US war on Iran isn't just about Israel; it's mainly about oil and dollar dominance

US war on Iran isn't just about Israel; it's mainly about oil and dollar dominance

Author: Ben Norton March 13, 2026 Duration: 52:10
Why is the USA waging war on Iran? It's not just because of Israel. Washington wants to control the oil of the Middle East (West Asia) to maintain the petrodollar system. The Trump admin fears the dedollarization movement's challenge to the global reserve currency, which is the US empire's most powerful tool. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcXrvKVsPV8 Topics 0:00 Iran war, US & Israel 0:32 World War I analogy 1:47 Middle East wars 2:56 Oil reserves 3:51 (CLIP) Trump wants Venezuela's oil 4:14 Oil blockade of Cuba 4:59 Strait of Hormuz 5:40 Trump admin targets Iran's oil 6:06 (CLIP) US wants "to get all of the oil" 6:30 USA is top oil producer 7:11 Dollar as global reserve currency 7:55 Sanctions and financial system 9:00 Dedollarization 9:50 (CLIP) Trump fears dedollarization 10:07 Iran joins BRICS 10:22 Iran promotes dedollarization 11:08 Resistance groups 11:38 Petrodollar system 13:14 US oil deal with Saudi Arabia 15:06 Oil is (mostly) sold in US dollars 16:38 China buys Iranian oil with yuan 17:05 Venezuela sold oil in renminbi 17:26 Petrodollar and Venezuela 18:19 Trump official: Iran war for oil 19:44 USA targets China 20:44 Exorbitant privilege of US dollar 22:26 Commodities priced in USD 23:19 Financial elites benefit 24:17 US stock market: 60% of world 24:54 Global elites hold US assets 26:57 Gold standard to oil standard 28:11 Richest 10% hold 90% of stocks 28:43 Dedollarization grows 29:21 Rise of China (and India) 30:01 China buys oil with yuan 31:20 Iraq sold oil for euro, not USD 32:19 USA controls Iraq's oil revenues 33:30 Venezuela's oil revenues 34:19 Trump fears de-dollarization 35:00 UAE sells China LNG in RMB 36:01 Saudi Arabia considers yuan 36:51 Saudi BRICS invitation 37:15 UAE joined BRICS 37:44 War among BRICS members 38:29 US provokes Saudi-Iran conflict 39:10 China brokers Saudi-Iran deal 39:39 Petrodollar war 40:52 Israel and lobbying 43:34 Israel: US aircraft carrier 44:20 (CLIP) Biden: Israel "investment" 44:36 Israel and petrodollar 45:11 The tail does not wag the dog 46:05 Suez crisis of 1956 47:28 Origins of US-Saudi alliance 48:30 US-Israel alliance is recent 49:58 Bigger picture of US imperialism 51:55 Outro

Trying to make sense of international headlines often feels like seeing only the ripples on the water's surface, without understanding the powerful currents moving beneath. Geopolitical Economy Report, hosted by journalist Ben Norton, dives into those deeper forces. This isn't just a recap of the day's events; it's a dedicated exploration of how economic systems, historical context, and raw power politics fundamentally shape global conflicts and alliances. Each episode builds on the work of the independent news outlet of the same name, translating its original journalism and analysis into a compelling audio format. You'll hear detailed discussions that connect financial policies to social movements, or trace the historical roots of a modern trade war, always with an eye toward understanding the larger, changing structure of the world. For anyone tired of superficial news cycles and seeking a more substantive, connected perspective on why nations and institutions act the way they do, this podcast offers a crucial and clarifying lens. Tune in for a regular dose of context that the mainstream frequently overlooks.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Geopolitical Economy Report
Podcast Episodes
Palantir CEO predicted US war on Iran, Russia, and China [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:16
The US military will "very likely" fight a three-way war with Iran, Russia, and China, predicted Palantir CEO Alex Karp in 2024. American imperial strategist Zbigniew Brzezinski warned back in the 1990s of this Eurasian…
To sell US war on Iran, Trump recycles old Iraq War propaganda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:16
To justify war on Iran, the Donald Trump administration is repeating the same disinformation used by George W. Bush to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, based on false claims it had "weapons of mass destructi…
The real reasons for the US-Israeli war on Iran, explained [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:51
The United States and Israel are waging war on Iran, but why? What are their real goals? Ben Norton explains the imperial strategy to impose US hegemony on West Asia (aka the Middle East), destroy the Axis of Resistance,…
Asia is uniting, creating a new post-West global order [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:29
Everywhere you look, you can see the decline of Western hegemony, as the world is increasingly multipolar. Ben Norton analyzes the rise of China, development of Global South economies, and increasing unity in Asia. A sym…
'We are preparing for war' with China 'threat', says US military [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:49
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered an extremely hawkish speech in which he demonized China as a "threat" and said, "We are preparing for war". Ben Norton analyzes the top Trump admin official's aggressive rem…
Why Trump is angry at Russia: Reality strikes in Ukraine war [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:42
Donald Trump lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that he is "playing with fire", because the US has been unable to end the Ukraine war on its own terms. Political economist Radhika Desai analyzes the…