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Radio War Nerd EP #595 — Iran War Update: The Countdown (Patreon)

Published:
2026-04-07 22:35:49
Imported:
2026-04
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Recorded: April 7, 2026

We discuss Trump's threat to exterminate Iran, the politics of a decaying empire & grim futures

Total time: 52:19Direct link to this episode's mp3 here

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Buy & review John Dolan's new book, They Should Have Been Hanged: War Nerd Essays on the U.S. Civil War

Subscribe to Radio War Nerd at patreon.com/radiowarnerd

Sound production by Telescope Audio

Files

Comments

Alex Payne

Never clicked on an ep this fast before, thanks fellas 👋

P.E.L

Ruling by daily cliffhanger is truly demented. Truly an american product this trump creep

K

Now Trump saying he’s suspending bombing for two weeks but we’ll see

tobes

it's been on honor, everyone. take care

Hugh Jazz

“I meant April 7 2027 at 8pm!”

Yairo Martis

Oh my god. Mark's alien voice is terrifying and hilarious at the same time.

Hugh Jazz

On such an important news day I need to check in on noted journalist Matt Taibbi to get the pulse of what’s going on. *checks Taibbi’s Substack* wow did you guys know that AOC was very rude in a tweet to Ted Cruz 3 years ago?

ExtraJudicial Pod

Just after you posted, Trump announced a two week ceasefire

Kamran Husain

my grandfather would shoot me for saying this but glory be to shia allah inshallah

etienne

I was talking to my dad and his take is that whatever happens the US wrt/ Iran is fine because they have the Venezuela oil and China loses a huge amount of its own supply. He's not even really a trump guy he's just a weird tankie-ish contrarian [edit: I guess he's a rare-ish tankie who likes Putin but dislikes Xi]

Barry

It's ok everyone Keir Starmer stopped the Kanye concert just in the nick of time 🫠

Kamran Husain

as if the americans were not baffled and scared by the suni afghans the shia these fuckers will be suicidal if they face iranians as colonizers

Garibaldi

Literally minutes after posting Trump caves and agrees to negotiate Iran's 10 point plan.

JoR

This is basically the “sophisticated maga” and/or “edgy liberals who are supposed to hate trump but support his foreign policy” take on this war. No matter how bad it’s going or how ugly it’ll get for the homeland, it’s all worth it because, And I quote , “we’ll control all of chinas oil and it’ll ruin them”

Rahula Anoir

Trump truthed, the conflict is over. He’s super cereal this time. God bless Pakistan!

Quinn

On the topic of antiquated Constitution & useless Dem opppsition, I teach political philosophy to undergrads and its funny how whenever we go into the rationale behind seperation/balance of powers, purpose of representative government, etc., there are always a few exasperated comments that are some variation of "ok but why does none of that shit actually work?". Usually not even in a dismissive way, just taking for granted that the system doesnt do what it says on the tin and genuinely asking for an explanation of why it doesnt. Im young and it still feels like a noticeable shift from the kind of ubiquitous political cynicism I was raised in that had the flavor of "the people and parties in power are corrupt/dumb/etc but American system is basically good and right." Obv just an isolated anecdote but its striking to me to hear a variety of young students not debating whether the system works or what its flaws are, but treating its fundamental inadequacy as a given.

etienne

Q: okay yeah but it'll still crash out the world economy in a major way A: yes! that's true, but it'll also affect China, and it lets the US breathing room to rebuild its industrial capacity Q: fine, let's take that as face value. Do we seriously expect a crooked scammer, pushing 80, whose best known management technique is firing everyone, to lay down a serious basis for an industrial base, at the same time as he's demolishing every arm of the government including the industry-useful ones like fundamental research and NIST, and scaring off all the foreign brains? A: look at the Democrats, okay?

JoR

I know each co host is “young” for their age, but as you both get older the world is only getting crazier. The rate of episodes and current events to follow is exponentially higher then when the show started. Plus you still cover historical stuff. Not to mention John’s multiple books since 2015. So I think others would agree, but thanks for all you two (three, Brendan) do for the show

C

Hasan mentioned!

etienne

it's like like yeah you're right I AM swinging at my structural walls with a big swing hammer .. but think of the house I COULD be building here if this one wasn't here!

etienne

he finally found an enemy that's more fruity than he is. made for each other

Aaron C

Just settling in and starting to listen. You guys have put out more than your standard clip. You're both very thoughtful and trustworthy, I always jump at the opportunity to listen to a level read of the situation from people that know their stuff. I really appreciate it, makes me a bit less anxious

Viro Mia

The Miami River in Ohio is named after the Miami Tribe that lived in part in Western Ohio

Ander Pierce

Yay for a ceasefire, here's hoping it lasts

CR

Evil will always win because Good is dumb.

CR

Your kids growing up on the down slide of the acme is still so fucking privileged and you’re whining. Billions of people just have kids because that’s what people do. Stunning and brave analysis. You took a ma who only acts and speaks in bad faith in good faith. BTW, look at Vietnam. The U.S. beat them with the dollar after depopulating the region. Westmoreland is an idiot, but be realistic about what happened for the last fifty years.

drizzly_november

If recent history’s any guide, this will just be a classic US/Israeli “you cease, I fire”.

Maggie+Al

When it comes to the behaviour democratic leadership the explanation that makes sense that they view any return to "resistance politics" as risking a 2020 crisis years in advance of any electoral safety valve. Sure this war is a Suez level catastrophe for the American empire. But calling people on to the streets (and that's all their numbers in congress give them the power to do) risks a Russo-Japanese war style catastrophe.

Liam CZA Noble

Merry Christmas (War is Over) (for now)

JoR

I concur. Huh?

William

That’s how this show works, tbh

Maggie+Al

And core to that contention is the notion that the ICE mass operations in cities show that the democratic base has a lot more fight in it than the leadership feel they can control. In that context pushing rightwing anti war figures makes a lot of sense demonized maga voters are less disruptive than mobilizing the Democratic rank and file.

J P 3

It was clear going into 2026 that War with Iran was a distinct possibility. The Democrats had points of leverage with funding and war powers, but actively refused to use those levers. It was obvious that a number of these members just didn't want to have to go on record as supporting the war. They (and their major donors) wanted Trump to do it, with the understanding that Trump would also take the heat if and when things went wrong. People kind of took the most cynical lessons from the 2002 Iraq War Authorization. Not a great sign for the current state of democracy.

William

Even if ceasefire holds, huge amounts of oil and gas still offline. Dubai ain’t coming back. More like Dubain’t. Isreal took real damage, the army is on the brink of collapse (says its commander?) and I wager the economy is fragile as well

Cameron Young

Of course it’s gotta hold But Iran made the full force of the empire flinch.

Dissipatio

I know, since the no kings clever sign contest hasn’t gotten their attention, how bout we piss them off with a national “buy a Chinese product day”?

a clash of purple

So long-winded... but maybe it sounds better in Persian, I wouldn't know.

StingrayMD

Good isn’t dumb, it ls just bound by limits and is often reactionary

Matt

In the spirit of things written and said before Trump pivoted tonight, which I don't believe is stable. I wrote a poem. For a long time I have been inspired by Refaat Alareer, murdered by Israel. It doesn't match him, but I have his book, I've studied his poetry, and I know it's not at his level, but this is my tribute. The hopelessness the oppressive feeling of being in the heart of empire helpless google asking how can I improve your thoughts? what did you mean, what did you think. I DON'T KNOW I'm hanging on I'm someone who looks at everything trying to understand because you have to and as the world grinds down into dust as everyone accepts that this is what it is this is who we are and I weep for what was, what could be. Crying out for anything but this. - I'm a bit more hopeful than when I wrote that a couple days ago, but the terrible feeling, while temporarily alleviated, is not gone. I saw someone describe it as your abuser pointing a gun to your head, lowering it, and asking, "aren't you glad I didn't pull the trigger?"

Matt

after listening to 20 mins in, your outlook is deeply twisted by twitter. Listen to the people you know in real life over the deeply botted and manipulated algorithm.

John

12:00 “the right hasn’t ever split this early”. I think thats the point. Tucker clearly isn’t an anti war guy. The split is being sheepherded/safely managed when there’s no consequences during voting. Watch them all row in behind trump when it matters.

John

40:00 wasn’t it the murdoch press that had all the epstein leaks ?? Before the war. Maybe bibi and murdocch were subtly threatening trump.

Alex

That's what I always thought too. Plus Netanyahu meeting DJT at Mar-a-lago late last year, the suspicious timings of the Iran "protests"

Carter Drake

If you’re interested in Mule Drawn Canal Boats, please visit me at the National Canal Museum in PA!

John Hieronymus

Some important things to point out about Tucker Carlson and MTG, they are against the war and unconditional support for Israel, because they have openly said they believe in prosecuting a war at home against their domestic political enemies, and Carlson has also insisted that the “real” enemy should be China. These are people who no one with any progressive or left political principles can go into coalition with in any meaningful way because they will turn on us as soon as it is convenient. As long as the left remains focused on which politician or media figure makes them feel warm and fuzzy instead of focusing on rebuilding the social base for carrying forward a left program people will forever be getting bogged down by our system of managed “democracy” and getting nowhere while the world literally burns.

Jason Thompson

MTG seems to be having some genuine weird moral conversion though. Palling around with Medea Benjamin and stuff. I mean she’s still a transphobic Christian Nationalist but 🤪

NewTooshFatoosh

The fact that this ceasefire is happening at all is a huge victory for Iran.

John Waaben

Horrific bombings happening in Lebanon right now- Israel wants collapse, no matter what the sugar daddy (America) says

HeyB00B00

Miami is native for "people south of the lake." That's why there's one on lake Erie and on lake Okeechobee

Dissipatio

How bout a national mash your matzah balls and boycott your bagels day? Who’s in?

Aditya V

Great episode, a classic. Full of nuggets of insight

Laynie

John mentioned the fearsome Iranian operators in the 80s. Any books about this you’d recommend? Would love to learn

Ezra de Leon

I think Ali Khamenei's son is named Mojtaba. (I only remembered it because I used to work with a guy with the same name.)