P.I.D. Radio 4/18/26: Dire Straits is Not Just a Band
From PID Radio by Derek and Sharon Gilbert
April 18, 2026 · 1h 23m
About this episode
The episode discusses the geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz and its implications for US-China relations.
IRAN HAS decided to play red light, green light with the Strait of Hormuz. Less than 24 hours after President Trump announced the opening of the critical waterway, Iran declared its closure again. Further, two Indian flagged tankers reportedly came under fire from Iranian speedboats. This suggests that negotiations between the US and Iran over a peaceful resolution to Operation Epic Fury are simply a stalling tactic by the Iranian regime, perhaps counting on Democrats winning the midterm elections or even the 2028 presidential election. Given the way Presidents Biden and Obama willingly sent billions of dollars to Tehran, you can hardly blame them. We discuss the bind into which Iran has placed China, which gets up to 20% of its oil imports from the Islamic regime – at a deep discount because Iran has few buyers for its oil due to sanctions. This is exacerbated by China's loss of access to Venezuelan oil. As a result, China has had to suddenly ramp up its purchases of American oil to roughly $10 billion worth per month. In addition, the United States just signed a defense agreement with Indonesia. That nation sits on the west side of the cap, Strait of Malacca, a waterway even…
People in this episode
Hosts: Derek Gilbert, Sharon Gilbert
Topics covered
- Iran
- US-China relations
- oil imports
- geopolitics
- military agreements
- Strait of Hormuz
- Strait of Malacca
Keywords
- Iran
- Strait of Hormuz
- China
- oil imports
- geopolitics
- President Trump
- military agreements
- Venezuela
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Iran, China, Indonesia
Places: Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, Panama Canal, Venezuela
More episodes of PID Radio
- Throwback Thursday: Expendable Elite · June 11, 2026 · 1h 0m
- Aliens, Demons, and Artificial Intelligence · June 6, 2026 · 1h 24m
- Throwback Thursday: Jesuits and the Plot to Kill JFK · June 4, 2026 · 1h 0m
- P.I.D. Radio 5/30/26: Summer of Disclosure · May 30, 2026 · 1h 15m
- Throwback Thursday: The Pedophocracy · May 28, 2026 · 55 min
- P.I.D. Radio 5/23/26: Rise of the Cybergods · May 23, 2026 · 1h 48m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the PID Radio podcast page.