
Loading summary
Jordan Harbinger
What is daddication? The thing that drives me every day as a dad is Dariona. We call him Dae Date for short. Every day he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge. And there's this huge responsibility in making sure that when he's no longer under my wing that he's a good person. I want him to be able to sit back one day and go, we worked together. We did a good job. That's dadication. Find out more@fatherhood.gov brought to you by the U.S. department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Welcome to the show. I'm Jordan Harbinger. On the Jordan Harbinger show, we decode the stories, secrets and skills of the world's most fascinating people and turn their wisdom into practical advice that you can use to impact your own life and those around you. Our mission is to help you become a better informed, more critical thinker through long form conversations with a variety of amazing folks, from spies to CEOs, athletes, authors, thinkers, performers, even the occasional organized crime figure, war correspondent, neuroscientist, or Hollywood filmmaker. If you're new to the show or you want to tell your friends about the show, I suggest our episode starter packs. These are collections of our favorite episodes on topics like persuasion and negotiation, psychology and geopolitics, disinformation, China, North Korea, crime and cults, and more that'll help new listeners get a taste of everything we do here on the show. Just visit jordanharbinger.com start or search for us in your Spotify app. To get started. Today, an out of the loop episode on Iran and Israel. It's been a while since we did one of these, and it's on the same topic as one recently. But the Israeli attacks on Iran might actually present an amazing opportunity for a sustained peace deal in the Middle East. Jason Pak of the Disorder podcast joins us today to share his expertise on Iran, Israel, Iran's nuclear program, the war in Gaza, and a whole lot more. Here we go, out of the loop on Israel and Iran with Jason Pack. Jason, thanks. Thanks for joining me, man. I appreciate it. I know it's short notice and late where you are.
Jason Pack
My pleasure, Jordan.
Jordan Harbinger
So you speak four languages, you've been kidnapped twice. Jason, you don't have to copy my bio just to get on the show, and I'm flattered, but it really wasn't necessary. What languages do you speak?
Jason Pack
My Arabic used to be quite good, particularly when I lived in Syria because you couldn't get around with English there. Once you know Arabic. Hebrew is like almost the dialect of Arabic. It's. The grammar rules are simpler, the vocabulary is much smaller. And then for my graduate work, I worked at the archives in France. And I like me some Cote d' Azur and some fine wine. So I've tried to work on it.
Jordan Harbinger
Nice. All right. And so where did you get kidnapped? I don't want to focus really on this, but I know people are probably curious because people ask me that all the time.
Jason Pack
It's funny that you mention that, because I had not told the details of the story until just recently. Wendy, pkk, which is essentially the Kurdish Workers Party, the liberationist Kurds in eastern Turkey. They decided to give up their struggle against Turkey just earlier, in the spring of 2025. And then I told that story in the Spectator, but I took a cab in Aleppo with a Fulbright buddy of mine. We were going to Beirut. I had this big date with Sophia. And what do you know, we didn't make the date. They smuggled this illegal pipe from Syria to Lebanon. They were doing illegal drilling in the Lebanese mountains. And we were asked to give a voluntary donation while we were detained by gentlemen with AK47s. And out of the kindness of my heart, I voluntarily donated.
Jordan Harbinger
Okay, interesting. But you missed your date. That was. Well, that's a pretty good excuse, I would say, to miss a date.
Jason Pack
She actually didn't believe me.
Jordan Harbinger
Surprise, surprise.
Jason Pack
Never been friends after that point.
Jordan Harbinger
Oh, really? Like she never believed you? It was just like, all right, you're a liar. Bye.
Jason Pack
We met the day after.
Jordan Harbinger
Okay.
Jason Pack
And she's, I can't believe you didn't let me know. And I'm like, you know, But I only had my Syrian chip in my phone. This is back in 2004 in the Lebanese mountains. There's no signal on your Syrian chip.
Jordan Harbinger
Also, I feel like when you're getting kidnapped by guys with AK47s, why didn't you text me? Falls a little bit like, there's a few reasons I didn't text you. Namely, I didn't want to get shot in the face with an AK47. You sat at a cafe all night while I was being held at gunpoint?
Jason Pack
Yeah, I think that she just fundamentally didn't believe the story because there are some wild elements. And again, I don't know if we should get off on this tangent, but it is not the traditional kidnapping. Sorry, let's put it that way.
Jordan Harbinger
You've lived in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Oman, which I heard is really nice, actually. And Gaddafi era Libya. What is it like to live in Gaddafi's Libya and Assad Syria for that matter. Because aren't dictatorships like police states? Aren't they kind of safe because all the criminals are either dead or running the government?
Jason Pack
That's exactly right. They're terribly safe. But they're two incredibly different places. To start with Libya, when I was there in 2008, picture Cuba. In other words, rusting 1970s infrastructure, but a place that was really wealthy. In other words, you have falling apart but fancy hotels and then everyone is really afraid to talk about things. And Syria, very much the opposite. Syria, vibrant cafe life. You have to keep in mind that both Damascus and Aleppo are among the oldest constantly inhabited cities. And beautiful Ottoman palace restaurants. And very green and quite multicultural. And Libya, I wouldn't recommend the culture, let's put it that way.
Jordan Harbinger
Interesting. Okay, well, that's a bummer. You'd like to think these places are all nice to hang out, but I suppose now that there's a civil war and actual slave markets in Libya, maybe it's not exactly a good hang, if it ever was. All right, let's dive into the Iran stuff because that's why people have tuned in. I'd love a brief overview of what's been happening between Israel and Iran over the past couple of weeks. Obviously we can't go all the way back to whatever, 1948 or whatever with Israel and Iran, but I would love to hear about the latest volleys, why these are happening. So for people who don't follow the news, what has been going on? Because now they're hearing mumblings about Iran and they're not sure what's going on and they know Israel's involved and maybe that's it.
Jason Pack
Sure, there was a 12 day war which was initiated by Israel because they launched a secret attack with drones and airstrikes. But in a way, the war was initiated by Iran because Iran has backed Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and these are terrorist proxy militias that have attacked Israel from before October 7th but doubled down on their attacks after October 7th. So the Israelis had been preparing, and I kid you not, for decades to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran's nuclear scientists, and key infrastructural nodes. For example, there were some missiles that were smuggled by the Mossad into Iran in 2008 and sat in a truck until they were used on the sneak attack on June 13th. Wow.
Jordan Harbinger
Of 2025. So these missiles have just been sitting there, basically getting old enough to enlist in the military themselves at this point or Vote, whatever, depending on which jurisdiction you're in. And then somebody's been babysitting these things and then just opened the garage door and let them fly. That's crazy to me.
Jason Pack
Well, essentially, the Mossad had a multi decade long operation not only to compromise the highest echelon of the Iranian government, but to spy on every aspect of its infrastructure and nuclear program and then to catch it by surprise. And for those who haven't paid attention to this kind of metadynamic, it's that there was good cop, bad cop going on between the Israelis and Americans on negotiations with Iran because Trump tore up Obama's Iran deal, known as the jcpoa. And then he was trying to negotiate his own deal with his Middle east envoy, Steve Witkoff. And Witkoff had tempted the Iranians into another round of negotiations on Sunday. And it was the Thursday before the Sunday that the Israelis attacked. And it appeared that those last rounds of negotiations were a ruse. And it showed that Trump could actually keep a secret and he could good cop, bad cop the Iranians.
Jordan Harbinger
This attack was pretty devastating. You hear that a bunch of commanders died, a bunch of nuclear scientists died. I mean, they kind of seemed to know where everyone lived. And there was one story that I heard elsewhere outside of a news source, but from another source, somebody being interviewed from Israel, and they said something like, the Israelis were able to essentially create a mandatory meeting for all of the top brass of Iran's Air Force and Missile Command. They got invited by the right people, they got the email, they all cleared their schedules, it was in the place of Israel's choosing. And then everyone showed up and immediately got whacked and died.
Jason Pack
This was some medieval shit. Like, I call you to the Knights Council where we will be having the reconciliation meeting with your brother. And then all the knights go to the council and they're locked in the room and it was set on fire. Like, this is the classic intel bait and switch tactic. And you may say, well, this is very immoral, or it's whatever, except the Iranians have armed Houthi and Hezbollah proxies, which have been bombing Israel for no reason since October 7th. So they got their just desserts. Or as my father likes to say when he hears about something like an Iranian nuclear scientist falling out of a window. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Jordan Harbinger
There's a lot of people online saying Iran has a right to defend itself. But I think that when you look at it that way, it's okay as long as we don't count the Houthis we don't count Hezbollah and we don't count Hamas, then Iran is defending itself. But if you count all the proxies they use to attack other people, they're attacking other people and this is them getting smacked across the face. I think what's weird is a lot of people online, they'll go, it's okay, it's a proxy war, it's this and this and this. But once you start being really effective with how many people you kill that are important, like a bunch of commanders and a bunch of scientists, it's like, wait, you're not playing fair. You're supposed to shoot missiles and like miss and then hit farms and you're supposed to shoot rockets and they're supposed to get intercepted by the Iron Dome and everybody looks tough and it's like, you're actually doing a bunch of damage to us. Now we're going to cry on Instagram and have all of our supporters cry online. It's odd to me. It's like, are we fighting a war or are we just like flexing our biceps in the mirror?
Jason Pack
I'm a creature of the center left, but one of the things I found about the left is that it loves a loser. And that is quite self destructed. We've picked political candidates both in the UK and US who are hapless. And then we tend to like basket case countries. Oh, but they're the underdog and too much success, that must be immoral. They must have rigged the system. I want to point out though that this Israeli sneak attack, as successful as it was, and as much as it succeeded in drawing the American patron to, to finish what Israel could not, it hasn't entirely decimated the Iranian nuclear program. Therefore, we can tell funny stories about how the Israeli commanders outwitted many people, but they didn't likely finish the job. And it is propaganda to say, oh, the Israelis Israelis won this 12 day war. It's not as simple as that.
Jordan Harbinger
I read this today in the Times. I think they've taken out a lot of top brass and important people, but they set the nuclear program back in Iran something like three months. I mean, it's probably hard to get an exact date or number of digits, but if we're timing Iran getting nukes in single digit numbers of months, that seems pretty tenuous and dangerous. You know, you think, oh, we bombed Fordo their capacity where they enriched uranium and we blew up all these launchers. They're going to be gone for it. It's like, you know, one guy raises his hand and says three years. Another person says, no way. Five years. It's going to take all this time to retrain people. Another person's 12 weeks. Yeah, but that sounds about right. It's like, geez, man, it takes longer to manufacture the weapons we used in the attack, then we'd set them back. Or did we simply set them back that number of months, but they're still, I don't know, n years away from the bomb itself. That's what I'm confused about.
Jason Pack
I want to say that these are known unknowns. You're referring to the American classified intelligence report that was leaked on the successfulness of B2 attacks, and particularly those bunker busting bombs that hit Fordeau, Natanz and Isfahan. No one knows. It may be that those in specific set them back three to six months, but the Israeli actions decapitating various scientists set them back two or three years. I was always a proponent of a multilateral sanctions regime with carrots and sticks like the Iran deal under Obama. But in the absence of that, I do think that what Trump did established excellent deterrence. And therefore it almost doesn't matter if it was militarily successful even in hitting the enriched uranium. Because we weren't trying to hit the enriched uranium. We were trying to show we have the will to attack. If you're gonna try to break out, deterrence is a state of mind more than it is a physical thing.
Jordan Harbinger
Interesting. Yeah, that was another question I had, which is, why does he warn them, hey, we're gonna blow up this facility? So then they move all the uranium. And I read somewhere in this again, fog of war, but they had filled all of the tunnels up with poured concrete a few days prior. Well, actually, that's a good question. Why would you pour concrete in tunnels.
Jason Pack
Of something to prevent them from collapsing.
Jordan Harbinger
To prevent them. Oh, I see. You think they're just going to go and dig this stuff out at some point and then reopen the facility. But surely they moved the uranium. And also that was part of the idea is maybe we don't want a plume of enriched uranium in the air in the middle of Iran.
Jason Pack
And again, I am someone who mostly loathes Trump, but as we say on my disorder podcast, we like to call a spade a spade, and I advocate for order. If Trump said to them, we're gonna attack these facilities, please move the enriched uranium because we don't want the water table to become radioactive and we don't want the environmental disaster of this good on him, because that's the right thing to do. And this seems to have been something that the Iranians respected because when they launched their symbolic counterattack against the American airbase in Qatar, which is only a very short distance from Iran, ergo, if there was no warning, they could have really hit American service personnel there. The Iranians gave Trump the ability to make sure that none of our service personnel were hurt and that the majority of the missiles were shot down. So I think that choreography is really good. And you can establish deterrence without killing people. And you might even be able to set back the Iranians and make them want to negotiate a better deal without having to blow up their uranium enrichment facilities. So, again, I don't know how the diplomacy will play out from here, but there is a case to say that the combination of carrots and sticks and forewarning and surprise was actually quite elegant.
Jordan Harbinger
Yeah, it's interesting. I'm sure they moved all their personnel out of that plant too, before we bombed it. I guess, suppose nice of them. Is that what we say to have us remove our service personnel from that military base so they didn't get hit by incoming missiles? How come a country like Iran doesn't just buy technology and uranium from places that already have it, like North Korea? Right? Why don't they just say, hey guys, you want a couple billion dollars? We know you're broke as hell, you have nukes, send people over here and help us. Or do they already do that? And if they already do that, can't they just buy uranium from North Korea? Or is uranium so valuable and hard to enrich that North Korea is only selling expertise and not raw material?
Jason Pack
This is a great question. I want to point out. I'm a Middle east expert and I am not a nuclear scientist. However, what I understand is that the Pakistanis incepted the Iranian program, right? They had this scientist, A Q. Khan, who was incredibly famous as the mass proliferator of nuclear knowledge, and he actually was relevant for the North Korean program. He was training the Libyans when they got caught red handed trying to smuggle uranium. And that's one of the things that got Gaddafi to finally pay for the Lockerbie bombings and to give up his program. So the Pakistanis were massive proliferators and they sold expertise. Uranium can be shipped and smuggled, but it can also be detected. And we know where the Pakistanis have theirs, and we know where the North Koreans have theirs. And North Korea and Iran are not near each other. It could easily be intercepted. And it's a risky transaction. And I think that states don't give away these sovereign capacities because they're always afraid that the state that they might give it to will not have exactly their interests. So if we look at Pakistan and Iran, obviously Pakistan is a Sunni country and it's allied to Saudi Arabia and Iran is a Shia country and it's revanchist and it's against Saudi Arabia. So the Pakistanis in A Q Khan was going rogue and he helped them in some ways, but he wasn't going to give them the enriched uranium because what if there was a war and then the Shia had a bomb? The Sunnis are quite happy that the Shia don't have a bomb. So I want to point out on this note, America does not let Britain have the missiles which launch the British nuclear deterrent. And America and Britain are arguably the two strongest allies in the world. It's not just that Britain is America's closest ally. I would say the intelligence sharing relationship is the political relationship and the economic relationship is the deepest relationship between two countries. And yet we do not allow Lockheed Martin to sell the missiles to Britain. We only lease them so that the lease can be terminated. So something relating to nuclear is such a critically important sovereign capacity that states are unlikely to want to part with something like weapons grade rich uranium.
Jordan Harbinger
I see. Well, you never can trust those Brits anyway. They've shown that time and time again. No, I'm just pissed off a double digit percentage of the listenership. No, I kid. Ok. Why is now a great opportunity for Trump to Show how the 5D chess that he is playing and end this war? Because you and I were talking offline yesterday and you wrote a piece for the Boston Globe that was really clear, like, hey, it doesn't really matter if you don't like Trump or you do like Trump. Now is the time to actually put something into action. Because, I don't know, maybe Iran is a little bit on the back foot. Israel's looking for an excuse maybe to stop the war, hopefully. And Trump would love to look good for stopping it. And everybody in the world is, maybe we can stop shooting missiles at each other. So this does seem like the timing is good. I'd love for you to explain what that would look like.
Jason Pack
Sure. I think that there are multiple layers here. Let's start with the ceasefire layer, then get to the permanent peace layer and then get to the whole regional reconfiguration on the ceasefire level. I'm not sure that the timing is perfect. Right. Because the Israelis established complete aerial dominance over the skies of Tehran so that they could operate a full 1500 miles, 2000 kilometers from their country and hit targets against the nuclear program or against the regime, and therefore to be stopped and curtailed. Just as they had achieved that, they might have felt we couldn't complete the job. Conversely, from the Iranian side, the Iranians might have felt, oh, we were just figuring out how to more break through the Israeli Iron Dome. And we depleted their Arrow and Thaad missiles, which is part of the Patriot system, which blocks the missiles. If we had had more time, we could have brought them to their knees and caused more civilian casualties. So there's a balance there. But a ceasefire is always the right time if it saves people's lives. So that's what's going on in the ceasefire level. What Trump did was by interjecting America, the hegemonic global top orderer superpower, into the conflict, he could then say, look to Israel, I helped you with this thing that you couldn't do by yourself. I now won't tolerate any more attacks. And then Iran, I won't tolerate more retaliations because then we can come in much harder. We want to make sure that the Persian Gulf is open, we want to make sure that oil is flowing, and I don't want the bad poll numbers that this war will have going on. And again, I have to tip my hat to him. I believe that the markets are not biased. And the stock market soared. Oil price went down $10 a barrel for Brent crude and WTI almost to the levels from before the war started. And you can't rig that. If the markets think that the ceasefire isn't going to hold or this is not sustainable, then the oil futures will be high. But the markets believe that he pulled off a tremendous coup. And again, this gets back to deterrence theory. Jordan still on the ceasefire level. I got to hand it to the guy. If your adversaries don't know what you might do if you violate a thing, you have one of the core elements of deterrence.
Jordan Harbinger
You don't have mutually assured destruction. You have a wild card that people aren't really in the mood to flip over all the time because it might not be good for you. Interesting.
Jason Pack
So just having a ceasefire between Iran and Israel does nothing. It neither gets rid of the initial casus beli from the Israeli perspective, which is that Iran is nuclearizing so as to destroy Israel and Iran is supporting proxies. And these are these militias that are like almost states within a state. In Lebanon and Yemen, in, in Yemen, the state within a state runs the state. In Lebanon, the state within a state, runs its own army and own institutions and education. That's Hezbollah.
Jordan Harbinger
The Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Jason Pack
Yeah, exactly. Okay, so those casus belli have not been addressed. If you just have a ceasefire. And then from the Iranian side, they say, Israel oppresses the Palestinians, it occupies Palestinian lands, it's a regional hegemon which supports our Sunni enemies, particularly Saudi and the uae. And over time, Israel has gone more and more to supporting those Sunni Gulf states. And the Iranians feel more cornered, for lack of a better term. And therefore, just having a ceasefire doesn't address either side's grievances. I happen to believe that there is this unique historical moment. It has to do with the wild card of Trump, but more so it has to do with the regional geometry, for lack of a better term, being reconfigured. There had been a balance between the Shia Crescent and the rest of the Sunni Middle east and Israel. And that Shia Crescent has been destroyed because since October 7, the axis of resistance, as it's called, and those are Iran and its proxies, who are mostly either Shia or allied with the Shia, they have been weakened and degraded. Your listeners may remember the Hezbollah pager attack, where the Israelis introduced micro bombs into pagers in Lebanon that decapitated a lot of the leadership there. The Houthis have been bombed not only by Biden, but by Israel and by Trump. And therefore that there's this new balance of power where the axis of resistance, the Shia Crescent, is weakened. And then Syria flipped. Syria was run by the Assads. I lived there when Bashar Al Assad first came to power. And they are from the Alawite sect, which. Which is a kind of heterodox Shia, and they are backed by Iran. Recently, they were turfed out of power. And we have a Sunni Islamist, Ahmad Sharra, known as Al Jolani, who runs the country. So that essentially took one piece of the chessboard and flipped it. And then Trump did something genius, which is that he said, oh, great, I'm going to lift the sanctions and we can do business with Syria, whereas the Europeans were not willing to lift those sanctions until he did it. So the chessboard is able to be reconfigured in a way that favors our Sunni allies in the Gulf and favors a kind of Anglo American Israeli position on how to work with moderate allies in the region and to potentially constrain Iran. And it may be that Trump and Witkoff are too transactional and shortsighted to bring this about, and they haven't done anything to achieve it yet, but maybe they've cleared the ground. And I think that the Europeans need to step into this void because Trump is very bad at the long term, even if he is sometimes genius at the transactional short term.
Jordan Harbinger
If we're all going to die in a nuclear holocaust, you're going to want to go up in flames while sporting some of the fine products and services that support this show. We'll be right back. This episode is sponsored in part by Boulevard Running a salon, Med, spa, barbershop or other personal care business should mean helping clients look and feel great, not dealing with booking headaches and chaotic schedules. That's why Boulevard exists. Boulevard is now the leading client experience platform for appointment based self care businesses, making booking appointments, processing payments and managing client profiles seamless and effortless. Its smart marketing automation ensures schedules stay full and powerful. Reporting provides valuable business insights. Whether you have one location or many. Boulevard simplifies managing your operations, empowering your front desk with efficient tools, getting service providers customizable booking and visual documentation, and offering managers clear, actionable insights. Join top beauty and wellness brands in choosing Boulevard World class technology with a personal touch, helping your business thrive.
C
Right now, Boulevard is offering new customers 10% off your first year subscription when you go to joinblvd.com Jordan and book a demo that's J-O-I-N B L V D.com Jordan book a demo and get 10% off your first year subscription. Get join blvd.com Jordan this episode is.
Jordan Harbinger
Also sponsored by IDOU feel like you or your team is falling short of goals and you're not sure what to try next? Then check out iDou. It's an online learning platform from the folks at IDO, the legendary design and innovation firm. Their courses aren't just theory, they're built to help you lead with clarity, unlock creative thinking and drive real progress fast. What I like about Idou is it doesn't just give you knowledge, it gives you frameworks you can actually apply. Whether you're stepping into a new leadership role, trying to build a more innovative culture, or just trying to stay ahead of the AI curve, IDOU gives you the tools to make it happen. They offer certificate programs in leadership, innovation and AI and design thinking so you can dive deep, build practical skills and walk away with credentials that actually mean something. Their AI courses in particular are legit if AI feels overwhelming. These programs teach you how to enhance creativity, not replace it by combining human centered design with cutting edge AI tools. If you want to upskill without the fluff and you need to level up your leadership? Check out Idou.
C
Class starts soon, so enroll today for a limited time. IDOU is offering our listeners 15% off site wide. Go to idou.comjordan that's ideou.comjordan for 15% off ideou.comjordan if you're wondering how I.
Jordan Harbinger
Managed to book all these great authors, thinkers and creators every week, it is because of my network, the circle of people I know, like and trust. I'm teaching you how to build your network for free over@sixminutenetworking.com it's all practical. It's very easy down to earth. You can meet folks who have underground bunkers that you can sleep in for the rest of your life. Your short radioactive life. It takes a few minutes a day. That's all it really takes to build, maintain relationships in a way that is non cringy and super easy. And many of the guests on our show already subscribe and contribute to the course. Come on and join us. You'll be in smart company where you belong. You can find the course again, all free. No shenanigans over@6minutenetworking.com now. Now back to out of the Loop on Iran and Israel with Jason Peck. It just seems to me like, isn't Iran going to go all right, we're still going to try and come out with a bomb here. Why would we stop? Especially if you set us back a couple of months or maybe a few years. That just proves to us that we need a bomb. Because you never would have hit us.
Jason Pack
If we had 100%. We're speaking on June 25th.
Jordan Harbinger
Yes. Of 2025.
Jason Pack
And this morning the Iranians said, guess what? We're going to go immediately for a bomb because we understand that if we had the bomb, we'd never been able to get attacked like this. And you invoked the North Korea lesson, it's sometimes called in the Middle east the Libya lesson because Gaddafi decided to give up his program as well as his anthrax and other biological weapons. And what do you know? Then the west could support a popular uprising against him and he got killed in a ditch. So what's called the Libya lesson is that if you nuclearize, you're in power forever and your sons get to inherit the throne. Just look at North Korea as opposed to Libya. The Iranians, of course, are thinking that. But if we have the whole region on board, in other words, if we could actually get the major European countries and Trump's America and our regional allies in the Sunni Gulf, plus Turkey it won't matter if China and Russia support the regime. They could really put the screws on the Iranians economically, and they could have a system whereby it would be very, very unlikely that the Iranians could nuclearize. And we could give security guarantees to Israel, which is that if the Israelis end the war in Gaza, commit to a Palestinian state, they could get a peace treaty with Saudi Arabia, something like The Abraham Accords 2.0, which Biden worked on and Trump and Jared Kushner worked on. And we would give them a commitment if the Iranians were getting close to a breakout in the nuclear program. Oh, we will support you in a military option. So it would be essentially a multilateral approach to the denuclearization of Iran as part of achieving many regional objectives.
Jordan Harbinger
I see. So you think Iran will eventually just be exposed as kind of this militarily defeated, morally bankrupt nation. I mean, their whole thing is, hey, we're against imperialist aggression, even though they're throwing proxies all over the Middle east and doing the exact same thing. It seems like they've always calculated the west is gonna back down. Do we think they can learn that that's a mistake? Because it's their whole, we're gonna go straight to the bomb? Doesn't really sound like they've learned that lesson.
Jason Pack
I love how you put that, Jordan. They calculated that Trump always chickens out. And they calculated it because Biden and Obama didn't exactly push maximally to get the best deal with the jcpoa. And I love the Iran deal, but it had some bad provisions. And I don't want to get into the details, but maybe now we're in a position of greater strength and unity, but we could negotiate a better deal. And that's exactly what deterrence is. So I want to make an analogy with Russia and Ukraine. I will blame Obama in 2014 for not enforcing the Budapest Memorandum when Putin annexed Crimea. And that's what allowed Putin to miscalculate in 2022. Oh, I can invade the rest of Ukraine and I'll get away with it. No one will do anything because in 2014, the sanctions were not tough enough. However, if we defeated them in a war and then we're negotiating again, they know that we mean business because we've spent all these billions, we've developed this drone army. We did this. We did that. NATO countries up their defense spending to 5%. And now if we look at the Middle east, the Iranians were shown as completely incompetent, not even able to keep their kind of Signal messages, private. And then their entire leadership. Think of how funny this is. They knew that the Israelis wanted to attack at a certain time, but their leadership was blown up in their own beds. They weren't even sleeping underground the night of the attack. It's mind blowing.
Jordan Harbinger
Yeah. Interesting. They kind of just thought, oh, this isn't going to happen. This is ridiculous. They're just bluffing. Oops.
Jason Pack
But even if it isn't going to happen, you live in the Middle east. You're an Iranian nuclear scientist, you sleep underground.
Jordan Harbinger
Yeah, every night. Not just on nights where Israel says they're gonna attack, but every night. Exactly. Okay, so who needs to be in the room for this to be real? You said the major European leaders. Who else needs to be in the room to get this deal signed? Obviously the Ayatollahs and the Israelis. And the Americans. Germany, France.
Jason Pack
I think that the Qataris are the key here. Right. So if we look at regional diplomacy in the last five years, everything happens in Doha. When you need to get Israeli hostages released, you go to Doha. When you need to get the Russians to give back Ukrainian children that they kidnapped, you go to Doha. When we were making a deal with the Taliban, which was a disgraceful deal, where did we do it? In Doha. I want to point out that when we got the ceasefire that Trump announced, the only people that could get the Iranians to honor the ceasefire were the Qataris. So if we can make a deal where the Qataris want to mediate this and then the Europeans want to actually do the economic bits, we are in business.
Jordan Harbinger
Ok, how do we cut the chain between Iran and these proxies though? Right? Because they've got the Hezbollah, they got the Houthis, they got Hamas.
Jason Pack
You're gonna be shocked to hear the answer.
Jordan Harbinger
Doha.
Jason Pack
That's the answer. Doha. Because all of the money for Hamas to build the tunnels in the period 2006, after they won that election, till October 7, that money was sitting in bank accounts in Doha. And it wasn't that. It was money that the Qataris paid for terrorism. And I hate when people to my right, the kind of FDD crowd, and we're talking the real Republican Zionist neocons, say the Qataris funded terror. And that's not true. It's that the Qataris were told you need to pony up money to rebuild houses in Gaza and rebuild education there. And Hamas happens to use that money to build tunnels and stockpile weapons so we can do things with the Qataris to have more anti money laundering and to have pressure on certain Hamas leaderships and certain Houthi and Hezbollah leaderships. The reason why it's all in Doha is Turkey doesn't have exactly the financial heft that the Qataris have. And in Iran, you're disconnected from the financial system. So, yes, there are Hamas leaders who are in Iran, but they can't transact multi billion dollar business to resuscitate their empire.
Jordan Harbinger
Okay, what about Netanyahu? I mean, someone's got to tell him, okay, time to end the war. Even though your whole brand is strength and survival, good luck with that. Because as in, he's maybe a little worried that he's going to get prosecuted for things. And he staked it all on this.
Jason Pack
It's not only that he's worried Jordan. He has carved out a position for himself that so long as the war continues, he can stay in power. And if he's not in power, as you alluded there, he may face corruption charges or there could be an election and he'll lose because he's unpopular. That said, he achieved his life ambition and will go down as a hero for most Israelis, not a hero for me because the corruption, the warmongering, some of the hatred against Arabs, which was completely unnecessary, even while trying to achieve strategic goals, his dalliances with Putin, that stuff, I think for many Israelis is loathsome and they loathe him. They just want to see the back of him. But guarantees can be carved out here. Netanyahu is not a dictator. But I'm going to refer to something called the dictator's dilemma. Jordan. The dictator's dilemma is so long as you're in power, you're not going to die in a ditch. But as soon as you are not in power, your enemies are going to use the secret services or, you know, the courts, and they're going to prosecute you, and you're going to either end up in jail or die in a ditch. I think a political solution can be made with Israel and its allies whereby Netanyahu rides off into the sunset. He gets some kind of prize for what he's achieved. And it's not that the corruption cases are dropped, but he's an old man and his wife is very old. She's the one who's at the kind of linchpin Saranetanyahu, of these corruption cases. And if they do the right thing, what do you know, America makes a place for them in Florida or something is worked out here, because we can't let one man's personal motives hijack a whole region.
Jordan Harbinger
There's something that I either missed or didn't understand. So we're calling for Iran's full denuclearization, no civilian program, decades of inspections. What gets them to say yes, cash security. Aren't they gonna look at again the Libya lesson, the Ukraine lesson, and say, no thanks? People who give up nukes, they get wrecked?
Jason Pack
That is the paradox in the conundrum. They have their feet to the fire, or as some people might say, they have their balls in the vise. They are really prostrate now. And, and what I would say is, guess what? We're not gonna stomach regime change. If you do X and Y and Z, or if you ever block the inspectors from coming in, the war restarts and the sanctions restart. There's a term here called snapback sanctions. These existed prior to the JCPOA and prior to some of the parts of the Obama Iran deal, which I think were in error. We can create a legal regime where it incentivizes the Iranians, not only the leadership, but the people and the scientists to want to comply with the inspectors. And you may say it's impossible, but a lot of things have happened in the last 10 years in the Middle east which are, quote, unquote, impossible. I think that solving this is actually among the more possible things. And the Iranians, the Qataris and the Saudis in the plan that I put forward can equally take a victory lap. We ended the war in Gaza and saved these babies from dying. We got the Israelis to commit to a Palestinian state. And yes, of course the Israelis are going to get bribed with American investments into their high tech sector. And the Israelis are going to get bribed with more student visas for people to go to Silicon Valley. But Gazans and Iranians are going to get bribed with visas to study in Europe and with billions and billions to regrow their economy. So, I mean, there's an ability to bribe all these peoples. And I want to say the thing that the peoples of this region share is human capital. Iran is not only a rich civilization, culturally, it's amazing the technical and human capital skill that exists in that place relative to how oppressive the government is. It's in Europe's interest to want to open up and create these programs. And the Gulfies understand this. They know that so long as Iranians or Palestinians are not a security threat for them, they're very happy to work with them and have them staff their economies.
Jordan Harbinger
Yeah, it's very interesting. I've gotten a lot of messages on Instagram and an email from Iranians in the past week or two. And I was just like, oh, sorry for what's going on? And they were like, we're so mad. And I was like, yeah, it's a really complicated situation. And they're like, one guy said something, I'm so angry. And I was like, I'm sure you are. And he goes, we really want them to keep bombing. And I was like, wait, where are you? And he's Iran. And I was like, you want Israel to keep bombing? And he's like, yes. And I did a double take because I was like, wait a minute. What?
Jason Pack
I want to point out that I have a girl I dated in New York, Shia elite Iranian woman. She wants the Israelis to keep bombing. I know people in the Shah orbit, in la, in Sweden, elsewhere, they'd like the job to be finished. It's mostly a social class thing. If you're elite in the level that did well under the Shah, you've been suppressed by the Ayatollahs. And they think that if the regime collapses, there will be an inversion and the old elites will come back and it'll be good for them. If you're more a lower middle class person, particularly from a rural background, the Shah was quite oppressive. Not that the Ayatollahs are great, but you don't want the Israelis to finish the job because you're going to lose your social standing. And I don't think that we can impose regime change. It didn't really work very well in Iraq or Afghanistan. And therefore, if the Iranian people want to do that, they can do that actually much better when we've stopped bombing.
Jordan Harbinger
That's right. I agree with that. I just thought that was an interesting sort of counterintuitive thing to see in my Instagram inbox, which is that the people in Iran are like, keep it going. And I'm like, wait, well, what. Let's talk about Gaza. The Saudis, are they potentially willing to bankroll Gaza's reconstruction? I mean, I think it would take a multinational effort here. But first of all, somebody's gotta pay for this. Who's gonna do that? And who is administering the hospitals? Who's doing the police thing in Gaza and the border patrol and all this stuff. Because when I was in Gaza, this is like 25 years ago, the police that I talked to, because they were friends who were Hamas supporters actually turned out and they worked for the Palestinian Authority. Reconcile that one. But we went and talked to their police friends and they were joking about torturing people and, like chasing women and putting bottles up people's butts and stuff like that. These are not good police officers. These are not people that treat citizens with respect. These are people that are also working with Hamas and things like that. Like the whole thing is rotten to the core and the people who live there are just dealing with this crap on a daily basis. You can't just have somebody in a government office that says this is how it works. You got to replace the police and the border patrol and all the security officials and possibly all the other civil servants too.
Jason Pack
I love how you've brought it down to the level of corruption. Gaza is a very corrupt place and corruption undermines people's morals. No one trusts anyone and hence there is a reversion to an almost primordial clan like structure. If he's not my brother's friend, I can't trust the guy. And it's very difficult, even with all the ideological and Islamist and anti Semitic layers on top, when trust is so broken down. But to go back to your question of who bankrolls it, the answer is that it's going to be who's always bankrolled the rebuilding of Gaza. The Europeans and the Gulfies, the qataris. After the 2006 Gaza war, they rebuilt all the hospitals and the roads. The Europeans send billions there. Pretty much every year. They send billions, even though they know that a lot of those billions end up in the corruption pockets of some police official who has a brother in Switzerland who's laundering the money for him. That's why my plan, which I'm the first to say it may not work, it has some pie in the sky elements, but all I want to say is, you show me a better one. Because we're in something I would call the enduring disorder, where all solutions look bad. And there's every reason why people with the same interests don't coordinate together. So I want to create a situation where we have mutual incentives, and that's to get Gulfi, Arabs, regional states, Israelis, diaspora, Jews and the west, as well as Russia and China to have similar interests. They're never going to be the same. But if our interests can be 80% the same, we can work together.
Jordan Harbinger
Those ayatollahs might never build a nuke, but they can get ahold of some of the bomb deals on the fine products and services that support this show. We'll be right back. This episode is sponsored in part by openphone. If you're running a business, whether you're solo or managing a growing team, every missed call is money left on the table. Think about the last Time you needed something fixed fast, a plumber, H Vac, whatever. Did you wait around for the first person to call you back? Of course not. You moved on. Your customers do the same thing. That's why you need OpenPhone. OpenPhone is the number one business phone system that makes customer communication seamless. No landlines, no burner phones. It works right from an app on your phone or computer so you can keep your personal number personal and still stay connected 24 7. Here's what I love. Your team can share one number and handle calls and text like a shared inbox. So whether a customer reaches out on Monday or Thursday, anyone on the team can jump back in and pick up the convo without missing a beat. Plus, OpenPhone's AI agent is like having your own personal receptionist. It handles after hours calls, answers basic questions, even captures leads. So you never miss an opportunity. Whether you're a one person show or you've got a full crew, OpenPhone is a no brainer. See why over 60,000 businesses trust it to stay connected and close the loop.
C
OpenPhone is offering our listeners 20% off your first six months at openphone.com Jordan that's O P E N P-H-O-N-E.com Jordan and if you have existing numbers with another service, OpenPhone will port them over at no extra charge. OpenPhone. No missed calls, no missed customers.
Jordan Harbinger
This episode is sponsored in part by Airbnb. At one point, Jen and I decided to try our hand at being Airbnb hosts. Not just staying in places, but opening up our own home. And honestly, it turned out to be way more rewarding than we expected. When we were building our place here in Silicon Valley Bay Area, we actually designed a separate guest suite. It's got its own private entrance that was 100% inspired by some of the awesome Airbnbs we'd stayed at over the years. We figured why not create the kind of experience we always appreciated, maybe even level it up a little. So we left a cheat sheet with our go to spots. Good coffee, legit dumplings, favorite pizza joint, you know, stuff locals actually eat. And the guests? We've had some really cool guests. One guy was staying long term. We ended up inviting him to a family barbecue, which is kind of funny. It's wild how hosting can turn into a real connection like that. We hit pause when the kids were little, but we definitely plan to host again down the line. It's just such a great way to stay connected to the world. And if you're thinking about hosting, I say Go for it. Find out more@airbnb.com host I've Got Homes.com as a sponsor for this episode. Homes.com knows when it comes to home shopping, it's never just about the house or the condo. It's about the homes. And what makes a home is more than just the house or property. It's the location. It's the neighborhood. If you got kids, it's also schools, nearby, parks, transportation options. That's why homes.com goes above and beyond to bring home shoppers the in depth information they need to find the right home. It's so hard not to say home every single time. And when I say in depth information, I'm talking deep. Each listing features comprehensive information about the neighborhood, complete with a video guide. They also have details about local schools with test scores, state rankings, student teacher ratio. They even have an agent directory with the sales history of each agent. So when it comes to finding a home, not just a house, this is everything you need to know, all in1place.homes.com We've done your homework. If you like this episode of the show, I invite you to do what other smart and considerate listeners do. Take a moment. Support the sponsors. They make the show possible. All of the deals, discount codes and ways to support the podcast are searchable and Clickable over at Jordan Harbinger.com deals if you can't remember the name of a sponsor, you can't find the code. Email us. We are happy to surface codes for you. It is that important that you support those who support the show. Now back to out of the loop. Do you think it'll have to start off as a police state to keep Hamas from infiltrating through all the structures that are being rebuilt?
Jason Pack
I'm going to say something which is unpopular. It has to start off as a neocolonial state. The key point here is that administration that I call for, and I've been calling for this since October 7th. I've briefed U.S. congressmen, I've written pieces in the Boston Globe and Foreign Policy about a Qatari led quartet of Arab states to administer Gaza. Administer means police, borders, hospitals, scholarships. It has to be neocolonial because there is no authority in Gaza which is neutral. The Palestinian Authority is rotten through the core. Hamas is going to try to reconstitute itself. And then you have either the Klans or the militias that the Israelis have funded, which are like rival gangs, right? They have drug wars, they smuggle aid. And does a neo colonial solution sound good to me? No. However it might be the best of the alternatives. And it's gonna be a solution which prepares for elections in five or 10 years to hand off first at the local level, to train, to have scholarships, to really create a best practices transparency system. And it's not Trumpy and pie in the sky that it's gonna be a Riviera. It isn't. It's gonna be a tough slog. And it may have aspects not of a police state, but of a neo colonial juggernaut, which is not necessarily gonna be fair. But it's gonna be the way that things worked in the 19th century, which is order was imposed and there were carrots at the end of the line so that people's living standards were could improve. And then if you have the hope that your kids are not going to be living in this shithole, I think people are going to want to take the steps to get there.
Jordan Harbinger
I hope so. I feel bad for everybody in this situation. Let's say China or Russia spoils the deal or aims to. What are the pressure points that the west still holds? Because I know with Iran, China wants Iranian oil, right? So they're not clamoring to screw up any deals. They want the Strait of Hormuz open, they want Iranian oil, they don't want it being bombed all the time. They might be in on this. But what if they're trying to spoil the deal with Gaza and other things like that? What are the levers the west has that we might need to pull Jordan?
Jason Pack
Allow me some more flattery here, because I learned from Trump, flattery always works. You are asking excellent questions. Because my theory of the enduring disorder is that some powers in the 21st century simply want to disorder the world without having an alternative order. And that makes Russia today different than Stalinist Russia or Khrushchev's Russia. I might not have loved communism, but it was in order. Here's the economic textbook. Read your Marx. Do this. Translate this book from Russian. It was an order. What Putin wants is that Gaza and Libya are just completely disordered and the Iranians have a batshit crazy economy and they can sell their oil at a discounted price. So he may actually want to spoil something which is working in Gaza just to spoil it so that the west can't be on the same page. The reason that Putin loves for the Sahel countries, and those are the ones just south of the Sahara desert to be completely basket cases, is then they emit migrants who go to Europe and that drives European populaces to the anti migrant neo populist Right. And then they are disordered because they don't want to be a part of the EU and they don't want to do this with NATO and that driving to neo populism just disorders things. He doesn't have any other reason for there to be these crazy migrant flows. So the reason that he will be against a genius solution like getting the Saudis to want to rebuild Gaza and making a deal with Israel and having the Iranians get a lot of rebuilding assistance for giving up their nukes would begin to order the Middle east. And then it would be unleashing a region that has human capital, oil wealth, and a great geostrategic location. And the Russians would be like, oh, no. All of a sudden there's all this economic growth and oil is being produced and we're not a part of that. So he very much might want to spoil that. My solution there is, Putin isn't going to be there forever. We need to defeat him. And this may sound very controversial. How can you defeat the leader who sits atop the world's largest nuclear arsenal? I think that we will defeat him. We may not win immediately, but if we make sure that the Ukrainians don't lose the war, eventually Putin will either die or collapse. And the new Russian regime may look more like the Yeltsin regime, which was willing to do business with the west, or corrupt, but not so ideologically bent on disordering. And then we could be in a world where we can actually work together.
Jordan Harbinger
God, I don't know. That seems like it might be hinging a little too much on idealism, that the next guy who comes in isn't going to be as bad as Vladimir Putin or just another flavor of that same thing. But I'm no Russia expert, and I know that's a little bit of a tangent. How much Runway do we have to lock down this sort of Gaza, Iran deal? Is this something that you think, hey, we better do this in 2025? What sort of event would you be looking to that says, oh, it's too late? Would it be another Israeli attack on Iran? Would it be another kind of breach of the ceasefire? What are we looking for?
Jason Pack
Let's go back to these three levels again, because the ceasefire is very tenuous. Trump has not spelled out what the punishment is for violating it. He will drop a few F bombs on live TV if you violate it. But what else is he gonna do? I would like him to spell out some carrots and sticks, and it may be that he's done that behind the scenes. And if so, good on him and Witkoff that they've thought that through. But I don't see that America or Trump is going to broker this kind of deal of the century. Trump says that he does deals of the century, but if you look at what he did in North Korea, he's only willing to go and have the meeting. He's not really willing to do the sacrifices to, say, get a deal with North Korea over the line. This is where experts come in. And who has the experts? It's the Europeans and the UN and the Gulf allies who've been working on this stuff and have the top academic and diplomatic expertise. That's not how Trump does this transactionalism. So I think that we have only a few number of weeks. I wish it wasn't the case, but the deal will break down if the underlying root causes which led for there being this war are not treated right. I like to use a divorce analogy here, Jordan. I do think that a lot of diplomacy and a lot of things that are going on in the Middle east are like human relationships. And I want to quote Robert Kaplan here, Politics is all about interests until it's all about Shakespeare. And in the enduring disorder, everything is about Shakespeare, meaning the human relationships, the jealousies, the flattery, the revenge. And in a marriage, if you and the wife love each other but you can't stand when she calls her mom and uses her mom's advice and not yours, and then you guys have an argument and you make up, and then you make love and you're happy, but you didn't deal with, it's not okay when you call your mom and then she convinces you to buy something with my credit card, that's the unallowed behavior. And you're just like, oh, I'm sorry, I love you. Let's go out for a romantic date, and it's solved. And we're in a situation now where Trump has excellently figured out a way to get the Israelis and Iranians to fear his hegemonic power and to make nice publicly. But he hasn't dealt with any of the underlying issue, and I almost feel that he can't. And that's why we need Starmer and Macron and maybe specifically Merz. Germany has traditionally been loathe to put itself forward in foreign policy. It usually follows the EU follows what France does. But I see that there's an opportunity with this new German chancellor for a range of historic reasons that he could work together with others to actually initiate.
Jordan Harbinger
I see. So you think Europe's in a key position here. It'd be great to see some leadership from them, maybe something that Washington can't or won't provide.
Jason Pack
Here's a key thing here, which everyone knows, but usually you can't articulate. America is biased towards Israel. It's just the truth. It's not anti Semitic to say this. It is. That said, there are many European countries which are biased towards the Palestinians. Ireland, Spain, Norway, we know it. It's not just in how they recognize the Palestinian state. It's where their donations go, it's where their protests go. It's how their diplomats are trained. This is not a bug. This is a feature. We can have the Europeans put forward a pro Palestinian approach and counterbalance with where we know the Americans are at. And that's what went wrong with all the rounds of Oslo and the jcpoa. These things have tended to be done in an America first framework. And that's probably not what we can deal with in today's enduring disorder where so many Poles are pulling in opposite directions. We need to coordinate together.
Jordan Harbinger
Yep, that makes a heck of a lot of sense to me, Jason. I hope that people seize this opportunity right now, because pardon me for not being super hopeful about peace in the Middle east in my lifetime, but, yeah, I would love to see something actually.
Jason Pack
Work out for once and talk about some of the great things that unite personal development with diplomacy. Okay, so I talk about ordering the disorder, and ordering the disorder is bringing my interests and my adversary's interests into some sort of alignment. And when you talk about personal growth, you're frequently talking about understanding certain things psychologically and then changing my behavior pattern. And I love the way that you frame that. The disorder that I want to order is to get Iranians and Israelis, Gazans and Lebanese and Europeans and Americans and Saudis and Qataris to realize. I may disagree with you on this, but 80% of our interests are the same. We want our kids to go to university. We want to have a better livelihood. We don't want the planet to be blown up by nukes or to have so much climate change. And in that region, it's a little bit different than with Russia. The Russians do have a genuine interest in spoiling at the global level because they're a declining power. They're constantly going to be weaker because of where their economy is at. This is different in the Middle East. I think that we have so many rising powers and people who are going to say, the future is ours. Hey, we can actually put aside some of these grievances so the role here for diplomats is actually like the role of the marriage counselor to get people to see these shared interests. Put aside all that bs. It's been weighing you down, buddy.
Jordan Harbinger
Yeah. Look, man, from your lips to God's ears. I suppose with this Middle Eastern peace deal potentially happening, I mean, it would be absolutely mind blowing if something like this would actually work out for once. I think all of us share that.
Jason Pack
Hey, Steve Witkoff. You can call me. I'm willing to go to Doha for you, Starmer. I live only eight miles from you. See you in Westminster.
Jordan Harbinger
Knock on his door, man. See how that goes. That might get his attention, man. Thank you for coming on the show. I really appreciate it. I know this was short notice. I know it's like the middle of the night where you are.
Jason Pack
No, this was really great, Jordan.
Jordan Harbinger
Thank you, man. I hope the Europeans pick up the ball on this one. The next few weeks will really be a good indicator of how serious we are about solving this issue. I'm not going to hold my breath, but, man, would it be nice to see some change in this world. All things Jason Pack will be in the show. Notes on the website, advertisers, deals, discount codes and ways to support the show all@jordanharbinger.com deals. Please consider supporting those who make the show possible. Also, our newsletter, we Bit wiser. This is a hit with all y' all. You guys write back all the time. I love writing it, you love reading it. It's very specific and practical. It's. It'll have an immediate impact on your decisions, your psychology, your relationship. It's a two minute read every Wednesday almost. And if you haven't signed up yet, I invite you to come check it out. It's a great companion to the show. Jordanharbinger.com news is where you can find it. Don't forget about six minute networking as well. Over at sixminutenetworking.com, you gotta find a person with a bunker. This is the way you do it. I'm JordanHarbinger on Twitter and Instagram. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn and this show is created in association with podcast one. My team is Jen Harbinger, Jace Sanderson, Robert Fogarty, Tatas Zitlowskis, Ian Baird and Gabriel Mizrahi. Remember, we rise by lifting others. The fee for the show is you share it with friends. When you find something useful or interesting, the greatest compliment you can give us is really to share the show with those you care about. If you know somebody who's interested in current events wants a primer on Iran, wants to hear what might happen with Gaza eventually, maybe someday. Share this episode with them. In the meantime, I hope you apply what you hear on the show so you can live what you learn. And we'll see you next time.
Podcast Summary: The Jordan Harbinger Show – Episode 1177: Iran vs. Israel 2025 | Out of the Loop
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Introduction and Overview
In episode 1177 of The Jordan Harbinger Show, host Jordan Harbinger engages in a profound discussion with Jason Pack, an expert on Middle Eastern geopolitics, focusing on the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The episode, titled "Iran vs. Israel 2025 | Out of the Loop," delves into the recent 12-day war initiated by Israel's covert operations against Iran's nuclear infrastructure and explores the broader implications for regional peace and global stability.
The Recent Israel-Iran Conflict: Key Events and Causes
The conversation opens with a detailed account of the 12-day conflict sparked by Israel's secret drone and airstrike attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. Jason Pack explains that while Israel initiated the war, "in a way, the war was initiated by Iran because Iran has backed Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and these are terrorist proxy militias that have attacked Israel from before October 7th but doubled down on their attacks after October 7th" (06:03). This proxy warfare set the stage for Israel's decisive actions aimed at crippling Iran's nuclear capabilities.
The Mossad Operation and its Impact
A significant portion of the discussion centers on the Mossad's long-term strategic operation. Pack reveals that Israel had been meticulously planning for decades to target Iran's nuclear infrastructure. "There were some missiles that were smuggled by the Mossad into Iran in 2008 and sat in a truck until they were used on the sneak attack on June 13th" (06:58). The operation not only targeted key nuclear sites but also decapitated Iran's military and scientific leadership, aiming to disrupt the nuclear program's continuity.
Deterrence and Trump's Role
Jordan and Jason explore the role of former President Donald Trump in shaping the conflict's outcome. Pack credits Trump with establishing effective deterrence: "Trump could actually keep a secret and he could good cop, bad cop the Iranians" (08:15). By demonstrating a willingness to attack and following up with strategic sanctions, Trump reinforced the message that further aggression would result in severe repercussions. This approach, according to Pack, has helped stabilize the situation by preventing immediate escalation.
The Timeline for Iran's Nuclear Program
The impact of the Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear timeline is a contentious issue. Harbinger raises concerns about the uncertainty surrounding how much the attacks have delayed Iran's nuclear ambitions: "It set the nuclear program back in Iran something like three months... another person says, no way. Five years. It's going to take all this time to retrain people" (11:17). Pack acknowledges the difficulty in pinpointing exact delays but suggests that while significant setbacks have been inflicted, the Iranian nuclear program remains a critical threat that requires ongoing vigilance.
European and Multilateral Opportunities for Peace
A pivotal theme of the episode is the potential for a multilateral peace deal, emphasizing Europe's crucial role. Pack advocates for European leadership, stating, "if we can actually get the major European countries and Trump's America and our regional allies in the Sunni Gulf, plus Turkey it won't matter if China and Russia support the regime" (28:32). He underscores the necessity of European nations stepping up to mediate and facilitate negotiations that align the interests of all parties involved, aiming for comprehensive denuclearization and regional stability.
Challenges in Gaza Reconstruction
Discussion also extends to the devastated Gaza Strip, highlighting the complexities of rebuilding amidst ongoing tensions. Pack proposes a neo-colonial administrative approach led by Qatar and supported by European nations to manage Gaza's reconstruction: "administration that I call for... a Qatari led quartet of Arab states to administer Gaza" (46:26). This strategy aims to stabilize the region by establishing order and rebuilding infrastructure while addressing Palestinian governance issues.
Netanyahu's Political Position
The episode examines Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political maneuvers and his vested interest in sustaining the conflict. Pack explains, "He has carved out a position for himself that so long as the war continues, he can stay in power" (34:21). Netanyahu's reliance on the war for political stability presents both a challenge and an opportunity for achieving lasting peace, as his departure from power could necessitate significant political restructuring within Israel.
External Influences: China and Russia
Pack warns of external powers like China and Russia potentially undermining peace efforts. He asserts, "Putin might want to spoil something which is working in Gaza just to spoil it so that the west can't be on the same page" (48:44). The influence of these nations complicates diplomatic endeavors, as their vested interests in maintaining regional disorder hinder the progress toward a cohesive and stable Middle East.
Path Forward: Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation
Concluding the discussion, Pack emphasizes the importance of diplomatic finesse and regional cooperation in achieving enduring peace. He advocates for aligning the interests of various stakeholders—Iranians, Israelis, Gulf allies, and European nations—to create a unified front against nuclear proliferation and regional chaos. "We need to coordinate together" (56:12), Pack asserts, highlighting the necessity of a collaborative approach to reconcile conflicting interests and foster a sustainable peace framework.
Conclusion and Insights
Episode 1177 offers a comprehensive analysis of the intricate dynamics between Iran and Israel, underscoring the delicate balance of power, the role of international actors, and the potential pathways to peace. Notable insights include the effectiveness of strategic deterrence, the pivotal role of European mediation, and the challenges posed by external influences. Jason Pack's expertise provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the conflict and the multifaceted strategies required to navigate and resolve such deeply rooted geopolitical tensions.
Notable Quotes:
"We weren't trying to hit the enriched uranium. We were trying to show we have the will to attack." – Jason Pack (08:15)
"Deterrence is a state of mind more than it is a physical thing." – Jason Pack (12:04)
"Administration that I call for... a Qatari led quartet of Arab states to administer Gaza." – Jason Pack (46:26)
"Politics is all about interests until it's all about Shakespeare." – Jason Pack (54:50)
For More Information:
Visit Jordan Harbinger's Website for detailed notes, additional resources, and to support the show.