When this silly mash-up started Iran punished the west by blocking the Straight of Hormuz and now after the ‘talks’ failed to accomplish a ceasefire Donny will blockade Iranian ports.

The next challenge in the Iran war has arrived: President Trump’s new blockade of Iranian ports took effect at 10am Eastern, reports the BBC. Washington has not formally acknowledged the start of the operation, but the Wall Street Journalreports that more than 15 US warships were in place to enforce it. Under the plan, US forces will stop ships going in and out of Iranian ports but let other vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The move is meant to choke off Iran’s oil exports and raise pressure on Tehran to accept US terms for ending the war.

Two Iran-linked tankers got through hours before the deadline, notes the New York Times. And both sides were issuing warnings:

• If Iranian ports are threatened, “no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe,” said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, an Iranian military spokesman.
• Trump, meanwhile, wrote on Truth Social that if any Iranian “ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.”
• Amid the new tensions, Brent crude jumped about 7% to nearly $102 a barrel. For the record, European allies are not on board with the new blockade.
• The ceasefire announced by Trump expires on April 22, and some still see hope of striking a deal before that deadline.

Full disclosure oil prices have dropped a bit today.

Then there is the Donny military chest thumping….

As the US military on Monday began a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after the Trump administration’s failed talks with the Iranian government, a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a warning to the United States.

“If the war continues, we will unveil capacities that the enemy has no idea about,” said Sardar Mohibi, according to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency. “We will unveil warfare methods that the enemy will have little ability to counter.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/strait-of-hormuz-blockade

On a side note about the war ….

A new poll of Israelis shows that six-in-ten are opposed to the current truce with Iran. Last week, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire to allow space for talks to bring a permanent end to the conflict.

The survey, conducted by the Institute for National Security Studies, found 61% of Israelis are opposed to the ongoing ceasefire with Iran. Earlier this month, Pakistan brokered a truce between the US and Iran that was intended to halt fighting across the Middle East. However, Israel has refused to stop attacking Lebanon.

69% of Israelis support continuing military operations inside Lebanon. However, a majority of Israelis also said that they do not believe that attacking Lebanon will improve Israel’s security situation.

https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/israelis-oppose-ceasefire-with-iran-believe-the-war-will-resume/

Of course the Israelis oppose because they have wanted to drag the US into their mash-up with Iran for 40 years.

Back to the blockade silliness.

I ask again is not this a blockade of a blockade?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”