Iran + Nuclear = Global Chaos

 This episode dives into the urgent threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its potential to trigger World War III and the threat it imposes on. Hosted by Colonel Griffeth, a retired military officer, he uses the information of global national security experts to explain the threat in detail. It explores why Iran’s plans are more dangerous than many realize and how they threaten global stability—and our basic freedoms.

KEY TOPICS

•  The timeline and mechanics behind Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the implications for regional stability. 
• How Iran’s theology and ideological commitments eliminate rational deterrence, increasing the risk of conflict. 
• The cascade effect of nuclear proliferation, including neighboring countries’ pursuit of nuclear arms if Iran succeeds. 
• Iran’s support for terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthis, and their threat to U.S. soil. 
• The internal secrecy and covert underground facilities Iran has built to hide its nuclear progress. 
• Why a nuclear Iran is not just a regional issue but a global crisis involving Russia, China, and energy markets. 
• Practical steps for individuals and families: increasing preparedness, engaging with representatives, and spreading awareness. 
• The importance of discernment and critical thinking when consuming information around Iran’s nuclear threat. 

Timestamps:
 00:00 - The moment a radar blip signals an impending crisis
 00:27 - The deadly decision-making process that could start WWIII
 01:00 - Introduction to Arise for Freedoms and our mission
 02:08 - The multi-layered threat Iran presents through nuclear ambitions and religious ideology
 03:32 - Why Iran cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons and the dangers of broken promises
 04:58 - Iran’s history, proxy wars, and theological motivations to destroy Israel and America
 05:46 - Cascading regional nuclear proliferation if Iran gains the bomb
 06:34 - The regional cascade: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel’s nuclear capabilities
 07:15 - The threat from non-state actors supported by Iran, including Hezbollah and Hamas
 08:07 - Iran’s asymmetric warfare tactics and protracted proxy network
 09:04 - Past negotiation failures and Iran’s nuclear deceits and underground facilities
 10:58 - The underground Fordo facility and the secrecy surrounding Iran’s nuclear buildup
 12:22 - The significance of Iran’s uranium stockpiles and the threat of nuclear breakout
 13:16 - Iran’s official claims of peaceful energy use versus actual intentions
 14:41 - Iran’s ideological and theological opposition to the U.S. and Israel
 16:01 - Iran’s long-standing campaign against American influence and terror support
 17:52 - The threat’s reach to U.S. soil and ongoing Iranian plots
 19:15 - Iran’s support for terror proxies and their global influence
 20:40 - The potential for nuclear escalation to ignite regional or global conflict
 22:08 - Iran’s religious and apocalyptic worldview as a driver for nuclear ambitions
 24:55 - Biblical and theological perspectives on Iran and end times prophecy
 26:01 - The geopolitical alliances strengthening Iran’s position and regional chaos potential
 27:00 - The likelihood of a nuclear Iran triggering WWIII
 28:11 - Iran’s civilian nuclear program and the false narrative versus reality
 29:36 - Why this threat is critical for your freedom and safety
 30:04 - The necessity of stopping Iran before it’s too late
 30:40 - Applying knowledge: how understanding Iran’s motives can help us protect freedoms
 31:10 - The importance of domestic preparedness and spiritual readiness
 32:36 - The role of productivity in civic engagement and influencing policy decisions
 32:58 - The energy market’s vulnerability to a nuclear Iran and the global impact
 33:27 - Action steps: education, personal preparedness, and engaging with elected officials
 35:23 - The long-term patience needed for strategic defense and the costs of inaction
 36:46 - The importance of discernment when consuming news and reports about Iran
 37:16 - Iran’s religious drive to hasten the apocalyptic end and why rational deterrence fails
 37:44 - Practical next steps: bolstering family plans and voicing concerns
 38:29 - Closing remarks: building awareness and a movement for freedom and safety.

Resources & Links 

• U.S. Director of National Intelligence (https://www.dni.gov)
•  International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
•  Foundation for Freedom of Democracies
•  Strategic Nuclear Threats
•  The Bible and End Times Prophecies

 - Website - https://Arise4freedoms.com 

- Podcast Links - https://arise4freedoms.Buzzsprout.com 

- YouTube - Arise 4 Freedoms - YouTube

 Arise 4 Freedoms | Facebook

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Don't just survive, live for freedom, properly prepare, and thrive!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Somewhere over the eastern Mediterranean, a young Air Force radar operator watches a blip appear on her screen that shouldn't be there. It vanishes and reappears. She then quickly picks up her secured phone to notify her chain of command. Then, somewhere some 9,000 miles away, clear across over to America, families across America have no idea that a decision made in a bunker in Tehran by radical Iranian leaders will determine that their sons and daughters will never come home from the deployment and that the world will suddenly spin into the next world war. Today, we're talking about the seven-minute decision that could start World War III and why one of the world's most dangerous regimes is racing to force that decision upon us. And this isn't a movie plot, it's the world we're already living in.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

We don't just survive. Together we thrive.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Well, welcome. I'm Colonel Griffith, retired. Not only my retired senior military officer, but I'm a former judge, attorney, entrepreneur, JROTC instructor, seminary graduate, youth pastor, a successful father and husband, and together we'll unite to change the world. Welcome to the only show that helps prepare you to be free, prepared, and prosperous in this world and into the world to come. Friend of Freedoms Today, we're diving deep into the threat that is on the top of all of Americans' minds and maybe all across the world right now as this conflict between the United States and Iran rages on. This threat combines the oldest religious war on earth to the newest weapons of mass destruction. The Islamic Republic of Iran for 47 years has been on a quest to get a nuclear bomb and to bring down the United States and Israel. Today in our Rise for Freedoms, we'll discuss the four freedoms or pillars that we always discuss freedom, preparedness, increased productivity, and prosperity for all people across the world. In short, freedoms help us prosper, be more productive and prepared for this life and the life to come. In our show today, at first, we'll talk about why Iran cannot be trusted to get a nuclear weapon. Not because of politics, because the regime's own record speaks for itself, its broken promises to inspectors, its proxy wars, and a theology that threatens to destroy Israel and confront or destroy America as part of its religious duty. Second, we'll apply what we've learned in helping us to be free, productive, properly prepared, and prosperous in a world where this threat is real. Then we'll wrap it all up with practical steps on how to help you, your family, and those you love to survive and thrive in a troubled world. So if you love freedom and want to see this world prosper, like and subscribe, receive our freeze newsletter, and join our community as we promote freedom, preparedness, and prosperity across the world at AriseforFreedoms.com. Now let's get into it. Iran is a regime that cannot be trusted with a nuclear bomb. Here's the overarching idea. Iran is not simply a country pursuing nuclear energy. Only two percent of its total energy ever used within the country has been nuclear. They export or one of the biggest exporters of energy across the world of oil and petroleum. It is a regime who has been founded on a principle that America or labels America as the great Satan, and its government officials have quietly and sometimes openly teached that the destruction of Israel and the destruction of America's ideas of freedom are a necessary step towards a return of the messianic figure. When a government like that gets close to a nuclear weapon, the whole world holds its breath and for good reason. No one doubts that Iran is a threat to the existence of Israel and a real risk if they get nuclear arms. But let's go down through the record and discuss all the things that Iran has done, the promises they have broke, and what their own constitution says that they are supposed to do. A nuclear-armed Iran would pose as a major, arguably existential threat to Israel, a concern that is serious enough that it has already driven military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Analysts note that even if Iran would be signing its own death warrant by striking Israel, that it's likely that it will do it because it is a government that is driven by ideology and theology. So there's a catastrophic danger of miscalculation of what will happen if Iran is allowed to get a nuclear weapon. Between two nuclear capable adversaries, Iran and Israel, this could light or ignite a war throughout the region and throughout the world that nobody wants. So here's the cascading effect that will happen if Iran is allowed to get a nuclear weapon. Saudi Arabia has made it very clear that they will seek a nuclear weapon. Turkey will want nuclear weapons, and even Egypt has said they will want nuclear weapons if Iran gets nuclear weapons. You see what's going to happen to the region? And even Jordan has expressed extreme security concerns because of their disagreements with Iran in the past. Saudi Arabia's own crown prince has publicly signaled that the kingdom would seek a matching capability the moment Iran crosses that line. Analysts widely regard this cascade as the single greatest structural threat to global security emanating from the Middle East. So, just to recap, Saudi Arabia said without a doubt, they will seek to go nuclear if Iran goes nuclear. Turkey has said that they will need to go nuclear if Iran goes nuclear. And they are a NATO member. Thus, if something happens to Turkey right now, legally, we're obligated to jump to their aid. Finally, Egypt would face some pressure to respond, also. And Israel already has a nuclear capability. So suddenly this is a powder keg in the Middle East if Iran is allowed to get the bomb. So, but then here's the scary part of non-state actors. Many are labeled as terrorist organizations that Iran supports each and every year. You've heard the names, like Hezola, who controls Lebanon. They have a more powerful organization that is supported by Iran with nearly a billion dollars a year, that is more powerful than the Lebanese army. The Houthis, who constantly cause problems in Yemen, control a lot of the land, have had battles with Saudi Arabia and shoot and hijack ships that go through the Red Sea. And then, yes, there's there's Hamas, and we've heard a lot about Hamas. And once again, 100 billion to as much as 300 billion a year has been given to Hamas solely with the purpose to cause problems with Israel. Now, Cold War rules with people had nuclear weapons, they were scary enough, but they were rational actors. In other words, most likely Russia wasn't going to shoot at the U.S. because they knew that the U.S. would shoot back. But with Iran, that same rational deterrence theory doesn't hold up. This theory of rationalness assumes that the primary purpose of the actor is self-preservation above all else. But most analysts agree that this logic breaks down when you apply it to Iran. The Iran-backed proxies, the Houthis missile crews in Yemen, Hezbollah on Israel's northern border, and popular militias in Iraq have only expanded their reach in recent years, and they almost all of them have a single idea or network of thought of destroying Israel and bringing down the United States. Now, a lot of people say, hey, let's just act, you know, in good faith with Iran. We've tried. Some presidents have paid billions of dollars to them. Um, or the United States has tried that in the past. We've tried agreeing with them. We've even tried cyber weapons. That's a whole nother story later on to try to stop their advancement for nuclear arms. We've even said, hey, let our inspectors in and don't enrich the uranium beyond a very low level so that you can use it for friendly purposes. And they have violated that. For example, in November of 2024, the IAEA Board of Governors formally censored Iran, demanding full accounting of their undeclared nuclear materials that they had been developing. And for Iran's lack of cooperation on the outstanding question about its program. A government that hides its nuclear activity from the world's monitors has already told us how it plans to handle its nuclear arsenal. A secret uh building was being built inside a mountain in the Fordo region in Iran in 2006. At first glance, this appears like any rocky peak in the country's arid interior. But beneath its surface, Iran engineers were spending years quietly hollowing out the mountain to create a nuclear facility where they could develop nuclear weapons. The Furto fuel enrichment plant was built in complete secrecy beginning in 2006 and was only exposed finally in 2009 when the British and French intelligence agencies decided to go public with what they knew. Confronting Iran before Tehran could reveal the facility on its own terms or hide things. The facility was underground and it was buried between 80 and 90 meters, or roughly 260 to 300 feet below the surface. Why? It was specifically engineered to try to make it impervious to aerial bombardment. In 2004, the satellite imagery and intelligence analyst reveals that a second underground facility, even deeper than the one discovered in Fordo, was carved into the mountain in the Tuns, known also as the Pickaxe Mountain. Deeper than Fordo, with at least four tunnel entrances and more underground floor space to be able to create more nuclear weapons capacity quicker. However, the facility's precise purpose remains undisclosed. And that's because international inspectors were never allowed to set foot inside of it. Its discovery raised an unsettling question. How many of these secret sites had Iran built to hide from the world? It was very evident that they were trying to build a nuclear weapon. This was not being done for friendly purposes. Then we know that after the Operation Midnight Hammer, which was absolutely incredible by the United States Air Force on June 21st and 22nd, that underneath that rubble, Iran finally admitted that they had enough nuclear material that they had 460 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity. Or in other words, um, what would that be? Nearly 12 times, 15 times what it needs to be for friendly purposes, enough for what they call dirty bombs. And only a slightly more enrichment would have made it enough to create 11 nuclear bombs within a very short time. So when the Iranians originally came, when the United States tried to negotiate with them and say, hey, don't get a bomb, their initial position was the Iranian side acknowledged that they had a stockpile that could be enriched to weapon grade level within a week to 10 days. A week to 10 days, thank goodness for Operation Midnight Hammer. I cannot imagine an Iran with 10 to 11 nuclear bombs and what the direction that the world would go if that would have happened. This was the beginning of their negotiation stance. We have the material to make 10 to 11 nuclear bombs, and there's nothing that you can do about it. So Iran's own officials have signaled weapons intent. For decades, Iran has insisted that his program was purely peaceful and anchored in a 2003 religious ruling from the Supreme Leader that forbade nuclear weapons. However, they also believe that it is okay to lie if it furthers their religious purpose. And it's been clear that that's been their intent because over the years, beginning in 2006, like I said, these facilities were being built, words were leaking out about what their true intent was. And beginning in 2024, the Iranian officials themselves increasingly floated the idea that the country may need nuclear weapons for its own security. And Iran's foreign minister said the window for diplomacy was narrowing, with Iran prepared to do whatever was needed and meet any scenario. Britain, France, Germany all warned in December of 2024 that they were prepared for the United States to re-impose sanctions on Iran in an effort to try to stop them from their nuclear program. But those sanctions didn't work. And we also had within our democracy various changing policies that allowed Iran to continue to move forward. A nuclear Iran would threaten Israel's survival and the world's stability. And it became very clear that they were doing all that they could to aggressively seek nuclear weapons, all while supposedly being overseen by inspectors, repeatedly been deceiving those international inspectors, lying to them or not letting them in the facilities. Iran has stated that it considers America, not Israel, its foremost enemy, and it has acted on it. This threat is not, like I said, merely regional. It's an ideal or a theology explicitly anti-American and backed by decades of violence against the U.S. citizens and its military. They call the United States the great Satan. The doctrine has been one of the Islamic Republic's founding pillars every since the government was formed in 1979, framing America not as a rival power, but as a moral enemy to their civilization. The supreme leader Khomeini, who had led Iran since 1989, finalizing this 2015 nuclear deal, but then he would declare to the people that America is the number one enemy of our nation. The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard or military has said that the US remains the great Satan, and regardless of any agreement, that it would remain so. And that the head of Iran's assembly of experts said the exact same thing. Now, this ideology or religious belief has teeth. Since 1979, Iran has sustained a campaign against America through funding of terror proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, targeting U.S. troops, diplomats, and civilians across the Middle East. In fact, their weapons being sold to the Taliban within Afghanistan, the top killers of U.S. troops, while I was there and many of my fellow service members. So this includes drone strikes that they've funded that hit U.S. logistics post in Jordan that killed three American soldiers, and in June of 2025, missile strikes on the U.S. base in Qatar. This threat has reached American soil. It's not just this threat of just getting us out of the Middle East, like many people think. It has reached U.S. soil. The U.S. Director of National Intelligence in 2025, in his threat assessment, concluded that Iran remains committed to building networks inside the United States to harm us. And the US authorities have disrupted at least 17 Iranian plots on our soil in just the past five years. Iran has even hired private detectives to track dissidents that are now living here. And we know that there were at least two separate instances where they planned to abduct and kill journalists. One in her Brooklyn home. A New Jersey residence was separately sentenced to a 12-year prison sentence after receiving Hezbolla training in scouting American landmarks, including the Statute of Liberty and Times Square, as potential targets for Iran later on. The US government considers Iran to be the foremost sponsor of terrorism in the world. They spend more than $2 billion on terrorist financing annually. There are between about $140,000 and 185,000 force partners across Afghanistan, Gaza, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen that they pay. And we know just recently, too, that they killed 40,000 plus of their own citizens simply for crying out for freedom. Here's the numbers in some of the organizations that maybe you'll recognize as I talk about them, but they fund Hezola. About 700 million to 1 billion a year. Hezbollah is the organization that is in Lebanon, north of Israel. They are so powerful that even the Lebanese army cannot kick them out. And the government is semi-controlled by Hezbollah. In Iran recently with the MOU, one of the things is they wanted to guarantee that Hezola would be left alone. And Hamas in the Gaza Strip, we know about them. They have received anywhere from 100 million to 350 million per year in arms and other things to attack Israel. In fact, Hamas, when they came to power, their number one political stance was that they needed to get rid of Israel. That was their politics. Can you imagine in the U.S. if we had some sort of um, I don't know, the Republicans said it, or uh the Democrats turn around and say, hey, our objective is to get rid of Panama, Mexico, Canada, I don't know, whatever it may be. That'd be ridiculous. And that was their only political stance. And they're run by the purse strings of Iran. There's also Iraqi Shia militias that are in throughout uh Iraq, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, they receive about 100 million a year. Those militias that I told you about, they receive somewhere between 150 million and 1 billion a year. And the Houthis that have taken over part of the Yemen government caused problems in the Red Sea, kidnap ships, um, so on and so forth. And then finally, even though Assad doesn't exist anymore, between 2012 and 2020, it's estimated that they spent about 16 billion dollars keeping him in power. And what did that cost? That caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of Syrians to flee in order to avoid his brutality. He was supported by Russia and Iran primarily. So billions and billions of dollars. So why does this matter to you? Or why should it? This isn't a talking point that we're talking about from a think tank and that the threat is long, long away and we don't need to worry about it. These Iranian-linked plots have reached American soils, American cities, and American families. A nuclear-armed version of this same regime with their actions and thought process would be a nightmare for our nation and for freedom around the world. To understand Iran and why they won't be deterred like many other countries would is you've got to understand that their leadership may not respond to normal deterrence. You have to understand what many of them believe. A significant mainstream group of the Iran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps holds that chaos and confrontation, including war with Israel and America, can hasten the return of the messianic figure known as the Twelfth Imam or Mahdi. One analyst for the foundation of defense of democracies has put it starkly. He said, preparing the ground for the return is described as the Islamic Republic's very reason for their existence and being. So in other words, the only reason they live is to bring you this bout. It is a religious obligation. Within this worldview, the elimination of Israel isn't a political goal, it's treated as a divine obligation that must be occur before the Mahdi appears. Iranian officials, including the late president, have repeatedly said Israel must be wiped off the map. Language in this theological frame functions less as a political bluster and more as a religious conviction. That's why it's so sickening to me when some people chant from the river to the sea. I do not believe that any population in their extreme should be wiped off the map. That's just sickening thinking. That's Hitler like thought process. And I don't care if they're Iranian, Lebanese, or what they may be, we should treat each other like humans. If we could have as much love as we have hate, this world would be an incredible place. Iran's leadership draws on the seventh century battle. The reason why they believe in this was the battle of Karbala, where the Imam Hussein's death, who chose death over submission to unjust authority when there was a battle between the Sunnis and the Shias about the control of the country and quite frankly the religion, and they still have some of those inner battles. That story is ritually enacted every year and has been described by the Khamenei himself as the proper lens for confronting the US and Israel. It is a worldview or a view that glorifies sacrifice and resistance over compromise and reason, which is precisely why traditional cost benefit deterrence that we tend to think of in the West will not restrain a nuclear armed Iran the way that it restrained the Soviet Union in the past. In Ezekiel thirty eight five, it says Persia, Cush, and put with them all of them a shield and a helmet. Bible scholars across generations have long debated how the ancient nation of Persia, modern day Iran, fits into the end of time's prophecies. Whatever your view in that debate, it's sobering and a historical irony, if you will, of where we now stand. The nation or the regime of the world that Scripture names among the future coalition arrayed against Israel is the same nation who today's current leadership is built on its own theology of destroying Israel to hasten or to bring about the end of days. Two different faiths, Christian and Muslim, are pointed at the same flash point on the map in northern Israel and Syria. A nuclear confrontation involving Iran would not stay regional. Russia has already made it clear that they tend to lean towards Iran, and we know that they have been giving them intelligence and target reports. Additionally, China purchases somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of Iran's export crude and remains deeply invested in the Islamic Republic of Iran's survival. If it wasn't for China buying their oil, they would not survive. Both Russia and China oppose the Western dominance, criticize Israel's military actions, and maintain close ties with Tehran. The other one that's a tripwire that we've learned about recently with the gas prices rising is the Strait of Hormuz as a global tripwire. Now, we complain now about the gas going more, but could you imagine if Iran becomes nuclear, how much gas prices will go up? Could you imagine if Israel did nothing to Hamas or Hezbollah or the Houthis, and suddenly those guys got materials that were of a nuclear nature? How this powder keg in the Middle East would go off? So could a nuclear Iran trigger World War III? That's a hard question. And to be honest, analysts differ. But the honest answer is yes. It is very possible and very likely. The most direct path to this catastrophic escalation that we're talking about is by Iran getting a nuclear weapon. History has already bore this out. Major strikes on Iran's program has occurred before Iran possessed the weapon at all. Iran's alignment recently with the meetings that we saw before these actions took place between the United States and Iran, with Iran and Russia and China at a whole nother level of risk. So let's address the other side fairly. A fair episode needs to acknowledge Iran's stated case. Iran has run a civilian nuclear program for over 50 years. In fact, it began in the 1950s with U.S. support under the quote Adams of Peace initiative. When this was done, it was supposed to only be used for friendly reasons. So officials also argue that the domestic nuclear power frees up oils for exports revenue to increase. I wish they would think the same way with the billions and billions of dollars that they use to sponsor terrorism across the world each and every year. It's very clear that the facts undercut their case. Power reactors only need uranium enrichment to about 5%. Iran has stockpiled uranium enriched far beyond that. And just recently, as I said, they admitted to having enough for them to make 11 nuclear bombs that was increased to 60%. And then Iran has only used this nuclear power for about 2.2% of its electricity. So these numbers tell a completely different story than what the Iranian officials outwardly say. And more importantly, their actions speak even louder than their words. So why this matters? It matters to you because you and your children who will inherit is shaped by this regime that calls America its enemy, funds terror on three different continents, and teaches that destroying and killing the Israelis and Americans is a sacred act, and whether they should get their hands on one of the most destructive weapons ever known to mankind. That's just not some news story. That's your freedom, your family's safety, and your nation's future. So if I could just give one takeaway sentence, normal deterrence only works on rational actors. And the regime has built its identity around an apocalyptic confrontation to create the end of days. And a regime that acts that way cannot be counted on to behave rationally or in a way that is best for international or world good. They must be stopped before it's too late. If you love freedom and want to see this world prosper, like and subscribe, receive our free newsletter, and join our community as we promote freedom, preparedness, and prosperity across the world. Now let's get back to the show. Now let's go into the second part of the show. Our application to improve and transform. How can we use this information that Iran is openly trying to create a World War III, is openly trying to harm the United States and wipe Israel off the map because they believe it's their religious duty to do so. Well, let's shift our knowledge and let's think a little bit about how knowing this can help us. Freedoms. Real freedom includes the freedom of worship, to speak and to live without the fear of foreign-directed terror on our own soil, without the fear of thinking because I believe different or I think different that someone's going to harm me, my family, or anyone else on this continent. Understanding that Iran's thought process is kind of a cleared-eyed way for free people to protect themselves and understand the things that they need to stand up for and do. So the second pillar, preparedness. All I need to say on that one is 17 disrupted plots on American soil in the last five years. Seventeen. That's reason for any family to prepare or to think of things that they need to do to prepare both spiritually and temporally. We are in the last days. Preparedness isn't paranoia, though. It's wise stewardship. And more importantly, preparing this nation so it doesn't have to go through hardships. Hopefully we avoid all those things, but that can only happen if we act upon the freedoms that we know and do the things that we need to do. Productivity, informed citizenship, knowing the facts about the regional threats let you engage with your community and your representatives with substance instead of just slogans. It allows you to help your congressmen and others understand the things that they need to do so we can all remain free. And yes, is this hard with what's going on? Yes, and it will be. There will be some sacrifice, but there will be much more if nothing is done. Prosperity. Finally, the last pillar. Iran's exports are roughly 1.7 million barrels per day. They're tied to our global energy markets that touch every American's household budget. The wider Middle East conflict can move gas prices and grocery prices in the same week as we've seen. So financial preparedness is part of national preparedness and stability, national stability, because through the Strait of Hormuz, about 15 to 20% of all energy is being exported through there. Iran with a nuclear weapon would shut that off or have complete control over it. Stability is needed in the region to stabilize the world economy. A nuclear Iran would make that impossible. What are your action steps? Well, number one, educate your circle. Share the episode with one family member or friend this week and have an honest conversation about what a nuclear armed Iran would mean to the region, to the United States, and to our future. Is that the future you want? Is that a future you can trust? Is that a future that would make you feel secure? Nothing against the Iranian people. It's against the regime. And there's a current thought process of those who are in power and those that hold the guns and weapons. Number two, review your emergency plan. Make sure your household hasn't updated emergency plan, the basic supplies and supply kit designated out of town contacts, so on and so forth. The same steps that will serve you well for any emergency, whether it be local or national crisis. And with these cells, 17 of them in five years, we should know that there will be a time that eventually, unfortunately, that it's highly likely that there will be at least one of them that will have some success. Number three, engage with your local representatives. Contact your congressional representative and look representatives and let them know where you stand on this issue, on sanctions, snapback measures, and support for your allies that are facing the threat directly. Support for action that will stop these guys from getting the nuclear weapon that will ignite the world. I don't think that most people in the United States understand not only the danger to the country, but the danger to the world stability if this happens. One of the weakest things of a democracy, and it's by far the best form of government, but it's also often its inability to do what is difficult and to endure the short-term pain. For example, the gas prices go up a little bit and people scream, what are we doing in Iran? Well, if you really think about it, we're trying to keep some stability in the world, and we're trying to keep that powder keg that we discussed from going off. I'll use Afghanistan as an example. After 9-11, everybody was forced going to Afghanistan, but slowly but surely, as time went on, democracies do not like long, drawn-out problems. Kind of like the John Wayne movie. We go in and we take out the bad guy, everybody waves the American flag and screams for freedom, and we're all happy. But that's not really the way that things work in the world. Another good example is Ukraine. When that first, when Russia first invaded, everybody, or at least most everybody, was trying to raise money, helping them, talking about what a hero uh the Ukrainians were for standing up. And we've seen how the popularity of that has slowly but surely diminished. We can use World War II as an example. We wanted to stay out of that despite knowing what Hitler was doing, until Japan bombed us in Pearl Harbor, and suddenly we were dragged into the war. And thank goodness we were. So the freedom focus for the week is discernment is a form of preparedness. Before you share an article or repeat a headline that would be okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, or that the price of gas is just too much to continue the efforts to stop Iran's evil desires. Ask yourself who benefits from this wrong narrative? And ask if it matches the regime's own documented words and actions. Test everything, then hold fast to that which is true. So, before we close, today we learned that Iran is not a rational player like we had against Russia in the Cold War. If they have a weapon, they will use it to try to bring about the apocalyptic end of days, in which they believe is their religious obligation to do so. With Israel and America, the destruction of those countries specifically is uh quote unquote a religious duty. A nuclear weapon in those hands is not a manageable risk, it's an unacceptable one. More importantly, because we are doers of the word, your next steps are what you've learned today. Sure up your family's preparedness plan, make your ver voice heard with your representatives. So until next time, don't just survive, learn to thrive in a troubled world. Now go make the world a better place. Be productive, be prepared, and prosper in freedom's life. Now rise for freedom and make the world a better place. Good day. Please subscribe, join our newsletter, and help grow this movement of freedom, preparedness, and productivity. Good day.