I write this for those that are casual observers of thew international world….there are many that feel this is just too much and why is our little Donny being such a twat about it.

The Strait of Hormuz By The numbers…..

Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has jolted the world economy, causing a spike in fuel prices that has rippled through other sectors with effects far beyond the Middle East. Iran effectively seized control of the critical waterway after the US and Israel attacked it on Feb. 28. Weeks of heavy bombing and a US naval blockade imposed last month have yet to loosen its grip, reports the AP. Iran says it will only reopen the strait if the war ends and the blockade is lifted. President Trump is seeking wider concessions, including the rollback of Iran’s disputed nuclear program. A look at the strait by the numbers:

• 21 miles: This is the width of the Strait of Hormuz, which bends like an elbow, at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman. Ships follow narrow lanes to safely navigate the shallow water, making it even more of a chokepoint.
• 20%: Before the war, a fifth of the world’s traded oil typically flowed through the Strait of Hormuz every day, as well as large supplies of natural gas, fertilizer, and other petroleum products.
• 100-130: The number of ships that passed through the Strait each day before the war began, including oil tankers and cargo ships, according to research firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
• 534: The number of ships that are believed to have passed through the strait since the start of hostilities through Monday, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Many are believed to have carried Iranian oil. In normal times, an estimated 6,500 to 8,450 ships would have transited the Strait during the same period.
• 50%: The amount that the average price of gas in the US has risen since the war began. The average price of a gallon was $4.56 on Thursday, according to AAA. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also nearly doubled the cost of jet fuel.
• Up to 10%: Insurance rates for ships have skyrocketed from 1% of the ship’s goods up to as much as 10%, according to shipping experts.
• 45 million: The number of people who could experience hunger, mostly in Asia and Africa, if Strait does not open soon, according to the UN World Food Program. The blocking of fuel and fertilizer shipments could soon push the price of food and other necessities out of reach for those already in a precarious situation, it said.
• 10: The number of mariners who have been killed since the Iran war began, according to the UN’s International Maritime Organization.
• 32: The number of ships that have come under attack, according to the International Maritime Organization.
• 1,550: The number of vessels, from 87 countries, currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the US military.
• 22,500: The number of mariners stranded on these ships, including many from South and Southeast Asia.
• 15,000: The number of US soldiers, accompanied by 100 aircraft, committed to enforce Project Freedom, according to the US military. Trump’s initiative to guide ships through the strait was paused on Tuesday, just two days after he announced it.
• 2: The number of ships that the US said it successfully guided through the strait as part of Project Freedom.

As you can see the Strait is a super important cog in world trade….

Does that answer ant questions you may have had?

Then the US should do all they can to punish Iran, right?

It may not be as simple as that infantile approach…..why?

US spy agencies see Iran holding out significantly longer under President Trump’s naval chokehold than the White House is signaling, reports the Washington Post. A CIA analysis concludes Iran could withstand the blockade for about three to four months—and potentially more—before hitting a far steeper economic cliff, according to four Post sources familiar with the document. It also finds that Iran’s missile forces remain largely intact: Roughly three-quarters of its mobile launchers and about 70% of its prewar missile stockpiles are believed to have survived US and Israeli strikes.

Trump has described Iran’s missile stockpile as “mostly decimated,” and the White House has said Iran is being “strangled economically” by the US blockade. The CIA analysis, however, suggests greater Tehran resiliency for a number of reasons, including the use of overland routes for oil. It also suggests Iran retains thousands of attack drones that could continue to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. If all goes well, the assessment could be moot soon: Iran is expected to respond to a new US peace plan that could result in the end of the war.

So without a valid ceasefire things will get worse for the consumer….I said valid….not some vague promise that does nothing but keep the billionaires rolling in dough.

This quote explains everything you need to know about Donny and his promises….

“We are 9 weeks into a 4 week war that we won 8 weeks ago”

Enough said!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”