Podcast Summary

The Ben Shapiro Show

Episode 2389: “BREAKING: Iran’s NEXT Leader… KILLED”
Date: March 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ben Shapiro provides a comprehensive update on the rapidly evolving crisis involving Iran, highlighting the fallout from the death of Ayatollah Khamenei’s son (Mojtaba Khomeini) and other top regime officials amid sustained American and Israeli military actions. Shapiro contends that Iran’s regime is collapsing, that Western media is obfuscating the reality of the war, and criticizes both the responses of U.S. allies and the domestic political climate, particularly the Democratic Party’s handling of national issues. The episode blends foreign policy commentary, critique of media narratives and political opposition, and analysis of the current state of alliances.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Iran’s Leadership Crisis & Military Collapse

• Immediate Leadership Vacuum:
  • The death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was quickly followed by the presumed incapacitation of his son, Mojtaba Khomeini.
  • Ali Larijani, considered competent and cruel, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike.
• Systematic Degradation of Iran’s Military:
  • “One by one, the leaders of the Islamic Republic are being eliminated.” (Ben Shapiro, 02:01)
  • Iran’s missile and drone launch capacity has been slashed by about 90%, with missile launches dropping from 350 on day one to “barely double digits.”
  • Basij (Iran’s internal security force) leadership also wiped out, with Israeli suicide drones now targeting checkpoints in Tehran.
• External Recognition:
  • Even Al Jazeera (traditionally pro-Iran/Qatar-leaning) acknowledges the scale of Iran's losses.
• U.S. & Israeli Effectiveness:
  • The war has featured “systematic, phased degradation” rather than indiscriminate bombardment.

Notable Quote:

"Their command structure is shattered, their capabilities stripped down to the bone. What you’re seeing launch now is whatever scraps they can still push out. That’s their ceiling."
— Major General Shlomi Binder, IDF Intelligence Head (Ben Shapiro quoting, 04:50)

2. The Propaganda War: Western Media & Social Media Distortion

• Misinformation Proliferation:
  • Widespread use of AI-generated images and videos creating a false impression that Iran is “winning” or mounting effective resistance (NYT report, 09:15).
• Critique of Progressive Commentators and “Moral Weakness”:
  • Shapiro targets left-wing figures (Leigh McGowan, Joy Reid, Dave Smith, Marjorie Taylor Greene, etc.) for painting the U.S. as the aggressor and minimizing the Iranian regime’s brutality.
  • He argues that American and Western media personalities are guilty of "perverse moral sickness" for equating U.S. actions with Iran’s theocracy.
• Weaponization of Victim Narratives:
  • According to Shapiro, the left’s preoccupation with being seen as “the good people” leads them to champion ever more counterintuitive social causes, disconnecting from reality and undermining legitimate national interests (Bill Maher, 51:56).

Memorable Moment:

“Help. Sick and perverse you have to be to look at Iran... and say America is the bad guy. How perverse.”
— Ben Shapiro (12:10)

3. Domestic Political Infighting and Dissent on Iran Policy

• Criticism of Internal Dissent:
  • Highlights Joe Kent (recently resigned National Counterterrorism Center official) and his conspiratorial claims about Israeli manipulation, grouping him with figures like Tulsi Gabbard and Tucker Carlson.
  • Shapiro claims these dissidents embody an isolationist, “preemptive surrender” ideology, in contrast to Trump’s “peace through strength.”
• Contrast with Democratic Arguments:
  • Democrats are characterized as preoccupied with domestic issues (voter ID, taxes, gender policies) to the exclusion of security priorities.
  • Democratic critiques of war cost (James Talarico, 22:40) and opposition to DHS funding during a national security crisis (Hakeem Jeffries, 51:01) are ridiculed.

Notable Quote:

“The real question isn’t why Iran is losing. The real question is why so many people in the West are pretending they aren’t.”
— Ben Shapiro (02:50)

4. The Strait of Hormuz and Endgame Scenarios

• Strategic Choke Point:
  • Drop in shipping; most global shipping steers clear without U.S. escort.
  • U.S. allies (Japan, South Korea, Britain, France, Australia) are unwilling to join militarily, despite dire shared interest in open shipping lanes.
• Potential U.S. Actions:
  • The Wall Street Journal lays out a phased military approach, including continued degradation of Iranian missile/drone threats, air and sea patrols, and possibly seizing Kharg Island—through which 90% of Iranian oil exports flow (“that would cut off Iran’s export capacity entirely”).
• Trump’s Secrecy:
  • President Trump refuses to divulge planned actions (28:25); Shapiro commends this as necessary operational security.

Notable Exchange:

“Will you attack Kharg Island?”
“Why would I tell you a thing like that? Reports, sir, will you… They ask me these questions, and I don’t want to be mean but they’re stupid questions.”
— Reporter and Donald Trump (28:23)

5. The Problem with U.S. Allies

• Lack of Reciprocal Commitment:
  • Allies, particularly in Europe and East Asia, are called out for failing to provide military support despite benefiting from U.S. security guarantees (e.g., 45,000 U.S. troops in Japan/Germany/South Korea).
  • Shapiro argues that allies are “moochers,” pursuing welfare states and green energy while relying on American military protection.
• Moral vs. Material Support:
  • “The only thing we’ve seen our allies saying is that they are on our side morally. But when it comes time to actually enforce those morals, then they just disappear…” (32:57)
• Contrast With Israel:
  • Israel portrayed as a true ally: providing intelligence, absorbing missile attacks, conducting joint sorties, requiring no US bases or troop deployments.
  • U.S. military aid to Israel is framed as a bargain compared to the costs of stationing U.S. troops in Europe or Asia.
• Shapiro’s Call:
  • The U.S. needs better allies, not different allies; i.e., existing allies must step up and match America’s commitment.

Notable Quote (Trump, on Allies):

“For forty years we’re protecting you and you don’t want to get involved in something that is very minor, very few shots going to be taken... I just want the fake news media and everybody else to remember that that was said.”
— Donald Trump (40:02)

Comparison of Allies' Burden Sharing:

“How many of those countries that we are spending literally billions of dollars a year on have provided us direct forward support for our operations? Zero.”
— Ben Shapiro (43:39)

6. U.S. Domestic Politics and Democratic Party Woes

• Contrary Approval Ratings:
  • Trump's current approval is “higher at this point” than Bush or Obama. Republicans and Democrats are polling nearly evenly in the generic ballot.
• Democratic Unpopularity:
  • According to CNN’s Harry Enten, Congressional Democrats have the worst net approval rating ever (47:00).
• Democratic Policies Criticized:
  • Voter ID opposition, tax misrepresentation (Gavin Newsom), persistence on gender issues, and refusal to fund DHS during wartime are cited as contributing to Democratic malaise.
• Disconnect from Voters:
  • Shapiro asserts Democrats are pursuing “stupidly counterintuitive policies" (Bill Maher, 51:56) that alienate the electorate while Republicans are “fighting a world changing war.”

Notable Quote:

“Democrats in Congress are lower than the Dead Sea... 55 points underwater... It’s even worse with Independents.”
— Harry Enten, CNN (47:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:01–03:00 | Iran’s command structure, death of top leaders, military collapse| | 04:50 | IDF intelligence assessment, scale of Iranian losses | | 07:01–08:07 | Trump statement on Iranian protest repression, civilian courage | | 09:15 | Role of AI-generated fakes/media in information war | | 12:10 | Shapiro on Western left's “perverse moral sickness” re Iran | | 15:47 | Marjorie Taylor Greene’s critique of Trump & war “for Israel” | | 22:40 | James Talarico on ‘cost of war’ vs. domestic needs | | 28:23–28:48 | Trump refusing to reveal military plans to media | | 32:57 | Shapiro: Allies only provide “moral” but not real support | | 40:02–41:47 | Trump: “We have 45,000 troops in Japan...” (allies not reciprocating)| | 47:00 | CNN’s Enten: Democrats’ approval rating “lower than the Dead Sea”| | 51:56 | Bill Maher: “superwoke” left and Democrat disconnect |

Memorable Quotes

• “One by one, the leaders of the Islamic Republic are being eliminated.” — Ben Shapiro (02:01)
• “Their command structure is shattered, their capabilities stripped down to the bone…” — Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder (Ben quoting, 04:50)
• “How perverse… to look at Iran… and say America is the bad guy.” — Ben Shapiro (12:10)
• “If you can’t label the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps … savages, I don’t know when you would ever apply that term ever.” — Ben Shapiro (13:27)
• "We are kicking the living hell out of them." — Ben Shapiro (13:28)
• “We don’t need different allies; we need our allies to be better.” — Ben Shapiro (45:45)
• “Democrats in Congress are lower than the Dead Sea... 55 points underwater.” — CNN’s Harry Enten (47:00)
• “Democrats may be banking on Republicans to lose... but even if Democrats gain power, they won’t keep it for long if they keep pursuing stupidly counterintuitive policies.” — Ben Shapiro (52:39)

Episode Flow and Tone

Though charged with criticism and sarcasm, Shapiro’s tone is urgent, combative, and relentlessly polemical. He blends granular military analysis (e.g., types of drone strikes, missile capacity) with sweeping cultural and ideological critiques, especially of mainstream and progressive media and the Democratic Party. He peppers the episode with quotable lines and dismissals of policy opponents, while offering detailed justifications for U.S. and Israeli military actions.

In Summary

Ben Shapiro’s March 17, 2026 episode diagnoses the Iranian regime as facing collapse under relentless U.S. and Israeli pressure, lambasts Western media and progressives for distorting the reality of the war, calls out U.S. allies for failing to materially support vital American interests (especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz), and skewers Democratic leaders for political stances Shapiro believes are disconnected from both geopolitical and domestic reality. The episode closes by underlining the need for stronger ally reciprocity and a reassertion of conservative, America-first leadership amid generational global changes.