1 00:00:15,859 --> 00:00:17,009 [Rush Lindell] Welcome back. And buddy, 2 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:18,559 [Rush Lindell] do we have a lineup tonight. 3 00:00:18,859 --> 00:00:19,809 [Reagan] We do. 4 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,410 [Reagan] Twelve nights of strikes and counting. 5 00:00:22,759 --> 00:00:23,509 [Rush Lindell] Twelve. 6 00:00:23,859 --> 00:00:26,559 [Rush Lindell] CENTCOM just wrapped number 12 against Iran, 7 00:00:26,809 --> 00:00:28,960 [Rush Lindell] Washington's still calling this diplomacy. 8 00:00:29,309 --> 00:00:30,609 [Rush Lindell] I've got a word for that. 9 00:00:30,859 --> 00:00:32,009 [Reagan] Save it for the segment. 10 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:32,959 [Rush Lindell] Fine. 11 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,809 [Rush Lindell] But we're also getting into the price tag on this war. 12 00:00:36,059 --> 00:00:37,909 [Rush Lindell] Pentagon numbers that'll make your eyes 13 00:00:37,909 --> 00:00:37,959 [Reagan] Wow. 14 00:00:37,959 --> 00:00:38,359 [Rush Lindell] water. 15 00:00:38,359 --> 00:00:40,059 [Reagan] And the human cost. 16 00:00:40,259 --> 00:00:42,859 [Reagan] What's actually happening to the troops living on those- 17 00:00:42,579 --> 00:00:44,129 [Reagan] on those Gulf bases right now. 18 00:00:44,530 --> 00:00:44,879 [Rush Lindell] Plus, 19 00:00:45,030 --> 00:00:47,979 [Rush Lindell] Rubio's out there promising Iran will pay a price. 20 00:00:48,179 --> 00:00:50,829 [Rush Lindell] We'll see if that's a strategy or just a talking point. 21 00:00:51,230 --> 00:00:55,980 [Reagan] Stick around for the parody segment too; Rush has a toll booth bit for the Strait of Hormuz. 22 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:56,630 [Rush Lindell] Oh, 23 00:00:56,679 --> 00:00:57,130 [Rush Lindell] it's coming. 24 00:00:57,379 --> 00:00:58,379 [Reagan] But first... 25 00:00:58,429 --> 00:01:00,829 [Rush Lindell] This hour is brought to you by Lear Capital, 26 00:01:01,179 --> 00:01:04,280 [Rush Lindell] America's precious metals leader since nineteen ninety seven. 27 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,280 [Reagan] All right, let's get to the top story. 28 00:01:06,629 --> 00:01:09,530 [Rush Lindell] CENTCOM confirms strike number twelve last night. 29 00:01:09,299 --> 00:01:15,399 [Rush Lindell] 'Last night-twelve straight nights-that's not diplomacy-that's a war we're just not calling by its name. 30 00:01:15,750 --> 00:01:16,250 [Reagan] Rush, 31 00:01:16,349 --> 00:01:17,450 [Reagan] before you run with that, 32 00:01:17,549 --> 00:01:21,200 [Reagan] I want to talk about how many separate waves we're actually counting here, 33 00:01:21,299 --> 00:01:23,700 [Reagan] because the number's not as clean as twelve nights. 34 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:24,900 [Rush Lindell] Here we go. 35 00:01:30,323 --> 00:01:32,373 [Rush Lindell] Before we get started, a quick reminder. 36 00:01:32,573 --> 00:01:36,573 [Rush Lindell] We love hearing from you. If you have questions or topics you'd like us to cover, 37 00:01:36,923 --> 00:01:39,474 [Rush Lindell] head to the link in the description and submit your question. 38 00:01:39,674 --> 00:01:41,323 [Rush Lindell] We read every single one. 39 00:01:46,804 --> 00:01:48,254 [Rush Lindell] Twelve nights! 40 00:01:48,504 --> 00:01:48,903 [Rush Lindell] twelve, 41 00:01:49,054 --> 00:01:49,353 [Rush Lindell] Reagan! 42 00:01:49,603 --> 00:01:50,304 [Reagan] I can count, 43 00:01:50,403 --> 00:01:50,704 [Reagan] Rush. 44 00:01:51,004 --> 00:01:54,653 [Rush Lindell] CENTCOM just wrapped strike number twelve on Iran, 45 00:01:54,954 --> 00:01:55,804 [Rush Lindell] hitting boats, 46 00:01:56,153 --> 00:01:57,103 [Rush Lindell] missile depots, 47 00:01:57,304 --> 00:01:58,103 [Rush Lindell] radar sites, 48 00:01:58,304 --> 00:02:05,003 [Rush Lindell] air defenses-every single night since-since when?--since we had a peace deal. 49 00:02:05,353 --> 00:02:06,054 [Reagan] To be fair, 50 00:02:06,203 --> 00:02:10,353 [Reagan] the memorandum of understanding never actually stopped combat operations outright. 51 00:02:10,804 --> 00:02:11,003 [Rush Lindell] Oh, 52 00:02:11,153 --> 00:02:13,653 [Rush Lindell] come on!" Trump stood back and fiddled. 53 00:02:13,524 --> 00:02:14,223 [Rush Lindell] In February, 54 00:02:14,373 --> 00:02:21,824 [Rush Lindell] an announced major combat operations against Iran per ABC News-massive joint strikes with Israel. 55 00:02:22,324 --> 00:02:25,174 [Rush Lindell] Then June arrives; both sides sign an MOU. 56 00:02:25,524 --> 00:02:26,824 [Reagan] Aimed at ending the war, 57 00:02:27,123 --> 00:02:29,174 [Reagan] according to that same ABC News reporting. 58 00:02:29,524 --> 00:02:30,274 [Rush Lindell] Ending it! 59 00:02:30,524 --> 00:02:34,623 [Rush Lindell] And instead we get night after night after night of bombs! 60 00:02:34,974 --> 00:02:39,074 [Rush Lindell] This isn't a peace process with hiccups; this is a war wearing a name 61 00:02:39,074 --> 00:02:39,574 [Speaker 3] tag! 62 00:02:38,836 --> 00:02:39,686 [Rush Lindell] A name tag! 63 00:02:39,986 --> 00:02:40,536 [Reagan] Measured: 64 00:02:40,936 --> 00:02:48,786 [Reagan] Rubio addressed this directly; he told reporters the price Iran pays keeps climbing every night until Tehran "comes to its senses." 65 00:02:49,286 --> 00:02:50,836 [Rush Lindell] Comes to its senses, 66 00:02:51,086 --> 00:02:53,386 [Rush Lindell] like they're a teenager who missed curfew! 67 00:02:53,786 --> 00:02:54,286 [Reagan] Sure, 68 00:02:54,536 --> 00:02:57,086 [Reagan] but that's Rubio framing this as pressure diplomacy, 69 00:02:57,386 --> 00:02:58,936 [Reagan] not abandoning the MOU. 70 00:02:59,486 --> 00:03:03,886 [Rush Lindell] Pressure diplomacy with drone storage facilities getting flattened for the 71 00:03:03,886 --> 00:03:04,386 [Speaker 3] twelfth time. 72 00:03:03,891 --> 00:03:05,292 [Rush Lindell] A twelfth straight night? 73 00:03:05,641 --> 00:03:09,141 [Reagan] I didn't say I bought it; I said that's the Administration's framing. 74 00:03:09,692 --> 00:03:10,591 [Rush Lindell] So which is it? 75 00:03:10,741 --> 00:03:16,491 [Rush Lindell] Is this diplomacy having a rough week or is it just a war that somebody slapped a press release on? 76 00:03:16,891 --> 00:03:17,391 [Reagan] Actually, 77 00:03:17,591 --> 00:03:18,192 [Reagan] small thing, 78 00:03:18,391 --> 00:03:23,841 [Reagan] CENTCOM's own release from Sunday says that wave was the ninth night—not part of this current run. 79 00:03:24,241 --> 00:03:26,691 [Reagan] So we're not even talking one continuous streak, 80 00:03:26,841 --> 00:03:28,841 [Reagan] we're talking multiple waves stacked. 81 00:03:28,723 --> 00:03:29,723 [Reagan] Act back to back. 82 00:03:29,923 --> 00:03:33,073 [Rush Lindell] Pah, which is somehow worse. 83 00:03:33,623 --> 00:03:35,024 [Reagan] Which is somehow worse? 84 00:03:35,323 --> 00:03:38,373 [Reagan] Multiple restart points and nobody's calling it what it is. 85 00:03:38,524 --> 00:03:41,423 [Rush Lindell] So who exactly saw this coming? 86 00:03:47,027 --> 00:03:48,977 [Rush Lindell] All right; receipts time. 87 00:03:49,127 --> 00:03:55,027 [Rush Lindell] Back at the MOU signing I called it the "paper ceasefire," said it wouldn't survive contact with reality. 88 00:03:55,527 --> 00:03:57,627 [Reagan] You did say that-and it collapsed. 89 00:03:58,078 --> 00:03:58,877 [Rush Lindell] I don't want right, 90 00:03:59,027 --> 00:04:00,227 [Rush Lindell] Reagan; I want a trophy! 91 00:04:00,677 --> 00:04:02,227 [Rush Lindell] Dead on arrival months ago! 92 00:04:02,828 --> 00:04:09,277 [Reagan] You said "dead on arrival." You didn't say "a dead American service member and Twelve straight nights of bombing. 93 00:04:09,727 --> 00:04:10,578 [Rush Lindell] Details. 94 00:04:10,927 --> 00:04:11,877 [Reagan] Not details. 95 00:04:12,307 --> 00:04:17,908 [Reagan] Predicting a handshake falls apart isn't the same as predicting the shape of the war that replaces it. 96 00:04:18,057 --> 00:04:19,108 [Rush Lindell] Come on. 97 00:04:19,557 --> 00:04:21,158 [Reagan] I'm conceding the collapse, 98 00:04:21,358 --> 00:04:22,807 [Reagan] not the casualty count. 99 00:04:23,207 --> 00:04:23,757 [Rush Lindell] Fine. 100 00:04:24,007 --> 00:04:24,858 [Rush Lindell] Partial credit. 101 00:04:24,957 --> 00:04:25,707 [Rush Lindell] I'll take it. 102 00:04:26,108 --> 00:04:33,908 [Reagan] But Iran's own supreme leader is out there this week calling Trump's signature on that MOU worthless and devoid of credibility. 103 00:04:34,757 --> 00:04:35,908 [Rush Lindell] Say that again. 104 00:04:35,957 --> 00:04:36,658 [Rush Lindell] I love it. 105 00:04:36,807 --> 00:04:37,957 [Reagan] Their words. 106 00:04:38,158 --> 00:04:39,158 [Reagan] After the strike. 107 00:04:39,028 --> 00:04:43,278 [Reagan] Strikes resumed; Khamenei basically told his own people the ink was dead. 108 00:04:43,778 --> 00:04:47,078 [Rush Lindell] So even Tehran's calling it the paper ceasefire now. 109 00:04:47,478 --> 00:04:48,878 [Reagan] They agree it broke. 110 00:04:49,128 --> 00:04:51,228 [Reagan] Whether it was ever real to begin with, 111 00:04:51,427 --> 00:04:52,628 [Reagan] that's a different fight. 112 00:04:53,128 --> 00:04:54,078 [Rush Lindell] It wasn't real. 113 00:04:54,278 --> 00:04:56,078 [Rush Lindell] It was a photo op with a shelf life. 114 00:04:56,478 --> 00:04:59,478 [Reagan] Or it was real and neither side could hold it. 115 00:04:59,878 --> 00:05:01,778 [Reagan] Cause and effect aren't the same claim. 116 00:05:02,278 --> 00:05:02,828 [Rush Lindell] Either way, 117 00:05:03,078 --> 00:05:05,427 [Rush Lindell] we called the funeral before the body dropped. 118 00:05:05,235 --> 00:05:05,536 [Rush Lindell] DROPPED. 119 00:05:05,885 --> 00:05:09,836 [Reagan] You called the funeral; I'm not signing off on you naming the cause of death. 120 00:05:10,935 --> 00:05:12,036 [Rush Lindell] Noted councillor, 121 00:05:12,286 --> 00:05:16,336 [Rush Lindell] now that funeral's racking up a bill nobody in Washington wants to read out loud. 122 00:05:21,875 --> 00:05:24,575 [Rush Lindell] Forget the diplomacy talk for a second. 123 00:05:24,825 --> 00:05:26,075 [Rush Lindell] Let's talk sticker price. 124 00:05:26,375 --> 00:05:32,775 [Reagan] Defense Secretary Hegseth put a number on this campaign this week: roughly $37.5 billion, 125 00:05:32,775 --> 00:05:33,125 [Rush Lindell] Wow! 126 00:05:33,125 --> 00:05:34,525 [Reagan] according to Gulf News. 127 00:05:34,975 --> 00:05:40,525 [Rush Lindell] $37.5 billion for a war nobody's calling a war. 128 00:05:40,775 --> 00:05:42,275 [Reagan] And that's just dollars. 129 00:05:42,775 --> 00:05:46,525 [Reagan] Recent tallies put at least 13 American service members dead. 130 00:05:46,858 --> 00:05:50,908 [Reagan] Three hundred eighty one wounded over roughly forty days of hostilities. 131 00:05:51,475 --> 00:05:54,425 [Rush Lindell] Thirteen families got a knock on the door. 132 00:05:54,875 --> 00:05:55,925 [Reagan] My real problem, 133 00:05:56,026 --> 00:05:56,276 [Reagan] Rush, 134 00:05:56,625 --> 00:05:58,875 [Reagan] there's been no formal war declaration, 135 00:05:59,175 --> 00:06:00,526 [Reagan] no Article One vote. 136 00:06:00,875 --> 00:06:02,776 [Reagan] Congress hasn't authorized this spending. 137 00:06:03,276 --> 00:06:06,175 [Reagan] It's running night after night on executive say so. 138 00:06:06,576 --> 00:06:10,776 [Rush Lindell] So what-we pause strikes and take a floor vote while missiles are inbound? 139 00:06:11,326 --> 00:06:13,175 [Reagan] I'm not saying stop the strikes, 140 00:06:13,576 --> 00:06:16,576 [Reagan] I'm saying thirty seven billion in sustained spending? 141 00:06:16,596 --> 00:06:17,946 [Reagan] Dink deserves a floor debate. 142 00:06:18,446 --> 00:06:23,995 [Reagan] The War Powers Resolution gives the White House a ninety day clock before it needs congressional sign off. 143 00:06:24,346 --> 00:06:25,545 [Reagan] We're well past that. 144 00:06:25,896 --> 00:06:27,846 [Rush Lindell] Congress could have voted any time. 145 00:06:28,045 --> 00:06:29,096 [Rush Lindell] They chose not to. 146 00:06:29,295 --> 00:06:29,896 [Rush Lindell] That's on them, 147 00:06:29,995 --> 00:06:30,196 [Rush Lindell] too. 148 00:06:30,696 --> 00:06:32,696 [Reagan] It doesn't erase the authorization question. 149 00:06:33,346 --> 00:06:33,896 [Rush Lindell] Fine, 150 00:06:34,045 --> 00:06:34,745 [Rush Lindell] debate it. 151 00:06:34,896 --> 00:06:37,245 [Rush Lindell] But don't pretend the alternative is free. 152 00:06:37,646 --> 00:06:41,045 [Rush Lindell] Look away for six months and watch what Tehran does with that runway. 153 00:06:41,524 --> 00:06:42,223 [Reagan] Fair worry. 154 00:06:42,723 --> 00:06:43,074 [Speaker 4] Look, 155 00:06:43,173 --> 00:06:48,024 [Speaker 4] strength costs money; weakness costs more—it sends the bill later, 156 00:06:48,223 --> 00:06:48,973 [Speaker 4] with interest, 157 00:06:49,223 --> 00:06:50,374 [Speaker 4] in American lives. 158 00:06:50,874 --> 00:06:51,524 [Reagan] Poetic, 159 00:06:51,774 --> 00:06:53,074 [Reagan] still doesn't balance a budget. 160 00:06:53,723 --> 00:06:55,923 [Speaker 4] Speaking of hedging against what's coming, 161 00:06:56,223 --> 00:06:58,874 [Speaker 4] if you're watching costs climb during wartime, 162 00:06:59,124 --> 00:07:00,024 [Speaker 4] you start looking for 163 00:07:00,024 --> 00:07:00,923 [Speaker 3] trouble. 164 00:07:00,101 --> 00:07:03,401 [Rush Lindell] Recover. That's where silver comes in for a lot of people. 165 00:07:04,001 --> 00:07:04,701 [Reagan] Since 2020, 166 00:07:05,201 --> 00:07:09,151 [Reagan] the silver price has risen more than 220%. Why? 167 00:07:09,401 --> 00:07:15,351 [Reagan] Because rising demand for solar and electric vehicles alone has put silver supply into a deficit. 168 00:07:15,701 --> 00:07:17,701 [Rush Lindell] But now there's another industry. 169 00:07:17,951 --> 00:07:18,351 [Rush Lindell] AI, 170 00:07:18,651 --> 00:07:19,751 [Rush Lindell] data centers, 171 00:07:20,051 --> 00:07:26,451 [Rush Lindell] robots and quantum computing could require so much silver that silver supplies could be obliterated. 172 00:07:26,809 --> 00:07:29,909 [Reagan] Could silver rise another two hundred twenty percent? 173 00:07:30,409 --> 00:07:37,059 [Reagan] Find out by texting RUSH to 43343 to request their special report The AI Revolution. 174 00:07:37,709 --> 00:07:43,759 [Rush Lindell] See why billions are being poured into AI and how silver could be your best investment this year. 175 00:07:44,059 --> 00:07:48,059 [Rush Lindell] Also ask how you can get up to twenty thousand dollars in bonus silver. 176 00:07:48,609 --> 00:07:49,259 [Reagan] Lear Capital, 177 00:07:49,559 --> 00:07:50,559 [Reagan] your trusted source, 178 00:07:50,859 --> 00:07:53,709 [Reagan] over three billion dollars in transactions and thousands 179 00:07:53,529 --> 00:07:54,729 [Reagan] Thousands of five-star reviews. 180 00:07:55,179 --> 00:07:57,479 [Reagan] Text RUSH to 43343. 181 00:07:57,979 --> 00:08:00,179 [Rush Lindell] Thirty-seven billion buys strikes. 182 00:08:00,429 --> 00:08:03,579 [Rush Lindell] It doesn't buy back the soldiers stationed at that base in Jordan. 183 00:08:04,029 --> 00:08:06,779 [Rush Lindell] Make sure you text RUSH to 43343. 184 00:08:07,329 --> 00:08:10,079 [Reagan] Which is where the real cost shows up next, 185 00:08:10,279 --> 00:08:11,329 [Reagan] not in a spreadsheet, 186 00:08:11,579 --> 00:08:12,379 [Reagan] but in rotation, 187 00:08:12,529 --> 00:08:14,679 [Reagan] with troops absorbing the retaliation. 188 00:08:14,829 --> 00:08:15,329 [Rush Lindell] Yeah, 189 00:08:15,379 --> 00:08:16,229 [Rush Lindell] let's go there. 190 00:08:21,657 --> 00:08:23,207 [Rush Lindell] Beyond the price tag, 191 00:08:23,407 --> 00:08:25,007 [Rush Lindell] there's a human toll here. 192 00:08:25,257 --> 00:08:25,907 [Reagan] There is. 193 00:08:26,357 --> 00:08:32,207 [Reagan] NBC News reported Iran hit that Kuwaiti power and desalination plant twice in two days, 194 00:08:32,307 --> 00:08:35,557 [Reagan] and our troops on those bases are living through the blackouts too. 195 00:08:35,957 --> 00:08:39,957 [Rush Lindell] Picture a soldier standing next to a generator that just took a direct hit. 196 00:08:40,357 --> 00:08:42,707 [Rush Lindell] That's the reality behind the blackout headlines. 197 00:08:43,057 --> 00:08:45,357 [Reagan] And it's not always the missile that gets them. 198 00:08:45,757 --> 00:08:48,607 [Reagan] CENTCOM confirmed a service member at Erbil Air Base 199 00:08:48,377 --> 00:08:54,027 [Reagan] Their base died during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone. 200 00:08:54,477 --> 00:08:55,477 [Rush Lindell] Clean up duty, 201 00:08:55,777 --> 00:08:56,827 [Rush Lindell] and it's still fatal. 202 00:08:57,227 --> 00:08:57,727 [Reagan] Exactly. 203 00:08:58,127 --> 00:09:01,827 [Reagan] The Pentagon says nearly a hundred troops have been hurt since this started. 204 00:09:02,327 --> 00:09:05,277 [Reagan] Ninety-six per cent are back on duty by their own count. 205 00:09:05,727 --> 00:09:07,577 [Rush Lindell] Doesn't exactly settle my stomach. 206 00:09:07,927 --> 00:09:08,477 [Reagan] Mine either. 207 00:09:09,027 --> 00:09:11,227 [Reagan] Readiness isn't just a casualty count. 208 00:09:11,627 --> 00:09:15,077 [Reagan] Ask commanders in the Pacific how they feel about pulling destroyers and air 209 00:09:15,077 --> 00:09:15,227 [Speaker 3] wings off patrol. 210 00:09:14,859 --> 00:09:16,359 [Reagan] and air wings toward the Gulf, 211 00:09:16,459 --> 00:09:18,309 [Reagan] while Beijing watches every move. 212 00:09:18,759 --> 00:09:21,709 [Rush Lindell] So we're stretched thin everywhere at once. 213 00:09:22,059 --> 00:09:28,659 [Reagan] That's the quiet debate inside the Pentagon about whether twelve plus nights of streaks borrows readiness from somewhere else. 214 00:09:29,109 --> 00:09:30,459 [Reagan] Nobody's answering it on camera. 215 00:09:30,809 --> 00:09:31,959 [Rush Lindell] Nobody wants to. 216 00:09:32,309 --> 00:09:38,409 [Reagan] And underneath all of it is rotation fatigue and a VA system about to inherit whatever these units bring home. 217 00:09:38,809 --> 00:09:40,759 [Reagan] That's the cost nobody puts on a chart. 218 00:09:40,601 --> 00:09:40,851 [Reagan] chart. 219 00:09:41,201 --> 00:09:42,451 [Rush Lindell] I'll say this straight, 220 00:09:42,551 --> 00:09:45,701 [Rush Lindell] Reagan-that gets me more than any dollar figure could. 221 00:09:46,051 --> 00:09:47,901 [Reagan] It should; you can borrow money, 222 00:09:48,101 --> 00:09:50,801 [Reagan] you can't borrow a soldier's third rotation back. 223 00:09:51,251 --> 00:09:55,651 [Rush Lindell] Which is exactly why Rubio's out there promising Iran will pay a price. 224 00:09:56,101 --> 00:09:58,551 [Reagan] Words are cheap when somebody else writes the check. 225 00:10:03,897 --> 00:10:05,347 [Rush Lindell] Building on that, 226 00:10:05,597 --> 00:10:07,097 [Rush Lindell] Rubio's got the line of the day, 227 00:10:07,397 --> 00:10:09,647 [Rush Lindell] Iran will pay a price. 228 00:10:09,897 --> 00:10:11,547 [Reagan] According to ABC News, 229 00:10:11,697 --> 00:10:12,097 [Reagan] he said, 230 00:10:12,247 --> 00:10:16,097 [Reagan] Iran is begging every single day, both directly and indirectly, 231 00:10:16,347 --> 00:10:17,097 [Reagan] to make a deal. 232 00:10:17,547 --> 00:10:18,697 [Rush Lindell] Bold strategy, 233 00:10:18,997 --> 00:10:22,297 [Rush Lindell] threaten a country we're already bombing with more bombing. 234 00:10:22,497 --> 00:10:24,747 [Reagan] CNBC has got the flip side. 235 00:10:25,197 --> 00:10:28,797 [Reagan] Rubio flat out says Iran's still not ready to make one it'll... 236 00:10:28,601 --> 00:10:29,601 [Reagan] It'll actually keep. 237 00:10:29,801 --> 00:10:31,301 [Rush Lindell] That's the tell right there. 238 00:10:31,551 --> 00:10:33,101 [Rush Lindell] They want the cameras off, 239 00:10:33,251 --> 00:10:34,401 [Rush Lindell] the war keeps going. 240 00:10:34,851 --> 00:10:36,601 [Reagan] The Hill reported his other warning, 241 00:10:37,001 --> 00:10:41,151 [Reagan] letting Iran control traffic through Hormuz sets a dangerous global precedent. 242 00:10:41,601 --> 00:10:42,451 [Rush Lindell] Oh yes, 243 00:10:42,651 --> 00:10:44,301 [Rush Lindell] the toll booth of doom. 244 00:10:44,551 --> 00:10:46,951 [Rush Lindell] Every tanker pays the Ayatollah tax. 245 00:10:47,401 --> 00:10:53,701 [Reagan] And CNBC's got Trump vowing to bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant even in Tehran for... 246 00:10:53,529 --> 00:10:55,179 [Reagan] For every ship I ran hits. 247 00:10:55,579 --> 00:10:56,329 [Rush Lindell] I love it! 248 00:10:56,479 --> 00:10:59,129 [Rush Lindell] New nickname-the infrastructure reckoning. 249 00:10:59,429 --> 00:10:59,829 [Reagan] Cute, 250 00:11:00,079 --> 00:11:02,129 [Reagan] but nicknames aren't a strategy Rush. 251 00:11:02,579 --> 00:11:04,779 [Reagan] Tough talk without an exit plan is just noise. 252 00:11:05,379 --> 00:11:06,379 [Rush Lindell] So far, 253 00:11:06,629 --> 00:11:07,579 [Rush Lindell] name the off ramp. 254 00:11:07,779 --> 00:11:09,679 [Rush Lindell] What's the actual end state? 255 00:11:09,979 --> 00:11:11,429 [Rush Lindell] Iran blanks. 256 00:11:11,729 --> 00:11:13,729 [Reagan] That's a hope; hope isn't a plan. 257 00:11:14,129 --> 00:11:15,129 [Rush Lindell] Fair, 258 00:11:15,229 --> 00:11:17,729 [Rush Lindell] but hope's cheaper than what we've already spent. 259 00:11:18,229 --> 00:11:20,529 [Reagan] Wait till you hear how Iran is actually- 260 00:11:20,249 --> 00:11:21,499 [Reagan] actually running that tollbooth. 261 00:11:26,841 --> 00:11:33,291 [Rush Lindell] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Strait of Hormuz Turnpike. Please have your exact change ready. 262 00:11:33,441 --> 00:11:34,791 [Reagan] Oh, we're doing this. 263 00:11:35,441 --> 00:11:35,941 [Rush Lindell] Cash, 264 00:11:35,991 --> 00:11:36,491 [Rush Lindell] oil, 265 00:11:36,641 --> 00:11:38,091 [Rush Lindell] or your firstborn son. 266 00:11:38,591 --> 00:11:41,441 [Reagan] The IRGC as toll collectors. 267 00:11:41,741 --> 00:11:43,791 [Reagan] I actually hate how well that tracks. 268 00:11:44,041 --> 00:11:47,691 [Rush Lindell] That guy spent weeks threatening to shut the whole Strait down, 269 00:11:47,741 --> 00:11:51,941 [Rush Lindell] but they never actually close it. They just idle there like a guy blocking the 270 00:11:51,833 --> 00:11:52,633 [Rush Lindell] In the fast lane, 271 00:11:52,733 --> 00:11:53,483 [Rush Lindell] checking his phone. 272 00:11:53,583 --> 00:11:56,283 [Reagan] It's extortion dressed as strategy. 273 00:11:56,533 --> 00:11:57,183 [Reagan] Fine, 274 00:11:57,233 --> 00:11:57,833 [Reagan] bit's over, 275 00:11:57,983 --> 00:11:59,383 [Reagan] here's what's actually happening. 276 00:11:59,633 --> 00:12:00,333 [Rush Lindell] Go ahead, 277 00:12:00,533 --> 00:12:01,183 [Rush Lindell] ground me. 278 00:12:01,533 --> 00:12:11,183 [Reagan] CNBC reported today that Houthi rebels are now claiming strikes on two Saudi oil tankers. That's a second front opening up, separate from the Iran fight entirely. 279 00:12:11,483 --> 00:12:11,933 [Rush Lindell] Wait, 280 00:12:12,033 --> 00:12:13,533 [Rush Lindell] the Houthis are back in this? 281 00:12:13,683 --> 00:12:15,133 [Reagan] According to CNBC, 282 00:12:15,383 --> 00:12:15,833 [Reagan] yes, 283 00:12:15,933 --> 00:12:17,333 [Reagan] and Secretary Rubio's... 284 00:12:17,113 --> 00:12:20,963 [Reagan] Rubio's own comments in that piece suggest Iran still isn't ready to cut a deal. 285 00:12:21,013 --> 00:12:24,313 [Rush Lindell] So the toll booth's got a partner franchise now. 286 00:12:24,463 --> 00:12:25,063 [Reagan] Basically, 287 00:12:25,563 --> 00:12:29,813 [Reagan] and gulfnews.com is reporting something quieter, but honestly scarier, 288 00:12:30,313 --> 00:12:37,113 [Reagan] an Arab diplomat granted anonymity describing gulf states as increasingly pessimistic there's any off-ramp left at all. 289 00:12:37,413 --> 00:12:37,813 [Rush Lindell] Ooh, 290 00:12:37,913 --> 00:12:39,213 [Rush Lindell] that's not a headline, 291 00:12:39,413 --> 00:12:40,113 [Rush Lindell] that's a mood. 292 00:12:40,463 --> 00:12:41,263 [Reagan] It is, 293 00:12:41,313 --> 00:12:42,963 [Reagan] and here's why the joke matters. 294 00:12:43,513 --> 00:12:44,063 [Reagan] 20% 295 00:12:43,833 --> 00:12:48,933 [Reagan] Fifty per cent of the world's oil moves through that Strait; you don't need a full closure to spike prices, 296 00:12:49,483 --> 00:12:53,883 [Reagan] you just need enough uncertainty that shippers reroute or insurance premiums triple. 297 00:12:54,333 --> 00:12:55,283 [Rush Lindell] So the bit, 298 00:12:55,483 --> 00:12:56,283 [Rush Lindell] the toll booth, 299 00:12:56,433 --> 00:12:58,783 [Rush Lindell] isn't that far off from the real economics. 300 00:12:59,233 --> 00:13:00,083 [Reagan] Not remotely. 301 00:13:00,683 --> 00:13:02,583 [Reagan] Every day this drags without an exit, 302 00:13:02,783 --> 00:13:05,233 [Reagan] that's the actual toll-paid at the pump, 303 00:13:05,383 --> 00:13:06,233 [Reagan] not at some checkpoint. 304 00:13:06,833 --> 00:13:07,183 [Rush Lindell] Yeah, 305 00:13:07,483 --> 00:13:07,783 [Rush Lindell] okay, 306 00:13:08,383 --> 00:13:10,583 [Rush Lindell] comedy's fun till you remember who's writing 307 00:13:10,583 --> 00:13:11,233 [Speaker 3] it. 308 00:13:10,553 --> 00:13:11,153 [Rush Lindell] In the check. 309 00:13:11,353 --> 00:13:13,703 [Reagan] Which is everyone buying gas this month. 310 00:13:19,403 --> 00:13:20,653 [Rush Lindell] Building on that, 311 00:13:20,953 --> 00:13:22,053 [Rush Lindell] here's my verdict, 312 00:13:22,303 --> 00:13:23,653 [Rush Lindell] and I'm not softening it: 313 00:13:23,953 --> 00:13:25,453 [Rush Lindell] This is a war, 314 00:13:25,853 --> 00:13:26,803 [Rush Lindell] full stop. 315 00:13:27,203 --> 00:13:27,753 [Reagan] Go on. 316 00:13:28,217 --> 00:13:29,917 [Rush Lindell] Twelve nights of strikes, 317 00:13:30,267 --> 00:13:32,217 [Rush Lindell] a widening front with the Houthis, 318 00:13:32,567 --> 00:13:39,667 [Rush Lindell] dead paper where a peace deal used to be-call it whatever the State Department wants-a war is a war. 319 00:13:40,167 --> 00:13:40,817 [Reagan] Hold on, 320 00:13:40,967 --> 00:13:42,767 [Reagan] before you slam that gavel down, 321 00:13:43,117 --> 00:13:50,817 [Reagan] Iran's own Interior Ministry put out a statement saying diplomacy isn't dead; they claim messages are still moving back and forth! 322 00:13:51,429 --> 00:13:52,229 [Rush Lindell] Messages, 323 00:13:52,479 --> 00:13:52,779 [Rush Lindell] sure, 324 00:13:53,129 --> 00:13:54,829 [Rush Lindell] while the missiles are doing the talking. 325 00:13:55,379 --> 00:14:00,129 [Reagan] I'm not saying trust it; I'm saying we don't get to declare total certainty when the other 326 00:14:00,129 --> 00:14:01,129 [Speaker 3] half of the data isn't in. 327 00:14:00,202 --> 00:14:02,352 [Rush Lindell] The other side is publicly leaving the door cracked. 328 00:14:02,952 --> 00:14:06,752 [Reagan] A cracked door and a burning building are not the same thing, 329 00:14:06,852 --> 00:14:07,152 [Reagan] Reagan. 330 00:14:07,652 --> 00:14:08,352 [Rush Lindell] Fair, 331 00:14:08,652 --> 00:14:10,452 [Rush Lindell] but it's the caveat that keeps him honest. 332 00:14:11,124 --> 00:14:14,074 [Reagan] Fine-noted; still calling it a war. 333 00:14:14,574 --> 00:14:15,374 [Rush Lindell] Next episode, 334 00:14:15,474 --> 00:14:16,874 [Rush Lindell] I want eyes on the Houthi front, 335 00:14:17,324 --> 00:14:19,274 [Rush Lindell] if that widens past tanker strikes. 336 00:14:19,924 --> 00:14:22,224 [Reagan] Oil markets move fast. 337 00:14:22,724 --> 00:14:26,824 [Rush Lindell] Exactly; twenty per cent of the world's oil already routes through that stretch of water. 338 00:14:27,424 --> 00:14:31,174 [Reagan] So same time tomorrow we find out if the toll booth's still open. 339 00:14:31,724 --> 00:14:33,524 [Rush Lindell] Or if the whole road is on fire. 340 00:14:38,942 --> 00:14:39,742 [Reagan] All right, 341 00:14:39,942 --> 00:14:41,342 [Reagan] Twelve Nights of strikes, 342 00:14:41,492 --> 00:14:41,742 [Reagan] Reagan, 343 00:14:41,892 --> 00:14:47,292 [Reagan] and my paper ceasefire call held up cracked the second Tehran opened its mouth. 344 00:14:47,792 --> 00:14:49,392 [Rush Lindell] Sure, the deal cracked, 345 00:14:49,592 --> 00:14:52,442 [Rush Lindell] but predicting a handshake failing isn't the same as predicting 346 00:14:52,442 --> 00:14:52,542 [Reagan] Mm 347 00:14:52,542 --> 00:14:52,692 [Rush Lindell] body 348 00:14:52,692 --> 00:14:52,892 [Reagan] -hmm. 349 00:14:52,892 --> 00:14:53,292 [Rush Lindell] counts. 350 00:14:53,492 --> 00:14:54,492 [Rush Lindell] That gap matters. 351 00:14:54,892 --> 00:14:55,842 [Reagan] Fair enough. 352 00:14:56,042 --> 00:14:56,442 [Reagan] Still, 353 00:14:56,692 --> 00:14:59,592 [Reagan] a war dressed up as a press release is a war. 354 00:14:59,942 --> 00:15:03,192 [Rush Lindell] Iran's Interior Ministry says diplomacy is still breathing. 355 00:15:03,592 --> 00:15:04,342 [Rush Lindell] We'll see who's right. 356 00:15:04,606 --> 00:15:05,506 [Reagan] We'll see. 357 00:15:05,906 --> 00:15:10,956 [Reagan] Next time we're watching the Houthi front those tanker strikes could move oil fast. 358 00:15:11,556 --> 00:15:12,606 [Rush Lindell] Fast and loud, 359 00:15:12,806 --> 00:15:13,356 [Rush Lindell] worth tracking. 360 00:15:13,806 --> 00:15:14,706 [Reagan] That's the hour. 361 00:15:15,156 --> 00:15:16,256 [Reagan] Rubio's rhetoric, 362 00:15:16,556 --> 00:15:17,556 [Reagan] my soap box, 363 00:15:17,806 --> 00:15:19,306 [Reagan] and Reagan keepin' me honest. 364 00:15:19,856 --> 00:15:20,806 [Rush Lindell] Somebody's got to. 365 00:15:21,306 --> 00:15:22,306 [Reagan] Liked what you heard? 366 00:15:22,606 --> 00:15:23,006 [Reagan] Subscribe. 367 00:15:23,506 --> 00:15:24,856 [Reagan] Drop a five star review. 368 00:15:25,206 --> 00:15:26,856 [Reagan] Tell a friend who needs the truth. 369 00:15:27,406 --> 00:15:29,056 [Rush Lindell] New episodes every weekday. 370 00:15:29,256 --> 00:15:30,656 [Rush Lindell] Thanks for spending the hour with us. 371 00:15:30,846 --> 00:15:31,946 [Reagan] Stay sharp. 372 00:15:32,046 --> 00:15:32,846 [Reagan] See you tomorrow.