← The CEO Retort with Tim El-Sheikh17 Aug · 40 min
Scott Lucas explains how Trump and Israel have completely lost control of the Middle East
<p>Professor Scott Lucas analyses how the Trump administration have run out of viable military options, decentring the Middle East and destabilising the global economy.</p><p><br></p><p>The episode opens with a wide-ranging update on the escalating instability across the Middle East, centred on the US-Iran confrontation and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz.</p><p><br></p><p>Scott explains that the situation has entered a difficult middle phase: a limbo that does not include full-scale war but is also far from peace.</p><p><br></p><p>This level of increasing uncertainty and instability is exactly what makes the moment so dangerous, especially as shipping through the strait has fallen sharply and the economic stakes keep rising.</p><p><br></p><p>Support our independence by becoming a member to help us fight against this dangerous move by the UK government: <a href="https://RetortMedia.com/Support">https://RetortMedia.com/Support</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps:</strong></p><p>(00:00:00) – Preview</p><p>(00:02:18) – Climate Change and Political Delusion with the UK's 5th heat wave in a single Summer Season!</p><p>(00:05:00) – The Escalating Iran Situation. Somehow it is worse than it has ever been. How did the US lose all leverage against Iran?</p><p>(00:11:13) – Reminder of the June 2026 memorandum of understanding and what Trump signed up to and desperately wants Iran to reengage</p><p>(00:15:01) — The latest Israel-Lebanon front, Gaza, and the West Bank developments that added further instability in the region</p><p>(00:17:57) — Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Houthis, and Red Sea escalation: The closure of the Bab El-Mandeb Strait – which is only open to Chinese tankers!</p><p>(00:21:16) — The Trump administration are not even looking at the Yemen-Saudi Arabia situation and how Saudi Arabia could call out Trump on his failures</p><p>(00:24:41) — The emerging Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defence pact – dubbed the “Islamic NATO” and the decentring of the entire region</p><p>(00:30:52) — What is the reaction of Israel and the UAE to the emergence of this new defence pact?</p><p>(00:36:32) — This complete realignment goes completely against Trump 1.0's pet project, the Abraham Accords. So what's next?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Notes & Citations:</strong></p><p><a href="https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/08/17/scott-lucas-exposes-how-trump-and-israel-lost-control-of-the-middle-east/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/08/17/scott-lucas-exposes-how-trump-and-israel-lost-control-of-the-middle-east/</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Subscribe to The CEO Retort:</strong></p><ul><li>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CEORetort?sub_confirmation=1">https://www.youtube.com/@CEORetort</a></li></ul><ul><li>Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ceo-retort/id1767132889">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ceo-retort/id1767132889</a></li></ul><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5ytJdrSK0yGL2OZfTitnp8"></a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Connect with Tim El-Sheikh:</strong></p><ol><li>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh">https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh</a></li></ol>
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