S8 Ep593: SHOW SCHEDULE 3-16-26 1902 ROME
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 17 March 2026
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
SHOW SCHEDULE 3-16-26
1902 ROME
1. Bill Roggio and Hussein Haqqani (SEG 1): Haqqani discusses global resistance to President Trump’s Strait of Hormuz mission and the economic impact of Iran's strategy. Roggio analyzes the administration's goal of regime change and notes they underestimated Iranian resilience. (2)
2. Hussein Haqqani and Bill Roggio (SEG 2): Haqqani notes European and Arab reluctance to join the U.S. coalition due to past diplomatic friction. Roggio discusses the lack of a viable Iranian resistance and the failure of air-only military strategies. (3)
3. David Daoud (SEG 3): Daoud analyzes the IDF’s difficulty in permanently eliminating Hezbollah and its shift toward creating a security buffer zone. He argues that regime change in Iran would weaken but not destroy the group. (4)
4. David Daoud (SEG 4): Daoud reports on Hezbollah's continued use of drone swarms and short-range rockets to harass Israel. He notes that while their command structure is degraded, IRGC officers are filling leadership gaps in Beirut. (5)
5. Malcolm Hoenlein (SEG 5): Hoenlein details the chaos surrounding Iranian succession, including reports that Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded. He describes regional economic devastation from the Strait of Hormuz closure and the use of destructive cluster munitions. (6)
6. Malcolm Hoenlein (SEG 6): Hoenlein reports on IDF operations in Lebanon, noting Hezbollah defections and command-and-control breakdowns. He critiques European nations for "waffling" and refusing to provide escort vessels for tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. (7)
7. Edmund Fitton-Brown (SEG 7): Fitton-Brown explains the international "digging in of heels" against Trump's Hormuz mission, with allies fearing Iranian retaliation. He notes that the U.S. failed to foresee Iran’s predictable move to shut the waterway. (8)
8. Edmund Fitton-Brown (SEG 8): Fitton-Brown discusses the global economy being held hostage by Iran and potential strategies like seizing Kharg Island. He analyzes Houthi restraint and the potential for a dangerous "fourth front" in Yemen. (9)
9. John Hardy (SEG 9): Hardie details how the Iran war benefits Russia through increased oil revenue and the depletion of Western munitions needed by Kyiv. He reports that the U.S.-led peace process in Ukraine is fizzling. (10)
10. Joe Truzman (SEG 10): Truzman describes the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" as a front for Iran-backed militias launching information warfare. He discusses Houthi readiness to join the conflict and Iranian proxies attacking Jewish institutions across Europe. (11)
11. Ernesto Araújo (SEG 11): Araújo discusses the Iran war's economic ripple effects in Latin America, including rising gas prices. He reports on potential democratic transitions in Cuba and Venezuela as Russian and Chinese regional influence diminishes. (12)
12. Ernesto Araújo (SEG 12): Araújo reports on the deteriorating health of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro and political suppression in Brazil. He highlights a diplomatic rift caused by visa denials for a U.S. special envoy. (13)
13. Ahmed Sharawi (SEG 13): Sharawi tracks Iranian drone and missile strikes against the UAE and Saudi Arabia intended to pressure Washington. He notes Iran's strategy of attacking NATO sites in Turkey to create regional chaos. (14)
14. Greg Scarlatoiu (SEG 14): Scarlatoiu explains Romania's decision to host U.S. military equipment despite threats from Tehran. He emphasizes that Romania views the Iran and Ukraine conflicts as existential threats to its own national security. (15)
15. Rick Fischer (SEG 15): Fischer provides evidence of direct Chinese assistance to Iran’s drone and missile programs, including guidance systems and satellite surveillance. He notes that these attacks would be impossible without Beijing's support. (16)
16. Greg Scarlatoiu (SEG 16): Scarlatoiu analyzes the public appearance of Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, and speculation regarding her being groomed for succession. He discusses the ruthless political environment within the Kim family dynasty. (17)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Good evening. The show tonight is dominated by the unfinished business in Iran. The Strait of Hormuz is now considered closed to commercial traffic, that is, oil and other niche commodities coming out of the Gulf. |
| 0:14.1 | One-fifty earth's oil, of course, and the price of barrel of oil is set elsewhere besides the Gulf. Right now, there is no clear or stated plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. |
| 0:27.6 | The president is calling his allies, his friends, his adversaries, calling everyone looking for assistance, |
| 0:35.0 | sometimes saying the U.S. can handle itself. |
| 0:39.7 | But in order to satisfy the insurers, |
| 0:45.5 | you've got to do more than have a warship at hand. You've got to stop the source of the mining, |
| 0:49.4 | if that's what it is, the missile attacks, if that's what it is, the drone attacks, |
| 0:56.8 | if that's what it is. Various Khazas Belai have been stated by the United States. Sometimes it's the nuke. Sometimes it's the ballistic missiles. Sometimes it's all of the above regime change. Right now it would have to be the |
| 1:01.8 | threat of mining, the Strait of Hormuz, and tangling up the worldwide economy in shortages |
| 1:09.8 | and long lines and price spikes. Central bankers can do little, |
| 1:15.2 | I'm told, because if they lower rates, they'll encourage inflation very quickly. If they raise |
| 1:22.4 | rates, they'll tighten the money supply, and that will have not good effects. I think it's called deflation. So what |
| 1:31.5 | we have here is a quandary to be solved over these next days. Some of us said two weeks, three |
| 1:37.7 | weeks, I don't get the sense that they believe they have that much time. Then again, the markets |
| 1:44.0 | are watching everything right now, all week long. |
| 1:47.8 | The president has asked Beijing to postpone the meeting between the two administrations, |
| 1:54.1 | Beijing and Washington, for a month. |
| 1:57.4 | That was the most critical aspect of the Trump administration, the tariffs. |
| 2:03.3 | It's now taken a back seat to the Iran War, the strutting of the Strait of Formuz. |
| 2:10.2 | There is no other news. It's everybody reacting to what is apparently the strongest fleet in the solar system cannot solve the problem. |
| 2:19.5 | Iran is a pirate to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. |
| 2:23.2 | It is, however, fighting for its life, literally. |
... |
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