Quote · The MeidasTouch Podcast
Thursday Afternoon Breaking News Updates with Ben - 7/2/2026
Where this was said
Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Witkoff–Kushner Real Estate Pitch
At 12:00 · chapter starts 10:20
Meiselas turns to foreign policy, describing what he characterizes as a catastrophic and unlawful war with Iran launched at the behest of Netanyahu. The central geopolitical reality emerging from that conflict is stark: Iran now holds control over the Strait of Hormuz and the flow of oil tankers through it — and that leverage is their trump card. [1] — Ben Meiselas "Iran controls Strait of Hormuz — major oil leverage: Following the US-Iran conflict, Iran now claims control over the Strait of Hormuz, giv…" 11:50 US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are depicted as pitching Iran with visions of luxury hotels and a booming Tehran skyline, à la Don Draper from Mad Men, in exchange for not tolling the strait. Iran's response, as Meiselas narrates it, is blunt: you've violated the MOU daily since signing it, JD Vance himself admitted it was only signed to replenish our depleted stocks, and you're the least trustworthy negotiating partner imaginable. The MOU violation context is critical: Meiselas highlights Vance's on-air comments about 'replenishing our stocks' as evidence the ceasefire was never intended to be permanent — and the strategic petroleum reserve is now at what he calls functional tank bottom.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are pitching Iran with visions of luxury hotels and Tehran skylines in exchange for not tolling the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's response: we've been bombed repeatedly since the MOU, JD Vance admitted the ceasefire is just for resupply, and we don't trust you.
Following the US-Iran conflict, Iran now claims control over the Strait of Hormuz, giving it the power to throttle global oil tanker flows — leverage it refuses to relinquish.
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at functional tank bottom — the lowest level in history — while the Strait of Hormuz throttles global supply. Meiselas explains crack spreads: the gap between crude prices and refinery costs means pump prices won't fall just because crude does, and the SPR crisis compounds it.
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been drawn down to what Meiselas calls 'functional and technical tank bottom' — historically low levels that represent a major national security risk.
