Episode Details

A second carrier strike group steaming into the region. E-3s lighting up the sky. A ten-day ultimatum that turns diplomacy into a ticking clock. We pull the thread on how a massive U.S. deployment, framed as leverage, is actually building the scaffolding for a war with Iran that most Americans do not want—and Congress hasn’t voted for.

We break down the real capabilities moving into place: destroyers likely swapping tomahawks for interceptors, layered air and missile defense tuned for Iranian drones and rockets, and aircraft poised to reach across Lebanon, Yemen, and possibly into Iran with refueling. Then we follow the politics: a deadline that echoes last year’s 60-day gambit, which ended in escalation despite reports of Iranian flexibility. Compressing complex nuclear and regional issues into a few days doesn’t produce agreements; it manufactures excuses for strikes. The “peace by bombing” narrative falls apart when the proof of success is a bigger buildup and a broader risk aperture.

Alongside Iran, we take on the constitutional question ducked by both parties: where is the declaration of war, the AUMF, the vote? If leaders want conflict, they should say so on the record. Polls show a strong majority opposed, yet the momentum of deployments, talking points, and deadlines races ahead of public consent. We also examine Gaza’s promised “rebuild” plan that demands disarmament while airstrikes and new settlements undercut any path to a viable Palestinian state. Calling that peace doesn’t make it real; you cannot rebuild while you keep demolishing the foundations.

If you care about deterrence that doesn’t default to war, diplomacy that isn’t set up to fail, and a Congress that actually exercises its power over war and peace, this conversation lays out the stakes and the off-ramps. Listen, share with a friend who follows foreign policy, and leave a review to help others find the show. Subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming talk with Colonel Douglas Macgregor, and tell us: should lawmakers be required to vote before a single missile flies?

CHAPTERS:

• 0:34 Opening And Iran War Warning
• 1:36 U.S. Strike Force Moves Into Position
• 4:20 Carrier Roles And Missile Defense
• 5:52 Eastern Med Strategy And Drones
• 8:10 Timeline: Not Ready This Weekend
• 9:31 Strait Of Hormuz And Oil Leverage
• 10:46 Airborne Surveillance Surge
• 12:04 Trump’s Ten-Day Ultimatum
• 15:15 Deadlines, Bluster, And Past Precedent
• 18:13 Peace By Bombing Critique
• 21:40 Iran’s Aims And Sanctions Relief
• 24:16 Congress, War Powers, And Silence
• 27:04 Cruz, Declarations, And Accountability
• 30:18 Public Opinion And Rising Risk