Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff · Democracy at Work, Richard D. Wolff

The Crisis in the Middle East With Chris Hedges

June 24, 2025·32 min·2 clips

Chris Hedges reveals Israel's three goals in bombing Iran: degrading nuclear capabilities, regime change, and deflecting from Gaza genocide.

This episode of Economic Update features host Richard Wolff in conversation with guest Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning former foreign correspondent and author. They analyze Israel's preemptive strike on Iran and the ongoing situation in Gaza. Hedges outlines three Israeli goals: degrading Iran's nuclear capabilities, achieving regime change in Iran, and deflecting attention from Gaza. He notes Iran's population of 90 million compared to Israel's roughly 10 million and its stock of roughly 2,000 missiles. Hedges states that about 68-70% of Israel's munitions now come from the United States. He argues Israel's long-term strategy is to draw the U.S. into a direct conflict, relying on the influence of the pro-Israel lobby and neoconservative factions. The conversation covers the potential for a regional war, including the risk of closing the Strait of Hormuz, which handles 20-21% of the world's oil. Hedges describes the current phase in Gaza as the "final chapter of the genocide," with a half-million Palestinians on the brink of starvation and only four operable feeding hubs. He speculates Israel may try to push Palestinians into the northern Sinai. Hedges compares Israel's actions to historical settler-colonial projects like those of the U.S., Britain, and France. A surprising claim is that Israel's strike on Iran was a "war crime" akin to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Hedges asserts that Israeli society broadly supports the government's policies toward Palestinians despite opposition to Netanyahu. He attributes this to the trauma of October 7th and systemic indoctrination. The tone is analytical and urgent, blending geopolitical expertise with a critical historical perspective. The style is a direct, in-depth interview focused on unpacking motivations and forecasting consequences. Listeners interested in a critical, left-wing analysis of Middle Eastern geopolitics and U.S. foreign policy would find this episode compelling. Those seeking a balanced debate or official Israeli and U.S. government perspectives might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A serious, slow-moving conversation about how the Middle East crisis could pull the United States deeper into war.

Richard Wolff gives Chris Hedges space to walk through the Middle East conflict and why the crisis around Iran, Israel, and U.S. power may widen further.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a blunt, history-loaded take on the Iran-Israel-US war risk.

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