Iran Vows STRIKE on Dimona, US EVACUATES Middle East | Dan Kovalik, Ramzy Baroud & Mark Weisbrot

Summary

Host Danny Haiphong opened with reports that Iran had threatened to strike Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility if the United States and Israel resumed hostilities, that the United States was preparing a major military strike, and that American diplomats and their families were being evacuated from the region. He also noted continuing Israeli violence in Gaza. These reports set up a discussion of whether further escalation would achieve anything.

Iran, Israel, and regional escalation

Ramzy Baroud argued that repeated military campaigns had not defeated Iran or regional resistance movements. Instead, he said, they had strengthened Iran’s standing in what he called a “war for legitimacy.” He said the same dynamic applied to Ansarullah in Yemen and to Palestinians, whose continued presence and resistance, in his view, undermined Israel’s aims in Gaza and elsewhere. Baroud characterized Netanyahu’s escalation as desperate rather than part of a successful master plan.

Dan Kovalik said a war with Iran would be irrational if the U.S. government’s priority were the welfare of Americans, given the potential for economic disruption and shortages. He argued that U.S. support for Israel’s regional ambitions and the pursuit of U.S. influence over the Persian Gulf were central motives. Kovalik warned that assumptions of American and Israeli military invincibility could lead to catastrophic destruction, including the risk of nuclear escalation. He compared the dangers of a prolonged war with Iran to the suffering caused by the wars in Vietnam and Korea.

Baroud stressed the disparity between Western alarm over Iran’s nuclear capabilities and what he described as Israel’s existing, undeclared nuclear arsenal and past threats. He said Iran’s response to decades of sanctions and covert attacks had changed, and that its warnings should be taken seriously.

He also argued that support for Palestinians had grown internationally despite censorship and pressure on journalists and activists. Citing polling discussed in the interview, Baroud said sympathy for Palestinians had risen globally and in the United States. He argued that direct access to Palestinian accounts, especially from Gaza, had changed public perceptions.

Baroud linked the regional conflict to a broader decline in U.S. influence. He argued that U.S. efforts to shape the Middle East had failed, pointing to Iraq’s growing economic ties with China and to Iran and its allies exploiting regional openings. He predicted that regional powers would shape a new Middle East and suggested Gulf states might question whether the United States and Israel could protect them.

Kovalik’s interview ended early because of audio and connection problems.

Brazil’s election

The program then turned to Brazil’s election between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro. Mark Weisbrot described Bolsonaro’s political camp as extreme and nostalgic for Brazil’s military dictatorship, while presenting Lula as a leader with a working-class background and a record of reducing poverty. Weisbrot said Lula’s earlier presidencies coincided with substantial declines in poverty and faster economic growth, and cited popular social programs as reasons many voters might support his government.

Weisbrot also discussed Lula’s vulnerabilities, particularly high interest rates and household debt, which he said were hurting lower-income voters. He contrasted Lula’s policies with Flávio Bolsonaro’s stated plans for spending cuts, which Weisbrot argued could threaten anti-poverty programs. He warned that U.S. officials’ refusal to say whether they would respect the election result could encourage efforts to challenge a Bolsonaro loss.

More broadly, Weisbrot argued that U.S. pressure on left-wing governments in Latin America was driven by a desire for regional power, not simply corporate interests.

Sanctions

Weisbrot described sanctions as a powerful and often less visible form of coercion. He cited research by himself and co-authors estimating that U.S. unilateral sanctions contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths globally each year. He also said sanctions had played a major role in Venezuela’s economic collapse and loss of life.

He concluded that the Brazilian election remained uncertain and that turnout could be decisive.

Presenters and contributors

• Danny Haiphong — Presenter
• Dan Kovalik — Attorney, activist, and writer
• Ramzy Baroud — Editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle and author
• Mark Weisbrot — Economist and co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research