Drop Site News
Drop Site News is an independent news outlet delivering in-depth reporting on war, politics, and global affairs. Hosted by journalists Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim, the podcast covers critical stories from the U.S. and around the world. Each episode features investigative journalism and analysis of current events.
Episodes
Noura Erakat on Three Years of Genocide and the Board of Peace's "New World Order"
Three years into Israel's genocide in Gaza, Palestinian human rights lawyer and legal scholar Noura Erakat argues that Donald Trump's Board of Peace is about more than Gaza: it's a blueprint for a new world order.Drop Site's Sharif Abdel Kouddous speaks with Erakat, a professor at Rutgers University, about her Boston Review essay, "Exit and Exception." Erakat argues that the Board of Peace matters
Ansarallah Advances, Israel Murders, Trump Withdraws, and Why Iran Still Controls the Strait: The War Brief
On this week’s episode of the War Brief, hosts Sarmad Jawad and Murtaza Hussain break down the most critical military and foreign policy developments across the Middle East and Eastern Europe over the past week.In Yemen, Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, continue their rapid advances across western Yemen, moving to encircle the city of Taiz and firming up their control control over the vital
Washington Is About to Make the Energy Crisis a Whole Lot Worse
Eight months into the US-Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz is still contested—and the oil shock nearly everyone predicted never arrived.Gregory Brew, senior energy analyst at Eurasia Group and a historian of modern Iran, explains why crude sits in the $90–$110 band instead of $250: alternative pipeline routes, high global inventories, a steep cut in Chinese imports, and an oil market practiced at abs
Top Yemeni Journalist: Saudi Arabia Could Lose Territory to Ansarallah
Ryan Grim interviews Yemeni journalist Hussain Al-Bukhaiti on the state of the conflict in Yemen. Al-Bukhaiti told Drop Site that Saudi-backed forces in eastern areas of Al-Jawf are essentially driving around empty desert for the cameras and presenting it as an advance.“They just go to an open area and keep shooting at a hill or a small mountain, and there’s no one there,” he said, adding that the
Saudi-Backed Forces ROUTED in Yemen as Oil Surges and War Spirals
Twenty-five years after 9/11, the United States is again fighting a major war in the Middle East. Drop Site’s Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain speak with Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS and a former senior adviser in the Obama administration, and Rob Malley, a senior fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, former U.S. special envo
Jeffrey Sachs: America’s “Legacy of Delusion” Fueling Financial Bubble & Iran Failure
Jeffrey Sachs joins Drop Site’s Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain to discuss how Washington’s delusions about American power are fueling wars abroad and a financial bubble at home.Drawing on his firsthand experience advising Russia at the Soviet Union’s collapse and decades studying Asia’s economic rise, Sachs traces the roots of America’s belief that it can dominate the world. He explains why efforts
Imran Khan’s Health, Iran Under Sanctions
Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan was recently taken from prison to hospital for medical treatment amid reports of his failing health in custody, including continued loss of eyesight in his right eye. The fate of Khan, the country’s most popular politician, has held politics in limbo in the nuclear-armed country of 240 million for the past three years. While the ruling militar
Gaza Talks, Florida Primaries, and ICE Detention
President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner traveled to the region for high level meetings with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Sunday followed by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the next stages of the so-called ceasefire plan that was announced by President Donald Trump last month.Kushner emerged with no concrete commitments from Israel to the U.S. proposal
Hormuz at Breaking Point and Remembering Journalists Killed in Gaza
The U.S. war against Iran has transformed into a form of economic siege as U.S. ships blockade Iranian ports and Trump promises a prolonged naval confrontation aimed at forcing Iran to relinquish its control over the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Iran is imposing its own retaliatory siege aimed at the U.S. and its allies by striking ships attempting the pass the strait without its permission
The Gaza “Ceasefire” Farce and the Battle for Michigan
Last week, Hamas and President Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace announced they had formally agreed to terms addressing the weapons held by the Palestinian resistance. Sources from within Hamas told Drop Site that the issue was contentious and hotly debated internally, but ultimately the group moved forward with a strategy that the ball would now be in the court of Israel, the U.S., and regi
West Bank Settler Terrorism and India’s Gen Z Protest Movement
Armed Israeli settlers backed by the military and government have continued to escalate attacks on Palestinians living in the West Bank in recent weeks, attacking villages and towns amid an ongoing push to assert Israeli sovereignty over the territory. At the same time, there are indications that the “wall of fear” among Palestinians in the West Bank has begun to crumble—as individual Palestinians
The Gulf War and the Battle For Michigan
As the U.S. continues to carry out an air campaign against Iran and attempts to wrest back control of the Strait of Hormuz, the war is already reshaping the future of Gulf Arab states that rely on the critical waterway as well as the protection of U.S. military bases in the region.On this week’s stream, Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain discuss the impact of the war on the GCC states with Amir Handjan
Ro Khanna and Israeli Apartheid, the Iran War, and the Politics of the World Cup
On this week’s stream, Rep. Ro Khanna describes being detained by Israeli settlers backed by the Israeli army in the West Bank earlier this month—and talks about his meetings with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Khanna and Drop Site co-founder Jeremy Scahill debate Palestinian armed resistance, the Iron Dome, and Congress’s role.Then: As the FIFA World Cup enters its final week, visiting t
Beyond the Battlefield: What Comes Next for the Iran and Gaza Wars
Since October 7, 2023 and the launch of the genocidal war on Gaza, the U.S. and Israel have manufactured a reality in the Middle East—a new reality in which ceasefires have been redefined as a diplomatic cudgel to incapacitate any resistance to Israel’s wars and force surrender. Israel can continue its attacks, claiming self defense, while local, indigenous forces or resistance groups must adhere
Lebanon’s Surrender Agreement: Hezbollah Expert Amal Saad on Beirut’s “Framework” With Israel
In mid-June, the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that was formally intended to bring a halt to the war and open a path for negotiations on a range of issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran, however, made clear that it would not proceed to any long-term deal unless the U.S. compelled Israel to end its war against Lebanon. Since the signing of the MOU, Isra
From Lake Lucerne to Lebanon, U.S.-Iran Talks Stumble Forward
The United States and Iran continue to push forward with talks building on their recently signed MOU to end the current war and resolve outstanding differences between the two countries related to sanctions and the Iranian nuclear program. Following the failure of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack against Iran, Tehran has put forward what amount to victors’ terms in ongoing negotiations; including ful
The State of War and Diplomacy: Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza
The United States and Iran reached an initial agreement early Monday to extend the ceasefire for 60 days and open the Strait of Hormuz. The text of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) has not been released, but Iran has publicly indicated that the deal includes a permanent cessation of military operations across all fronts, including Lebanon specifically. The signing of the agreement is set for
Erratic Fury: Trump and Iran—On the Precipice of More War or a Return to Diplomacy
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed over the past two months that a deal with Iran is imminent. Following an exchange of military attacks between Iran and Israel this week, Trump is treading in familiar narrative waters. Iran has made clear it remains open to a deal and charges that the basic contours of an agreement were in place weeks ago. Trump, Iranian officials charged, sabotaged an
Why the Iran Talks Now Hang on Lebanon
Tehran suspended ceasefire negotiations over Israel’s escalating attacks in Lebanon and U.S. strikes on Iranian shipping, as any prospect of a deal grows increasingly remote. Iran’s Foreign Ministry says a permanent Lebanon ceasefire is now a prerequisite for any agreement, while Strait of Hormuz closures send fertilizer and diesel prices soaring.At the same time, Israel is pursuing a systematic c
U.S.-Iran Negotiations in the Balance, Israel Escalates Attacks Against Gaza and Lebanon
Iran on Tuesday denounced U.S. strikes a day earlier as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations for a framework for a deal to end the war hang in the balance. The U.S. military confirmed that it had struck vessels near the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday in what called “self-defense strikes,” while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it shot down a MQ
The State of Trump’s Iran Quagmire and a Look at the War in Sudan
As President Donald Trump struggles to find a path to declare victory in his war of choice against Iran, he now claims he called off a resumption of military attacks he said were planned for Tuesday.Trump announced Monday that a planned military strike on Iran had been postponed at the personal request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, because “serious negotiatio
Exclusive: Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi Says “We Will Be Respecting the Ceasefire”
UPDATE: Shortly after publication, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he had spoken with Netanyahu and Aoun and a deal had been reached. “These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump wrote. Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi told Drop Site, “We will be respecting the ceasefire,”
The Iran War Rages On: Israeli Assassination Strikes, Steve Witkoff's Texts, and the Mounting Storm in the Strait of Hormuz
On Tuesday, Israel announced that it assassinated Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani and the head of Irani’s internal security force and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on Iranians to begin preparing to overthrow the government in Tehran. President Donald Trump and his senior aides claim that Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capacity has largely been decimated and that Iran
EXCLUSIVE: Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Rejects Trump’s “Big Lie” About Why He Went to War
In an exclusive interview with Drop Site News, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that he launched the war because Iran was “going to attack first,” calling it a “big lie.”“There was no intention on the part of Iran to attack the United States,” he said. “They claim that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States,” Baghaei added. “Did we
China Is Scaling Up its Military. Is It Preparing for War?
The Chinese government held a major military parade in Beijing on September 3, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. The parade followed an international strategic and economic conference in China bringing together leaders from across Eurasia, including Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and North Korea.The event highlighted China’s growing influence as a mil
VIDEO: Serbia at the Crossroads
BELGRADE, SERBIA—On August 12, 2025, in the cities of Vrbas and Bačka Palanka, Serbia, several hundred people took to the streets to protest against the repression by the regime of President Aleksandar Vučić. That evening, pro-government supporters attacked demonstrators, throwing stones and frozen water bottles and targeting them with fireworks. The protestors retaliated, throwing objects back at
China’s Communist Party, Its Rise, and the Looming New Cold War
The U.S. remains the most powerful single nation in the world, but it is not the most powerful in every region. While the U.S. remains mired in numerous wars in the Middle East, it is facing a rapid challenge from the People’s Republic of China. In recent history, China has become a major economic, technological, and political power—even taking the place of the U.S. as the dominant economic actor
Israel Imposes No-Build Zone in Southern Lebanon, Terrorizing Locals With Surveillance and Shelling
On July 17, an Israeli drone strike killed at least one person and injured two others in Lebanon’s Nabatiyeh governorate, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The missile struck a civilian vehicle—part of the Israeli military’s ongoing aerial campaign in southern Lebanon, carried out in defiance of the declared ceasefire. In the past two weeks alone, at least 11 Israeli attacks have targeted
Turkey Marches Towards Authoritarianism as It Becomes a Global Power
Protests have taken hold of Turkey in recent months, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to consolidate more and more power in the country. Recently, Erdogan’s government arrested a major political opponent, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, leading to widespread demonstrations.As Erdogan consolidates power, the government is engaging in a new peace process with left-leaning Kurdish g
Trump Heads to the Mideast as Gaza Starves, Student Protests Grow, India-Pakistan Tensions Rise
Amid Israel’s ongoing bombardment, famine conditions, and the near-total collapse of humanitarian assistance in Gaza, on Monday, May 12, the Israeli military assassinated renowned Palestinian journalist Hassan Eslayeh in an airstrike on Nasser Hospital, where he was receiving treatment.The next day, Israeli forces killed 12-year-old Mohammed Bardawil, an eyewitness who had testified to the Israeli
Trump Declares Economic War on China
President Donald Trump once said that “trade wars are good, and easy to win.” Now he seems intent on testing that thesis, erecting some of the most massive trade barriers in recent world history. The tariffs are already reshaping the global economy. But they will have the most strongest impact on the U.S. relationship with China, which now faces the most extreme tariff barriers of any country—a tr
The Secret World of Global Mercenaries
Mercenary groups were a major part of premodern history, before being largely replaced by standing national armies. But in the past few decades, armed mercenary companies have again become major players in conflicts around the world. The U.S. employed Blackwater mercenaries to carry out operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the United Arab Emirates used paid mercenaries to carry out assassinatio
Trump and the Future of the Ukraine-Russia War
It has been three years since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, killing hundreds of thousands of people and destroying huge portions of the country. Now, the Trump administration has signaled that it wants to end the war in Ukraine, but there are significant questions and deep concerns about Trump’s plans for how to end the fighting.The Trump administration has signaled it wants Ukraine to pay back
Gaza, Ukraine, and the Return of Trump
With just two months remaining in his presidency, President Joe Biden is moving forward with an aggressive U.S. posture toward the war in Ukraine. On Monday, the administration greenlit the use of U.S. made long-range missiles to hit targets in Russia, a move President Vladimir Putin has stated is a red line for Moscow. Ukraine then proceeded to use the missiles the next day. Israel is continuing
Episode 2: How to Make Friends
Investigative journalist Antony Loewenstein uncovers how the Palestine Laboratory has operated since 1948, detailing Israel’s long-standing role as a major arms dealer to some of the world’s most repressive regimes. Using declassified documents, Loewenstein traces secret deals made with dictators from Pinochet's Chile to apartheid South Africa and explores how Israel's military model is now being
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