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What you just saw right there was a massive Iranian drone attack on the city of Erbil in Iraq, where the United States has a consulate and a military base. You could see the numerous impacts. Now Donald Trump is panicking as Iran continues to successfully use FPV drone swarms, ballistic missiles and Shahid drones to target military bases of the United States in the region. Critical infrastructure of the United States in the region as well as critical infrastructure of its Arab neighbors who have partnered with the United States and Donald Trump in the war against Iran. And folks, we have additional grim news from the perspective of the United States military. In addition, addition to the fact that at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, an Iranian ballistic missile and drone swarm attack resulted in 12 of our soldiers being injured, with two being very severely injured, we're also learning the extent of the damage of our military equipment there and that damage likely exceeds 1 billion. And the damage also includes critical satellite reconnaissance and military functions that have now been disabled. Remember how I reported Yesterday that an E3G Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft along with numerous KC135 strato tankers. Those fueling planes were hit by Iran in this attack that took place at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. We didn't know the extent of the damage. Now we do. We can see the photographs from that base and folks, it is a total loss. The E3G Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft with the US Air Force's 552nd Air Control Wing based out of the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, along with those KC135s were completely destroyed by the Iranian ballistic missile strike. And Iran likely got their information about where and how to strike from the Russians as the United States and Donald Trump continues to attack NATO and lift the sanctions from Russia for it to be able to sell oil. And as the State Department and MAGA Republican Congress members on Capitol Hill this past week invited the top leaders from Russia's Duma, basically their Senate to the Capitol and to talk about economic cooperation together. The cooperation that the Russian see is cooperating with Iran to destroy American military assets and critical assets. Just take a look at the satellite imagery right here. This shows those KC135 strato tankers being destroyed. And then we know the Sentry was destroyed as well. Those E3. That E3 was destroyed. As policy Tensor explains over here, threes are not just early warning systems, not just the eyes of the interceptor systems, and not just our eyes in the sky. They're airborne command post that quarterback the entire battle. So when Iran is able to destroy them, it makes it almost impossible to prosecute the war. But Donald Trump doesn't care about that. The USS Tripoli has just arrived in the CENTCOM region and there is additional Marine Expeditionary Units on their way. The 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg has been sent over into this region as well with the elite paratrooper unit. And the Washington Post and others are reporting that the Pentagon has prepared plans for potentially a week long or months long ground invasion that could take place at any moment right now. I'll talk about that in just a moment as well. And by the way, the European countries are trying to tell Donald Trump, you realize that Russia is working with Iran right now to target all of these American military bases. They're destroying your entire military arsenal in the region. Wake up, Donald. But Donald Trump doesn't want to listen to that. As I've said, Donald Trump is a Putin bootlicker. Let's just go back to Iraq for A moment right here. Here is a different angle where you can see some those Iranian drone strikes which appear to be targeting that U.S. consulate in Erbil which had previously been hit as well by Iran. Let's just play this clip right here. You can see it. Now. There was explosions throughout Iraq all day because on the one hand you have the Iranian ballistic missiles and drone swarms and Iran working with Shiite militias that have been actually authorized by the Iraqi government to go after American military based interests as the United States military is in the region as well in Iraq, striking the Shiite militia groups which are also aligned with the Iraqi military and with the Iraqi government right there. And so the war is kind of fully spread to Iraq at this point. And that is a major site of the war. Also you can take a look at footage of some of the American systems trying to strike the drones over Syria. You can see right here. I'll play the B roll for you. As these Iranian drone swarms are attacking American military interests throughout the region, in Bahrain, in uae, in Kuwait, in Syria, in Iraq. Take a look at what Cairo looks like last night. You can see right here as Egypt has ordered energy saving measures. So shops, restaurants are close by. 9pm on weekdays and 10pm on weekends, a Sunday. Work from home policy will run for one month in April excluding schools, universities and hospitals. Right there. In Bahrain, they've confirmed earlier major damage to their aluminum facility after Iranian strikes. Aluminum. Bahrain, one of the world's largest aluminum producers said its facilities were damaged in an Iranian attack with two workers sustaining minor injuries and a set investments ongoing. So as we see the price of that Brent crude surging right now, $114 per barrel. 120. I wouldn't be surprised if this week it gets close to 1,25 or 1,30 per barrel. We've talked about the liquefied natural gas from Qatar Energy and Qatar Energy being severely damaged. We've talked about fertilizer and helium. We also need to talk about things like, like aluminum as well. And that's why this supply shock that's taking place involves all of these critical resources as well. And again, we've been very much focused on the Persian Gulf right now with the Strait of Hormuz. But we haven't been talking enough. We have here on this program, but we all should be talking much more about the straight in the Red Sea now that the Houthis have gotten involved in the war. Joining Iran for now, the Houthi said they're targeting Israel. They've been continuing to launch ballistic missiles as Israel this as the IDF chief of staff says that they are running low on interceptors and military supplies. And the IDF says that they're really on the cusp of a full fledged breakdown right now. And the Houthis say for now they're just targeting Israel. But if the United States works with Israel to target the Houthis or target any interest in the Red Sea or if there's further escalation, the Houthis say that they will once again try to shut down commerce in the Red Sea as they were able to severely disrupt it to the extent of 90% of commerce in the Red Sea was basically halted. You may recall back in 2023, 2024, as a result of the Houthi activities there. Houthis control huge portions of Yemen and we'll see if they do that because right now a lot of the big oil ships have been kind of diverted to the Red Sea. So if the Houthis shut that down, I think you're very quickly going to have $200 per barrel oil. Now the head of Iran's parliament, M.B. golubov, he's out there mocking Donald Trump every single day in response to a media posts by Quiet M. Asif, who says the goal of the war seems to have shifted to opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war, to which Iran's parliament leader, MB Golubov mocks Donald Trump in the United States and says they're playing 60 chess again with clapping emojis. They are just mocking Donald Trump, Trump and his regime. Donald Trump's response the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, US Officials tell the Washington Post, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle east for what could become a dangerous new phase of the Iran war, exposing US Personnel to an array of threats, including Iranian drones and missiles, ground fire and improvised explosives of should the decision be made by Donald Trump to escalate, it is deeply frightening that at this stage Donald Trump seems inclined to escalate and that he's the one who can basically give the thumbs up to do this when he's a completely, utterly deranged maniac who continues to attack NATO and attack Ukraine. Praise Putin invites the Russian Duma, sanction members of the Russian Duma to the United States while Russia passes into information over to Iran to strike the American military assets in the region. So yes, Donald, Russia, Russia, Russia, because right now, if I don't, I haven't heard the word collusion, I don't know what is at this point, also, any potential ground operation they're saying might fall short of a full scale invasion. It could instead involve raids by a mixture of specialized operations forces and conventional infantry troops, said officials. Options include the possible seizure of Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub in the Persian Gulf, and raids into other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to find and destroy weapons that can target commercial and military shipment. With one official setting the potential timeline at a couple of months. So a couple of more months, which we know in Donald Trump speak, a few more days, a few more months, a few more years, that this thing could be never ending. But the Marines are also being prepared for a full scale mobilization. And the Marines have sent a letter to all of the Marines right now saying you should start getting prepared for potentially a full scale mobilization. As I mentioned order. The USS Tripoli and other Marine Expeditionary Units are arriving in this region potentially to support that ground invasion that could last for multiple months. Dan Lamoth of the Washington Post writes. In response to questions for that story about the ground invasion for multiple months, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt issued the following statement to the Washington Post. It's the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made the decision. Well, he seems to be inclined to make this decision now. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also issued the following warning about American universities in the region after the United States and Israel targeted the Iran University of Science and Technology. Um, you can see right here the Syria the significant damages of the Iran University and its various schools. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps issued this statement. The Zionist American invading forces by bombing the University of Science and Technology in Tehran have once again targeted Iranian universities. You will also recall that the day before that the US And Israel targeted Iranian steel, one of its big industries there. And then Iran said, well, that's why we're going to be targeting Bahrainian aluminum and the Kuwaiti airport and things, things like that. The statement from the IRGC goes on to say the rulers of the White House should know that from now on, all universities of the occupying regime and American universities in West Asia are considered legitimate targets until two universities are struck in retaliation for the two Iranian universities that were destroyed. We advise all staff, professors, students and residents near American universities in the region to stay at least 1km away to ensure their safety. So you have that statement coming out, according to Iran as well. They say that 3461 people have been killed in the Iran war Since its start. And they say that breaks down to 1551 civilians and 236 children. I mean you are seeing some of these grim videos out of Iran. You can see this little girl and just horrific scenes like that coming out. You see this little two year old girl after her neighborhood was bombed with the US and Israel claiming that they were targeting the military there. But as we know, the US previously attacked that Minab school killing 165 little girls. And they've also been targeting residential areas as well, saying that they're targeting the residential areas in the hospitals because that's where the, the military is. This one account over here says I'm beginning to think that the head of the Iranian military wasn't a part time news host 15 months ago. Obviously referring to Hegseth and this whole dystopian reality TV regime that is this Trump regime. But for all of this, Donald Trump's social media post is no, Trump is not losing his nerve on Iran. And Donald Trump post this opinion piece by Mark Thiessen, this Trump sycophant who's a Fox, a Fox contributor and he also writes opinion columns for the Washington Post. Apparently no, Trump is not losing his nerve on Iran. Three weeks that can change the Middle east forever. Well, it is. It has changed the world forever right now in a way that has severely weakened the United States. It has severely harmed the US for generations. Probably threw us into a global recession, if not a global depression. And I'll just make this final observation. I mean, were we not watching what was happening in Ukraine? Was Donald Trump such a Putin bootlicker that he cannot actually see how warfare had changed? That warfare in 2025 and 2026 was drone based, interceptor drone based. How Ukraine was able to use the unmanned vessels as well as the FPV drones to demolish lots of Russian infrastructure as well as to demolish the Russian planes and the Russian tanks and the Russian ships, right, that were just basically sitting ducks. And the US Just left all rushed into this war with Netanyahu. We left all of our bases at Karma exposed where there's very little ways to defend it. Now you see all these FPV drones striking the American bases, just destroying all of our equipment in the region. You see Iran transferring that technology to its militia groups. The militia groups in Iraq, the Hezbollah others are getting access to these FPV drones that are now, that are now being utilized. And let's just face it, it the war right now is a war not just in the Middle east, but everything is interconnected now, the war that's taking place there is definitely interconnected with the war that's taking place with Putin's invasion of Ukraine. And Zelensky is trying to tell Trump, wake up. Don't you see? We have the drone interceptor technology. We've been dealing with it. Russia wants to destroy the US as part of its also plan to take over Ukraine. And you're out there helping Russia, Trump. And you're out there helping Xi Jinping. What the hell are you doing? Anyway? That's the latest update of what's going on. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Now hit subscribe, help us get to 7 million subscribers and thank you so much for watching. Love this video, support independent media and unlock exclusive content, ad free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.
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In this intense breaking news episode, the Meiselas brothers dive into the escalating conflict between the US and Iran following a devastating Iranian attack on US military assets in the Middle East. Ben, Brett, and Jordy analyze the implications of these attacks, the failures and missteps of the Trump administration, and the wider geopolitical ramifications, punctuating their coverage with their trademark wit and urgency. The central themes include military vulnerability, the impact of drone warfare, shifting alliances, economic shocks, and the mounting political fallout.
"The E3G Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft ... along with those KC135s were completely destroyed by the Iranian ballistic missile strike." – Ben ([03:50])
"Donald Trump is a Putin bootlicker." – Ben ([04:55])
"If the Houthis shut that down, I think you're very quickly going to have $200 per barrel oil." – Ben ([09:40])
"They're playing 60 chess again." – Ben referencing Golubov's sarcastic comment ([11:00])
"It's the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made the decision." – White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt ([14:50])
"All universities of the occupying regime and American universities in West Asia are considered legitimate targets until two universities are struck in retaliation..." – IRGC statement ([16:30])
"Were we not watching what was happening in Ukraine? Was Donald Trump such a Putin bootlicker that he cannot actually see how warfare had changed?" – Ben ([18:23])
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Moment | |-----------|---------|--------------| | 03:50 | Ben | "The E3G Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft ... along with those KC135s were completely destroyed by the Iranian ballistic missile strike." | | 04:55 | Ben | "Donald Trump is a Putin bootlicker." | | 09:40 | Ben | "If the Houthis shut that down, I think you're very quickly going to have $200 per barrel oil." | | 11:00 | Ben | "They're playing 60 chess again." (referring to Iranian mockery) | | 14:50 | Caroline Levitt | "It's the job of the Pentagon to make preparations ... It does not mean the President has made the decision." | | 16:30 | IRGC | "All universities of the occupying regime and American universities in West Asia are considered legitimate targets until two universities are struck in retaliation..." | | 18:23 | Ben | "Were we not watching what was happening in Ukraine? Was Donald Trump such a Putin bootlicker that he cannot actually see how warfare had changed?" |
This episode delivers a scathing, urgent assessment of the spiraling crisis in the Middle East, holding the Trump administration to account for both immediate military blunders and the broader, systemic risks posed to US security and the global order. With their signature blend of sharp critique and dark humor, the Meiselas brothers demand attention to both the strategic and human stakes of the conflict, warning that current decision-makers are not up to the historic challenge they face.