Peter van Buren returns to the show to discuss his recent trip to Iran during which Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran Deal and the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Van Buren wrote about his experience in a commentary piece for Reuters, “I just visited Iran. Here’s what I heard about the U.S.” Van Buren discusses his experience in Iran and the conversations he had, the consequences of withdrawing from the Iran Deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech...

Richard Garfield, author of “Morbidity and Mortality among IraqiChildren from 1990 through 1998” joins Scott to set the record straight about the true consequences of American economic warfare in Iraq during the Clinton-era sanctions. Garfield describes the different methodologies of determining mortality rates and their respective limitations. He then addresses the shortcomings and major criticisms of UNICEF’s findings that the sanctions led to half-a-million excess deaths. Finally Scott and...

Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss the results of the recent Iraqi parliamentary election and the possible coalitions that could form in order to determine who will be the next Iraqi prime minister. Magnier discusses how the Iraqi civil war has affected voting turnout, who really holds the key to power, and why sectarianism in Iraq is receding into the background. Elijah Magnier is the chief international correspondent at Al Rai and a political and terrorism/counterterrorism...

Trita Parsi returns to the show to discuss his experience as the target of a Black Cube investigation into the grounds of the JCPOA or Iran Nuclear Deal. Parsi sets the scene of the fishing phone call he received and what he found most disturbing about the entire experience. Scott and Parsi then discuss the consequences of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Deal. According to Parsi, no one can fully appreciate the true importance of the deal and the expert diplomacy required to make...

Brett Wilkins, the editor-at-large for U.S. news at Digital Journal joins Scott to discuss his latest articles, “The Dark Side of Israeli Independence,” and “To Understand Iran, Try History, Not Hysteria.” Scott and Wilkins discuss the history of U.S.-Iranian relations, the Iran-Iraq War, and the utter ignorance most Americans, fed by media manipulations, have towards Iran. Wilkins then runs through the many acts of aggression the United States has taken against Iran, including the release of...

Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss the most recent developments in the ongoing U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen. Arrabyee discusses the latest fighting along the coast of Hodeidah, the assassination of Houthi president Saleh al-Samad and its fallout, the UAE’s power grab to annex the island of Socotra, the presence of green berets in southern Yemen, and how the United States’ efforts have primarily helped Iran and al Qaeda. Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He...

Sheldon Richman returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “TGIF: Shabbos with Zaide” about his relationship with his grandfather, originally published in 1989. Richman describes his childhood growing up in conservative/orthodox community in Philadelphia and how his grandfather influenced his religious and political views. Richman then describes the history of the creation of Israel and the debate within the Jewish community over the legitimacy or expediency of the creation of a Jewish...

Antiwar.com’s Jason Ditz returns to the show to discuss the upcoming parliamentary election in Iraq where Moqtada al-Sadr’s bloc is leading, the Israeli’s violent suppression of Palestinian protests, and the history of the international struggle for political control of East Jerusalem. Ditz and Scott talk about the utter cognitive dissonance on the part of both liberals and republicans regarding Syria and Iran. Ditz then gives his best estimates on what he believes Israel’s goals in Syria are....

Grant Smith returns to the show to discuss The Black Cube, a private intelligence firm for hire. Smith and Scott discuss who might be behind the Black Cube investigations into prominent supporters of the Iran Deal, including friend of the show Trita Parsi. Smith then shares the details of the Free Trade Agreement and discusses NEWMEC, which began in the 1960s when Israel stole weapon’s-grade uranium from the United States. Finally the two discuss the reality of Israel’s nuclear weapons and...

Editor of FPIF.org John Feffer returns to the show to discuss his latest articles “A Nobel For Donald Trump Over Korea?” and “The Banality of Haspel.” Feffer begins by explaining why, even if Trump negotiates peace in the Korean Peninsula he would not be deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. Feffer and Scott discuss the many different nuances of the peace process in North Korea and what it will take for the various sides to strike a deal. They then turn to Gina Haspel’s likely appointment as the...

Shireen Al-Adeimi joins the show to discuss her article for In These Times, “What the Deployment of Green Berets to the Saudi-Yemen Border Tells Us About America’s Dirty War.” Al-Adeimi speculates on the role that the green berets and the U.S. army are playing in Southern Yemen and in the aerial bombing campaign. The two then discuss the possibility that the new revelation that there are American boots on the ground could bring the question of the War Powers Resolution back to the forefront in...

Gareth Porter joins Scott to discuss the recent accusations made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran's alleged nuclear program. The accusations purport to show that the Iranians lied about past work towards a nuclear weapons program before 2003; but in fact, the new accusations appear to rest on evidence and documents that had already been made available in the past. Thus, many critics of the Netanyahu's claims said he was just repeating old news. Gareth and Scott take this...