Trump's Iran War: Strategic Confusion With No Way Out | Dr. Samir Puri

What happens when the world's most powerful military goes to war with no clear objective and no exit strategy?

Dr. Samir Puri — former UK diplomat, Chatham House director, and bestselling author of Westlessness — joins Maz fresh from the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, where he sat in the room with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister as the attacks began.

In this episode, Samir breaks down why the US is playing both arsonist and firefighter in the Middle East — and why that contradiction may define America's strategic position for years to come.

What we cover:

• Why Israel has a clear objective in this war, and the US has only confusion
• How Iran is winning the global sympathy battle despite being an odious regime
• The moment India quietly broke with Washington — and why Modi wasn't told about the attack
• How the Strait of Hormuz becomes a pressure point without Iran firing a single shot
• Why Europe is "moving like a snail while everyone else runs laps"
• China's calculated silence — and what they're actually gaining from this
• The "forever war" trap: why the US may be policing these waters indefinitely

A standout line from Samir: "This is not just a live fire weapons display. What it will show is that the United States is liable to engage in military activities for misconstrued goals — and is not a stabilizing force."

If you want analysis that goes beyond the headlines, this is the episode.

🎙️ The Voices of War is your gateway to the untold stories and nuanced perspectives of conflict. Hosted by Vedran 'Maz' Maslic — military leader, entrepreneur, and strategic thinker.

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*** As this episode contains clips from other sources, I recommend watching it on YouTube on this link: https://youtu.be/uenKNmiHP10

Australia has just passed sweeping new "hate-speech" laws. Former Army officer and Bosnia war refugee Vedran ‘Maz’ Maslic warns they could be used to silence criticism of Israel even from Jewish scholars and peace activists. In this solo monologue, Vedran breaks his silence on the Bondi attack aftermath, the "Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026," and what he sees as an escalating campaign to reshape what Australians can say about Israel, Gaza, and Zionism.

🔍 WHAT HE COVERS:

• How the Israel lobby shapes Australian politics (ASPI data on political trips, Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism)

• Why Bob Carr warned about disproportionate foreign influence on Australia's foreign policy

• Penny Wong refusing to rule out prosecuting "genocide" accusations under the new law

• How Western allies (UK, Canada, France, Australia) are recognising Palestinian sovereignty and why that matters

• Media ownership shift: Ellison family controlling CBS News, TikTok US, with explicit Israel advocacy

• Why Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Megyn Kelly have all turned against Israel and what that signals

• A Bosnian refugee's warning: "We didn't grow up hating each other. We were manipulated."

⚖️ THE QUESTION: Are Australia's new hate-speech laws genuinely about protecting communities from violence or are they about reshaping what we can say about Israel at the exact moment its closest allies are stepping back?

📹 KEY CLIPS REFERENCED:

• Bob Carr on Israel lobby influence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4psBTp6CVk

• Michael West investigation: https://michaelwest.com.au/sponsoring-the-gold-coast-antisemitism-junket-for-mayors-and-councillors/

• Penny Wong on Today Show: https://youtu.be/kc-xLKertvU?t=285 • Netanyahu's domestic speech (no Palestinian state): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/E5j0CPLZJ9o

• Tucker Carlson on Israel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_LN4fDf6s

🎙️ ABOUT VEDRAN MASLIC: Bosnian war refugee (1990s), Australian Army veteran, and host of The Voices of War podcast. Has interviewed genocide scholar William Schabas, Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, and dehumanisation scholar David Livingstone Smith all Jewish experts critical of Israel's Gaza operations.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for expert analysis on war, conflict prevention, and the politics of violence.

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Is 2026 the year of global conflict escalation?

In this in-depth conversation, Richard Atwood, Executive VP of International Crisis Group and host of Hold Your Fire! podcast, discusses the top 10 conflicts to watch in 2026 and how Trump's foreign policy is reshaping global order.

Richard Atwood, one of the world's leading conflict analysis and prevention experts, draws on 20+ years of field research across 50+ war zones (Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela, Syria) to explain:

• Venezuela: a dramatic US raid, but no clear ‘day after’

• Latin America: pressure politics over intervention wars

• Greenland: how seriously should Europe take Trump?

• Europe & NATO: defence burden-shifting and US unpredictability

• Ukraine: diplomacy stalled, deterrence doing the heavy lifting

• China-Taiwan: mixed signals, high stakes

• Iran: regime under pressure, options narrowing

• Israel-Palestine: ceasefire without resolution, West Bank escalation

• Syria: Assad gone, opportunity or new instability?

• Gulf politics: Saudi-UAE tensions beneath the surface

• Sudan-Yemen: neglected wars reshaping the region

Advising UN, EU, US State Dept and cited by world leaders, Atwood delivers unfiltered analysis on rules-based order collapse, Trump 2.0 impact, and which wars pose the greatest global threat. For geopolitics analysts, policymakers, and anyone tracking 2026 flashpoints, this is essential predictive intel.

If you value independent analysis like this, please like , comment, share, and subscribe to The Voices of War for long-form interviews with top geopolitics experts.

Resources & Links

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📘 About Richard Atwood Executive VP International Crisis Group | Hold Your Fire! host | Oxford IR expert | UN/State Dept advisor

🎙️ Related episodes Crisis Group reports, Trump policy, great power competition: thevoicesofwar.com #10ConflictsToWatch #TrumpForeignPolicy #GreatPowerCompetition #RichardAtwood #CrisisGroup #Geopolitics #Ukraine #Venezuela #ChinaTaiwan #Iran #Gaza #RulesBasedOrder