Hour 2 - Iran, the Three-Headed Hydra

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 - Iran, the Three-Headed Hydra

Air Date: June 12, 2026

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Overview

This hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, hosted solo by Buck Sexton, dives deeply into the evolving US-Iran crisis, the Trump administration’s attempts at brokering a peace deal, and the chaotic state of Iran’s leadership. The episode also features insights from foreign policy expert Steve Yates, a lively segment on defining the "male Karen," advice to young workers from social media influencer "Gustav Guy," and broader commentary on current national security and US-China relations. The tone is engaging, candid, and at times self-deprecating, with Buck maintaining both humor and urgency.

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Key Topics and Insights

1. The Fluid US-Iran Deal and Regional Unrest

(03:01–12:00, 25:12–29:57)

• Situation Overview: Buck recounts recent tumult in US-Iran relations, including a downed Apache, threats from the Trump administration, and back-and-forth on a so-called deal to halt conflict.

• Conflicting Accounts: Both nations claim a deal is imminent, yet specifics diverge sharply. Iran publicly denies a finalized agreement, and their leaked details starkly contrast US claims.

• Strategic Concerns: Key sticking points include the Strait of Hormuz, the status of Kharg Island, Lebanon ceasefire terms, gradual asset releases, nuclear program negotiations, and missile concessions.

• Iranian Leadership Chaos: Buck highlights the confusion caused by the recent removal of much of Iran's senior leadership, yielding a diplomatic "three-headed hydra" effect.

• Notable Quote (Buck Sexton, 07:01):

  “So they're lying about the deal. We have agreement on the deal, but they're publicly lying about the deal. But the deal's about to get done. Oh, boy. So this is where we are.”

• Trump Soundbite (09:18):

  “They've taken a pounding like very few people could take, and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do... I really believe it's a regime change because I find these people to be much more rational than the people that are no longer with us.” – Donald Trump

Expert Analysis with Steve Yates

Starts 25:12

• Deal Fragility: Yates cautions that the hardest elements to negotiate are also those least likely to uphold the agreement, citing the IRGC’s enduring power.
• On the Kharg Island Option:

  “If it’s being talked about, that seems to indicate it’s a head fake. If it’s something that we really aim to do, we probably should have just done it...” – Steve Yates (26:39)

• The Three-Headed Hydra Explained:

  “We have this three-headed hydra after we took out the Ayatollah… The people that we’re negotiating with don’t seem to be the ones that are responsible for firing on ships or our bases... There seems to be a disconnect about who's involved in the conversations.” – Steve Yates (28:24)

2. Defining the “Male Karen”: A Lighter Segment

(11:39–12:58)

• Listener Input Montage: Buck plays voicemails and emails as listeners debate what to call a “male Karen”—suggestions include Kevin, Darren, Pelly, or just Karen.
• Buck’s Commentary:

  “I think it’s critical that we resolve this name... but a lot of you feel very strongly that it is or is not a Kevin... You want to keep that brand value high.” (12:04-12:58)

• Philosophy on Public Decorum:

  “There should be some basic rules of decorum that we all can be held to... That’s not a good trait. You shouldn’t always put your interest in yourself first.” (12:12)

3. Advice for Young People: Be Pleasant!

(20:15–22:58, 41:57–45:17)

• Gustav Guy Clip:

  “Number one above all is... just be pleasant. I think people don’t realize how valuable it is to work with someone that’s generally positive and pleasant to be around… I’d personally rather work with someone who’s a 7 out of 10 on skill but a 10 out of 10 company-wise...” – Gustav Guy (22:06)

• Buck Agrees:

  “A huge part of that is to be positive... If people want to be around you in the workplace, you’ll always have a job.” (22:58)

• Listener Call – Brian from Raleigh:

  “If you’re the best at your job and nobody likes you at the office, you’re much more likely to not keep your job compared to somebody who’s fun to be around...” (43:04)

4. US-China Tech Race & SpaceX IPO

(29:57–35:46)

• Strategic Importance of SpaceX:

  “I think this is the most important strategic event of our lifetimes... It will fundamentally change the terms of trade in the geostrategic competition.” – Steve Yates (31:03)

• National Security Implications: SpaceX's Starshield network vastly improves secure communications for the US military, is a game-changer against China.
• US-China Dynamics: US seeks to stabilize relations and improve ally capacity (notably Japan), with ongoing uncertainty about Chinese cooperation on Ukraine and Iran.
• Xi Jinping Invited to the US:

  “President [Trump] has made a big effort... brought the CEOs, trying to open the China market. That's a perpetual work.” – Steve Yates (33:35)

5. Pop Culture as National Security Relief

(36:14–36:52)

• Terminator vs. Matrix:

  “It's not a tough call for me. I'm a Terminator generation person... initiated with ‘I'll be back.’” – Steve Yates (36:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Buck on World Affairs’ Messiness:

  “Let’s just all say, my friends, it is complicated.” (10:05)

• On Decorum in Public:

  “The only way this can be addressed, and the only way we can have civilization as we all enjoy it... is if people have some basic concern for those around them...” – Buck (12:12)

• Steve Yates on Iran Diplomacy:

  “I support the President in giving diplomacy a try... but this on again off again is a little mystifying to me.” (28:24)

• Buck’s Takeaway on Attitude:

  “Positive attitude is—it’s a superpower. It really is.” (43:43)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• US-Iran Crisis Recap & Trump’s Shifting Position (03:01–10:05)
• Trump’s Statement on the Iran Deal (09:18–10:05)
• Male “Karen” Listener Reactions (11:39–12:58)
• Listener Montage: “Male Karen” Debate (12:00–12:58)
• Steve Yates Interview: Iran Deal Analysis (25:12–29:57)
• Strategic Tech & SpaceX IPO Discussion (29:57–35:46)
• China Relations and National Security (33:35–35:46)
• Being Pleasant in the Workforce (Gustav Guy Clip & Reaction) (20:15–22:58, 41:57–45:17)
• Terminator vs. Matrix Pop Culture Lightning Round (36:14–36:52)
• Listener Call: Workplace Attitude (41:57–43:43)

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Summary Table

| Topic | Key Voices | Time Range | Highlight/Takeaway | |----------------------------|---------------------|--------------------|------------------------------------| | Iran Deal Dynamics | Buck, Trump, Yates | 03:01–12:00; 25:12–29:57 | Deal confusion; Iran leadership chaos; “three-headed hydra” | | Defining the Male Karen | Buck, listeners | 11:39–12:58 | Fun, passionate debate | | Career Advice (Be Pleasant)| Gustav Guy, Buck, Brian | 20:15–22:58, 41:57–45:17 | “Positive attitude is a superpower.” | | SpaceX IPO & US-China Race | Steve Yates | 29:57–35:46 | Space as new strategic battleground | | Pop Culture: Terminator v Matrix | Buck, Yates | 36:14–36:52 | Light-hearted debate break |

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Bottom Line

This installment presents a vivid snapshot of US geopolitical maneuvering, the uncertainties of high-stakes diplomacy with Iran, and how leadership chaos in Tehran complicates everything. While the headlines and expert analysis dominate, Buck also injects relatable humor, listener engagement, and practical life advice, giving the episode a balance of seriousness and levity. For those concerned about global conflict, workplace success, or just the true name of a "male Karen," this episode delivers both insight and entertainment.

Transcript

[Buck Sexton]

This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human

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[Buck Sexton]

play, and Buck kicks off right now. Play is, I think today he's seeing the US World cup match, right, guys? Isn't that right? So I don't think they're gonna pull him on the field. Play. Used to play soccer. So did I. You got two guys who used to play soccer, but they still love America. But we are paradoxes playing now in our own way. We're also Americans who don't really like driving very much. Kind of funny how aligned on some of these things. But yeah, he's with, I think, his boys and they're gonna go see the game. I'm with you here. We have a lot to talk about today. Just want to note something. The team pulled this for me on the Iran deal. They noted this because some of you are like, buck, why do you keep saying, well, this is what I've been saying. Well, we could go back this cut 32, Mike. We could go back to May 28th and say, this is what I said about where I thought this was going. Play 32. Axio supported. There's a deal. Is that who the latest is with this? There isn't a deal. A deal agreed to. According to Barack Ravid at Axios, President Trump is waiting to officially sign off on it. This is the report. And I would imagine there will be further denials than reports that it's done again. And. But the. The basic framework here would be 60 days to figure out more. I will say, wow. Wow. Let me just say that's a terrible. That's a terrible deal. I'm just going to be very clear if that if there is a 60 day to figure out the deal, which we don't know yet, Clay, that's a trash deal. Just saying it's just the truth. That just means that we don't have the leverage that we pretended to have. And we're not making them do what we said we'd make them do. And I warned you guys about this. Oh, Buck, why are you so sour on this? I don't know, man. Because I've been in these crap hole countries. I know how this stuff goes. So that was a couple of weeks ago. Now here we are as of this morning, June 12, 2026, last 24 hours. So it's still highly fluid. You got contradictory phases of de escalation claims amid ongoing low level conflict.

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Right.

[Buck Sexton]

So Trump is saying, we got a deal. They blew some stuff up. They're not being nice, but we have a deal. So you had the downed Apache helicopter, then Iranian retaliation, and now Trump was threatening further escalation, then abruptly pulled back, then said there was a deal, then, now says that there's almost basically a deal. So, yeah, on June 11, he said, we're going to hit Iran very hard tonight. And also there was the talk of seizing control of Iranian oil infrastructure, most notably Kharg Island. That would be quite a military operation. They have armed up Kharg Island. Remember, hitting something from the air is quite different than actually landing our people on the ground to not only take, but then hold and defend. And this would be going on, I think like 20km or something from the Iranian mainland. So it's a little island just off their coast. And this is critical for their oil infrastructure. But if we take it, we then have to hold it. It's not just like we blow up a site and then it's done. So Trump then said he posted on Truth Social that he canceled the scheduled strikes because the highest levels of Iranian leadership had approved the deal. And he says a great settlement of the war and then it would possibly be signed over the next few days or maybe this weekend in Europe, potentially with Vice President Vance.

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And then.

[Buck Sexton]

And then the Iranians apparently said some stuff out in the media about what was in the deal, and Trump now says that that's all a lie. So they're lying about the deal. We have agreement on the deal, but they're publicly lying about the deal. But the deal's about to get done. Oh, boy. So this is where we are. Why does this matter so much right now? Um, well, for one thing, by the way, the foreign minister, spokesman for Iran, said that reports of a deal are speculative and nothing has been finalized and Iran has not reached a conclusion. So that's the Iranian Foreign minister or Foreign Ministry speaking on this. And so far, their version of the deal that has been leaked differs sharply from US Claims. So no full transfer of the Strait of Hormuz is what they're saying includes Lebanon ceasefire, part of an agreement nuclear program not fully covered, that's going to go into separate 60 day talks. Some immediate gradual release of frozen assets, compensation for war damage, no missile program, concessions. And Iran, that's. This is all according to New York Times, by the way. Iran is insisting on its version publicly. So I don't know, I don't know. The foreign minister, though said agreement has Never been closer, guys. I mean, at some level, maybe part of this, to be totally fair to the whole situation, maybe part of it is that there is a. It's such a mess in Iran. It is such a. Like a leadership. I'm trying to think of a word I could say on radio. Screw up because we removed a lot of their leadership. That the confusion is a result of that more than it is, actually. Basically, the reports on this are as much about the different factions saying different things, all being accurate. It's not that anyone's misleading this, or at least that the Trump is trying to be too aggressive on the way he positions the deal. Whole thing is. It's pretty crazy. Pretty, pretty crazy. This is Trump yesterday. This is cut seven. And this is what he said about this. I want you to hear it from the man himself. Play it.

[Donald Trump (clip)]

They've taken a pounding like very few people could take, and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do. And we could have had it done the other way, I guess, but it would have taken longer. They got hit very hard recently, as you know, and I don't like to have to do things that way, but I felt it was necessary. It's a great deal for the United States and for the Middle east, and I think ultimately great for Iran because they'll be able to build up their country and their country. I really believe it's a regime change because I find these people to be much more rational than the people that are no longer with us. We knocked out the first team of leadership. The second team of leadership is a different group. There's a different level, and I think it's frankly, a smarter level, and it's a level that has reason. And they've all approved the deal. Everybody's approved the deal.

[Buck Sexton]

Says everyone's approved the deal. You would think that Iran, if they had agreed to the terms, would be in a hurry to sign it so that they could start to get relief. Because if their energy sector is under the pressure that we have been told, and then it's all about to come to a screeching halt and they're gonna reach tank tops and all this other stuff. Tank tops meaning their tanks can't take any more oil and they can't pump it out of the ground, why aren't they. Why isn't there a sense of urgency from them? I don't have an answer for you on that, other than this thing is. Let's just all say, my friends, it is complicated. Something less important than the Iran deal. Well, it depends on who you ask. Actually. It's something that many of you felt very passionate about, and that was the male Karen discussion, you guys. We had a full inbox yesterday of talkbacks and emails and everything else after the show. It was just. This is what you all wanted to weigh in on. And so I have to give you voice here on the program. I can't just start this feud, I suppose, about what a male Karen is supposed to be. You didn't like my care Care him instead of Karen. That didn't. That didn't seem to go over well. Here is a montage of your weighing in on what a male Karen should be called. Play a. At my job, we've come up with a term for a mal. Male Karen, and that is a Kevin.

[Parent Listener]

Yes, a male Karen is Kevin.

[Buck Sexton]

I guess I'm a Kevin because I have on occasion addressed someone who is doing something that's pissing me off in public. How dare you insult my son's name. Kevin.

[Parent Listener]

He is nowhere near a Karen.

[Buck Sexton]

Don't insult the Kevins of the world.

[Steve Yates]

This is Kevin from Manchester, Tennessee.

[Buck Sexton]

I think it's critical that we resolve this name of a male Karen. So I propose that from now on,

[Steve Yates]

we call a male Karen.

[Buck Sexton]

Pelly seems to be good. Pelly. I like where you were going there at the end. Kevin from Manchester, Tennessee. Kevin standing strong for the Kevins of the world and also for. For Donna from Silver Lake, Wisconsin. Donna, I wasn't. I'm not the one who came up with the cabinet. That was. Take that up with your fellow listeners, with the rest of our audio family here. I didn't say that. I said care hen. Or, you know, care him. Sorry, Care him. Which no one liked. So that was a womp. Womp. But a lot of you feel very strongly that it is or is not a Kevin. I would just note that Tim from Arizona, who says that he talks to people who are doing rude things in public. I think as long as you begin the exchange with a firm but respectful tone, you're in. You know, that's the way it should be because we all should understand that if you're doing something that is inconsiderate and annoying to the people around you, you're actually the one who is causing a problem. And the only way this can be addressed and the only way that we can have civilization as we all enjoy it right now is if people have some basic concern for those around them and some willingness to be a team player, if you will, with the society that they live in. And I Think it's very important, actually. I think that people who undermine this stuff and say, oh, you're just, you know. No. Well, those are people who honestly are just selfish and don't want to think about other people, which is not an attractive thing. That's not a good trait. You shouldn't always put your interest in yourself first. And in public. You should. There should be some basic rules of decorum that we all can be held to. Oh, we have, we have another Karen montage. Good heavens. This is b. Listen to this one. A male Karen is a Darren. We call a Karen. That's a male here as a Darren. We're overthinking the male Karen name. A male Karen is still a Karen. A male Karen is called a Karen. If a guy is running around getting all in people's business and being a busy body and bringing drama, his name is Karen. A male Karen is a wuss. Simple as that. Well, there you have it. You have spoken on this one and. But I can tell you there was even more than that. But we're not gonna have the whole show taken over on this one issue. But people felt very, very passionate about this one. I'm trying to think of like who, who is, who is the most famous Kevin of all time? Is it Costner? Probably who's the most like if you think with the name Kevin. We haven't had a Kevin as president. Right. Who the most favorite. Do you guys think it's Costner? Am I, am I right on that one? Well, there was Spacey Costner. Who are. You can even Google this. Who are the most famous Kevin's of all time? And it will tell us. Oh, Kevin Hart and Kevin Costner, according to Google. So I know. Yeah, Kevin, Kevin. There you go. Yeah, there's not that many super famous Kevin's. So you guys, I understand you want to maintain. You want to keep that brand value high. I get it. We'll take more calls, take more talk backs and we'll get into this California discussion as well. I think Steve Yates will be joining us too. He can explain what the heck is going on with this Iran thing. And for those of you who don't care about Iran, just remember this is all about getting the oil price down and getting us away from this whole thing so that we can bring the focus home and win this midterm election, which does matter to all of us, not just the gas price, but making sure the Democrats aren't in a position to stymie the Trump agenda, to hobble it in the second term. So focusing in on it. Look, it's hard to imagine being in a situation where you have to really step up and defend yourself because it's going to be traumatic, it's going to be scary. But if you have the right tools like pepper spray, you're in a much better place than if you're just going to have to go hand to hand. Whether you're a man or a woman, having tools, especially non lethals, to defend yourself in a moment like that can make all the difference. And you'd also hope if you had to use that pepper spray that somebody would be calling for help because your hands are obviously full, you're in the middle of something. So our sponsor, Sabre has recognized that dilemma and created the Saber Smart Pepper Spray. Saber Smart technology attached to this pepper spray alerts up to five emergency contacts, shares their live location until they're marked safe. That's peace of mind you can't put a price on. Saber Smart Pepper spray is small enough to store in a backpack, purse or or back pocket. And this new product, they want to make it so easy for you to get. It's on Amazon. Get it on Amazon. So all you do to give your family this kind of protection is search SaberSmart pepper spray on Amazon. That's S A B R E Smart Saber Smart pepper spray on Amazon. Just get it sent to you. Get it delivered asap. Looking for normal in a world of crazy clay and buck have your back this July 4th.

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[Parent Listener]

with my mom and dad living in Orange county, when we bring my five and seven year old to visit, we are sometimes in for a two hour drive that could feel like ten.

[Lingokids Advertiser]

Oh, as an avid camper, I know all about this. We'll pack up the RV and know this is either going to be the trip of a lifetime or a complete a complete disaster.

[Parent Listener]

Which is why we load up the iPads with Lingokids before we even pull out of the driveway.

[Lingokids Advertiser]

It's what dreams are made of. Lingokids keeps kids engaged and quiet with over 4, 000 interactive games, songs and shows that kids simply cannot get enough of.

[Parent Listener]

You can pack whatever you think you'll need. But Lingokids is the only entertainment you'll need for a stress free car ride.

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Or really any ride. Plane, train, hovercraft, whatever.

[Parent Listener]

Download Lingokids for free today or unlock

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even more amazing content with LingoKids.

[Parent Listener]

Plus choose the yearly plan and save up to 60%. Search LingoKids in the app store or Google Play Lingokids.

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[Buck Sexton]

This is total non stop action.

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in here to Clay and Buck. Clay sends his regards to all you. Just texting them a few moments ago. The Internet these days, I gotta say there's a lot of, obviously a lot of stuff that's not, I think, helpful for people to hear. That's putting it mildly. Okay. Internet's a big place, a lot of stuff going on. But among the younger generation, there are some influencers who I think are really doing some worthwhile stuff. Actually, you know, I don't really post on TikTok. I am a, a viewer. I'm in the audience seat, if you will. So I like to sit on the other side of this table and I'm just somebody who follows content on TikTok and, and enjoy some of it. A lot of shooting dog, shooting comma, like puppies and dogs comma, and cooking videos, but also just some people who do interesting comedic stuff. This guy walk Sauce is hilarious. He's fantastic for any of you who are of the mind of following these things. But there's this guy, Gustav guy and it's named after a little town in Switzerland, a very, very high End expensive town. Think of it like the Aspen of Switzerland. Like Aspen, Colorado, except much more exclusive even, and everything else. And he does a. It's kind of like a farcical character about the most elite guy, the most elite and elitist guy in the world. But he actually gives young people, while he's making jokes about this, gives them really good advice. And he sat down on a podcast recently and he said, what advice would you give to young people entering the workforce or starting their careers? And I gotta tell you, I thought this was really good. So I just wanted to share it with you, Play it.

[Gustav Guy (TikTok Influencer)]

I was very kindly invited to speak in Oxford last week and the students asked me what I think the number one skill they should work on is over the next few years. And I said number one above all is to actually just, just be pleasant. I think people don't realize how valuable it is to work with someone and be around someone that's just generally pleasant and positive to be around. I think a lot of hard skills can naturally be sped up or even replaced with AI these days. But being pleasant is something that is really so incredibly valuable. And I'd personally rather work with someone who's a 7 out of 10 on skill, but a 10 out of 10 company wise, someone that I'm really excited to be around and sit with versus someone that's 10 out of 10 on skill, but quite unpleasant to be around, or at least just not even that pleasant. So honestly, I think a great life skill to work on is just to generally be positive, to be likable and to be pleasant.

[Buck Sexton]

I gotta say, I think that, I think that's really, in my 44 years, I think that's excellent advice. As I get older in life, I can tell you a lot of things can be taught. Attitude, being pleasant, being a team player, being someone that people want to be around in a work environment, whatever that means. You always have a job if people want to be around you in the workplace. It's just the truth. It's just the truth. And a huge part of that is to be positive. And I think at certain times when I worked in the government, I honestly failed in that insofar as I was very grumpy about how bureaucratic and dysfunctional government was. In media, I try to be very pleasant. But hey, for the young folks out there, I'm telling you, that's a really important bit of simple but important bit of advice. If you've ever had family members caught in severe weather, you know how important it is to be able to Be in touch in our own family. My in laws that happened when Hurricane Helene devastated large parts of western North Carolina. Our Rapid Radios allowed us to connect when other forms of communication went down. These are modern day walkie talkies that connect you with anyone anywhere in the United States, the U.S. they utilize the LT network in our country to make that possible. So in the hours after Hurricane Helene did all that damage, having Rapid Radios became a lifeline to family who were behind the damage lines. There are no complicated setups and no technical headaches. And right now for Father's Day you get Rapid radios. You get over $300 in free gear with your order including a tactical radio bag and an EMP Faraday bag. Every order also comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. Go to Rapidradios.com and get free shipping from Michigan. Rapidradios.com the Father's Day gift that keeps you connected. Rapid Radios communication redefined. Welcome back in here to Clay and Buck. There's a great new podcast on the Clay and Buck network, Nation States with Yates and our friend Steve Yates joins us right now, host of Nation States with Yates, also senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Mr. Yates, congrats on the success of the first episodes of the pod. Can you just kind of wade into where we are currently with the Iran situation? Give us the what you think is going on and then you can take us to the where is this going?

[Steve Yates]

Well, look, I wish it was an easy and good news story. I mean we've sort of had on repeat these cycles of a deal as imminent and then it not surprisingly gets broken by the remnants of the regime. The administration is building this weekend up as somewhat bigger than times past, supposedly closer to having what the President calls a framework agreement. I have a number of concerns about this because I don't think the deal is an end state in this. Those that have made it very hard and long to get to a deal are exactly those who will make it very complicated to hold a deal. And I see the Revolutionary Guard as the long tent in the pole that stands in the way. Frankly, I wish the President would pull the arrow out of his quiver to degrade the IRGC just a bit more and maybe you would have a better shot at something that might hold. But for now we seem to be in perpetual pursuit of a deal that somehow would hold the peace and open the Strait of Hormuz for further I just don't see that our experience over the last couple of months should give a lot of faith that that's what's really going to happen in the near term.

[Buck Sexton]

What do you think of this Carg island possible. Really? I mean that would, that's, that's ground troops. Just so everyone's clear. That means we're sending in maybe it's a Marine Expeditionary Unit or expeditionary force. Maybe it's mix of Rangers and some special op other special operations guys. But what do you think about that plan?

[Steve Yates]

Well, I would have gone for that early in this and I frankly am surprised that we're three months in and it's being talked about now. I'm also surprised it's being talked about. If it's being talked about, that seems to indicate it's a head fake. If it's something that we really aim to do, we probably should have just done it and then held where we are going. And if it's going to use ground troops to take an offshore island, that is definitely risky. But it's far less risky than sending ground troops into Iran proper. And so it is also ground zero of their energy supply that funds the Revolutionary Guard. So I would have thought that this would have been on the option set earlier in this. It, I think is an advisable thing in the grand scheme of things if you're going to use force to make them have to accept a deal on our terms. But I think at the moment we seem to have held that out there and chosen to have this next round of a deal on paper first.

[Buck Sexton]

So this deal also has something going on that I can't really make sense of, which is Trump says it's basically, dare I say, a done deal. But then you have the Iranians through some spokesman intermediary telling the New York Times or and among others a whole bunch of deal points. And then Trump says that's all trash. Those are all lies. I mean, I, I, I. There's nothing that the Iranian theocracy of thugs could do that would really surprise me. But what do you think the play is there? You know, having been involved in White House national security negotiations before, do they think that gives them some kind of weird leverage or what is that?

[Steve Yates]

Well, it is definitely unusual and it's one of the problems of where we sort of have this three headed hydra that we're dealing with after we took out the Ayatollah at the beginning of this operation, there's no proof of life that his successor is even on this planet. We seem to get indirect word that there's a dispensation from him about whether to accept or not accept these deals. And the people that we're negotiating with don't seem to be the ones that are responsible for firing on ships in the Strait, firing on our bases in the broader region. And so there seems to be a disconnect about who's involved in the conversations and the negotiations are being pushed by, in some cases convened by the Qataris. And that is just one of the regional allies that matter in this mix. And so I support the President in giving diplomacy a try. I also support sort of two tracks if you negotiate but you keep strength and option and you basically negotiate by way of force in a parallel track. But this on again off again is a little mystifying to me. I do believe that if we decisively open the straits, degrade the IRGC's capability a bit more and push Internet capability across broader Iran so we could see where the people are on this, then I think we'd have better confidence that something better is on the horizon that's complicating for the bad guys and better for Team Freedom and hopefully is going to change the facts on the ground in the Strait very soon.

[Buck Sexton]

Steve Yates with U.S. nation States. With Yates is his excellent podcast on the Klan Buck Network. Get it Wherever you listen to your podcasts, make sure you subscribe and and you'll get every episode as it comes out. Steve, I wanted to pivot a little bit to you know, the SpaceX IPO today which has given a lot of headline writers fun with to the moon and off like a rocket and you know like the headlines pretty much write themselves on this one for the, for the newspapers. But I wanted to know how you think because the national security implications of having the premier space company which we do now in the world are clearly profound. How does this affect, you think our tech race with China? How do you think the Chinese are viewing SpaceX and Elon success up to this point and how are we doing? How are we stacking up against them in the realm of that next layer, if you will, of national security competition which is going to be outside of our atmosphere?

[Steve Yates]

Well Buck, I mean not to put too fine a point on it, I think this is the most important strategic event of our lifetimes. I think it will fundamentally change the terms of trade in the geostrategic competition. It is how we take the so called commanding heights. It affects global energy supplies if we are operating from the moon and we have sustainable data centers, solar power and that is self cooling in space, critical minerals and rare earths that actually can come from some parts of the moon's surface. But basically commanding those Heights will command the comms of our planet as well. And we could do it at scale and at much more affordable pricing than what the traditional methods have been. And it absolutely matters to have first mover advantage. And in this way, I mean, Elon Musk might be the American of the millennium in being able to take us there because our government funded space programs cost too much, take too long, are not reusable and sustainable, and he's shown what can be done with wildly advanced engineering. So to me, this is one of the most important developments the commercial free enterprise sector has brought to American national security.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, they have the SpaceX has the Starshield network which provides secure communications for US military. I'm sure intelligence community is involved in this too, so that we have truly global secure comms. You know, we don't have to worry about, in the very early days of the intel agencies, anyone being worried about someone reading their mail like old school mail because people had to communicate via post. So things have gone to a whole other level now. And SpaceX is working with U.S. intelligence and defense agencies to develop all kinds of top secret sensing, surveillance, missile tracking capabilities from space. So Steve, your point by the way, that this is that significant? I think that really hits home because I see this too as, as a moment that people who have been worried about how we stack up against China. SpaceX is a huge, huge arrow in our quiver of not just commercial but national security advantages against our biggest rival. What's the latest you think? I mean, you know, Trump traveled to China. We didn't really get into this that much with you yet. Where does the US China relationship stand at this point of Trump term two?

[Steve Yates]

Well, President Trump has been sort of defining a target of strategic stability and we may have talked before, I mean, I think that grand scheme of things, he has seen the competition between the US And China, the disruption that China has brought to the World Trade trading system, as something that he alone maybe has made a priority in trying to use all the tools from terrorists to others to try to stabilize and normalize it. If able to sort of make trade more fair and balanced, so to speak, with China, then other areas of strategic competition with China might have better, safer options. At the same time, we've definitely gone full speed ahead with improving the independent capabilities of our allies, most especially the alliance with Japan. And that I think has fundamentally changed a bit of the balance of power in East Asia to Team Freedom's advantage. And so out of the summit a lot of issues were raised. They're going to be raised again if the leaders meet as planned in September when the United Nations General assembly meets. President has invited Xi Jinping to come to the United States and have a continued conversation. But there's a lot of do outs from the first and second meetings between leaders. There's the fentanyl progress which they've promised. In my assessment, they have not, in fact delivered. There are some communications the president's had to try to get them to work on Moscow to pull back from the war machine against Ukraine. I can't measure real progress on that front. I wonder whether reasonable people would expect Sir Vladimir to be receptive to such messaging. And then there's this notion that the Chinese are in favor of freedom of navigation and would try to push Iran to make a deal and end the war so that they could get the oil they paid for. No question that they have that commercial interest, but I don't think they've made that strategic phone call to date. So a lot of do outs, frankly. And I think the president made a big effort, brought the CEOs trying to open the China market. That's a perpetual work. It's God's work in a certain sense. But that's going to take a lot more elbow grease to really get that cracked open for the firms that went on the trip.

[Buck Sexton]

Can you give folks a preview of what's in the next nation states with Yates?

[Steve Yates]

Well, somewhat on this conversation we're going to talk about tech policy. We've hit on topics of what some of the best experts been biggest mistakes have been trying to interpret the world in Trump 2.0. And so if they want to go to nation states with Yates and catch that episode, they might find that fun. But the next up is talking about how strategic tech is in America's future national security prospects, how that matters at the White House, but also at your house.

[Buck Sexton]

Can I throw a really tough question your way, Steve, before we let you go for the weekend, since you're going to be talking about I expect no less. Since you're going to be talking about this on the podcast. You can only have one. You can only choose one, the full canon, all of them together. The Terminator Sci Fi action series or the Matrix Sci Fi action series.

[Steve Yates]

It's not a tough call for me. I'm a Terminator generation person. And so the Matrix stuff came later. People can cast their lots, but I was sort of initiated with I'll be back.

[Buck Sexton]

Terminator 1 or Terminator 2 is the better movie. Terminator 2, I think that's a solid answer. I was going to give him a hard time on this one. I was going to make some jokes. I think that's a solid answer. Guys, go check out our friend Steve Yates. Nation states with Yates. Steve, solve all the world's problems over the weekend and we'll talk to you again soon.

[Steve Yates]

Outstanding. Thank you Buck.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in here to Clay and Buck. Take talk backs. Going to take calls. Let's dive into some of this here. Do we still have guys Christine in San Antonio or did you hang up? Christine, Are you with us? Christine going once. Oh, she hung up. Ah, well, she's probably emotionally preparing herself for my New York basketball Knicks to finish off her San Antonio spurs this Saturday. Oh, it burns. It burns. That's the truth. New York Knicks gonna finish it off. It's the way it's gonna be. We have Brian and Raleigh wants to talk. What's up, Brian?

[Brian from Raleigh]

What?

[Buck Sexton]

I haven't heard that one in a while. Not much. Man. What's going on?

[Brian from Raleigh]

What's going on? I was calling about the. The statement from that guy about having a pleasant attitude in the workforce being valuable.

[Buck Sexton]

Have you ever heard of gush before? You tell me what you want to say. Have you ever heard of this guy before Gastad guy, it's like G, D S T A A d. He's on TikTok. He's on Instagram. He's. He is a fanta. He's like, really good about manners and like, he's cool, so the young people listen to him. But he's a very, like, very good guy, actually. It seems he's very positive, good content. I agree with a ton of what, you know, he always says, like, for example, sorry, not. We'll get to your thing in a second here. But he says it shouldn't be that you don't treat like servers and service personnel. You know, it's that you should avoid treating them poorly. It's that you should treat them like. Like you would treat anyone. They're just people doing a job, which I think is a very important. A lot of people like, well, I don't. I'm not abusive to my limo driver. So that's what's a human being. Probably has like a wife and kids. Like, of course you're. So I think he's very, very good. What were you going to say about being pleasant, though?

[Brian from Raleigh]

Absolutely, absolutely. I'm an electrical contractor out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Our company name, business name is my last name, Pleasant Pleasants Electric. So it's definitely an attitude you have to carry with you and expectation people have when you show up and you're around when you carry that last name. So it's definitely helpful. And I tell my kids, I got three kids, three young kids. I tell them all the time, if you're the best at your job and nobody likes you at the office, you're much more likely to not keep your job compared to somebody who's fun to be around and can get the job done well enough. Everybody will help that guy out, but not the guy that, not the guy that nobody likes.

[Buck Sexton]

I'll thank. You know, you're, by the way, completely true. I've always said this as well. You don't get jobs from a resume. You don't get job offers from a resume. You get it from a person. Someone somewhere along the line has to decide that they're going to give you a job. So interpersonal skills are super important. And like I said, I even, you know, I went when I was in the government, CIA stuff, I was pretty cool at nypd. I would say I probably had a pretty sour attitude some days there, just being honest with you. And I was probably too grumpy about the fact. Well, I won't get into all the things going on there, but little too slow, a little too bureaucratic for my liking. And it wasn't a really good people, like, why do you stay for a year? It was only supposed to be a year from the agency. And then I was like, point being, you know, I learned some lessons there though, and I had some growth to do and to be. So I wasn't mean to anybody or anything. I was actually very well liked there. Just saying. But I was grumpy about the work. I mean, I was kind of negative about another day of doing this, you know, nonsense or whatever. You got to find a way to be positive. You can be. You can be the best at whatever it is you're doing on any single day. It doesn't mean you have to do it the next day or the next year. But positive attitude is it's a superpower. It really is. And I'm talking about in the work world in general, but certainly in the workplace place and learning to be a likable person to be around. You know, AI is never going to be likable, my friends. AI is never going to be able to provide that. You can.

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