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Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 11am ET/ 5pm CET
The world welcomed the news of an agreement reached between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran over the weekend. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” President Donald Trump said June 14. This was confirmed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as well as the Iranians themselves, and a formal signing ceremony is planned to take place in Switzerland this Friday, June 19. Trump reportedly digitally signed the MOU Sunday night before he left to attend the G7 summit in France.
Can this peace become a stable peace? Can this moment of reprieve be transformed into an inflection point where a wholly new orientation takes hold?
The emphatic point to be made is: Yes, if we act to make it happen. Don’t wait around analyzing what Donald Trump will do next, or place your bets in Polymarket as to how long the agreement will last. Helga Zepp-LaRouche addressed this in a discussion with associates June 15, where she called for upgrading the mobilization for the Extended Oasis Plan for Southwest Asia. “This is the moment to put in the economic development perspective on the table, to change the dynamic on a permanent basis,” she said. She emphasized the importance of former Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu’s proposal for a new security architecture for the region, combined with the Schiller Institute’s proposal of economic development to solidify it.
On May 26, China, as the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council, will convene a meeting under the theme “Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-Centered International System.” The meeting will occur with the world at a historical branching point, where humanity can choose to go in one of two very different directions. The unprovoked and aggressive war against Iran, and its ensuing effects, has placed the Middle East at an impasse and threatens a potentially fatal escalation into a global economic depression or even global nuclear war. At the same time, the meetings between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in Beijing have opened the door to a new level of cooperation between the world’s two largest economies, creating an opportunity to implement an entirely different policy than that which created today’s crisis. Therefore, it is a very precious moment in history, which must not be missed.
Such a policy was actually discussed and elaborated at the recent EIR Emergency Roundtable on May 15, “The Iran War and the ‘Controlled Disintegration’ of the World Economy.” Speaking there was former Prime Minister of Türkiye Ahmet Davutoğlu, along with Iranian Ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh, former UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine Richard Falk, and others. Prof. Davutoğlu insisted that bilateral U.S.-Iran bargaining cannot resolve the regional crisis, saying only “a comprehensive regional framework” can produce sustainable peace. He outlined his recent proposal consisting of four converging issues, where “progress on any one front is unlikely without parallel movement on the others”:
1. The Strait of Hormuz: Form a coalition of trusted intermediaries, such as Türkiye, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to administer the Strait under a UN Security Council mandate.
2. Nuclear arrangements: Establish a new agreement whereby Iran would deposit enriched uranium in Türkiye in exchange for fuel for civilian use, reaffirm its commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons, and have its right to peaceful nuclear energy formally recognized by the U.S. Over time, the region would move toward freedom from nuclear weapons “including those held by Israel.” (It should be noted that this was the basis for the 2010 Tehran Agreement, which Davutoğlu helped mediate, along with Brazil and the IAEA, and which was rejected by President Obama at the time. Notably, President Lula of Brazil handed President Trump a copy of this agreement during his recent May 7 visit to Washington.)
3. Regional security architecture: A multilayered structure of confidence-building and regional security would be established, evolving toward “a Middle Eastern equivalent of the 1975 Helsinki Accords.”
4. Palestine: Israel would be offered integration into the architecture—full diplomatic normalization and formal guarantees—in exchange for recognizing Palestinian statehood and ending military operations in Lebanon.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute and Editor-in-Chief of EIR magazine, had opened the roundtable dialogue by proposing a complete policy change for Southwest Asia, namely that the nations of the entire region, from India to the Mediterranean, from the Caucasus to the Gulf, adopt a joint policy of “Peace through Development.” An integrated “Extended Oasis Plan,” in which a program for reversing the desertification of Southwest Asia, modelled on China’s transformation of Xinjiang province and its northwest deserts, is combined with the extension of development corridors throughout Southwest Asia. As in the times of the ancient Silk Road, the Middle East can become the hub connecting Asia, Africa and Europe again, with a bright future for all countries which are now in a state of humanitarian crisis and poverty as a result of interventionist wars.
When Zepp-LaRouche proposed to add the Extended Oasis Plan to the proposal put on the table by Davutoğlu, which is actually very similar to the Tehran Agreement of 2010 signed by Türkiye, Brazil and Iran, the latter replied:
“I fully agree. The best way of peace is economic interdependency. There is no other way. You can sign peace plans, you can make many declarations, but the best way of peace is economic interdependency. Whenever you have economic interdependency, nobody will be starting a war. So, economic interdependency means development.” Davutoğlu added that the best response to this war is to create a sense of “regional belonging, supporting each other. And I fully share your opinion; and we can bring these proposals together, a geopolitical solution framework, as well as a developmental, visionary project together.”
The participants in the EIR Roundtable agreed, therefore, to send this combined proposal to the governments convening the UN Security Council special session on May 26, requesting that it be taken into consideration at this meeting. Even as the UN Charter must be upheld, the UN is nevertheless in urgent need of reform, which would give the Global Majority a proportionate representation. Part of this reform must be the establishment of a new security and development architecture, which must take into account the interest of every single country on the planet.
A combination of Mr. Davutoğlu’s proposal and the Extended Oasis Plan can be an indispensable component of such a new architecture.
Any and all of the participants in the EIR roundtable stand prepared for further assistance, if so required.
Sincerely yours,
Helga Zepp-LaRouche Founder, Schiller Institute Editor-in-Chief, EIR May 17, 2026
This in-depth interview explores the escalating crisis in Iran and the broader geopolitical strategy behind ongoing conflicts in Southwest Asia. Featuring retired U.S. Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Dennis Fritz, the discussion challenges official narratives surrounding U.S. foreign policy, revisits the origins and consequences of the Iraq War, and examines claims about long-term strategic planning in the region. The video raises urgent questions about government transparency, the risk of wider war—including potential nuclear escalation—and the role of global power structures shaping current events.
In this interview, geopolitical analyst Einar Tangen provides a rare perspective on global developments from inside China. The discussion explores how China views the current geopolitical crisis, the risks of escalation in the Middle East, and the potential economic consequences of a wider conflict.
Tangen examines the strategic relationship between China, the United States, and the broader Global South, including how ongoing tensions—such as the war involving Iran—could trigger major disruptions to the global economy and international trade. The conversation also looks at competing economic systems, the future of globalization, and whether the world is entering a new era of geopolitical realignment.
This interview offers an insider’s analysis of China’s strategic thinking and what it may mean for the future of the international order.
In this interview, Helga Zepp-LaRouche speaks with podcaster and journalist Patrick Henningsen. Shortly before the start of the US attacks, Patrick Henningsen visited Iran and graphically describes the moral depravity of the American elite in enforcing their interests, as well as the influence of religious fanatics on US foreign policy over the past 30 years.
The discussion examines the strategic logic behind recent military operations, the role of Western geopolitical doctrine, and the growing danger that regional conflicts could spiral into a broader global confrontation. Zepp-LaRouche argues that decades of interventionist policy and regime-change warfare have destabilized entire regions and accelerated the collapse of the post-Cold War order.
Henningsen and Zepp-LaRouche explore how these policies are perceived internationally, the impact of sanctions and economic warfare, and why many nations are now pushing toward a multipolar system that rejects the old imperial framework.
As tensions rise across the Middle East and beyond, this conversation addresses the deeper geopolitical forces shaping the crisis—and why understanding the reality of US imperial brutality is essential to avoiding a wider war.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche greeted Professor Ted Postol on March 9, in her interview of him saying, “you are one of the voices of reason, and also are equipped with the necessary knowledge to judge” the situation in the Middle East. Referring to the fact that “everyone in their right mind” is poised on the edge of their seats, she noted that the last time the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in June 2025, asked him, how does the present situation compare to then and for his assessment of where we are in this current war?
Pointing to the negotiation double-cross back in June, and now, where Trump officials lulled the Iranians into hopes of a peaceful resolution, this time the Iranians made clear they would not be fooled a second time. So when the U.S.-Israel side asked for a ceasefire this time, Iran which had granted one back in June 2025, said ‘no.’ Prior to the war beginning on February 28, Iran made clear if they are attacked again, it would be an “indefinite war.”
Emphasizing that this is an “unjustified war of choice,” Professor Postol said he has been surprised at how quickly the second phase of the war occurred, pointing to Iran’s retaliation to the U.S.-Israel assault with its hitting of military bases in the Gulf, and direct hits on Israel.
Demonstrating his ballistic missile expertise, he proceeded with video footage to show the “counter-missile defenses” which the Iranians are now deploying. These new weapons capabilities are out-running $4 million interceptors and getting through the so-called “Iron Dome.” The latter and the Thadd systems are expensive systems “which never worked.” Pointedly, Postol the Iranian counter-measures are overwhelming the Israeli defensive shield.
Dr. Theodore Postol is professor emeritus of Science, Technology, and National Security at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear weapons and the effects of their use
Daniel Burke of Executive Intelligence Review (EIR) speaks with Mubarak Mugabo, a founding fellow of the African Institute for the Belt and Road (afbri.org) and a prominent Ugandan legal expert. Mugabo shares his unique perspective on how cooperation with China is helping African nations overcome “strategic bottlenecks”—such as poor infrastructure—that have blocked continental development. Drawing on his experience as a Dongfeng scholar at Peking University and a award-winning journalist, Mugabo discusses the shifting dynamics of global governance and the importance of South-South cooperation. From the halls of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa to the “Two Sessions” in Beijing, this conversation explores the tangible impact of 25 years of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the vision for a new, equitable international order.
Mubarak Mugabo is a leading journalist, legal expert, and founding fellow at the African Institute for the Belt and Road. He is a two-time winner of the Silk Road Global News Award and has extensively studied Chinese development at Renmin University and Peking University.
Live from Caracas, Venezuelan researcher and columnist for “Misión Verdad” (“Truth Mission”), Diego Sequera, spoke with EIR’s Dennis Small on Jan. 8. Sequera concluded the discussion by explaining that the armed attack on Venezuela, and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, was “so self-destructive to the United States.” It not only means a return to imperial Gunboat Diplomacy against Venezuela and the whole Western Hemisphere; it also marks “a policy overhaul along the lines of Trump’s National Security Strategy document.”
We are witnessing “deeper trends” of a broader global fight, which centers on expelling the interests of China, especially, from the Western Hemisphere, in order to “control supply chains, key assets, resources, chokepoints.” Sequera noted that Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez today visited the Chinese embassy in Caracas. “That’s about as clear a message as it gets,” Sequera commented.
He emphasized that support for Venezuela against the naked aggression is coming not only from expected countries, but also from other players, such as Spain, that had previously been cool. “That’s new,” he stated.
Small asked Sequera about the Trump administration’s domino theory – that after Venezuela, other dominoes will follow, such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, and others. “But has Venezuela fallen?” Sequera answered: “That’s an easy answer: no, not at this point.” There has been social breakdown. Nations are also history, ideas, and principles.
Sequera concluded by supporting the upcoming Jan. 12 EIR Emergency Round Table, “It’s Worse Than You Think: The Strategic Implications of the Attack on Venezuela and How to Bring the World Back from the Brink.”
• Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Founder, The International Schiller Institute (Germany) • Dr. Naledi Pandor, chairperson, Nelson Mandela Foundation and former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa • Jacques Cheminade, President, Solidarité & Progrès (France) • H.E. Ambassador Beryl Sisulu, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Mexico • Alain Charlemagne Pereira, former Chief of Staff of the Senegalese Air Force; former Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Dialogue Period and Greetings
• Shamsudeen Hassan, Yhunich Mentors Academy (Nigeria) • Dabe Nogbo, Pan African Patriot Front (Côte d’Ivoire) • Retaj Aldar, BRICS Youth Parliament (Yemen) • Alan Rivera, Schiller Institute (Mexico)
Panel 2
• Martin Kaptein, Schiller Institute (Netherlands/Russia) • Mahdi Mohammed, United Community of African Students, Wageningen University (Nigeria) • Maisam Rahamtalla, Association of Students of African Heritage, Netherlands (Sudan) • Inez Zengue, Association of International Studies Russia-Africa (Cameroon) • Megumi Itaya, Kyoto University (Japan) • Fajer Fouad Al-Ghaffari, BRICS Youth Parliament (Yemen) • Fadel Abdul Hussein Al-Dhayani, Youth Development Association and First Scientific Conference for Youth (Yemen) • Kynan Thistlethwaite, Jose Vega for Congress (USA) • Alima Touré, Lawyer and Journalist (Mali) • Jusper Machogu, Fossil Fuels for Africa (Kenya) • Timothy Ninsiima and Emmanuel Mungatihe, Makerere University (Uganda) • Jesus Holguin Cazares, Kansas Cattlemen’s Association (USA) • Estevão Demacena, Schiller Institute (Brazil)
Dialogue Period
International Youth Movement Emerges, a New Strategic Flank for the Good
A new strategic flank has emerged for those who demand a new, just security and development architecture: an international youth movement dedicated to the common interests of the one humanity.
This youth movement is growing at an accelerating rate, guided by such world leaders as Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute; Dr. Naledi Pandor, chairwoman of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa; Jacques Cheminade, president of the French party Solidarité & Progrès; Ambassador Beryl Sisulu, Ambassador of South Africa to Mexico; and Alain Charlemagne Pereira, former Ambassador and former Chief of Staff of the Senegalese Air Force. These mature voices of reason spoke in dialogue on Dec. 14, 2025, with an assembly of over 200 youth from across 37 nations from all five continents, including 20 different African nations, during the Schiller Institute international youth conference, “Young People of the World, Unite!”
That dialogue served as the first panel of two, followed by a remarkable session featuring 17 recorded statements from young people from Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Yemen, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Sudan, Cameroon, Japan, United States of America, Mali, Kenya, Uganda, and Brazil, as well as a dozen live statements contributed by young leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, and many other locations. These statements covered such matters as the use of AI to eradicate mycotoxin contamination of food in Africa; the organizing of the population of Mexico in support of cooperation with the BRICS; the historic memory of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the 255th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven as seen by a Yemeni youth; the urgent need for young people to help stop the horrific crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza; the legal fight for the economic and political sovereignty of Mali; the common need for a just world agricultural system, as seen from the standpoint of a Kansas cattleman; and the need for fossil fuel development and great projects to eradicate poverty in Africa and the world.
Following those statements came further dialogue among the assembled youth, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, and Jacques Cheminade, during which the demands of the future and the present were discussed from the standpoint of the strategic danger of a new kind of universal fascism, the intersection of the malign use of Artificial Intelligence, crypto currency, and the military industrial complex, engineered to prevent the consolidation of a new just paradigm. Against this backdrop, punctuated by the particularly insane outlook of NATO, as expressed in a recent propaganda video, “From Foresight to Warfight!” what intervention must this global youth collaboration make?
Zepp-LaRouche challenged the youth leaders that, in fact, “we are not barbarians. We are not like this NATO image of man. We are the creative species, and we can come up with solutions for every man-made problem. And war is a man-made problem. That’s why I think the need to have a powerful international youth movement is the key to solving the present conjuncture in human history. Only if we have young people on all continents—in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and hopefully then, inspiring the youth of the United States and Europe—who will fight for a new economic system, a new world economic order, and an end to war, will this tragedy which is potentially facing humanity possibly be avoided.”
The enthusiastic responses of the young participants of this conference indicates that many are ready and willing to build this movement, and to answer Zepp-LaRouche’s’s long-standing call to learn and implement the method of the coincidence of opposites, invented by Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa in the 15th century as a means of solving intractable problems by ascending to the higher one.
Nations represented during the conference included Ghana, Ethiopia, Canada, Uganda, Yemen, France, Australia, Palestine, South Africa, Kenya, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Bangladesh, Brazil, Nigeria, U.S.A., Mexico, Madagascar, Gambia, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Saint Lucia, Argentina, Algeria, India, Sudan, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Iran.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche interviewed Palestinian Authority Ambassador to Denmark H.E. Prof. Dr. Manuel Hassassian on October 14, 2025, who gave his full support for the Schiller Institute and Lyndon LaRouche’s Oasis Plan.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche characterized the interview as being exactly the right thing for this historical moment and a very important contribution to Schiller Institute’s renewed campaign for the Oasis Plan for peace through economic development for Palestine, Israel and the entire region.
Ambassador Hassassian expressed the hope that the war against Gaza, which has caused so much carnage, has finally ended. He called for the establishment of a Palestinian state to achieve lasting peace, and gave a full, lengthy endorsement of the LaRouche Oasis Plan as a crucial vision for the economic development of the region. He called for governments to adopt the plan and integrate it into other plans under discussion. Now is the time to market the Oasis Plan, he said. The Ambassador also praised the Schiller Institute for its initiative.
