This episode tracks how close the world stands to World War 3 as of early 2026, measuring military deployments, diplomatic breakdowns, and escalation indicators across every active flashpoint. Not cable news panic, but a structured analysis of the signals that intelligence agencies actually watch.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep1

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep1

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.

Three realistic U.S. vs Iran scenarios trace the escalation pathways from current tensions to open war. Each is grounded in historical precedent and current force positioning, not speculation.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep2

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep2

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.

The Great Satan label carries 70 years of U.S.-Iran history behind it, from the 1953 CIA coup that overthrew Prime Minister Mossadegh through the hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq War, sanctions, the nuclear deal, and the Soleimani assassination. Every major escalation and betrayal built the hostility both sides carry into any future conflict.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep3

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep3

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.

The Israel and Iran conflict has been a shadow war for four decades, fought through assassinations of nuclear scientists, the Stuxnet cyberattack, proxy conflicts in Lebanon and Syria, and direct missile exchanges. This war has killed hundreds and shaped the entire Middle East, hidden in plain sight.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep4

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep4

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.

Five specific trigger events could start a war with Iran, based on stated policy positions from the United States and Israel, military doctrine, and historical responses. Each red line is assessed for how close it has been approached and what crossing it would set in motion.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep5

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep5

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.

Middle East war escalation can turn a regional crisis into a global one within 72 hours through a chain reaction of retaliatory cascades, alliance activations, and economic shocks. This episode models the sequence step by step: the initial strike, the escalation points, and the moment where the conflict becomes self-sustaining.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep6

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep6

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.

Iran's war plan is built around an asymmetric machine designed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to survive a U.S. or Israeli first strike and inflict unacceptable costs in return. The IRGC doctrine of forward defense combines a massive missile arsenal, a proxy network spanning 12 armies, and naval swarming tactics.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep7

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep7

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.

Israel's defense strategy for a three-front conflict means simultaneously fighting Hezbollah in the north, Hamas in Gaza, and Iranian missiles from the east. This scenario breaks the IDF's traditional model, and the adaptations Israel has made since October 7, 2023 may not be enough.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep8

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep8

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation

Subscribe to NBN's Newsletter

Get new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.

Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.