Joe Rogan Warns US ‘Vulnerable' Due to Trump's Iran War

Podcaster Joe Rogan ramped up his assault on the military conflict in Iran on Friday, insisting that the war leaves the United States “vulnerable” and unprepared for unexpected crises.

Rogan, who endorsed President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election, continued his criticism of the joint U.S.-Israel military campaign alongside comedian Harland Williams during Friday’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.

“I don’t like the Iran war thing, but I like that,” Rogan, 58, said in reference to Trump’s plan to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship card at the White House, which he denounced days earlier. The card, which is called UFC Freedom 250, will take place in an octagon constructed on the South Lawn on June 14, which is Trump’s 80th birthday.

“You don’t like the concept that Iran can no longer have nuclear weapons?” Williams replied. “I think that’s better than a UFC fight.”

But Rogan fears a repeat of Afghanistan, where U.S. forces invaded following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks to begin the longest military conflict in American history, culminating in a chaotic withdrawal in August 2021.

“That is a good concept,” Rogan said. “However, I don’t necessarily know there’s a clear way to get out of this.”

Williams, 63, who has appeared in classics like Dumb and Dumber, said he considered the conflict in Iran to be different because of the threat of nuclear weapons.

“Whereas here, there’s a directive where they’re preventing a rebel country from having a bomb that can annihilate portions of our planet,” Williams said. “So, I think that’s a much clearer and more positive agenda than wiping out guys living in the hills of Afghanistan creating opium.”

But Rogan wasn’t convinced, citing recent guest Scott Horton, director of The Libertarian Institute, who detailed the difficulties of making weapons-grade uranium.

“It’s very difficult, it’s not as simple-and they weren’t nearly capable of doing that,” Rogan said.

“Not nearly, but pursuing,” Williams shot back.

“It’s a good question,” Rogan replied. “Because [Horton] was also saying they were being inspected on the regular basis. And essentially, this is Israel wanting us to go to this war…and it makes sense.”

It’s still wholly unclear if the war, which began on February 28, is “good for America,” Rogan said.

“And I don’t know if there’s a way out of it,” he said.

Rogan’s latest criticism of the Trump administration comes just days after an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, found that the Iran war has strained U.S. weapons stockpiles and will take years to replenish as a result of budget approvals, production time and allocations to allies. He has also warned about the potential of a military draft following calls by a prominent technology firm for universal national service.

Pentagon officials, meanwhile, have dismissed the defense concerns.

“America's military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President's choosing,” Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell told Newsweek on Wednesday. “We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests.”

Rogan’s critique deepens his complicated relationship with Trump, whom he has largely supported, although he has voiced concerns regarding the release of the Epstein files and federal immigration enforcement operations.

“You know we’ve used like two-thirds of our missiles doing it?” Rogan asked Williams in reference to the war. “It leaves us vulnerable if there’s any other kind of a conflict. We’re, like, under-armed right now.”

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 5:00 PM.