Latest / badlands podcast by borzou daragahi
The Gulf Considers Giving Iran A Bear Hug (S01E95)
Thursday, June 25, 2026, Istanbul
Even as Marco Rubio attempts to keep America’s Gulf clients in line, some of them are already finding their own way. In today’s podcast I discuss the ongoing diplomatic intrigues involving the US, Gulf countries, and an emerging power bloc consisting of regional powers determined to avoid being dragged into another war.
This bloc—I argue—seems at the very least ambivalent about the US role in the region and is hostile to Israel’s expansionist agenda.
I also discuss the Gulf and its role in the conflict in an interview with France 24.
Please watch or listen…
The skinny
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