Best Podcasts on Iran Conflict & Oil Prices
Updated: Mar 15, 2026 – 39 episodes
The global economy is facing challenges due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, which has led to surging oil prices and subsequent revisions in GDP forecasts. These developments are causing economic uncertainty and could have significant implications for global markets and industries reliant on stable oil prices.
The Rest Is Politics: US warns of a severe energy crunch due to the Iran conflict, with one in ten oil tankers stuck in the Persian Gulf. Start with their latest episode for a detailed breakdown. All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg discusses the economic volatility and inflation concerns, citing Goldman Sachs' revised forecasts. Their insights on inflation are a must-listen. For a more balanced view, The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway offers a take on the geopolitical risks and market reactions, suggesting that the immediate impacts might be overstated. Listen to their episode for a broader perspective.
Listen to the Playlist
Ridealong has curated the best podcasts and clips about Global economy impacted by Iran conflict and rising oil prices. Listen now.
Podcast Episodes Covering This Story
“We're looking at a serious energy crunch in Asia. You've got one in 10 of the world's oil tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf at the moment... This has to end quickly for there not to be, my understanding is, you know much better about this than I do, but my understanding is that this has to end really within the next week for there not to be weeks, potentially months of knock-on effect on global growth.”
Ridealong summary
The conflict involving Iran is causing a severe energy crunch and could lead to prolonged economic disruptions if not resolved quickly.
“So first is, obviously, there are huge direct costs as oil prices go up. Oil is a component of a lot of consumer and enterprise products. And it also hurts consumer confidence, enterprise confidence. Goldman Sachs is out today with some analysis where they updated kind of the economic knock-on effects, right? So they raised their PCE inflation forecast from 2.1 to 2.9, right, for the year. So that's a huge jump, right, in terms of their expected PCE inflation.”
Ridealong summary
The economic fallout from the Iran conflict and rising oil prices is causing significant volatility and uncertainty, with potential long-term impacts on inflation and GDP forecasts.
“Russia is making a huge amount of money on this because the price of oil goes up. Trump removed the sanctions against Russian oil. So Russia is making a killing literally and figuratively from the U.S. right now based on Donald Trump's behavior. And Russia wants to keep Russia wants to destroy the United States and also distract everybody away to not focus on Ukraine.”
Ridealong summary
The removal of sanctions against Russian oil by Trump is exacerbating U.S. tensions with Iran and driving up global prices, benefiting Russia at the expense of American interests.
“We've entered a much riskier stage of this. Now, if you compare the tools that they were using before that we really hated, most notably paramilitaries operating throughout the region... But by going for the throat, we've encouraged them to reach for different tools. And I think the key number here is 100. And that is oil swiped to about 112 bucks last night. Now it's around 100.”
Ridealong summary
The conflict involving Iran has led to a riskier geopolitical stage, impacting oil prices and global markets, but the immediate market reactions may be exaggerated.
“And what we're watching is oil prices, which are stubbornly now well above $109, $110 a barrel for what they call Brent crude oil... Economists say that if oil stays at $138 a barrel or more for a month, we got a U.S. recession. And the Arab world is predicting $190 to $200 a barrel of oil. So you do the math, the impact of the economy, an economy that has not yet recovered from Donald Trump's own devastating fiscal policy, from the tariffs and the trade war.”
Ridealong summary
The escalating conflict with Iran and resulting oil price surge are exacerbating an already fragile U.S. economy, which has not recovered from previous fiscal policies and trade wars.
“The pain in the price increase that's coming from the oil disruption and the gas disruption in the Middle East has not even worked its way through the economy just yet fully. And, you know, oil price experts told CNBC this week that right now we're very much in the $150 a barrel range for like what oil will hit. He said, but I don't think it's ridiculous at all to suggest $200. And even if the war ends right now, they think it'll take a long time for prices to come back down.”
Ridealong summary
The ongoing Iran conflict is causing deep and lasting economic pain, with oil prices potentially reaching $200 a barrel and broader impacts on food and housing markets.
“Oil prices rose 9% to close above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, after Iran's new Supreme Leader and President Trump indicated the conflict would not end soon. Meanwhile, President Trump downplayed rising oil prices and said defeating Iran was of far greater interest and importance. At the same time, his administration does seem to be making efforts to stave off an energy crisis.”
Ridealong summary
The conflict in Iran is exacerbating economic instability by driving up oil prices, which in turn fuels inflation fears and impacts sectors like housing.
“The International Energy Agency, the IEA, agreed to release 400 million barrels from emergency crude stockpiles, the largest tap of oil reserves in history... But even a release this large may only be buying a relatively short reprieve. With tanker traffic through the strait largely halted, roughly 15 million barrels of crude oil and another 5 million barrels of petroleum products are currently unable to reach markets each day.”
Ridealong summary
The global economy is at risk due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with the IEA's unprecedented release of oil reserves offering only a temporary solution.
“What we've already seen is as of yesterday, Iraq had already shut in forcibly because of the lack of export optionality. they'd already shut in more than 3 million barrels a day, which, again, rewinding to 2022, when we would have last spoke, that was the feared loss from Russia was 3 million barrels that we never actually saw. And that feared loss was enough to push oil prices above $120 a barrel.”
Ridealong summary
The ongoing conflict involving Iran has already resulted in a significant real-world loss of oil production, surpassing the feared losses from Russia in 2022, leading to a lack of confidence in a quick resolution.
“Although the administration appears to be trying to convince Americans that the U.S. military's destruction of the Iranian military means the U.S. has won the war, Iranian leadership needed simply to continue in power to declare victory. Then, blocking the 20 percent of the world's oil that flows through the Strait of Hormuz would give them leverage over the war's outcome.”
Ridealong summary
The U.S. administration's lack of foresight and planning in the conflict with Iran exacerbates global instability and risks further escalation in oil prices.
“Barack Ravid and Mark Caputo of Axios reported today that the administration is considering an assault on Iran's Karg Island, the center of Iran's oil processing facilities, to force Iran to allow free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. That operation would require the U.S. military to pound Iran's military capacity near the strait before sending in ground troops.”
Ridealong summary
The U.S. military strategy against Iran is escalating tensions and contributing to rising oil prices, which could further destabilize the global economy.
“At the start of the week, oil prices skyrocketed after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz... That single tweet sent the price of oil tumbling back to earth because it sent the message that oil tankers would perhaps be able to get through... But then, just 10 minutes later, Secretary Wright suddenly deleted the tweet... These are life and death issues that affect the safety of shipping workers and international waters.”
Ridealong summary
The Trump administration's inconsistent messaging and actions regarding Iran are causing unnecessary volatility in oil prices, which could destabilize the global economy.
“I don't think it will be surprising if the price per barrel of oil hits $200. Saudi Arabia is predicting it will be at least $180 per barrel. And Donald Trump continues to panic, as I reported earlier today. Donald Trump is sending more troops for a possible ground, to use Donald Trump's words, excursion, but other people would call it an invasion of Iran.”
Ridealong summary
The escalating conflict with Iran, driven by Trump's actions, is likely to cause disastrous inflation and potentially push oil prices to $200 per barrel.
“A commercial oil tanker was set ablaze in the state of Hormuz after it was struck by an Iranian suicide drone... As a result, U.S. oil prices shot up $20 a barrel in a week. Now it's $30, $40 a barrel... In the oil industry, Vinny, if you and I were drilling oil in Permian Basin, West Texas Intermediate, now we're selling oil at $100. A couple weeks ago, we were selling it at $68.50.”
Ridealong summary
The U.S. oil industry benefits from rising prices due to Iran tensions, but global supply chain disruptions loom as a significant risk.
“Threats from Iran have bottled up oil in the Persian Gulf, and suppliers are shutting down operations because their storage facilities are full. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has jumped nearly 60 cents a gallon since Trump launched attacks against Iran. As Morgan Phillips of Fox News notes, naval mines are cheap, as little as a few thousand dollars, and can incapacitate or sink a $2 billion U.S. destroyer.”
Ridealong summary
The escalating conflict with Iran is causing significant disruptions in oil supply, leading to increased prices and global economic instability, with the potential to severely impact supply chains and operational costs worldwide.
“I would absolutely expect that, yes, maybe the Strait of Hormuz is basically essentially closed at the moment. Then there are other ways to deliver oil. And from here, there's just a lot of upside risk in the probability that maybe they will be opening at least more, either with military escort of the boats, as has been talked about, or alternatively also if Iran simply ends up having any firepower, that it could reopen again completely.”
Ridealong summary
While the conflict with Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, there are multiple strategies to mitigate oil supply disruptions, suggesting potential stabilization despite current volatility.
“After Donald Trump told some of our allies to essentially F off that we don't need their help after we started a war with Iran, he is now circling all the way around and asking our allies for help because Iran is strategically cutting off the United States and Israel from access to the Strait of Hormuz. Now, of course, the Strait of Hormuz is a narrow pathway near Iran, where about 20 to 25 percent of the world's daily oil supply flows through.”
Ridealong summary
The Trump administration's actions have backfired, causing economic damage and instability by escalating tensions with Iran.
“Iran is saying that their goal is to drive oil prices to $200 per barrel. They're saying our goal is to make you suffer economically. This is a war of attrition and we're not going to stop. The details include Iran saying that U.S. will not be able to control oil prices. We won't allow even one liter of oil to reach the U.S., Israel and its partners.”
Ridealong summary
Iran's military strategy aims to drive oil prices to $200 per barrel, creating economic suffering as a form of warfare.
“It hard to overstate the significance of this war when it comes to the U and global economy. In its monthly report, the International Energy Agency warning it's creating, quote, the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market and adding that the current flow through the Strait of Hormuz is somewhere between a trickle and a near standstill.”
Ridealong summary
The conflict involving Iran is causing the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, leading to significant economic challenges worldwide.
“Iran has all but shut it down, pushing oil prices over $100 a barrel. The president telling me the U.S. is working with other countries to try to secure the strait while acknowledging Iran could still make trouble by dropping mines to try to blow up ships in transit. With Iran vowing to keep the strait effectively closed, President Trump ordered strikes Friday on Iran's Karg Island, Iran's main oil hub.”
Ridealong summary
The conflict with Iran is causing significant short-term disruptions in energy flow, leading to increased oil prices and economic instability, but the U.S. administration believes these actions are necessary to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.
