We break down the latest on the Iran conflict, the stalled diplomacy, and why the Strait of Hormuz has become Tehran’s most powerful bargaining chip. We dig into whether the U.S. or Israel would actually resume military operations, how Iran’s internal power struggle is shifting toward harder IRGC control, and what that means for any future nuclear deal. This episode also covers the War Powers Act, covert action options, Hezbollah’s future in Lebanon, and why Washington may be heading toward a long and painful strategic stalemate. Mars Men⬇️ For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at https://mengotomars.com/ Support the show on Patreon:⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse Subscribe to our newsletter!!!! https://teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join Jack's news outlet: https://thehighside.substack.com/ Find Jon Hackett here:⬇️ Jon's Twitter: https://x.com/jonathanhackett Jon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejonathanhackett Jon's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0C5L659N5?ccs_id=e11a2062-f8d3-498e-bfd7-7d2f3869caf6 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejonathanhackett Twitter: https://x.com/jonathanhackett Check out Mick's new podcast here:⬇️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/pub-and-porch-applied-stoicism/id1836955475 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1k3QPmkAMwnGJxMLDwUSSd?si=n6piIu8XRcag1Z0K43A3bQ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCd0Hq6QFk8CoTu5j-VU0Ong Find Mick Mulroy here: Fogbow ⬇️ https://fogbow.com/ Lobo Institute ⬇️ https://www.loboinstitute.org/ Twitter ⬇️ https://x.com/mickmulroy?s=21&t=-Ze3F_Ix2vlJ18KFvORTCA LinkedIn ⬇️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-patrick-mulroy-31198b52/ Bluesky ⬇️ https://bsky.app/profile/mickmulroy.bsky.social Mick’s publications ⬇️ https://www.loboinstitute.org/publications/publications-of-michael-mick-patrick-mulroy/ Whitefish security summit https://whitefishsecuritysummit.com Find Marc P here: https://x.com/Mpolymer Find Andy Milburn here: Twitter ⬇️ https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fandymilburn8 LinkedIn ⬇️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmilburn2023 Substack ⬇️ https://amilburn.substack.com/ Andy’s book ⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/When-Tempest-Gathers-Mogadishu-Operations Bluesky ⬇️ https://bsky.app/profile/andy-milburn.bsky.social Find Jason Lyons here: LinkedIn ⬇️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-lyons-666873316?u Bluesky ⬇️ https://bsky.app/profile/bgsilverback73.bsky.social "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio 00:00 — Start 01:30 — Strait of Hormuz, stalled diplomacy, and where the Iran war stands, VBSS operations, maritime blockade, and U.S. pressure on Iran 03:40 — Why diplomacy matters more than “mowing the grass” militarily 06:00 — Why a new Iran nuclear deal must be better than the 2015 JCPOA 08:40 — Inside Iran’s political factions: moderates, reformists, and hardliners 10:30 — Ahmad Vahidi, the IRGC, and why the regime may be getting worse 12:00 — Does anyone actually want military operations to restart? 15:40 — The Strait of Hormuz as Iran’s new “nuclear weapon” 18:00 — Lebanon, Hezbollah, and the push to break Iran’s regional proxy network 24:00 — Trump’s political problem: can he accept compromise with Iran? 27:40 — War Powers Act, Congress, and whether the U.S. can legally keep fighting 30:20 — Using the Iraq AUMF and “self-defense” to justify more strikes 38:20 — What’s really happening in the Strait of Hormuz right now 39:30 — U.S. intelligence collection inside Iran and the regime power struggle 43:00 — Covert action, influence ops, and what the U.S. should be doing quietly 46:00 — Who should the U.S. actually negotiate with inside Iran? 50:00 — Can Vahidi remove rivals and sabotage any nuclear agreement? 52:20 — If bombing resumes, is Vahidi target number one? 53:00 — Red Sox collapse, Whitefish Security Summit, and closing thoughts Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.
