All Hell Breaks Loose as Trump’s War in Iran Backfires!!!

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast
Episode: “All Hell Breaks Loose as Trump’s War in Iran Backfires!!!”
Date: March 1, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas (MeidasTouch Network)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the escalating crisis triggered by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's preemptive strikes on Iran. The hosts break down the Iranian response, regional instability, American public opinion, and MAGA politicians’ wavering stances on regime change wars. Presenting a mixture of direct news coverage, pointed political commentary, and signature brotherly banter, the Meiselas brothers highlight how Trump’s strategy has not only failed but led to wider chaos, backlash at home and abroad, and exposes contradictions in MAGA world rhetoric.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Iranian Retaliation and Escalation (01:35–09:30)

• Death of Iran’s Supreme Leader:
  Iran officially confirms the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. His passing triggers state-supported vows of massive vengeance toward the US and Israel.

  • Iranian IRGC statement:

    "We will make sure we engage in the most massive and powerful offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic..." (02:10)

  • Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagheer Kalabeff calls US and Israeli leaders “filthy criminals” and declares:

    “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price. We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.” (02:40)

• Street Protests and Rallies:
  The hosts report on two types of crowds in Iran:

  • Protests of citizens “thankful” for the Ayatollah’s death.
  • Larger, state-organized rallies in mourning, with crowds chanting “Death to America” and demanding vengeance. (03:21–04:25)

    • “It looks like there are hundreds of thousands of people who are chanting ‘Death to America’ … demanding vengeance. That's what's happening in Iran.” (03:45)

• Social Media Provocations:
  Trump posts encouragement for the IRGC to join his side, showing misunderstanding of Iranian politics. His further post:

  “They better not do that, however, because if they do, we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before.” — Donald Trump (02:52)

2. Widespread Regional Attacks and Unrest (04:26–09:00)

• Missile and Drone Strikes:
  The hosts catalogue Iranian strikes across the region:

  • Dubai International Airport (missile hit, smoke rising) (05:00)
  • US Air Base at Erbil International Airport, Iraq burning after Iranian attack (05:30)
  • Doha, Qatar: Direct missile hit, large smoke plumes (05:50)
  • Bahrain: Hotel complexes and residential areas hit, including locations frequented by US soldiers (06:10)
  • Baghdad, Iraq: Pro-Iran regime protesters attempt to breach US Embassy Green Zone (06:30)
  • Karachi, Pakistan: Protesters break into the US Consulate (07:00)
  • Further confirmed images of tertiary strikes in Dubai’s luxury district and major hotels (07:30)

  • “Iran has been striking … in Israel … some massive strikes take place in Tel Aviv as well.” (05:20)

• Succession in Iran:
  Early reports suggest the late Ayatollah’s son Mojtaba will succeed him — a hardliner with a history of brutal crackdowns.

  • “Mojtaba is just as extreme, if not more extreme than his father … known for propping up people like Ahmadinejad … as many as 30,000 protesters may have been massacred.” (08:30)

• Failure of Regime Change Hopes:
  The hosts emphasize that US/Israeli hopes for regime change are “backfiring,” as hardliners consolidate power, not collapse.

3. Domestic Response: Public Opinion and Political Spin (09:31–13:16)

• Public Disapproval:

  • 50% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Iran situation (YouGov poll, Feb 28), only 35% approve. (09:50)

• MAGA Politicians’ Messaging:

  • Lindsey Graham’s cheerleading for military casualties is highlighted as out-of-touch and callous:

    • “...they will have died a noble death because they will have risked their lives and sacrificed their lives to make us safer here at home.” — Lindsey Graham (13:11)

• Hosts’ Critique of MAGA War Justifications:

  • The disconnect between MAGA’s “no regime change” campaign and the reality of new regime-change wars is the focus of intense critique.

    • “If you’re gonna do regime change wars, you better explain to the American people what the hell is going on and why we should be engaged in regime change wars … What the hell is going on?” (14:40)

• Parallels to “Wag the Dog”:

  • Hosts claim Trump’s Iran war is a “wag the dog” distraction from scandals, specifically referencing Jeffrey Epstein connections:

    • “We should be calling this war on Iran Operation Epstein Fury … The Trump regime covering up Donald Trump’s dark past, his connections to Epstein … then they have this wag the dog moment and go to war.” (14:50)

4. Trump and Allies’ Evasive Statements (16:59–19:57)

• Trump’s Justification for War Casualties:
  In a video, Trump frames soldier deaths as inevitable but “noble”:

  • “...the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now, we're doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission.” — Donald Trump (16:59)

• MAGA Defense: “It’s Okay When Trump Does It”

  • On CNN, Senator Rick Scott bends logic to defend Trump’s regime-change war:

    • “What he did by destroying their nuclear weapons last year, what he’s doing with this was destroying their ability to produce war missiles. He’s making the world a better place … Trump, he wants peace.” — Rick Scott (18:25)

  • Scott Jennings dismisses internal GOP and MAGA critics, like Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, insisting dissenters are not “real MAGA”:

    • “I don't consider them to be actual Republicans, and I don't consider them to be part of the America First or MAGA movement … They’ve just become political enemies of the President …” — Scott Jennings (19:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Regional Instability:

"Iran has been striking and of course Iran has been striking in Israel … We've seen some massive strikes take place in Tel Aviv as well."
— Host (05:20)

On Ayatollah’s Succession:

"Mojtaba is just as extreme, if not more extreme than his father … known for the brutal protest crackdowns that just took place where as many as 30,000 protesters may have been massacred."
— Host (08:30)

On Public Opinion:

"50% of Americans disapprove. Only 35% of Americans approve of the way that Donald Trump is handling everything that's going on in Iran."
— Host (09:50)

On MAGA Hypocrisy:

"The whole thing that you ran on was no regime change, no regime change. And now all you're talking about is regime change."
— Host (17:26)

On Trump’s Evasion:

"The fact that Donald Trump was at a fundraiser all of yesterday ... and not speak to the American people. And cancel all your spot, your public speaking engagements ... What the hell's going on? While the Middle East is on fire…"
— Host (15:30)

On Spin and Deflection:

“When Trump does it, it’s always good. Dear leader.”
— Host (17:55)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:35 — Opening statement on Iran’s escalating retaliation; Iranian official threats.
• 03:21 — Reports from massive pro-government rallies and “Death to America” chants.
• 04:26–07:30 — Detailed breakdown of Iranian missile/drone attacks across the region; videos and imagery discussed.
• 08:15–09:00 — Succession to Mujtaba Khamenei as new Ayatollah and his hardliner reputation.
• 09:31–13:16 — Public opinion polling; Lindsey Graham’s “noble death” justification.
• 14:40–16:59 — Hosts’ critique on regime-change consistency and “wag the dog” accusations.
• 16:59 — Trump’s video statement on casualties being “noble”.
• 18:02–19:31 — Rick Scott and Scott Jennings’ defenses, MAGA in-fighting.
• 19:57 — Host’s call for calm, deliberation, and further reporting.

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Tone and Final Thoughts

The episode combines urgent factual reporting with biting, sometimes sardonic political commentary. The brothers’ perspective is unapologetically critical of Trump and MAGA politicians, often highlighting inconsistencies between their campaign promises and governing actions. Humor and outrage intertwine as they express concern for American troops, the suffering of Iranian people, and the chaotic direction of US foreign policy.

"That’s what we’ll do here on the Meidas Touch Network. … We got to report on this in a very calm and just get the facts out there … and follow and follow the facts together." (19:57)

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For more updates, follow The MeidasTouch Podcast on their social channels and subscribe for daily briefings.

Transcript

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[Podcast Host / Political Commentator]

all hell is breaking loose as Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's war against Iran is now backfiring. Iran is now retaliating against the United States and Israel's preemptive strikes, and it's bigger than expected now. Iran has officially acknowledged the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, and they have stated that they will be exacting a vengeance on anybody who was responsible for the preemptive attack bigger than they ever have before. Specifically, a statement that comes from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is as follows. We will make sure we engage in the most massive and powerful offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic, which will begin shortly against Israel and US Bases in the Middle East. In addition, Iran's Parliament speaker, Mohammed Bagheer Kalabeff on Sunday called the leaders of the United States and Israel, quote, filthy criminals who will face devastating blows for their ongoing attacks on the Islamic Republic. Quote, you have crossed our red line and must pay the price. We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg. Now that follows a social media post that Donald Trump made where he said, now that we've engaged in these preemptive strikes against Iran. Hopefully the Iran Revolution Guard will join with others and they will take control of Iran and they will support Donald Trump and Netanyahu. And the response to that seems to be no, that's not happening. And this is what Donald Trump's top generals and admirals and CIA and top intelligence specialists were warning Donald Trump about. Donald Trump posted late last night, Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. Then Donald Trump in all caps writes they better not do that, however, because if they do, we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Donald J. Trump, I want to show you what is going on right now in Iran as there have been massive protests all day. Now let's be clear. There have been some protests out there and some people taking to the street who of course have been thankful and grateful that the Ayatollah has been killed. Authoritarian, repressive regime. So we've seen some of that. But a lot of the images that we're seeing now are these massive, massive rallies that are part of this 40 days of mourning where in Iran there, you know, like in these city centers and squares, it looks like there are hundreds of thousands of people who are chanting death to America, Death to America and they are demanding vengeance. That's what's happening in Iran. I'm just giving you the facts folks about what's actually happening, trying to cut through the propaganda and just give you the facts. So in Isfahan right now, here are just look how many people are in this city square demanding vengeance. Here. Play this clip right here. I will show you some other angles as well. Here you'll see pro government rallies where people are chanting Death to America outside. Let's play this one. Here is another view. Let's play this clip right here. Here is another pro government rally at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Iran protesting the US Israeli strikes. The Associated Press reported and filmed matching crowds chanting Death to America at other state backed events in Tehran as well. Let's play this clip of what was going on there so you can see it for yourself. Now I want to go through what's going on throughout the Middle east as Iran stated it would be retaliating against US Bases and US Presence in other neighboring countries. Whether that's the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, whether it's Qatar in Doha, whether it is Bahrain, whether it is Saudi Arabia, whether it is Iraq, wherever There is a US President in Kuwait, in Kuwait City in Jordan. Iran has been striking and of course Iran has been striking in Israel. I mean, we've seen some massive strikes take place in Tel Aviv as well. I want you to watch here. An Iranian missile hit Dubai International Airport in the morning. You can see the smoke seen rising near the north end of the airfield right there. We'll show you some photos of it. Next. I'll show you the US Air base at Erbil International Airport in Iraq burning in the morning after an Iranian drone and missile attack. You can see the clouds of thick black smoke rise from an impact site at Erbal International Airport port in northern Iraq. Hat tip to the open source intelligence technical and defenders, they do a good job aggregating this stuff. Take a look right here. There appears to be a direct hit this morning in Doha, Qatar. You can see these smoke clouds billowing there. Iranian strikes on hotel complexes in Manama, Bahrain. Bahrain has been getting hit over and over and over again. We've seen residential complexes that are known to be frequented and lived in by American soldiers being hit there. Large plumes of smoke are seen in Bahrain right there. And then let's zoom in on what's going on in Baghdad this morning as pro Iran regime protesters attempted to breach the Green Zone there, trying to get into the US Embassy in Baghdad. We'll show you what that looked like here. Let's just show it. Show a little bit of that in Baghdad so, so they can see. Let's play that CL. And next we'll bring you to Pakistan where protesters broke through the security barricades and entered the US Consulate in Karachi, largest city there. The video footage you will see here shows with one demonstrator holding, you know, a brigade flag. I mean, just look at that. The protest appear to be part of this anti US demonstration wave in the region. But this is at the US Consulate in Karachi here. Take a look right there. Going back to Dubai for a moment. You'll see here the palms were struck. The Burj Al Arab Hotel was struck as well. You can see those images right there. Also, some of the early reports coming in out of Iran suggest that Ayatollah Khamenei's son Madtaba is going to be named as the next supreme leader. There was this succession plan that was already being discussed. So Moj Taba will be the is believed. We'll see what happens to be the next Ayatollah. It's being described that this will symbolize his father as a martyr who died waging a holy war against the west in the name of Imam Ali IBN Abi Talib. And Mujtaba is just as extreme, if not more extreme than his father. And he was known for propping up people like Ahmadinejad as the president. And he's also known for the crack, the brutal protest crackdowns that just took place where as many as 30,000 protesters may have been massacred. So to the extent anybody thought that this was going to be some Kumbaya moment and that the Islamic Republic was just going to collapse and they were just going to take it and roll over and surrender, opposite seems to be taking place as we are looking at what's going on in the region. The latest YouGov poll. Do you approve of the way Donald Trump is handling Iran? This was taken on February 28th. 50% of Americans disapprove. Only 35% of Americans approve of the way that Donald Trump is handling everything that's going on in Iran. But according to Lindsey Graham. Right, Warmonger, chicken hawk Lindsey Graham, he says, look, if American soldiers are going to die in Iran, it's going to be great, he says, because you will die a noble death for all the soldiers, for all the parents of soldiers. If you're worried that your kids or if you're worried you're going to die in the Middle east right now, according to maga, it's great because it's going to be noble. Your children will be martyrs is basically what Lindsey Graham is saying for the MAGA regime change plan here.

[Lindsey Graham]

Play this clip command. And if we lose anybody in this operation, they will have died a noble death because they will have risked their lives and sacrificed their lives to make us safer here at home.

[Podcast Host / Political Commentator]

The now you will all recall that, I guess Donald Trump and his regime, the Trump regime. I think we're first trying to tell us that what this was all about was trying to stop Iran enriching uranium. That was one of the things. Although they said back in June that all of the uranium was obliterated and it was mission accomplished. Remember Operation Midnight Hammer, Right. What are they calling the one right now? Operation Epic Fury. I think the epic fury is how the American people feel about this despicable Trump regime, how Trump's MAGA supporters feel about the betrayal, how all Americans feel when Donald Trump promised no wars, no regime change. Epic Fury is what the American people are feeling right now. But we should be recalled. We should be calling this war on Iran Operation Epstein Fury or the Jeffrey Epstein War. That's what we're Calling it here at the Midas Touch Network, Operation Epstein Fury or the Jeffrey Epstein War. Because that's what this is all about as well. The Trump regime covering up Donald Trump's dark past, his connections to Epstein, all of the things that were uncovering right now in those Epstein files. Ghastly, ghoulish grotesque with Trump and 1600 Pennsylvania are White House at the center of that child sex trafficking cabal coverup that's taking place. And then they have this wag the dog moment and go to war. And they say what this is really about is regime change. That's what we want. This was all about regime change. It was never about uranium enrichment mentioned. This was about regime change. And let me be very clear. I just want to be very, very clear. I think that the Ayatollah is a despicable, disgusting, repressive regime. I pray for the people of Iran and I hope that they can live one day in freedom and peace at the same time. I don't want regime change wars here in the United States. I don't want to. And if you're going to do regime change wars, you better explain to the American people what the hell is going on and why we should be engaged in regime change wars. We have so many damn problems taking place here in the United States as people are psychologically tortured, living paycheck to paycheck if they're lucky enough to get a paycheck, as healthcare is being ripped away, as people can't afford rent and people can't afford homes and people are suffering and can't afford anything here in the United States. And we're told, oh, the government doesn't have enough money, but the money and the taxes that are being collected are going towards regime change and cover up of child sex trafficking rings. Are you absolutely, absolutely kidding me right now? What the hell is going on? And so Donald Trump's social media posts, oh, we're gonna strike the hell out of you if you do all of this. What is that? The fact that Donald Trump was at a fundraiser all of yesterday, a MAGA fundraiser, to raise money for himself, to raise money for maga, whatever the hell you're raising money for and not speak to the American people. And cancel all your spot, your public speaking engagements and not speak to the American people. What the hell's going on? While the Middle east is on fire, while this regime change appears to be backfiring based on all the data that I'm showing us right here, what in the world is going on? And the all Donald Trump did was what? Two days ago he posted that weird video of himself where he basically said the same thing that Lindsey Graham said where Donald Trump's like, yeah, lives may be lost, soldiers may die, but you know, that's just something that happens at war. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump (clip)]

Seeks to kill the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now, we're doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear armed Iran.

[Podcast Host / Political Commentator]

You know, and then, so you have all these MAGA people now who are trying to justify all of this. So you have, for example, MAGA Republican Senator Rick Scott was on CNN and Jake Tapper's like, well, what do you say to all the MAGA people out there? And the whole thing that you ran on was no regime change, no regime change. And now all you're talking about is regime change. So what do you say to all of, like, the MAGA people and America people in general? And then like these MAGA Republican senators and congressmen were like, it's okay when Trump does it. When Trump does it, it's always good. Dear leader, here, play this clip.

[Jake Tapper]

What would you say to a member of the MAGA coalition who comes to you and says, senator, this is not what I voted for. President Trump said he was going to end regime change wars, he was going to end military entanglements abroad. And this is the exact opposite of what he said he was going to do. What would you tell that person?

[Rick Scott]

Well, what this president wants to do is he doesn't want forever wars. He's against forever wars. If you look at what he's trying to do, he's trying to make the world a safer place. What he did by destroying their nuclear weapons last year, what he's doing with this was destroying their ability to produce war missiles. He's making the world a better place. What he did in Venezuela, he's making the world a better place. So if you look at this Trump, he wants peace, but we've had presidents appease, appease Kadul and power ran for decades and that's got to stop.

[Podcast Host / Political Commentator]

Or for example, they had that MAGA Republican vile influencer Scott Jennings. And Scott Jennings was asked, well, what do you think about the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie are criticizing what Donald Trump's doing? And then Jennings is like, well, they're not really maga. They're not really Republican. Here, play this clip. This is not what we thought MAGA was supposed to be. Congressman Thomas Massie also writing, this is not America First. Do they have a point?

[Lindsey Graham]

No, they don't have a point. And I don't consider them to be actual Republicans, and I don't consider them to be part of the America first or MAGA movement, to be honest with you. They are basically allied against Donald Trump on everything, whether it's foreign affairs or domestic policy. They've just become political enemies of the President of the United States no matter what he does. And that's unfortunate. But she quit and he's about to lose in a primary in Kentucky, so that'll be the end of that.

[Podcast Host / Political Commentator]

Well, that's where we're at right now, folks. Let me know what you think. I could show you so much more, but I think, you know, we got to take this all in. We've got to be very deliberative. We got to report on this in a very calm and just get the facts out there and follow and follow the facts together. That's what we'll do here on the Midas Touch Network. Okay, hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers and thank you all for watching this. Thanks for watching. Be sure to add the Midas Touch podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts for new updates every single day.

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[Podcast Host / Political Commentator]

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[Podcast Host / Political Commentator]

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