Trump Signals Shift on Iran After Iranian Strikes on U.S. Bases

Summary

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The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Signals Shift on Iran After Iranian Strikes on U.S. Bases
Release Date: June 11, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Meiselas brothers dissect the rapidly escalating conflict between the United States and Iran under Donald Trump’s administration, following a series of Iranian strikes on American bases in the Middle East. The discussion unpacks Trump’s erratic military responses, secret oil shipments, Congressional testimony, MAGA political rhetoric, and conspiracy-fueled cover-up theories gripping Washington as the administration signals an imminent policy shift on Iran.

Tone: The brothers’ signature blend of sharp political critique, wry humor, and impassioned pro-democracy commentary frames the episode, creating an engaging and irreverent look at breaking global events and the American political landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Escalation with Iran: Trump’s Military Stunts & Iranian Retaliation

• [02:27 – 06:06]
  • Trump “spiraling out of control” as he initiates limited strikes on Iranian positions near the Strait of Hormuz (allegedly using an Apache helicopter incident as pretext).
  • CENTCOM announces the operation is “done” and “defensive,” but Iran retaliates forcefully, launching ballistic missiles at U.S. bases and assets in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
  • Iranian statement claims successful strikes, with images and videos circulating online.
  • Quote [03:44], Political Commentator:
    “What ended up happening was Trump and his regime did like an attack for 20 minutes, kind of surgically hitting certain targets... and then CENTCOM immediately announced, we're done. This was defensive. We're not doing anything anymore. And Iran was like, okay, well, we're not done.”

2. Secret Oil Shipments & Congressional Grilling

• [06:55 – 10:13]
  • Trump boasts of covert U.S. operations moving “100 million barrels of oil” through the Strait—something his own Energy Secretary (Chris Wright) appears unaware of.
  • Amid Congressional testimony, Wright repeatedly dodges or fumbles questions from Rep. Amelia Sykes regarding the alleged oil operation.
  • Quote [08:06], Rep. Sykes:
    “Were you aware that the United States has been taking millions of gallons of oil from the Strait of Hormuth?”
  • Quote [09:12], Chris Wright:
    “I'm unaware.”
  • CENTCOM and administration officials exposed as obfuscating or lying about both the oil flow and military situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Quote [10:13], Chris Wright:
    “I said we will restore flows oil to the Strait of Hormuz using the US Navy if necessary.”

3. Dealmaking, Surrender, and Trump’s Real Motives

• [11:40 – 13:17]
  • Reports surface (from Tehran insider Muhammad Ali Shabani) that a U.S.-Iran deal is essentially drafted and ready, with Qatar brokering behind the scenes.
  • Trump's angry public posturing may be an act to “save face” as he heads toward "surrender," according to Iranian sources.
  • The panel speculates the administration is out of its depth, treating war like a “video game.”
  • Quote [12:22], Political Commentator (on Iranian view of Trump):
    “They're looking at the United States right now under the Trump regime as just weak and pathetic and not even understanding, like, war.”

4. Republican Spin: Inflation, Gas Prices, and Blame-Shifting

• [13:17 – 14:17]
  • MAGA-aligned Republicans shift blame for inflation and rising gas prices to Obama and Biden, downplaying current crises as the cost of “solving a half-century threat.”
  • Quote [13:33], Conservative Commentator:
    “We don't in any way dismiss the inflation numbers, but let's not forget the gas prices we see today, the inflation we see today. Those were the gas prices and inflation under Obama and Biden. That was the norm. This is a temporary bump...”

5. Calls for Escalation & Conspiratorial Distractions

• [14:17 – 17:31]
  • Senator Lindsey Graham calls to “unleash Israel” and escalate militarily unless Iran signs a deal.
  • Senator Kennedy and others create spectacle with outlandish requests (e.g., demanding to view political “sexting” and fixating on conspiracy-laden scandals).
  • Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Trump’s administration is covering up Epstein-related crimes, linking the war and domestic turmoil to elite “pedo protection.”
  • Quote [15:56], Political Commentator:
    “Trump's complicit in pedo protection.”
  • Ghislaine Maxwell, Tucker Carlson, and the ongoing lack of accountability for the Epstein files are highlighted as further evidence of systemic cover-up.
  • Quote [17:13], Epstein Files Commentator:
    “No one has been held accountable for the Epstein files... Here in America, we haven't seen any justice for the victims. And that's because look who's in charge. They're not being prosecuted, they're not being held accountable. And I think that comes from the top.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s “Defensive” Strikes:
  “Trump and his regime did like an attack for 20 minutes, kind of surgically hitting certain targets... Iran was like, okay, well, we're not done.”
  — Political Commentator, [03:49]

• On Oil Operations Secrecy:
  “Were you aware that the United States has been taking millions of gallons of oil from the Strait of Hormuth?”
  — Rep. Amelia Sykes, [07:53]

• On Trump’s Credibility:
  “Let’s just agree that the president has precisely zero credibility on anything that he says about the Iran war.”
  — Democratic Congressmember Himes, [11:12]

• On the Spectacle of Political Cover-up:
  “Trump's complicit in pedo protection.”
  — Political Commentator, [15:56]
  “No one has been held accountable for the Epstein files... I think that comes from the top.”
  — Epstein Files Commentator, [17:13]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:27] – Start of Iran conflict coverage and Trump’s response
• [06:06] – Trump’s push for massive military budget in Congress
• [07:40] – Rep. Sykes questions Energy Secretary on oil shipments
• [09:40] – Chris Wright exposed for Twitter misinformation
• [10:53] – Congressmember Himes questions validity of Trump’s Iran narrative
• [11:45] – Tehran insider claims US-Iran deal is ready
• [13:33] – Republican defense on gas prices
• [14:17] – Lindsey Graham calls for Israeli involvement and more forceful action
• [15:32] – MTG and Epstein files conspiracy rhetoric
• [17:13] – Commentary on systemic impunity on Epstein-related crimes

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Closing Remarks

The episode ends with reminders to subscribe and support “pro-democracy gear,” but the core content reveals deep concern among the hosts about the volatile mix of foreign policy blunders, obfuscation from Trump-era officials, and the grip of conspiracy theory and spectacle on American governance as the U.S. moves ever closer to a reluctant detente with Iran.

For listeners and readers:
This episode shines a critical light on the political theater of international crisis management under Trump, the extent of administrative disarray, and the broader consequences for U.S. democracy and global stability.

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Transcript

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[Political Commentator]

Trump is spiraling out of control as he prepares a full surrender to Iran. He's trying to save face right now. That helps explain some of the latest strikes that he's engaged in right by the Strait of Hormuz, using a purported Apache helicopter being hit by a Shahid drone as a pretext. But by behind the scenes, Qatar is working as a mediator between the United States and Iran, delivering the framework that Iran has been asking for. I think we're moving closer to seeing basically the US Surrender, but Trump's trying to act like it isn't a surrender. And Donald Trump is striking Iran and Iran is striking back harder and showing that it has the ability to make sure that if Donald Trump thinks he's pulling any stunts before the surrender, Iran is going to punish him. I mean, I'll show you the latest Iranian ballistic missile strikes in response and in retaliation to Donald Trump hitting the Strait of Hormuz. You know, the sequence of events, right? So yesterday, during a deranged press conference in the Oval Office, Donald Trump's like, you may want to watch your tv. I'm going to hit him really hard. And then Donald Trump went to Barack Ravid at Axios, and then he went to state regime media, which calls itself Fox, and he said, we're going to do a really big attack on Iran. It's going to be massive. And what ended up happening was Trump and his regime did like an attack for 20 minutes, kind of surgically hitting certain targets by the Strait of Hormuz. And then CENTCOM immediately announced, we're done. This was defensive. We're not doing anything anymore. And Iran was like, okay, well, we're not done. And then Iran struck very strongly in Bahrain, in Kuwait, in other areas nearby as well where there are American interest. I'll show you in a moment what Iran did. And here, here's, here's the Iranian statement that they made. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced that its missile forces carried out an attack earlier at the Muafak Salty Air Base in Jordan using 12 medium range ballistic missiles as retaliation for last night's wave of US Strikes against Iran, with the attack claiming to have targeted F35s, F16s, F15s, as well as a control center at the Salty Air base. And Iran claims they successfully hit these targets. CENTCOM lies about everything. So we don't know what's true or what's not true here. But we do have images of some of these strikes in Jordan, in Bahrain, in Kuwait. You can see right here footage of an engagement between American Patriots SAM battery and incoming Iranian medium range ballistic missiles over Jordan in the morning. You can see here Iranian ballistic missiles that we're seen launching towards coalition targets in the morning. Right there. You can see here some smoke that looks like it's by the 5th Naval Fleet area, by where the US has an air base in Bahrain. You can see over here by Muafak Salty Air Base. Looks like it was hit by missiles right there. Two separate locations at the Muafak Salty Air Base in Jordan reportedly being hit by missiles. The um, and multiple strikes in Bahrain, as I noted right by where the US has its 5th Naval Fleet and Iran says it successfully struck there. I mean, I'll show you what's going on behind the scenes as well. I mean, Donald Trump posts on social media. No other president has ever been more

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

committed to rebuilding our great military and saving our great country. And now is the time to make it happen for generations to come. I am hereby calling on Republicans in

[Political Commentator]

Congress to immediately advance the forthcoming $350

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

reconciliation bill which at the request of our great Department of War, will include the Save America Act. No games, no delays. It's the only path to the full $1.5 trillion military budget.

[Political Commentator]

As you know, the Trump family now has partnership stakes in many military companies where they're funneling a lot of money to. And so while Donald Trump says, I love inflation, I don't care about how you're doing, they are diverting $1.5 trillion of your tax money to the military industrial complex. Donald Trump also posted last month I

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

directed our great US Military to execute a secret mission to support oil tankers and other commercial ships. I'm pleased to announce this effort has resulted in more than 100 million barrels of oil making its way through the strait.

[Political Commentator]

Notably, the Energy Secretary, Chris Wright has no clue what he's talking about. If anybody would know or should know about 100 million barrels, though in the swing of things it's not all that much, but would know about a plan to secretly and covertly bring in hundred

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

million plus barrels of oil, don't you think the energy secretary would know? No, not Chris Wright.

[Political Commentator]

Chris Wright admits that he did not know. Here's what he said under intense cross examination from Congresswoman Amelia Sykes.

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

Play this clip.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes]

Ask you this other question. Are you aware that the United States was taking millions of barrels of Gasoline from Iran in the Strait of Hormuth.

[Energy Secretary Chris Wright]

We are preventing the flow of Iranian oil through the Strait.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes]

That is not the question that I just asked you. Were you aware that the United States has been taking millions of gallons of oil from the Strait of Hormuth?

[Energy Secretary Chris Wright]

Just not sure taking is the right word. We're preventing the flow of it.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes]

Well, thank you, Mr. Chair, if I may, can I play some audio from some comments that President Trump made in the Oval Office?

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[Donald Trump (Audio Clip)]

The numbers were threat, I don't think. I love the inflation. You know why? Because as soon as this war is over, you know I can say it now. Something you didn't know. Do you know we've been taking out. Let's spin, let's. Nobody knows it. You know who doesn't know about it? Iran. Until right now.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes]

Mr. Secretary, it seems like you didn't know about this either. So why would the United States be taking out millions of barrels of oil from Iran?

[Energy Secretary Chris Wright]

Well, it's essential that we prevent oil sales from generating revenue for Iran to spend to develop nuclear weapons in a press.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes]

Mr. Secretary, I understand this might be an uncomfortable line of questioning and you don't want to do it, but you are not answering my question. So I'm going to ask you again and I'm going to hope that you will answer it honestly. Did you know that the United States was taking millions of gallons of oil from Iran?

[Energy Secretary Chris Wright]

I'm unaware.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes]

So do you think that the President

[Political Commentator]

and then Chris Wright Energy Secretary also had to admit under cross examination from Congressmember Subrahmanian that when he tweeted in March that the Strait of Hormuz was basically open and that Navy ships were successfully escorting cargo ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, that that was all one gigantic lie. Watch what he says over here.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes (Questioning)]

You tweeted in March that the US Navy had successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to the global markets. Was that true?

[Energy Secretary Chris Wright]

No, that was an error. It was not tweeted by me, but it was by my team that misunderstood something I said. But I take responsibility for it.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes (Questioning)]

What did you say to the team that that they misunderstood?

[Energy Secretary Chris Wright]

I gave a talk and in Colorado about the state of energy and what was going on the Strait of Hormuz. I said we will restore flows oil to the Strait of Hormuz using the US Navy if necessary.

[Congresswoman Amelia Sykes (Questioning)]

Makes this honest mistake. But.

[Political Commentator]

And then speaking of one gigantic lie, you had CENTCOM lie and post the

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

Strait of Hormuz is open so they Posted yesterday, the ships are leaving the Strait of Hormuz.

[Political Commentator]

They. It's not happening. That's not what's happening. We would know if that was happening. You know, you had Democratic Congressmember Himes who when Democrats, if Democrats, when Democrats take control of the House, will be the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, big important committee. Here's how he answers this question about the 100 million barrels and about the strait being open, which he says it's obviously such a lie. Play this clue.

[Democratic Congressmember Himes]

Guess he's applying millions of their barrels that they would are selling at obviously hugely inflated prices to finance the Iranian regime. What do you know about what he's saying there about that? Iran didn't until right now know we're taking millions of their barrels of oil. This hundred million barrels that Trump says he's actually helped get through the strait.

[Political Analyst]

Yeah, well, look, a lot of that is just flat out untrue. Right? And remember the record here, right? This war was going to be over in a couple of days. For the last three months, the Iranians have been two or three days or maybe a week or two weeks away from striking a deal. So let's just agree that the president has precisely zero credibility on anything that he says about the Iran war. But look, you don't need to be an intelligence expert to understand that in the Strait of Hormuz, you're not moving anything in secret. With a good pair of binoculars on either coast, you can see what's happening. Set aside the satellite imagery that people

[Political Commentator]

have access to now, going back to the surrender part here.

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

Right.

[Political Commentator]

Muhammad Ali Shabani explains what seems to be going on behind the scenes as well. Veteran political insider in Tehran with knowledge of Iran US Negotiations alleges that a draft agreement has actually finally been prepared. Speaking with Awaj media late on June10, the insider said the text is ready. It was finalized tonight, explicitly giving credit to Qatar, which has been separately engaging with both Iran and the US to forge a deal. If they can get the final deal approved by tomorrow, it will be initiated. He added, seemingly referring to the Supreme National Council, which gathers Iran's civil and military leadership and the White House. Spike in Iran US Violence comes amid mixed signaling. Senior Iranian political sources interpreted Trump's decision to conduct the strikes for a second night as reflecting anger with an apparent deadlock in negotiation. While describing Trump as an angry man, the senior source lamented that there appear to be little cognizance in the White House of how real world armed confrontations are not a video game. The Iranians are looking at the United States right now under the Trump regime as just weak and pathetic and not even understanding, like war. So there is this discussion again. Take it for what it's worth that behind the scenes, Trump is preparing the surrender, but he keeps on like lashing out and lashing out because he's trying to save face and act like, you know, he's being tough.

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

The deal's one day away. The deal's two days away. There's gonna be a deal. Trust me, a deal is coming. A deal's coming.

[Political Commentator]

So keep your eye out on that maga. Republicans, meanwhile, like Senator Sheehy over at Montana, he says, look, folks, we all know gas prices are high, but it's really an Obama and Biden thing, like Obama and Biden did it, let's play it.

[Conservative Commentator]

Of course they are. And that's why it's been incredibly frustrating to have not just Democrats but some Republicans in the media from the day this started, take the side of a murderous terrorist regime. And they've undermined the president and what's good for this country from the very, very beginning, Laura. And it's been incredibly frustrating to watch. We don't in any way dismiss the inflation numbers, but let's not forget the gas prices we see today, the inflation we see today. Those were the gas prices and inflation under Obama and Biden. That was the norm. This is a temporary bump that is the result of us trying to solve a half century threat that will continue to threat threaten Americans for generations to come if we don't solve it. I commend the President for having the courage to try to attack this problem that six presidents have, have quite frankly kicked the can on. For all the reasons we're now seeing, this is a tough problem to solve.

[Political Commentator]

Then you have Lindsey Graham, maga, Republican Senator, saying we need to unleash Israel to help us destroy Iran. Okay, play it now.

[Senator Lindsey Graham]

This is important. If we can break the straits, if we can break it open and actually force it open, they've lost all their leverage in Iran. If we can keep the economic pressure on and best. It's been great on this, we'll break them even further. We should unleash Israel and we should use military force ourselves if they don't sign a deal right now. So here's what I'm trying.

[Political Commentator]

And you have Maggie, Republican Senator Kennedy from Louisiana. And he's out there saying he wants to see. Show me, show me the sexting. I want to see the sex, the text sex of Graham Plot. He wants to see Graham Plotner sexting seems like a kind of a pervy, pervy man. Here, play this clip.

[Conservative Commentator]

This is not normal behavior. And, and I want to know, I

[Political Commentator]

want to see those text messages, the sexting. And then Marjorie Taylor Greene. I'll do a whole video on Marjorie Taylor Greene. But she calls out, I think a fundamental thing, obviously the Trump regime is covering up the child sex trafficking ring that is the Epstein files.

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

And she knows, like she was in the movement and she left the movement because they were covering up the child sex trafficking ring. You don't get a more important witness

[Political Commentator]

than person who is like a leader

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

in the cult who goes, I had

[Political Commentator]

to leave the cult because they're covering up child sex trafficking.

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

I'll go along with all their other

[Political Commentator]

crazy stuff, but I can't do the child sex trafficking cover up stuff.

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

And then she says, you know, they're obviously, you know, they're complicit.

[Political Commentator]

Trump's complicit in pedo protection.

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

But that's one of the main reasons we're in this catastrophic war in the first place, why they're soaring inflation, why you're suffering, why the American people are

[Political Commentator]

feeling so much pain right now while

[Trump Supporter / Narrator]

he's crashing the markets is to cover

[Political Commentator]

up for Pedos man, Cover up a child sex trafficker who is sick. Well, here, play this clip.

[Mint Mobile Terms Speaker]

And when you read this report, it says that the vice President suggested having Tucker Carlson interview Ghislaine Maxwell to have her clear the President's name publicly. Do you think that would have been helpful had that gone forth?

[Epstein Files Commentator]

Well, Tucker didn't interview Ghislaine Maxwell, did he? So, yeah, the fact that that didn't happen should speak volumes for Tucker Carlson. And it also shows the lengths they were willing to go to to try to find someone trustworthy to the American people to try to extend this cover up. And the American people just aren't buying it. This has been the top issue ever since it started. It should have never been a fight. It should have been the easiest thing to happen. And I'll point something else out. No one has been held accountable for the Epstein files. Nobody in other countries. There's people that have been arrested, people that have been forced to step down. Here in America, we haven't seen any justice for the victims. And that's because look who's in charge. They're not being prosecuted, they're not being held accountable. And I think that comes from the top.

[Political Commentator]

There you have it, folks. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Hit. Subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. And thanks so much for watching new Midas merch. Head to store.midastouch.com today and get yourself the best pro democracy gear and show your support. That's store.midas touch com.