More than its effective drones and ballistic missiles, Iran’s greatest weapon, causing its enemies the most pain, is economic. That is what is prompting the meltdown of Donald Trump. Watch the replay.
Donald Trump is experiencing a humiliating political and economic meltdown before the whole world.
His criminal scheme to launch an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran is blowing up in his face.
As every day passes, he risks an ever wider regional war and the collapse of the world economy.
In his desperation to find a solution to a catastrophe that he thought would be a cake walk, Trump is blaming U.S. allies, the Democrats, the media — everyone but himself and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the disaster affecting millions of lives.
It is those two men who have in just one month unconscionably killed more than 3,000 innocent people in Iran and Lebanon, displaced well more than a million, caused deaths and injuries to dozens of their own citizens and unleashed an economic crisis that threatens to become a world-wide depression and could halt Israeli and American expansionism in its tracks.
Rather than the human cost, it seems that Iran’s economic weapon is what troubles Trump most, causing him to scramble to find a way out. But he is trapped and denying that he is desperate.
Joining us to discuss the staggering economic and political crisis these two men have unleashed is economist Richard Wolff. He is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor in the graduate program in international affairs at The New School in New York. — Joe Lauria
He is interviewed by Joe Lauria, the editor of Consortium News.
The show is produced by Cathy Vogan.
Hi! Once again im on the road with little data volume and would like to listen to “The World this Week”, but theres no AUDIO ONLY option. A simple player underneath the video would be so helpfull! better yet – a download option for the audio file, so one can download the file when theres wifi and listen later. many wifi portals on busses etc. block video but allow audio. so an audio player would be a really good thing to make the content more accessible! its more of a podcast anyhow :) its the audio that matters. that being said, thank you for your great work!! Best Regards, E.S.
You can access audio only versions of our shows on YouTube Music. There are hundreds to choose from. Here’s the link to catch the latest audio podcast from Consortium News, pretty much as soon as the program drops. hxxps://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ9E4R-I3e_CsV2DJCZ94GW5vSlFRWYlg – To play in audio-only mode select the “Audio” button at the top of the player screen, which allows for listening without loading the video.
It’s nice to hear these two HUMANITARIANS being worried about American citizens. Unfortunately, Trump & his Billionaire Buddies are losing no sleep over what their president is doing. Moreover, most of our US politicians do NOT care about its citizenry. They sit in their D.C. offices making big Bucks off of Wall Street. Ditto, our judicial system is also tied in to the Markets.
Meantime, we have very angry citizens for what Trump is doing. But our political, economic power is extremely weak. We can’t depend on our politicians. They’re too busy making profits for themselves.
As a result, it’s millions of Americans left on their own who are, merely trying to survive. It won’t work. US Capitalism has caught them in the debt of enormous personal debt…………Time to leave America, and go live somewhere else.
Let’s just say, what if?
What if the Jewish supremacists actually are successful in defeating Iran and thereby Jewish supremacists control all the oil, natural gas, and fertilizers that flow through the Strait of Hormuz? What then?
The hegemonic sadistic and paranoid Jewish supremacists would of course then have an iron grip on the throat of a vast chunk of the geopolitical-economic system.
Ergo, Iran is fighting for us all.
Russia, China and working people across the globe cannot allow an Iranian defeat. None of us can.
“Iran is fighting for us all. ”
Well said. They really, really are.
The consequences for the rest of the planet of Iran losing this immoral and illegal war engaged against them cannot be understated.
Other leaders willingly assisting these utter madmen in their contrived ‘Biblical Armaggeddon’ are humanitarian traitors, cowards and deviants, I can see no other excuse.
Well i was “laughing all the way to the Mosque” as well, as Mr. Wolff expressed it. Thankyou for the comprehensive history of the follies of the western countries in modern times.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Everyone with any common sense can see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears that Trump’s mental status has deteriorated significantly in just 30 days. It’s up to Republicans in Washington DC to get us out of this debacle before the two psychopaths destroy the world’s economy. The world already has Zelinsky keeping a lost war going because he has nothing more to personally lose, the leaders of Iran are in similar situation, and apparently both Trump and Netanyahu see themselves there as well. It’s JD Vance’s moment in history to resign, and tell the American people that Trump is not mentally fit to lead the country. Vance can not be sleeping well knowing what he knows and staying mostly silent.
it is always such a pleasure to listen to prof wolff explain
the seemingly complicated economic ways of the world
in simple terms, putting those ways into broader contexts –
and into nutshells – to make us see where we really stand,
how we got there and where we are headed.
as long as our economies remain insatiably profit-driven, instead
of the world community finally coming to its senses and – finally! –
daring to share fairly what’s there, we’re headed the wrong way – out.
Extremely enjoyable and informative interview. Many thanks to Jo & team.
The wandering homeless Jews in the US could go to Gaza and take over a home belonging to a Palestinian. That’s a solution. Israelis provide guns to protect settlers from angry Palestinians.
We are in the throes of a religious sense of superiority in the loss of the USSR in thinking we are the chosen civilization leading western religious culture with in gaining full spectrum world dominance. It is part of the religious warfare of Reagan reactionary response to Vietnam, racial justice, environmentalism, and the military rebuild after full scale mutiny to warfare profiteering. It is a crusade of genocide to do penance for western system genocide over millennia..
The YankeeZioNazis once again struck crucial Iranian infrastructure, forcing the Iranians to keep their previously stated true promise of hitting back even harder against YankeeZioNazi interests, especially the oil/gas infrastructure of US gangster henchmen regimes, the corrupt Gulf States.
Global economic collapse* is now cast in stone, oil/gas prices and the prices of EVERYTHING, especially food, will skyrocket and this will last for YEARS.
Message to USAnian MAGAs: get ready for LONG TERM PAIN for ZERO GAIN. Your economy is screwed.
hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdczekEADIE
*will not affect Russia or China
Heelarious Lego videos
hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrtIpkh9xM8
Eric,
this:
“Iranians to keep their previously stated true promise of hitting back even harder against YankeeZioNazi interests, especially the oil/gas infrastructure of US gangster henchmen regimes, the corrupt Gulf State”
— and this:
Ultimatum: Iran gave the U.S. government until 12:00 PM Tehran time on Monday, March 30, 2026, to formally condemn the strikes on Iranian universities.
Target Areas: The threat specifically applies to U.S. and Israeli-affiliated universities in the Middle East region, which includes branches of U.S. institutions like Texas A&M and Northwestern in Qatar, and New York University in the United Arab Emirates.
Safety Warning: The IRGC advised employees, professors, and students of these institutions to stay at least one kilometer (roughly 0.6 miles) away from the campuses.
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
+4
Ah yes! The Jerusalem Post, the ultimate false flag toilet rag.
Halford Mackinders Heartland
Toyota Pickup Trucks (Various Models): The most common platform, particularly Toyota Hilux or similar light pickups, used to carry and launch Shahed-136, Shahed-131, and Shahed-191 loitering munitions.
AI Overview
Based on reports from Western intelligence and regional analysis, Russia is in the process of supplying modified Geran-2 (Shahed-136 type) one-way attack drones back to Iran, signifying a full-circle evolution in their military partnership. These drones, produced at the Kupol plant in Izhevsk and other Russian facilities, feature modifications developed during the war in Ukraine and are designed to bolster Iran’s capabilities against U.S. and Israeli interests.
MSN
MSN
+2
Analysis of the Move:
“Return to Sender” Strategy: Iran initially provided Shahed-136 technology to Russia. Russia has now enhanced these designs, incorporating advanced, battle-hardened Russian systems, and is supplying them back to Tehran.
Key Modifications: The exported drones feature enhanced electronic warfare (EW) protections, including the Russian Kometa-M jam-resistant navigation system, which significantly increases survivability against anti-drone defenses.
Production Hub: The drones originate from Russian production lines, particularly linked to the IEMZ Kupol plant in Izhevsk, which has developed specialized, more localized variants of the Iranian design.
Reciprocal Technology Exchange: This shipment is part of a deeper defense partnership where Russia provides military intelligence, satellite imagery, and advanced weaponry to Iran in exchange for drone expertise.
Geopolitical Impact: The transfer allows Iran to upgrade its capabilities to counter U.S. and Israeli precision-strike capabilities in the Middle East, potentially intensifying regional conflicts.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies
+5
Strategic Implications:
This partnership allows Moscow to repay its wartime technical debt to Tehran while strengthening an ally in a way that distracts Western resources from Ukraine. The inclusion of Russian-manufactured components (likely Chinese-sourced or locally made) makes these drones easier to produce at scale for both nations than the original Iranian imports.
UNITED24 Media
UNITED24 Media
+2
Note: The Kremlin has dismissed reports of these modified drone shipments as “false news stories”.
AP News
AP News