by Larry Johnson [2-25-2026] Larry C. Johnson(bio).

(RAD: The "Golden Corridor" video at the end is an absolute must to see that was produced by Pepe Escobar in cooperation with people from Iran. This is the only video in English that explains the importance of Iran in the norht/south & east/west trade corridors. Don't pass it up. ― RAD)

By noon eastern time on Thursday we will likely know whether or not Donald Trump will sign off on an order to attack Iran. Why noon? That is 6pm in Geneva, Switzerland, where Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold indirect talks with representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran. If the two sides emerge from the meeting speaking in positive terms about a tentative agreement, then it is unlikely that Trump will risk starting a war that is likely to escalate into a regional conflagration. Alternatively, if the US side announces — either directly or through selected leaks to the corporate media — that Iran is intransigent and is refusing to compromise, the stage is set for the US and/or Israel launching the long awaited attack.

While we wait, I encourage you to watch the video-linked below. It is a new documentary by my dear friend, Pepe Escobar, that is a result of his journey last year to Iran to study the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC). The INSTC is designed not only to boost Iran-Russia trade, but to unlock unique economic opportunities for many other countries. It is the first English-language documentary ever made on the INSTC.

Pepe presents Tehran not just as Iran’s capital, but as a potential capital of a new Eurasian project — positioned somewhere between Shanghai and St. Petersburg. Pepe frames Iran not as a destination, but as a vital connector reshaping global trade and geopolitics.

The documentary traces Iran’s role as a trade corridor back through history — from the Achaemenid Empire’s Royal Road stretching 2,500 kilometers from Susa to Sardis, through the Silk Road era when caravans of silk, spices and precious goods passed through the heart of Iran, to the Islamic empires that expanded both land and sea routes, making the ports of the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman Iran’s gateways to the world.

Iran today sits at a strategic crossroads between the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the overland routes of the Caucasus and Central Asia, striving to transform its north-south and east-west corridors into powerful interconnected arteries carrying not only commerce but the shifting weight of regional and global geopolitics.

Pepe begins his journey in the north, tracing the rail line from Bandar Abbas to Rasht as part of the INSTC. Ports like Anzali and Amirabad on the Caspian Sea are described as Iran’s twin arms, with a combined capacity of over 10 million tons annually — serving as a lifeline for landlocked countries including Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.

The documentary argues that if the transfer of power from West to East continues through the 21st century, countries like Iran, China, Russia, and India will occupy a central pivotal position — and the North-South Corridor connecting India, Iran, and Russia could become the shortest and most economical route for moving goods between those regions.

Pepe’s documentary casts a new light on Iran’s importance to both Russia and China in creating a new international economic order that is free of US coercion and bullying. This helps explain why Russia and China have been working feverishly over the past 7 months to bolster Iran’s ability to defend itself against new attacks from the US and/or Israel. If Pepe is right (and I think he is), Iran is poised to play a critical role in the global economy during the remainder of the 21st Century.

Pepe Escobar: The Golden Corridor, BRICS and Iran's New World Order