In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass dissect the messy endgame of the US-Israeli war with Iran. They discuss leverage, informal and formal ceasefires, and strategy. The conversation explores whether and how Washington might end a conflict it started, given that Israel and Iran still have their own agendas. Haass explains why Iran’s biggest bargaining chip may be the Strait of Hormuz, where even the threat of disruption has sent oil markets into panic. The discussion widens to the geopolitical ripple effects: Russia and China quietly benefiting from U.S. distraction, Ukraine watching American weapons flow elsewhere, and the uncomfortable reality that a trillion-dollar Pentagon still struggles with the cheap drone warfare dominating modern battlefields. And as always the two find a way to pivot from geopolitics to golf, safely predicting that the favorite will win the Players Championship.

Hosted by John Ellis and Richard Haass

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Produced by Dale Eisinger