Iran-US Waiting Game, Lebanon War and Oil Price Big Mystery (The Duran)

The US-Iran standoff has become a full-scale war of economic attrition, with Pakistan playing courier between Washington and Tehran. Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris break down why oil prices are nowhere near the predicted $150 a barrel, whether Iran's economy is actually close to breaking, and how the Trump administration is buying time ahead of the US midterms. Are the Iranians more resilient than the CIA thinks, and what happens if this whole strategy collapses by autumn?

00:00:00 Introduction: US Iran Courier Diplomacy via Pakistan
00:01:06 Trump Netanyahu Good Cop Bad Cop Analysis
00:01:54 The Waiting Game: Economic Pressure on Iran
00:03:36 Each Side Waits for the Other to Break
00:04:53 The Real Battle: Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon
00:06:53 Lebanon as Cover for the Broader Standoff
00:07:25 CIA Assessment: Four Months Until Iranian Economy Folds
00:09:21 Why Iran May Not Break by September
00:12:01 The Oil Price Mystery: Where Is the $150 Barrel?
00:15:43 Europe in Recession and Falling Energy Demand
00:16:31 US Vassals Absorb the Pain While America Holds Out
00:19:27 A War of Economic Attrition: Who Breaks First?
00:21:29 Trump Strings Everyone Along: Media Control and MAGA Base
00:24:17 Trump's Emergency Cards: Cuba and Greenland as Distractions



[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, June 6, 2026.]