THEATRE OF THE ABSURD
Latest interview by Danny Haiphong of Moscow- & Asia-based Pepe Escobar.
Preamble: originally, in the 70s, the young Mr Escobar was a Brazilian rock-music reporter for the Rolling Stone magazine.
Then he morphed - in the early years of the 21st century - into a geopolitical reporter & columnist for the Asia Times based in Bangkok.
Then he appeared to move to Moscow and, from there, reported on the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
Now he appears to be a roving geopolitical reporter, traveling throughout China, Central Asia and East Asia. My guess he’s on the payroll of Moscow, but I could be wrong.
His latest interview here on Friday 27 March 2026 is clearly based on deep inside information about the current standoff in the Straight of Hormuz.
He believes “something will happen” this weekend, Sat-Sun 28-29 March 2026. The contingent of US marines sent for a possible “boots on the ground” scenario in the Straight of Hormuz creates much uncertainty
Aside: the crude oil price (West Texas Intermediate) rose quickly from a baseline of about US$60/barrel to a peak of US$115/barrel after US-Israel made the surprise Pearl-Harbor type “decapitation strike” against Iran on 28 February 2026.
Then the prices hovered just under US$100/barrel for the first 3 weeks of the US-Israel multi-billion dollar per day blitzkrieg against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
On 23 March 2026 Trump & his advisors engineered a very sudden 10% overnight drop in the oil price (from $100 to $90).
For background on the 23 March 2026 market-manipulation operation by Donald Trump and his regime - informing the markets of “negotiations with Iran” and raising the specter of “peace in our times” - we get this from Google AI on 28 March 2026
Google AI: Based on reports from late March 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a temporary pause in military strikes against Iranian energy facilities and signaled that "productive talks" were taking place, which caused a sharp, brief drop in global oil prices
Key Details of the 23 March 2026 Announcement:
When: The announcement occurred on Monday, March 23, 2026, with further developments extending through the week of March 23-27, 2026.
The Announcement: President Trump announced a temporary pause on striking Iran's energy plants, stating that negotiations were ongoing to end the conflict that began on February 28, 2026.
Market Impact: The news caused oil prices to fall sharply—around 14 percent in a matter of minutes on Monday, March 23—after the prospect of easing tensions reduced fears of supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Aftermath: By March 26-27, 2026, oil prices remained volatile and began rising again due to skepticism from the market regarding the talks, as Iranian officials denied that formal negotiations were taking place.
As of March 27, 2026, Trump extended the pause on attacking Iran's energy facilities to April 6, 2026, at the request of the Iranian government, while maintaining that negotiations were progressing.
Here is the AI summary of the above-mentioned 27 March 2026 interview of Pepe Escobar by Danny Haiphong. It’s parked here on this platform for future reference and verification of Pepe Escobar’s predictions
Summary of the 27 March 2026 Pepe Escobar interview (see link below)
- Hormuz Toll System: Iran has established a new maritime corridor and toll system in the Strait of Hormuz (1:38-3:55). Tankers must pay a $2 million fee (2:41) and be vetted to pass, bypassing hostile nations and utilizing a petro-yuan payment system (25:56), effectively challenging US dollar hegemony (25:03).
- Military Deterrence: Despite US claims of destroying Iran's missile systems, Iran continues to pummel Israel with missiles (7:52-8:00). Escobar highlights Iran's use of hidden underground missile cities (26:35) that remain undetected
- UAE's Involvement: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is moving toward direct involvement in the war, largely due to economic desperation and commitment to US investments (15:17-17:39). Iran has warned of five mega-targets in the UAE if they enter the conflict (18:00).
- Global Geopolitics: The war serves as a turning point for a multipolar world (25:01). Escobar notes that Russia and China are largely watching, allowing the US to make serious mistakes (52:43), while supporting Iran behind the scenes (53:50).
- Economic Impact: The conflict threatens to spike oil prices to $120-$150 per barrel, risking a global recession (41:00-41:15). However, the US bond market yield approaching 5% might force a de-escalation (40:05-40:35).
Interview link
