The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 2 - Iran Deep Dive
Date: March 24, 2026
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)
Special Guest: Steve Yates, Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, former Bush national security official

Episode Overview

This episode kicks off its second hour with a comprehensive deep dive into the escalating crisis between the United States, its allies, and Iran, specifically focused on the conflict over the Strait of Hormuz. Hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton invite Steve Yates to offer expert analysis, unpacking the regional stakes, Trump administration strategy, coalition politics, and possible endgames. Following this high-stakes geopolitical discussion, the episode pivots into lighter territory with discourse about baseball, time zones, and online dating—featuring lively caller interaction.

1. Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Strategic and Geopolitical Complexity

(03:10–16:52)

Why the Strait of Hormuz Matters

• Geographical Choke Point: "It's a very confined geography... a very long strip of waterway... goes through this very narrow strait that is a choke point." — Steve Yates [03:53]
• Global Oil Impact: While most oil through the strait doesn't go to the US, disruptions inflate global energy prices and impact global markets, with China and India being primary consumers.
  • "Oil is a fungible good... when oil goes out of this restricted area and goes to China, that affects global supply in the market and it affects prices." — Steve Yates [05:49]

US Policy and Trump's Strategy

• Military Options Discussed:
  • Some editorial opinions suggest landing US troops for a swift operation, but Yates warns this would be far more challenging and risky than it appears.
    • "People who say this is a simple military operation might be underselling it." — Steve Yates [03:53]
• Trump’s “Maximum Pressure” Diplomacy:
  • Trump’s approach is described as alternating between hardline threats and offering diplomatic off-ramps.
    • "He hits like a sledgehammer and then he'll pull back and look for where are their deals... he's giving them off ramps every step along this way." — Steve Yates [07:32]
  • Focus on pressuring allies to assume more responsibility for protecting oil flows, not just relying on the US military.
• Red Lines and Deadlines:
  • Trump’s threat to strike Iranian energy infrastructure if the strait isn’t reopened is noted, as is hesitancy to go all in—Yates frames this as part of a strategy to force Iran to negotiate.

Potential Military Scenarios

• Occupation/Taking Control of Strategic Islands:
  • "The Carg island option is very much front and center... We would have to just knock the crap out of their coastline to have a safe buffer." — Steve Yates [09:25]
• Allies and Burden-Sharing:
  • "This really should be something that is a shared responsibility, especially among Gulf allies." — Steve Yates [09:25]

Goals & Acceptable Endgames

• Short & Long-Term Objectives:

  • De-escalation leading to longer-term maintenance, especially targeting Iran’s nuclear program and disarmament.
  • "Think of it as getting to a de-escalation point that pivots into longer term maintenance... complete defanging of the security forces." — Steve Yates [10:45]

• Victory Conditions:

  • Strait reopens, oil flows, verifiable denuclearization, and arrangements for long-term security.
  • "Complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement of that [nuclear] program is a 30-plus year long objective. If President Trump did that in a month or two, that's borderline miraculous." — Steve Yates [14:20]

The Role of Israel and Arab States

• Will Israel Act Alone?
  • Unlikely, says Yates; regional partners should play more roles in both military and political transitions.
  • "I really seriously hope that our regional partners play more of a role... We can't be the one that's micromanaging this." — Steve Yates [12:24]
• Arab State Support:
  • Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar are reportedly backing US/Trump’s hard line, showing regional consensus against Iran’s activities.
  • "It's frankly welcomed by them when Trump 1.0 brought in the maximum pressure campaign... Arab allies pushed very, very hard in this." — Steve Yates [16:01]

2. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Geopolitics and Realism:

  • "People who say this is a simple military operation might be underselling it." — Steve Yates [03:53]
  • "He hits like a sledgehammer and then he'll pull back and look for where are their deals." — Steve Yates [07:32]
  • "[Trump is] giving them off ramps every step along this way... he's tried to leave the civilian energy infrastructure intact so that post conflict reconstruction is cheaper and better for the people of Iran." — Steve Yates [07:32]
  • "Victory for us is obviously, Strait of Hormuz is open, oil is flowing, we have some kind of de-escalation agreement..." — Clay Travis [13:12]

• Coalition Dynamics:

  • "We can't be the one that's micromanaging this even in the months, much less years range." — Steve Yates [12:24]
  • "Arab allies are sick of what Iran has done to them during this conflict and really over the last decades." — Steve Yates [16:01]

3. Key Timestamps and Topical Segments

• Strait of Hormuz background and challenges: [03:10–05:49]
• US/Trump policy, military considerations: [05:49–09:25]
• Endgames, victory standards, and coalitions: [09:25–14:20]
• The roles of Israel and Arab states: [12:24–16:01]
• Notable quotes and soundbites: [all throughout]

4. Callers, Cultural Commentary, and Lighter Moments

(22:02–end)

After the Iran deep dive, the show pivots to a mix of cultural banter, interactive caller segments, and humor:

Notable Topics

• Baseball Hot Dog/Beer Challenge: Inspired by MLB opening day chatter, Clay and Buck share hot takes on the feasibility (or misery) of eating nine hot dogs and drinking nine beers during a nine-inning game, with Jesse Kelly name-dropped as a likely contender. [22:02–24:19]

• Caller Jimmy from Memphis:

  • Joking that selling Memphis to Arkansas and Mississippi would improve Tennessee's crime stats.
  • “If we sold Memphis to Arkansas and Mississippi, the crime rate in Tennessee would go down by a thousand percent.” — Caller Jimmy [26:20]
  • Critique of immigration, big city politics, and crime in tourist regions like Memphis. [25:52–28:18]

• Fun with Time Zones:

  • Proposal to solve Daylight Saving by splitting the US into just two time zones; playful debate on sunlight preferences and efficiency. [29:15–31:06]

• Guns, Dating Culture, and Social Media:

  • Discourse on firearm background checks, online gun culture, and the placement of guns in dating app profiles.
  • Buck: "If I were a girl, that would be a little bit of a red flag."
  • Reflection on societal biases: "Women discriminate against short and bald men publicly more than men discriminate against women for any physical attribute at all." — Buck Sexton [37:34]
  • Clay: "I think women are more Heidist than anything else." [37:47]
  • Philosophical take: “Fit, kind, emotionally stable — the only dating problem is too many options.” — Clay Travis [39:27]

• Pop Culture Callback:

  • Reference to Linda from Arizona, whose call influenced Trump policy and got a shout-out on Jimmy Kimmel, adding a meta-media moment to the show. [45:46–46:08]

5. Conclusion & Tone

The episode offers a high-level, nuanced examination of one of the world's most sensitive geopolitical flashpoints, balancing serious expert-driven analysis with the program’s trademark "intelligence and humor." Guest Steve Yates provides clarity on military and diplomatic realities, coalition politics, and what victory—or at least stability—might look like. The latter part of the episode segues into familiarity with playful, listener-driven banter, providing both gravity and levity for their diverse audience.

Recommended Listening

• For the geopolitical deep dive, start at [03:10]—especially for Yates’s insights.
• For lighter cultural discussion and callers, jump to [22:02].
• Memorable quotes and practical explanations about the Iran crisis are peppered throughout [03:10–16:52].

Note:
Ads, sponsor reads, and introductory segments have been omitted for focus on substantive episode content.