১৯ এপ্রিল, ২০২৬
"Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!"
"Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations. Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it. They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be 'the tough guy!' We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
পোস্টগুলি
১৪৭টি মন্তব্য:
Bomb bomb bomb Iran...
Bomb bomb bomb Iran...
When nuke negations just won't do...
Bomb bomb bomb, bomb Iran... till the Mullahs quit or DIE..
C’mon, IRGC mooks. Give peace a chance!
Trump is saying it out loud.
Gas prices never made it to Biden era levels.
But they are cancelling international flights in China and Europe is coming soon.
People in China used to get cheaper plane tickets and fly cheaper because China got cheaper oil. That is no longer happening.
But people in the US paid much more for gas and plane tickets than we had under 6 previous presidents so Chinese people could have a better standard of living.
The curious thing I am trying to explore is the whole "Its the jooooosss!" thing. I think they have been protecting Iran purposely with this for a long time. The globalist oligarchs are currently fomenting a pogrom against Israel over Lloyd's of London losing their monopoly on global shipping.
The press keeps writing as though Iran is a single entity, a legal “person” so to speak. do we know that to be the case? My guess is Trump is saying things to set faction against faction and keep the chaos going, internal to the leadership. but what do I know?
Will Europe start another war against "the joooos" to get control over the middle east?
From here it looks to me like Europe killed 60% of their jews, created a place for them to run to, and then armed all of their neighbors so they could attack Israel but more importantly control the ME shipping lanes for European Oligarchs.
How long did it take them to morph that into turning SE asia into the production center of the world by selling SE countries discount materials?
Trump is stomping on 80 years of Globalist Oligarch work and it is taking him about 6 months to do it.
I can't believe you guys voted for this idiot.
I don't know if I can subscribe to the "intentional globalist conspiracy" thing, per se, although certainly the effects of globalism have been pretty much as Achilles describes.
But what I definitely agree on is that Trump's foreign policy - and this goes back to his first term - exposes structural weaknesses in ways for which our feckless allies should be thanking us. And also, Trump's foreign policy is guiding and sometimes forcing realignments that look to me to be in the interests of our country, rather than in the interests of keeping the historical narrative nice and pretty (for instance, NATO is not a sacred cow anymore).
I have family moving to China because their health care system is so much better and cheaper than the US.
We are sending our father to other countries to get the care he needs.
Hopefully the Health care system is next on Trump's list. I would prioritize that over the education system. We could just cut all funding to the education system and let it adjust itself.
Once written, twice... said...
I can't believe you guys voted for this idiot.
It isn't our fault you are too stupid to understand what he is doing.
They wanted to close up the strait again, you know, as they’ve been doing for years, and they can’t blackmail us,” the US president said ~ WSJ
It is weeks Don Tzu, not years. It is since you started the war.
I'm reading that the U.S. is seriously considering boarding and seizing Iranian tankers on the open water.
Once again these absolute morons are drawing from a playbook that worked with Venezuela forgetting that Iran is not Venezuela.
Love Trump! Great President!
Saying 'you're too stupid' isn't an argument. It's what people say when they have no actual defense for all the Trump chaos.
It's the classic cult defense: if you question Dear Leader, you're just not enlightened enough. Pass.
Don't get involved in a land war in Asia. That's an axiom. I suppose the Mideast axiom is that anything you do in the Middle East, including doing nothing, will turn out badly......This has not and will not end as we hope. There's a good chance it will end catastrophically for Iran and that inflation will go up a point or two in America. They say the Iranians are good at bargaining, but I don't think those are the Iranians currently in charge of bargaining.
There's Begley, who insisted the war would be completely and decisively won weeks ago.
Shut up, Dave
"Iran killing machine" LOL
If you opposed our war of choice with Iran you are "bloodthirsty."
We are beginning to see a pattern here... It has been plain since he lied about the first ceasefire that he is just looking for a way to unleash a new killing spree on Iran and blame it on them.
“ I can't believe you guys voted for this idiot.”
I voted for the better of the two candidates. Not happy about the system that offered me the two. But I’m pretty sure I voted for the better one.
History, like quantum mechanics, just happens. There's no guiding laws and it doesn't bend to any moral principle. Bismarck was the master statesman of his era, and his great victories were responsible for the ruination of Germany and Europe........Can any here who are critical of Trump, explain how Iran in any way profits from this situation?
Yeah - Islamic assholes killing 30,000+ of their own people - for daring to speak out against the regime - NOT a killing machine at all!
Once Bitten - we cannot believe you voted for the worst, most destructive, fake prez puppet of all time - Biden and his idiot side kick - empty headed kamala.
Jamie said...
I don't know if I can subscribe to the "intentional globalist conspiracy" thing, per se, although certainly the effects of globalism have been pretty much as Achilles describes.
The first thing you have to do is assess your sources of information.
The second thing you have to do is look at the scope of the world and decide if your paradigm actually describes it. Most people stop at the levels they can understand. This almost invariably leads to "This other tribe is the problem we must wipe them out."
People need to start looking at the world knowing that there are bigger fish in the ocean. You may not be as smart or as wealthy as those people but you have to at least understand they are there before you have any chance.
The test of your paradigm is "Does this accurately predict XXXXX."
I think the Globalist Oligarchs have got a lot of mileage out of "It is the Jooos."
Mark:
Okay. I missed the end by a few weeks. No big deal.
Oct 7th - forgotten by all leftists.
Little Excursion™️ said...
Saying 'you're too stupid' isn't an argument. It's what people say when they have no actual defense for all the Trump chaos.
It's the classic cult defense: if you question Dear Leader, you're just not enlightened enough. Pass.
I have posted the full explanation of why Trump is ending Chinese energy arbitrage and why US energy dominance is better for Americans right here on this very thread.
You are just too stupid to read it.
Trump: "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!"
Well they do say he's sick and obscene....
https://youtu.be/KN6ngThqMEs?si=9wWFAkQ26eqfmldA
CC, JSM
Dave Begley said...
Mark:
Okay. I missed the end by a few weeks. No big deal
You were wrong about who is actually fighting the Iran war.
The Iran war was over well before you predicted it would end. The war with Iran was over 3 weeks ago.
Right now the combatant is Europe. China has already surrendered and pledged to stop arming Iran. But Europeans are led by macron and starmer right now and both of them are out of power when the US and the ME stop subsidizing european welfare state bullshit.
Achilles: "Hopefully the Health care system is next on Trump's list. I would prioritize that over the education system. We could just cut all funding to the education system and let it adjust itself."
Would you make that the solution to health care as well: cut all funding and let it adjust itself? Serious question. I can see both sides. RLTW, JSM
Achilles mews: 'You are just too stupid to read it.'
I read it. It was cope, not economics. Calling me stupid doesn’t make Chinese arbitrage magically bad for Americans.
Translation: 'I can’t defend my position without calling you names.' Real convincing.
China needs to do a freedom of navigation run through the blockade. The US regularly does them in the South China Sea.
Take your meds, Achilles.
High oil prices hurt 330 million Americans. But they help Vladimir Putin. This is an easy choice. ~ Achilles
NATO is not a sacred cow anymore
Nor a burden on the US taxpayer to throw money at Europe for which they are ungrateful. Soon, freedom of navigation will either be a worldwide effort or will not exist.
Achilles @9:14 - I'm not arguing the effects of what you call the "Globalist Oligarchs." (And blaming "the Joooos" is evergreen.) All I was saying is that I'm not convinced that "they" planned it out this way, or indeed that "they" are a "they" - an actual conspiracy of the so-called "global elites" to keep their own nests feathered, rice bowls full, pick your cliche, at the expense of the ordinary people of the world. (Certainly I think they all, individually and in affinity groups, have been acting in their own interests all along, like everybody else. It's the intention to screw over the little people that I question.)
But the point of my comment was more about Trump's foreign policy: that it rips the curtain away from the polite fictions that every prior president has been fine with maintaining. Trump questions every alliance and every agreement and every assumption, and it seems to drive progressives, neighbors, and, yes, globalists crazy because... what if he actually reveals that, say, this or that NGO is a front for the Chinese Belt and Road strategy or for Iranian terrorist support? What if he reveals that Britain is entirely toothless and Germany is entirely dependent on often-inimical sources for its energy and socialism is only and entirely a gruesome puppet show making the wired-together bones of better societies dance for a while? How embarrassing.
Once written, twice... said...
I can't believe you guys voted for this idiot.
I didn't vote for him but I did, for one of the very few times in my life, send him a significant amount of money.
I don't regret a penny of it.
(Not via WinRed, Either.)
John Henry
john mosby said...
Would you make that the solution to health care as well: cut all funding and let it adjust itself? Serious question. I can see both sides. RLTW, JSM
They have to stop forcing people like me to pay for insurance that doesn't do anything.
They have to stop forcing us to pay for emergency rooms that illegal aliens don't pay to use.
They have to eliminate the whole "you can use this without paying for it" system.
Little Excursion™️ said...
Achilles mews: 'You are just too stupid to read it.'
I read it. It was cope, not economics. Calling me stupid doesn’t make Chinese arbitrage magically bad for Americans.
Translation: 'I can’t defend my position without calling you names.' Real convincing.
Why haven't gas prices in the US made it to Biden era levels yet?
Its clear that Achilles just does not like the American system.
Perhaps, Achilles, it is time for you to follow your own advice and move to a country that matches your views.
Mark said...
There's Begley, who insisted the war would be completely and decisively won weeks ago.
It was. Begley was right even on the date
Jamie, what is the cost of acting this way if it turns out you're wrong?
Burning multigenerational allies is not something easily repaired. Nor does our financial system work if everyone overseas decides to divest from our market bubble.
You have a lot of bravado for someone living in a house of cards.
Dave Begley said...
Okay. I missed the end by a few weeks. No big deal.
Won or ended?
We had "won" WWII in Japan when we dropped the Nagasaki bomb. The war didn't "end" for another almost month.
John Henry
Yes, John Henry, with the Straight of Hormuz currently closed by Iran, clearly we decisively won weeks ago.
Little Excursion™️ said...
High oil prices hurt 330 million Americans. But they help Vladimir Putin. This is an easy choice. ~ Achilles
Why do people in California pay more for gas than everyone else in the country?
I know for a fact you do not care about gas prices Americans pay. You always want higher gas prices and have been explicit about that for decades.
"Neighbors" in my above comment should've been "neocons"!
Achilles continues: "Why haven't gas prices in the US made it to Biden era levels yet?"
They’re getting pretty close — national average just hit $4.10 and it’s still climbing. Turns out starting another Middle East war has the same effect as whatever you blamed on Biden.
Mark said...
Its clear that Achilles just does not like the American system.
Perhaps, Achilles, it is time for you to follow your own advice and move to a country that matches your views.
A Mangione fan has thoughts.
Have you apologized for supporting the mandated COVID vaccines yet?
We know you are evil murderous pieces of shit without a single principle other than power over other people. The only question is whether you are going to be honest about it.
Jamie said...
(Certainly I think they all, individually and in affinity groups, have been acting in their own interests all along, like everybody else. It's the intention to screw over the little people that I question.)
Jamie, I think I land somewhere between you and Achilles. Globalism was certainly planned, though in the beginning it was not directly intended to be an economic system. I subscribe to Peter Zeihan's theses the US bribed up our Cold War alliance by promising to safeguard trade among the nations in the alliance (and to a certain degree, those outside it) in return for letting the US set your foreign and defense policy goals. This means for the US globalism never had any economic justification. It was all about defense policy. My corollary to his theory is that when the Wall came down in 1989, the alliance continued on zombie like for a number of years. Both parties (GHWB and Clinton) tried to find an economic justification for us to continue it but we had never really fully integrated into the system we created, at least until the entrance of China into the global order in the 1990s killed much basic manufacturing and material processing in other locations. I guess the argument would be how much of that economic pain was 'intentional'. It was certainly well understood it was extremely hard for US manufacturing and other workers to compete, at the then current level of technology, with workforces earning a fraction of their wages. I think, in the end, the system has proven itself to be fundamentally unsustainable once the expectation that capitalist democracy would become a default governance model and largely eliminate the need for more than policing piracy has collapsed and national self-interest has reasserted itself, not least of all in the United States.
Achilles might want to consider a blood draw to check his lithium levels.
Little Excursion™️ said...
Achilles continues: "Why haven't gas prices in the US made it to Biden era levels yet?"
They’re getting pretty close — national average just hit $4.10 and it’s still climbing. Turns out starting another Middle East war has the same effect as whatever you blamed on Biden.
LOL.
Biden shut down American Oil development killing American jobs and raised world oil prices but only for the US. We had less revenue less taxes less jobs.
Trump shut down Iranian Oil production and ended Chinese Oil arbitrage while ramping up oil production in the US and US companies are now being flooded with Chinese money buying oil from us. We have more jobs and more tax revenue flowing into the US from China.
And as this stupid piece of shit noted we are still not at Biden level prices.
How fucking stupid do you think people are? I know democrats are just fucking idiots. Is your whole plan to just keep trying to get stupid people to vote for you?
Trump let Iran know in advance. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It looks like the hardliners still have enough power to make us do it the hard way. If so it is really going to suck for the ordinary Iranian citizen. Its obvious how reluctant Trump is to destroy the infrastructure. Either way its a better outcome than a nuclear armed group of fanatics.
Burning multigenerational allies is not something easily repaired. Nor does our financial system work if everyone overseas decides to divest from our market bubble.
You have a lot of bravado for someone living in a house of cards.
But Trump didn't "burn" NATO. He just made public the fact that the members weren't meeting their agreed-to financial obligations. And, now, that as members of an alliance that's supposed to come to the military aid of any threatened member, they are useless because they don't actually have functional militaries. These are things that have been true for decades but no one wanted to mention them because it was somehow disrespectful, or something.
So, my daughter has a sometimes-volatile temper. When she graduated from college, she had a great job waiting for her and was perfectly capable of being financially independent. But my husband (who is to a pretty good extent wrapped around her little finger) didn't want to confront her with the fact that she was going to have to pay for her own health insurance, car insurance, and phone, because she might get mad and cut him off for a few hours. Do you see what I'm saying?
I wouldn't characterize my attitude as "bravado." I don't think it's arguable that Trump's approach to foreign policy has been illuminating, at the very least, and that's all I was saying. The effects of it have yet to be realized in full. I don't see a problem with questioning whether "multigenerational alliances" are still fulfilling their original purpose. Do you?
It's my belief that a lot of sacred oxen are getting gored right now, and that many leaders are running scared at the prospect of facing up to the status quo. The UK has more admirals than warships, and cannot field a *single* *one* that is capable of taking on a mission. The French are not far off being in the same predicament. The rest of our NATO allies are either unwilling or unable to step up when asked, although the US had done so for them in the past, and consequently Trump is weighing whether to pull 100,000 troops out of the European theater.
Eisenhower would approve of this move, as he strongly believed that NATO should only have been in force for a decade or so.
I personally think that he should pull half of them, downsize the military in part, and park the rest in Central/South America as a way of re-shaping our support for the regimes we align with, to influence those we don't.
I've come around to the idea that our support of NATO has been a mistake, a perfidious subsidy, that allowed the European nations to dine on our largess, and conduct social experiments that are mostly failed, while ignoring their own responsibility to look after their citizens and defend their borders. Being responsible for national defense has a way of focusing resources and eliminating things that are frivolities.
Mistakes happen, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with the results, if you don't like them. Trump doesn't like them, and he's the President.
What ever happens (or in reality does not), it's all part of the master plan.
I suspect we might find out just how much the IRGC and the mullahs hate their own citizenry. Deadenders usually have to be killed and I suspect Trump is willing to do just that. I certainly wouldn't bet against him.
Achilles clearly does not understand -- The Law of Holes..
Biden didn't 'shut down' American oil. U.S. crude production rose from ~11.3 million barrels per day in 2021 to over 13 million by 2024 — all on private and state lands. Keystone XL was Canadian oil sands, not U.S. drilling.
World prices spiked because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global chaos, not 'Biden-only' policies.
Trump's team deserves credit for pushing production to a new record of ~13.6 million bpd in 2025. But the shale boom has been rolling for over a decade under both parties — presidents don't flip a switch.
Sanctions on Iran? They've pressured Tehran, but Iranian oil still flows heavily to China via workarounds. And "flooded with Chinese money"? False. U.S. crude exports to China plunged in 2025 — down sharply, not up.
Yes, gas prices are generally below Biden's 2022 peaks of $5+, but they've climbed again recently toward $4 amid global tensions. Oil is a global commodity — no president owns the pump price.
Energy jobs and revenue grew across both administrations thanks to technology and markets, not because one side "killed" it and the other magically saved it. The oversimplification is the real insult to voters' intelligence.
Trump is effecting emigration reform.
The IRGC is dead, one way or another. Either the U.S. and Israel kill them, or they stand down and the citizenry kills them. They don't have an offramp. If your choice is getting blown up or facing a firing squad, I suppose getting blown up might seem like the better option.
The IRGC is hoping that Trump will overreact to this and start bombing power plants and bridges in order to then gain sympathy for the autocratic control that they hold over Iran.
Trump is not taking the bait and he is willingly continuing with the negotiation process. The one thing I am a bit disappointed in and demystified by is why we haven't seen footage of American Air assets taking out these gun boats like we've been taking out the drug boats.
You don't need a conspiracy theory. Explain why the globalist billionaires are screwing everybody over. George Carlin said it best:
"You don't need a formal conspiracy when interests converge. These people went to the same universities, they're on the same boards of directors, they're in the same country clubs, they have like interests, they don't need to call a meeting, they know what's good for them and they're getting it."
Hacker News
Hacker News
+1
Little Excursion™️ said...
Achilles clearly does not understand -- The Law of Holes..
Biden didn't 'shut down' American oil. U.S. crude production rose from ~11.3 million barrels per day in 2021 to over 13 million by 2024 — all on private and state lands. Keystone XL was Canadian oil sands, not U.S. drilling.
I know exactly what Biden did. You have to lie with numbers but you are still a liar.
Biden's first action was to cut production. Then he cut hte rate of growth. We eventually produced more but it didn't keep up and World demand for oil increased. The US produced a little more by the end. But our growth was massively cut. Add in the massive regulations Biden/Obama added on refineries and you have the higher gas prices democrats want.
Anyone with an IQ over room temperature knows Biden raised gas prices in the US on purpose.
World prices spiked because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global chaos, not 'Biden-only' policies.
Biden started that war. We all know why he started it.
He wanted higher gas prices.
Stick to your guns, Jamie, you are right on.
Howard said...
You don't need a conspiracy theory. Explain why the globalist billionaires are screwing everybody over. George Carlin said it best:
"You don't need a formal conspiracy when interests converge. These people went to the same universities, they're on the same boards of directors, they're in the same country clubs, they have like interests, they don't need to call a meeting, they know what's good for them and they're getting it."
Hacker News
Hacker News
+1
I agree with this.
I am not describing a conspiracy. I am describing a system full of hyper-intelligent and competitive people operating at different levels for their own advantage.
If I was wealthy enough to own factories in China and ship things to the US I would set up a system to make my factories in China get oil cheaper than the competing factories in the US.
That is all.
Howard said...
The IRGC is hoping that Trump will overreact to this and start bombing power plants and bridges in order to then gain sympathy for the autocratic control that they hold over Iran.
Trump is not taking the bait and he is willingly continuing with the negotiation process. The one thing I am a bit disappointed in and demystified by is why we haven't seen footage of American Air assets taking out these gun boats like we've been taking out the drug boats.
It is interesting about letting the boats shoot at tankers.
I understand that the US loses nothing by the straight being closed and it in fact pours money into the US economy instead of several middle eastern countries. But the US would be more appreciated if we just solved the problem for everyone.
Personally I believe this is a conscious decision to block the straight of Hormuz so that Helium production is slowed down. Slowing down Helium production will slow down HMB chip production and will give us a slightly longer window on dealing with AGI.
Trump also might just want more chinese dollars to even out past imbalances.
Achilles' shovel has turned into a backhoe....
Nice conspiracy theory. Biden engineered the Russia-Ukraine war from the White House to 'raise gas prices'… but Trump starting a hot war with Iran that’s already pushed prices to $4.10 is just brilliant energy dominance? The conspiracy brain is working overtime.
You blame Biden for a global spike caused by Russia invading Ukraine, but give Trump a pass when his Iran adventure sends oil through the roof again. Same pain at the pump, different team — different excuses.
The way to end Iran's behavior is for any country's ship that is attacked to join the coalition. Why did America join the Allies in WW1? Partly because the Germans were sinking our ships.
OFC, the Europeans don't want to, so this will extend everyone's pain.
Israel hate - and adoration of Radical Islamic Theocratic Thuggery blinds these nations from helping evil Trump.
UK purposefully imported mass-Islamic males - and lets them commit crimes - as long as they vote for the leftist.
I'm not sure. I believe you're helium angle, but I appreciate the thoughts. I think there is a little bit of The Althouse "better than nothing is a high bar" axiom at work here.
I think one of the greatest things I learned in college was the great field geology technique of having multiple working hypotheses. This is the type of tool that is necessary in order to try to figure out what is going on in a very uncertain environment in which 95% of the problem is buried underground.
One factor I rarely, if ever see is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Biden drew it down dramatically NOT for any "strategic" reason, but to suppress the price. And still the gasoline prices were higher.
And, to date the left has fought attempts to add to the reserve.
Brilliant.
/sarc
A. Backhoe? A backhoe is a child's toy. Achilles is drilling and blasting.
People are trained to think that in any conflict there's a Good Guy and a Bad Guy. Once they have identified the Bad Guy, then the other guy, no matter how evil, is the Good Guy. KIssinger had this figured out during the Iran-Iraq war, where he wondered if they couldn't both lose. Those who pick Israel or Trump as the Bad Guys then take the silly position that Hamas, Hezbollah, or the IRGC are the Good Guys. In much the same way Stalin got to be the Good Guy as compared to Hitler.
They spent all week saying they wouldn’t renew Russia’s sanctions waiver. Go figure. They very quietly extended the sanctions waiver for Russian oil for another month.
https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260417_33
Inflation since peak gas prices at the end of May 2022 add ~ $0.50 per gallon, so Biden's prices were even that much higher than now when adjusted for inflation.
I don't mind higher prices if it's part of a war effort aimed at fixing a problem or serving our interests longer term, but there was no such believable objective during Biden. It was just politics, and stupidity.
Anyone with an IQ over room temperature knows Biden raised gas prices in the US on purpose.
Well, someone did. I'm not convinced that Biden was making any decisions beyond one scoop or two.
I note in passing that while Trump has several times now threatened the dual use civilian/military infrastructure of Iran, today Instapundit linked to this:
The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Navy is preparing to start boarding and seizing Iranian-linked sanctioned oil tankers in international waters across the world. The operations would start over the next couple of days if the ceasefire ends without a deal.
So no harm to the infrastructure used by civilians in Iran, just more damage to Iranian mullah finances and Chinese oil needs. Trump is apparently using the "Look, a Skwerl!" technique of keeping the media focused on denouncing him while preparing for decisive action that has results against the desired parties, perhaps without hurting the Iranian people. Hope it works. Or the bridges and power plants will indeed come crashing down.
I also note in passing that the effect a circle of Iranians standing around a power plant has on a 500 pound bomb is exactly nothing.
@Bagoh20: "...I don't mind higher prices if it's part of a war effort aimed at fixing a problem or serving our interests longer term, but there was no such believable objective during Biden. It was just politics, and stupidity....."
Well, that, and shoveling money to projects designed to take down society, like rampant funding of NGO's that import undesirable illegal aliens by the thousands, and the make-more-homeless scams, and the environmental grifts, and so on. Adding insult to injury.
They wanted to close up the strait again, you know, as they’ve been doing for years, and they can’t blackmail us,” the US president said ~ WSJ
It is weeks Don Tzu, not years. It is since you started the war.
History lesson: "Iran has frequently threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for roughly 20% of the world’s oil, using it as leverage against Western sanctions and military pressure. Significant historical tensions include the 1980s "Tanker War," threats during 2011–2012 over nuclear sanctions, and major maritime disruptions in 2019, 2023, and 2024, culminating in a major 2026 crisis."
Duh. Poke the skunk and he's going to spray you back, you tool Donny T.
"... rampant funding of NGO's that import undesirable illegal aliens by the thousands, and the make-more-homeless scams, and the environmental grifts, and so on. Adding insult to injury."
Yea, that's what I meant by "politics" - Democrat politics. The defining characteristic of modern Democrat policies is grift. Anything else is cover.
The usual peanut gallery shows up
The rise ij oil prices is not structural unlike 2022-
Happy Patriot's Day, everybody. There's a sentiment that it should be a national holiday, and I agree. 'The Shot Heard 'Round the World' happened today, and it marked the beginning of the end of the British Empire, which continues its meager decline to this day, unfortunately. The French Revolution came soon after, for similar reasons. Yet the aristocracy in Europe has responded by changing clothes and simply re-branding itself as the appointed Administrative State, safely beyond the reach of the votes of citizens.
These are things that have been true for decades but no one wanted to mention them because it was somehow disrespectful, or something.
It was to not lose our friends in the global order, when the global order seemed to be working. We wanted to protect those crucial votes in the UN and other world bodies that validated us as "the good guys" because the "good" European nations generally took our side.
Trump pointed out that our friends didn't actually like us, they just went along because it was in their economic interest to rip us off economically while keeping the US fighting their wars.
It was Ukraine that broke the camel's back. Europe was fine sending money and outdated equipment, but would spill no blood in a war for Eastern Europe.
It wasn't that the Europeans wouldn't stand up for America, they wouldn't even stand up for themselves.
https://x.com/Lawrenc09874431/status/2045236604642668653
Its worse than that
https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/airbus-space-likely-provided-satellite-imagery-of-us-military-assets-to-china-before-operation-epic-fury
Nice try with the inflation adjustment. Even after adding your ~$0.50, Biden's 2022 peak was driven by a global shock (Russia invading Ukraine) — not a war the U.S. started. Now Trump launches an actual hot war with Iran, oil spikes, and we're already at $4.05–$4.15/gallon with a $1+ jump in weeks. That's not 'fixing a problem' or long-term interest — it's self-inflicted chaos on top of record U.S. production.
If Biden's was 'just politics and stupidity,' what exactly is this one? 'Genius' until the receipt hits your tank?
LETM don’t get us started about Biden and inflation. you will lose that argument on first assertions.
"The rise ij oil prices is not structural unlike 2022-"
Actually, it's the opposite. In 2022, prices spiked because of an external shock — Russia invading Ukraine and global sanctions. US production kept rising anyway. This time, with US crude oil production at an all-time record of 13.6 million barrels per day, prices are surging to $4.05–$4.15/gallon because we started a hot war with Iran that's disrupting the Strait of Hormuz (20% of global oil flows). That's a self-inflicted, policy-driven structural hit to supply chains. If 2022 was 'not structural,' then voluntarily lighting up the world's biggest oil chokepoint definitely is.
Victoria: “Poke the skunk and he's going to spray you back, you tool Donny T.“
True, and Donny realized this term that he’s the biggest, smelliest skunk in the woods, and he’s built up a lot of spray from all the poking he’s suffered. CC, JSM
Cut domestic production empty the reserve inflate the currency with billions in graft
"If Biden's was 'just politics and stupidity,' what exactly is this one?"
I think we have covered that pretty well, so explaining it to you one more time is not going to help you. The class needs to move on now. Maybe you should seek some tutoring at home.
Little Excursion™️ said...
Nice try with the inflation adjustment. Even after adding your ~$0.50, Biden's 2022 peak was driven by a global shock (Russia invading Ukraine) — not a war the U.S. started. Now Trump launches an actual hot war with Iran, oil spikes, and we're already at $4.05–$4.15/gallon with a $1+ jump in weeks. That's not 'fixing a problem' or long-term interest — it's self-inflicted chaos on top of record U.S. production.
If Biden's was 'just politics and stupidity,' what exactly is this one? 'Genius' until the receipt hits your tank?
Just to let you know everyone has moved past your stupidity.
We are just laughing at you while the adults talk.
The oil shock createsdemand for electric vehicles and solar panels just writing a blank check to china
"Cut domestic production empty the reserve inflate the currency with billions in graft"
Wrong on every count.
US crude oil production rose under Biden and hit record highs by the end of his term — then hit even higher records (13.6 million bpd) in 2025 under Trump.
He didn't 'cut' production; it grew despite his policies. The SPR was drawn down in 2022 to fight the global price spike from Russia's invasion of Ukraine — same reason prices soared worldwide. Trump just ordered another massive SPR release for the Iran war.
Inflation spiked in 2021-22 from post-COVID supply shocks + massive spending (under both parties), not some secret 'graft' plot.
Now Trump's Iran war is driving gas back over $4/gallon anyway. So much for 'energy dominance' when the pump hurts the same — or worse."
Howard said...
A. Backhoe? A backhoe is a child's toy. Achilles is drilling and blasting.
We all here have to accept we are getting maybe 25% of necessary information to "know" what is happening.
It is all hypothesis and test of assumption.
Then there are the retards like Chuck who "know" things.
" voluntarily lighting up the world's biggest oil chokepoint definitely is."
On this day in 1775 we "lit up" Lexington and Concord. It wasn't immediately apparent to the slow-witted what was happening because it wasn't over yet.
Bagoh 11:49 - LOL and thank you.
"He didn't 'cut' production; it grew despite his policies."
That's powerful leadership.
"The oil shock createsdemand for electric vehicles and solar panels just writing a blank check to china"
So your brilliant 'energy dominance' plan is to start a war with Iran, spike gas to $4.15+, and then celebrate that it forces Americans to buy more Chinese EVs and solar panels? That's not a strategy — that's self-sabotage. We already produce record oil (13.6 million bpd in 2025, continuing into 2026) without the chaos. Higher pump prices don't build American manufacturing; they just make Chinese exports boom while families pay more at the tank. If the goal was hurting China, this is doing the opposite with extra steps and a side of inflation.
Trump's "drill baby drill + gut renewables" approach keeps America hooked on volatile oil while China cashes in on the resulting global shift to EVs and solar. It's like burning cash at the pump today so Beijing can own the cheaper energy tech of tomorrow.This dynamic is especially visible now with the Iran-related oil spike accelerating Chinese green tech sales.
Little kaka-bot - You are wrong on most counts.
Yeah just put him in the corner of the room with a duncd cap
We know their objective is to shutter domestic production making us more vulnerable to oil shocks like countries in asia and australia are feeling
Much like the food pyramids progressivss have to invert reality
The proper response to the oil shocks was to expand domestic production that is as true in the north sea as the permian basin and the bering sea
Kak-a-poodle - when dems are in power - somehow you think their green energy scams work. The world doesn't work that way.
I think "Little" Excursion needs a "Big" one. I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought him an Around-the-World Pass. First Class.
He needs to pick it up at the Will Call Window at "The Train Station". The one just south of the Montana/Wyoming border.
The way of the https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/04/18/cracks-appear-in-climate-consensus-as-germanys-energy-minister-admits-renewable-energy-is-ruining-the-country/
I wonder if one of the success metrics for paid trolls is how many interactive responses they get per comment. I wonder if the pay is structured that way. I've read that paid protestors are sometimes made to wear decibel-recording devices to ensure they are making enough crowd noise at the event.
Just because they're spending your money through the NGO, doesn't mean they aren't trying to be successful. Innovation is the mother of victory, you know.
'Wet street cause rain' that is the logic we havd employed sijce 1973
FWIW, I was in SoCal last week. Regular gas was over $6 a gallon, in Ventura County. Turns out Frey and Henley's crew was wrong - you really CAN leave Hotel California when it gets weird enough.
I was concerned that Trump was taking his victory lap too soon. Things could go wrong if the Iranians were simply not bargaining in good faith, but it’s also true that the American and Israeli militaries have been very good at killing the Iranian leadership that there may not be anyone left alive who could tell IRGC commanders to knock it off — and make it stick.
Dave Begley said...
Mark:
"Okay. I missed the end by a few weeks. No big deal."
Now Mark will never speak to you again. Count your blessings.
Little Excursion™️ said...
"China needs to do a freedom of navigation run through the blockade. The US regularly does them in the South China Sea."
Oh, Christ. That's funny.
With what?
The 'mosaic defense' principle might well make it difficult-to-impossible for Iran to negotiate any meaningful armistice, much less a surrender. They've set it up as a doomsday mechanism, thinking that this would inoculate them against anybody moving against them offensively.
But everybody starves at the same rate when there's a blockade. And if the leadership has laid in a strategic supply for themselves, that's going to sharpen the mind of those going without.
Any honest recitation of average US gas prices needs to exclude California. Gas in Madison WI is $3.50, refreshingly low to someone who has spent the last two months in New Zealand and Australia.
Green energy is mostly a complete scam. Most of it. Not all of it - but most of it. The LEFT will need to face that reality at some point.
"I think we have covered that pretty well, so explaining it to you one more time is not going to help you. The class needs to move on now."
He either understands or he doesn't. Which is more pathetic? You decide.
As of mid-April 2026, food shipments to Iran via the Strait of Hormuz are experiencing severe disruptions and a virtual standstill, despite a reported 10-day ceasefire and nominal reopening of the waterway. A U.S. naval blockade targeting Iranian vessels, along with the broader conflict, has trapped over 2,000 ships in the region, stalling imports.
FoodNavigator.com
FoodNavigator.com
+1
Key details:
Blockade Impacts: While the strait was deemed "open" after a ceasefire, a U.S. naval blockade remains in effect for Iranian ships, and the overall, crisis has disrupted commercial shipping, leaving key ingredients like grains and edible oils trapped at sea.
Stalled Cargo: A vast number of ships carrying essential items are unable to navigate through the area, resulting in severe supply chain disruptions.
Export Restrictions: Iran has implemented a ban on all agricultural and food exports, further complicating the flow of goods in the region.
Humanitarian Concerns: While CENTCOM has indicated it would allow humanitarian shipments (food/medicine), the tense security situation and cargo inspections make the safe passage of these goods difficult.
BBC
BBC
+4
I doubt that Trump's team expects the regime to be honest about anything. One thing this operation has made clear is that plenty of the regime's people are willing to die to stay in power, and we will probably get the opportunity (and that's what it is) to help them on their way. I'd rather get on with it.
Gas In CO is not any higher than it was under Peak Crook Joe.
Trump is working something on the flanks. I'm not sure what, but that's what he does. His frontal attack is never all there is. Despite his denial that regime change is the goal, I won't consider it a success until the IRGC thugs are running for their lives from freedom loving Iranians. Same in Cuba. Trump's ego pales compared to the one I have for him and more importantly the U.S.'s exceptionalism. It's now or never.
One didnt want to resort to a blockade but they forced him into it
Unfortunately, tens of thousands of the bravest and most dedicated freedom fighters in Iran have already been murdered over the last few years and uprisings. Hopefully their friends and relatives have a hunger for revenge.
The blockade of the Gulf of Oman was the greatest strategic ploy of the 21st century. Bombing of Iran is now secondary. Iran forgot how the US isolated strongly held Japanese islands in WW2 and just let them be. Island hopping. The IRGC is not going to import and export by mule trains.
So the IRGC initiated a commerce war on India and China, and set a precedent for the US to enforce hard sanctions on the Russian dark tanker fleet. Iran has upset the delicate balance that enabled the anti US sector to survive. They have no friends anymore.
The best anti US tactic is to constantly sting the US below the level that will allow the US to fight back, if you stay below a certain level of grey warfare there is no effective response. Iran upset that cart and Trump took advantage.
I cannot wait until the Castro Family are fleeing for their lives.
Thieving commie assholes. I Pray it happens.
Over the last couple or so weeks I have listened to several podcasts featuring opponents of the war: Prof Pabe on Triggernometry, Andrew Sullivan, and Robert Wright, among others.
Just as with Lil-X, RCO, et al, not one of them described the casus belli.
So please, by all means, make as best you can the case for going to war, and its timing.
Then explain why those reasons are wrong.
After all, the essential element of clear thinking is the ability to describe your opponents' arguments in a way that they would find both accurate and complete.
Howard: Trump is not taking the bait and he is willingly continuing with the negotiation process. The one thing I am a bit disappointed in and demystified by is why we haven't seen footage of American Air assets taking out these gun boats like we've been taking out the drug boats.
I have wondered the same thing. I think part of it is getting assets in place. Two squadrons of A10s deployed to the region a little over a week ago — they would be perfect for establishing CAPs over the southern portion of the Strait. Also, perhaps re-arranging missile defense to better protect things like desalination plants.
I doubt Trump will hit critical infrastructure. Ceasefire ends Tuesday. If the IRGC doesn't fully reopen the Strait, then we will force it.
bagoh20 said...
Trump is working something on the flanks. I'm not sure what, but that's what he does. His frontal attack is never all there is. Despite his denial that regime change is the goal, I won't consider it a success until the IRGC thugs are running for their lives from freedom loving Iranians. Same in Cuba. Trump's ego pales compared to the one I have for him and more importantly the U.S.'s exceptionalism. It's now or never.
The central role Pakistan has taken over the last 6 months is interesting. I have been watching these videos on the side. I think half of them are from Pakistan. I am curious what these men would be capable of if they were given a cement slab and a roof.
The other dog that isn't barking is Russia/Ukraine. I haven't heard of any major escalations or tough words since Venezuela and Ukraine was actually helpful with drones. You would expect Russia to be very vocal about Iran but they have been very quiet.
Just guesses.
Peachy: "I cannot wait until the Castro Family are fleeing for their lives."
Bago: "I won't consider it a success until the IRGC thugs are running for their lives from freedom loving Iranians. "
Yes, I sympathize. But it's easier to get bad guys out if you give them some hope. The Shah, for example. Even in Germany and Japan, we kept a lot of Nazi and military-junta elites in some kind of power or at least alive. And when the Wall came down, you couldn't get rid of all the Communists - it was baked into all aspects of society. One of our frequently-cited mistakes in Iraq is that we went way too far with de-Baathification.
Trump's approach to VZ seems to be working so far: take the top guy, then let his underlings profit from the example. The mullahs and IRGC seem to be needing multiple iterations of this, but eventually we should get to the point where some will join their Western-educated kids in exile, and the rest will try to just be economic elites without ideology, like in Eastern Europe. CC, JSM
No. Really, Rich. With what ships will the Chinese insure safe passage through the strait of Hormuz?
I can't believe you guys voted for this idiot.
Not just us, but 77 million other people.
Sucks to be you, huh.
Burning multigenerational allies is not something easily repaired.
See, this is your fundamental problem. You're stuck in the last 80 years. Things change. And those 'allies' are nothing but parasites at this point.
We're creating new allies. Ones who are actually useful. Doing the same thing over and over again is no longer working.
So instead of telling others to shut up, maybe you should try it and see how things turn out.
Or, you can continue to step on rakes. Your choice.
The casus belli dates back to 1979. This current war is just a continuation of the war the mad mullahs started way beck then. With an invasion of (under international law) sovereign US territory and taking of hostages. Some of us here are old enough to have lived through that. And have kept track of the fact- there's never been a peace treaty signed.
Any questions?
..."Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!"
...."
This is terrible news. Meanwhile the cash price for WTI crude is now around $84 / bbl, and the futures price for delivery in January '27 is just under $72 / bbl.
Iran has suffered a huge loss of face in the international markets. Nobody perceives them as a strong nation or credible threat anymore, only an annoying nuisance, a common pest to commerce.
"We're creating new allies. Ones who are actually useful."
Yes, all those Arab states are going to be loyal long term allies.
They have proven so faithful in the past.
We've been allies with both Jordan and Saudi Arabia for decades.
Now this is really kind of comical: 4 cruise ships just ran the blockade as a loose convoy, sailing through the strait in Omani waters at full speed. The cruise industry is showing more courage than NATO !
There are reports that one of the ships came under fire, unconfirmed. They pretty much hugged the Omani coast, so if there was Iranian fire it was well across the lines.
https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/04/msc-euribia-out-of-dubai-and-heading-to-northern-europe-for-may-16-start/
Developments: Iranian cargo ship attempts to run blockade, US destroyer fires 5" guns and disables the engine room, cargo ship crew now in the custody of Marines. Drone counterattack launched, Israeli jets in the air. Cease fire done.
Aggie:
More on the cruise ships, gathered from Twitter. Some say there were 5 cruise ships and one had to turn back. Others, more plausibly, say there were 5 total in the Gulf when the blockades started, 1 slipped out a day or two ago, and now the other 4 have also escaped. They had skeleton crews, having disembarked all their passengers and most of their staff, so only the actual sailors and a cook or two were still on board, none of entertainers, bartenders, sauna operators, lifeguards, and so on.
Apparently cruise ships are much shallower draft than tankers and cargo ships (at least when the latter are fully-loaded) and also much faster, so they were able to skirt the coast of Oman and get most of the way through the narrows before the IRGC knew they were trying. I hope the captains and crews all get bonuses from the owners and medals from their national leaders.
"Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it?
If some Iranian yahoos decided to "fire bullets" at some European freighters, that in and of itself hardly seems like a reason to trash a solid agreement. I believe Trump is working towards a real, enforceable end to Iranian terror. This is some sort of head-fake.
I bet there were tight communications with the US Navy, who have been clearing mines. While cruise ships have shallower drafts, they are still made of steel and vulnerable, and their course was through areas thought to contain mines. If they were empty and ballasted up they could have blasted through at 25 knots - I wonder if the timing was coordinated with mine sweeping ops.
Also, remember that without radar and/or overflight, Iran can't see much. Even from 100 ft altitude, the horizon is only 12.5 miles away, and the Straits at the narrowest point is about 30 miles wide.
Hey this fella types like me ,mixed capitalization,exclamation points, frantic nonsense and run on and on...what a genius!
Where Iran genuinely is resilient is in the architecture it has built around sanctions over the past two decades: Land borders to the north, a well-practiced shadow fleet of roughly 17% of global tanker capacity. In 2025 that meant about 1.38 million barrels a day to China, financed through opaque payment channels like Chuxin outside the Western financial system.
However, resilience is not the same as invulnerability. Oil funds roughly 45% of Iran’s budget. Deficits were already widening before the blockade, and early 2026 export volumes have dropped significantly under enforcement.
Iran has the infrastructure to absorb a lot of pain for a long time, and the US probably doesn't have the attention span to sustain pressure through multiple news cycles, let alone a Trump term. The regime outlasting this administration is where my money is, but not because the blockade is toothless, but because American strategic patience is.
Unfortunately, tens of thousands of the bravest and most dedicated freedom fighters in Iran have already been murdered over the last few years and uprisings.
My husband made this point to me several weeks ago. I hadn't even considered it, I'm ashamed to say.
Here is my new thriller plot, Putin, in a last ditch gasp for relevance, parachutes a team of Spetznaz Commandos and technical experts into Northern Iran. The mission is to sieze an Iranian missile launcher. In flight, the hungover Russian transport pilot mistakenly drops them miles away nd they have to fight through hundreds of ak 47 armed Iranian shepherds who believe they are IRGC troops toning to hang them for hating the Mullahs. The Commandos arrive at the mountain base with heavy losses and begin repairing a missile launcher that was droned by the Israelis but they have no rocket. A girl Shepard who secretly likes the Mullahs makes out with the commando captain and tells him of an old British archeologist who was digging in the hills and told her he found n old air in missile. The Commandos find him in a drunken stupor and convince him that PM Starmer wants him to give the missile to them to attack the Americans, so he does.
The Russians mount the old missile and aim it for Pakistan at the building where the peace talks are occurring. Putin was told by his sleeper agent Hillary Clinton thatTrump was secretly going to be at the meeting.
The commandos launch the missile, and just when the rocket is approaching the conference building Trump leaves the table in disgust with the negotiations and walks out to the parking lot. The rocket explodes and a piece of shrapnel strikes Trump on the right ear. He raises his fist and yells fight fight fight, and hundreds of war planes swoop in on Iran.
Little Excursion™️ said...
Where Iran genuinely is resilient is in the architecture it has built around sanctions over the past two decades: Land borders to the north, a well-practiced shadow fleet of roughly 17% of global tanker capacity. ...
You have to be getting paid to do this.
It would be humiliating to have to post things that are so stupid.
Sorry for typos but blogger has a lousy text editor and correction to the stupid spell checker got too annoying.
Yes, all those Arab states are going to be loyal long term allies.
Did I say anything about Arab states? No.
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