So You Want to Break Iran... || May 8, 2026
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has forced Iran to get creative with its oil storage.
Iran hasn't been able to get its oil out of the Gulf, so they've started using available shadow fleet tankers as floating storage near Kharg Island. But as the other tankers begin to return from their delivery routes from before the blockade, dozens could get stuck waiting to get home.
Now, I'm not one to give targeting advice, but if the U.S. needed to do something that would force Iran to the negotiating table...I can think of a couple of really appealing targets.
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Comments (58)
I'm sure it will not help HIS personal financial position to do that. It's far to cerebral, probative and intelligent as well!
Exactly - makes perfect sense which means Trump probably won't do it.
Now do a Video on what Irans response to that should be.
When have you seen Orange Man doing anything rational and calculated? Keep dreaming
Peter. Long time listener. Wondering your comments on professors Jiang recent pod cast on diary of a ceo. Deep thinking Canadian ,lol. Great work keep it up.
What I find amusing is that this idea sounds like it could be a winner. Yet I highly doubt any current intel type has bothered to even try to bring this up the chain.
Best episode in months.
What prevents them from just dumping in to the PG? Iran only gets 2% of it's water from desalination.
Thank you general
China recently told its companies to start disregarding U.S sanctions relating to Iranian oil. Now, if the shadow tankers subsequently got removed from the equation, I wonder if the Chinese would dare the U.S to intervene by just openly sailing a COSCO tanker into the Iranian ports to load up on oil? Considering that importing Iranian oil is now basically legal/allowed in China, there would in principle be no need for them to use the shadow fleet?
Do you reckon its really a great idea to permanently throttle the oil supply to India and China by sinking tankers??? India has shown that they will work with any country that suits them. Who knows what weird alliance system will develop in Asia when its starved of energy?? Gringo's love to blow things up. Are you going to like the end result?? To bring the Iranian volume back in to the petro dollar system it will take an Iraq style invasion. Is every one up for that? Sinking ships, then what?
Hopefully Donny and his mob listen to this one. But the M.I.C. UNIPARTY may not let it happen; they want more WAR!
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The other things that are likely to break in that case include the rest of the gulf oil infrastructure…so there’s that. So far, they have delivered on every threat they have made.
Please forward to Trump ASAP!!!
And then, Iran's theocratic regime could just lower the price for ordinary Iranians who use petroleum products. But then, that would democratize opportunities for smuggling and might alleviate economic distress for ordinary Iranians. So, why on earth would the Pasdaran do that?
They'll just blow up Saudi Arabia if we do that.
Now do one where you force Israel to stop poisoning the world
I see Utah is elegant and well-lit. Well done, Utah.
It's Friday night in Tehran (1 p.m. where I am) and still no response from Iran to the "memo", except Araghchi predictably says Iran won't bow to pressure. So, I guess Trump will issue some outrageous threats and give them until next Friday, or maybe TACO Tuesday, to surrender again. Some people say there is method to his madness. I am thinking: nope!
Sink them? Or Seize them? Would'nt sinking that many of them be an environmental disaster?
A. The ships he's talking about seizing are returning empty from NE Asia, B. He said to seize them. I appreciate the confusion because he starts talking about de-mothballing tankers around Kharg Island for the purpose of storage, then slips into discussion of what to do with returning tankers.
This action would allow Iran to get their economy up and running quickly, after their nuclear ambitions are neutered and they join the world order as a participant, not antagonist. Avoids or delays the consideration of targeting critical infrastructure, an option that would adversely affect the civilian populace as well when targeting the IRGC.
And what would the Iranians do in response? Isn’t that the problem with any plan?
Wouldn't such an attack provide an environmental catastrophe and risk Gulf desalination plants that many rely on?
He is not saying to sink them. Just take them over and take them elsewhere.
Whatever it takes to end this. We do not want a full blown war, and the world needs fuel, fertilizer, food, helium, etc.
What's the difference between what we've been doing and a full-blown war?
With that gaudy background, I thought you were coming to us from the Oval Office.
Poughkeepsie Hilton
Please give Donald a call!
You mean whisper in Melania's ear.
If Iran has the ability to fatally damage tankers parked in the Persian Gulf, they can start taking out tankers in exchange for tankers destroyed or seized by the U.S. A form of Mutually Assured Destruction. Iran could take out 2 for 1. 4 for 1. Destroy enough tankers and oil shipping is disrupted for many years. The same logic applies to blowing up oil fields. Nobody wants to cross that line because it hurts world production for a long time. It seems the U.S. (and especially Gulf Allies) really don’t want The potential of long term disruption of oil markets.
It's a given. It will be very painful for all, but something needs to be done.
I'm hoping we're better than killing off all sea life in about a million square miles, and completely devastate the persian gulf population's ability to feed itself, but knowing this administration...
Watch the video to the end. He's not talking about sinking full tankers in the Gulf.
Sneaky sneaky.
Hey how's Cuba doing? Our other war. Psychopaths enjoy inflicting pain...
You're right! The Cuban regime, established by Fidel Castro and maintained by his successors, has a long record of repression, including arbitrary detention, torture, and the suppression of civil liberties. Key crimes include systemic, state-sanctioned harassment of dissidents, forced labor, and the use of harsh prison conditions to punish political opponents
Remember the days when getting mad about pronouns, people with purple hair, and whether or not a vaccine was intended to keep you alive or kill you was LITERALLY the biggest topics for the right to rally against? If all of this bullshit does anything, hopefully it makes them realize just how lucky they were to not have to deal with real world problems outside of eventual nuclear confrontation between NATO and Russia...ah, to be young and naive again.
Hi, this is Peter Zeihan speaking to you from the Palace of Versailles.
Nice tankers you have there. Pity if something should happen to them.
that's why, nothing gonna happen to them
I do not like the situation we are in… however this is where we are. We need smart plans that reduce risk to our military. Well done Mr. Z! We must regain some leverage to resolve this mess. It’s time for a tanker “roundup”!
When have you seen Orange Man doing anything rational and calculated? Keep dreaming
Whatever works. In my way of thinking, Iran will be a problem so long as the regime is in power. Even if the entire lot of them were to go into early retirement tomorrow, a collateral problem is that there is no governmental entity, viable person, or group to take its place. Meanwhile, the Iranian economy is on its last breath. Some say, wait awhile, maybe three months, and Iran will be dead economically and wanting to concede. I think not. The Islamist regime could care less about that. To finish off the regime, I say destroy all their military resources, ports, oil infrastructure, and electrical generation in the Persian Gulf area as the coup de grace and let nature take its course. They don't deserve any better.
I agree the Iranian theocracy is a threat to the world and has to go. Unfortunately, this is not something that can occur quickly. The world needs to fund and help build an Iranian insurgency over the next 12 to 18 months that starts in one part of Iran and slowly gains steam, rolling across the country.
How about US pulling out and de-escalating? Let the markets function. There is no win for anyone here.
That's not my personal choice. (see above) But, when I think it through it does seem to be the smartest thing to do considering the brain power of Trump and his cast of characters running the government. Those guys couldn't make a piece of toast without burning it.
Surely Iran wouldn't respond in kind.
As long as the regime exists, it appears, they will have enough drones and missiles to create havoc in that part of the world. One drone launched near Hormuz makes it a war zone. That's why ultimately regime change is the only final solution.
P
Don't give Trump ideas.... 😏
Don't worry, he won't listen to Ziehan or anyone else. He's smarter than everyone on earth you know.
Please comment on the NYT story concerning the drop in the number of children attending school since COVID
The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran, lock stock and barrell....Take away Iran's ability to export oil, and Iran will just continue to close the strait until it gets its seized tankers back.... Everyone would like a solution to this problem when the solution is obvious, declare victory, and leave.....
Yes, but I would like to make it a very painful victory for them. They haven't suffered enough, yet. IMO.
But PZ… TroTUS doesn’t want to break Iran! He wants to give it a glow up! Which I thought was him insinuating he’d toss a fissile Minute Man onto Isfahan but apparently it’s just slang with the kids and means “a mental, physical and emotional transformation for the better.” I think it says that in the Big Beautiful Page!