#345 - Scott Horton UNLOADS on Nuclear War, Netanyahu & Iran

Oct 14, 2025

Scott Horton, Director of the Libertarian Institute and anti-war advocate, dives deep into the complexities of U.S. foreign policy regarding Iran and Israel. He discusses the historical context of nuclear assistance to Iran and critiques interventionist policies that led to escalating tensions. Horton explores the regrettable post-9/11 missed opportunities and argues that military actions only complicate U.S. interests in the Middle East. He warns that current strategies risk nuclear escalation and emphasizes the absurdity of regime-change thinking.

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Intro

00:00 • 1min

Just War, Republicanism, and the Constitution

01:11 • 1min

How Empire Requires a Domestic Leviathan

02:38 • 2min

Limits of Libertarianism and Continental Defense

05:06 • 30sec

Hard Money, Austrian Economics, and the Mises Tradition

05:36 • 13min

Why Ron Paul Resonates on Foreign Policy and Money

18:19 • 15min

Ad break

33:31 • 7min

Historical Context: US–Iran Relations and Early Nuclear Assistance

40:03 • 1min

Clinton, Chinese Reactors, and AQ Khan Proliferation

41:04 • 2min

1979 Revolution, CIA Decisions, and the Hostage Crisis

42:41 • 2min

Geopolitics, Pipelines, and the Israel Lobby

44:41 • 5min

Dual Containment and Kuwait Propaganda

49:31 • 4min

Post-9/11 Iranian Overtures and Missed Opportunities

53:32 • 7min

Netanyahu, Chalabi, and the Lead-Up to Iraq War II

01:00:05 • 3min

The Axis of Evil, Weaponization of Rhetoric, and Iran’s Response

01:03:24 • 4min

Obama, Netanyahu, and the Iran Nuclear Deal

01:07:17 • 4min

JCPOA Inspections, Samples, and the Politics of Suspicion

01:11:30 • 4min

Iran’s Enrichment to 60% and Its Significance

01:15:52 • 6min

Why Israel and the US Attacked Iranian Sites in 2024

01:21:40 • 12min

Capabilities, Sabotage, and Iran’s Continued Program

01:33:14 • 5min

Risks of Escalation and the Danger of Regime-Change Thinking

01:38:39 • 59sec

Terrorism as Blowback from Intervention

01:39:38 • 4min

Is Israel Valuable to US Interests in the Middle East?

01:44:00 • 2min

Netanyahu’s Motives, Hasbara, and Political Survival

01:46:04 • 3min

Israel’s Military Strategy Versus Pinpoint Operations

01:48:56 • 2min

Netanyahu’s Global Support and Backlash

01:50:33 • 9min

Russia, Ukraine, NATO Expansion, and US Policy Faults

01:59:39 • 4min

Scott Horton’s Books and Further Reading

02:03:31 • 38sec

Outro

02:04:10 • 1min

SPONSORS: 1) STOPBOX: For a limited time, our listeners get 15% off at StopBox when you use code JULIAN at checkout. Head to https://stopboxusa.com and use code JULIAN for 15% off your entire order.2) PRIZEPICKS: Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/JULIAN and use code JULIAN and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! WATCH PART 1 W/ SCOTT HORTON: https://youtu.be/ON6hz-HvjE8 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/JulianDorey (***TIMESTAMPS in description below) ~ Scott Horton is the director of The Libertarian Institute and editorial director of Antiwar.com. He’s the author of Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terror and Fool’s Errand, and one of the leading voices challenging America’s endless wars. SCOTT's LINKS: X: https://x.com/scotthortonshow YT: https://www.youtube.com/@scotthortonshow SUBSTACK: https://scotthortonshow.com/ WEBSITE: https://scotthorton.org/ BOOKS: https://amzn.to/3T9Qg7y Antiwar.com: https://antiwar.com/ FOLLOW JULIAN DOREY INSTAGRAM (Podcast): https://www.instagram.com/juliandoreypodcast/ INSTAGRAM (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/julianddorey/ X: https://twitter.com/julianddorey ****TIMESTAMPS**** 00:00 – Intro 01:15 — Just War Criteria, Republic vs Power, Constitution, National Debt, Paying the Interest 10:45 — Austrian Economics, Sound Money, Classic Liberalism, Murray Rothbard, Ron Paul 19:12 — How Ron Paul Always Nails It 39:04 — Iran Situation, Historical Context, Israel Lobby, Iraq War Propaganda 53:07 — Iranian Posture under H.W. Bush, Candlelight Vigils, Cooperation with U.S. 01:02:58 — 9/11, Netanyahu, Obama & Bibi, Iran Nuclear Deal Joke, 60% Nuclear Rule 01:17:40 — History of the 60%, Nuclear War Poking, Israel Attack in June 01:31:42 — Netanyahu, Ending Intervention, T3rrorism Blowback, American Foreign Policy 01:38:51 — Israel–Palestine Conflict, U.S. Benefit Question 01:50:33 — Israel Narrative, “They’re All Bad,” Fifteen Years of Misinformation 02:02:58 — Ukraine–Russia, Bill Clinton’s Fault, NATO Expansion, Scott Horton Book Provoked CREDITS: - Host, Editor & Producer: Julian Dorey - COO, Producer & Editor: Alessi Allaman - https://www.youtube.com/@UCyLKzv5fKxGmVQg3cMJJzyQ - In-Studio Producer: Joey Deef - https://www.instagram.com/joeydeef/ Julian Dorey Podcast Episode 345 - Scott Horton Part 2 Music by Artlist.io

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