Pepe Escobar, Zulfiqar Ali: “Finish the Job” Iran’s Reported Orders; Kharg Gamble Suicidal; Oil Splitting Into Dollar
by Transition Protocol [11-1-2026] Pepe Escobar(bio).
“Finish the job this time.” Sources close to Tehran and Islamabad say that is what Iran’s Supreme Leader told his commanders it is their obligation to do if the US strikes — and that “geographical constraints do not exist.” Larry Johnson’s sources say Trump’s option after Tuesday’s midterms is seizing Kharg Island, a gamble Pepe Escobar calls “absolutely suicidal.” Escobar, from Shanghai after midnight, and Zulfiqar Ali.
- 21:24 Dimona: who decides, and on what trigger — per our host’s sources.
- 33:03 Riyadh fears it’s next: the Saudi defense minister agreed in Tehran, per Mohsen Rezaei.
- 40:52 Hormuz: “not gonna be a petrodollar oil chokepoint” — why Escobar says oil is splitting into blocs.
- 03:01 Washington’s option: Kharg Island, according to sources cited by Larry Johnson.
- 17:29 “No traction”: Tehran’s answer to the Vance letter, per our host’s sources.
- 20:51 The orders: “All have their orders, down to the level of the commander who’s going to push the button.”
What you’ll learn: what Iran’s commanders have reportedly been told if the US strikes; why Escobar calls an island seizure “absolutely suicidal”; what Tehran says must come before any talks — its funds and an end to the blockade, the nuclear file last; why Pakistan, not Qatar, is Tehran’s preferred channel; why both men say Hormuz decides the future of the petrodollar.
Sourcing note: The Supreme Leader’s orders are reported by our host from people close to Mohsen Rezaei and Field Marshal Asim Munir, and by Pepe Escobar from a Saturday address; we could not locate the address in public reporting. The Kharg option is from sources cited by Larry Johnson; we could not locate his column. The Dimona and Pickaxe Mountain reports are our host’s sources and cannot be independently verified. Escobar’s statement that Iran has ICBMs is disputed: Iran says it keeps a 2,000 km range limit.
Public record: Vice President Vance wrote to Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (Wall Street Journal, 28 October); Iran’s seven conditions of 20 September include the release of frozen funds and lifting the US naval blockade; Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish delegations met in Tehran on 26 October (Al Jazeera); Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil’s 25 October runoff, has left Brazil.