Shapiro calls Saudi Arabia worse ally than Israel despite receiving US protection
"I will never understand this. Supposedly, according to people on the left and the woke right, Israel is the bad ally. Israel is flying literal sorties alongside the United States and essentially acquiescing to the demands of the United States on every level. Meanwhile, the Saudis, who do nothing, literally nothing— the Saudi royal government has American bases there defending them. And they said to the United States, you can't use our bases to open these straits."
About this episode
Ben Shapiro delivers a comprehensive critique of the collapsed Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding, arguing that fundamental cultural and religious misunderstandings doomed the diplomatic effort from its inception. Following Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent US strikes on 80 Iranian sites, President Trump declared the MOU effectively dead. Shapiro contends that Western negotiators, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, either naively misunderstood Iranian intentions or deliberately misled Trump about Iran's willingness to cede control of the strait. Drawing on academic research about Western versus non-Western thinking patterns, Shapiro argues that the Islamic Republic of Iran operates under fundamentally different worldview assumptions than Western nations, prioritizing religious conquest and perception of strength over economic prosperity and mutual benefit. He asserts that Iran's theocratic system, centered on preparing the world for the return of the 12th Imam, makes Western-style incentive-based diplomacy ineffective, and that the only successful agreements with Islamic regimes in Middle Eastern history have come after total military defeat that eliminates hope for victory. Shapiro criticizes Saudi Arabia for blocking US military operations from American bases on Saudi soil while receiving US defense protection, calling them a worse ally than Israel. He proposes several aggressive options including forcibly opening the Strait of Hormuz, destroying Iranian oil and gas infrastructure, or allowing allies to take military action, while warning that returning to negotiations would demonstrate fatal weakness and ensure Iranian interference in upcoming US elections.
Key takeaways
- President Trump declared the Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding dead after Iran attacked commercial vessels and the US struck 80 Iranian sites in retaliation.
- Ben Shapiro accuses Vice President J.D. Vance and other negotiators of either naive misunderstanding or deliberately misleading Trump about Iranian agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz.
- Shapiro argues that Western and Iranian worldviews are fundamentally incompatible, making traditional Western diplomatic incentives ineffective with Islamic theocratic regimes.
- The Islamic Republic operates under religious imperatives to prepare for the 12th Imam's return and establish Islamic global dominance, not Western concepts of mutual prosperity.
- Iran never agreed to cede control of the Strait of Hormuz because maintaining that chokehold is essential to their regional relevance and perception of strength.
- Shapiro criticizes Saudi Arabia as a worse ally than Israel for blocking US operations from American bases that would have benefited Saudi interests.
- The only successful agreements with Islamic regimes in Middle Eastern history have followed total military defeats that crushed hope for victory, according to Shapiro.