antiwar sentiment and Trump’s public actions/personal information bubble.

• The Role of Israel in U.S. Politics

  • Trump’s perceived subservience to Netanyahu lambasted: "He could have been like a super, super, super strong ally of Israel...and still not just allow Benjamin Netanyahu to put a leash around his neck and march him around on TV…" – Daryl Cooper ([26:44]).
  • The MAGA movement risks becoming a “bad joke” as it drifts from its anti-interventionist roots ([24:06]-[26:38]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Futility of Regime Change:

  • “We’ll probably eventually topple the regime and reduce the place to total chaos… like we did in Syria and Libya and everywhere else.”
    — Daryl Cooper [03:46]

• On American Political Elite’s Indifference:

  • "The people making these decisions don't care. Like that's a fine outcome as far as they're concerned. Just having it be in total chaos... That's a decent second option."
    — Daryl Cooper [10:24]
  • “They just have no concern whatsoever for the fact that there's people that have to live through this stuff, you know?”
    — Daryl Cooper [12:44]

• On Manufactured Legitimacy:

  • “Democracy—that’s what we really care about. Like, give me a break, dude. No one believed that for a moment.”
    — Scott Horton [22:05]

• On U.S. Political Realities:

  • “Security is a government program, right?”
    — Scott Horton [17:08]

• On Israel’s Influence and Political Cowardice:

  • "I heard from somebody...that Trump feels like he's under an assassination threat from the Israelis if he doesn't do what they want. I don't know what to make of that...it feels like it's just kind of cope.”
    — Daryl Cooper [26:44]

• On Weaponized Narratives and Social Control:

  • “It's time to limit the First Amendment in order to protect it and quickly before it's too late.”
    — Shlomo Kramer, Israeli tech billionaire ([53:09])

[Select Timestamps]

• [01:00] – Setting the stage: Iranian protests, Western expectations of regime collapse
• [04:15] – Libya, Yemen, proxy wars, and “regime killings” as pretexts for war
• [06:16] – Why the "old guard" supports intervention, the generational divide
• [08:25] – Historic myopia: lack of post-regime change planning
• [11:07] – The Wurmser Doctrine, deliberate chaos as a policy objective
• [13:16] – Israeli priorities shape U.S. policy (“forget the nuclear program… the problem is missiles”)
• [20:53] – Why authoritarianism is endemic in “threatened” states
• [24:06] – The collapse of antiwar populism and MAGA's future
• [26:44] – The humiliations of American politics by Israeli leaders
• [38:28] – Israeli PR plans for countering accusations of genocide/apartheid
• [53:08] – Shlomo Kramer on speech controls
• [55:27] – Brief summary of ongoing Yemen complexities, the episode’s wrap-up

Tone & Language

• Frank, world-weary, and often darkly comedic
• Deep skepticism toward official narratives, especially on U.S. interventions
• Interwoven personal anecdotes and historical context
• Frequent allusions to past and contemporary media manipulation

Conclusion

This episode of "Provoked" lays bare the psychology and mechanics of U.S. interventionism, the deliberate ignorance of consequences among policymakers, and the propaganda strategies that sell war to the public. Horton and Cooper balance anecdote-laden cynicism with a clear, historically rooted critique of current foreign policy, warning that the cycle of violence and chaos in the Middle East is likely to repeat—again—with devastating results for ordinary people, and little cost or reflection for those who instigate the chaos.

Additional Resources & Further Reading

• Ryan Grim’s report on Israeli global PR strategies, Drop Site News ([38:28])
• Joe Solis-Mullen’s "The Fake China Threat and its Very Real Danger" ([75:13])
• Online project: https://vegasshootingmap.com/ for analysis on the Las Vegas shooting (referenced during episode's tangent, [64:47])

For Engaged Listeners:

• Follow @Provoked_UnderscoreShow on X and YouTube
• Consider reading referenced books and articles for deeper historical context
• Next episode TBA – keep an eye on announcements!

(Advertisments, intros, and outros have been omitted.)