The US administration abruptly canceled planned military strikes on May 18, 2026, citing diplomatic optimism while struggling to manage a fracturing coalition and severe economic instability. This decision follows the enforcement of a massive naval blockade that has forcibly disabled four commercial vessels and diverted 81 others in the Arabian Sea.

The episode also examines Iran'S use of Iraqi-based drones to target the Baraka nuclear power plant in the UAE, signaling a new escalation in regional proxy warfare. For the full record of documents and data cited in this episode, visit nbn.fm.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep156

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

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