Tag: Armed Conflict

A Story For All Times

Sorry for the delay in posting this but events have been moving rather quickly these days.

Recently with our war with Iran one of our jets was shot down and its pilot was behind ‘enemy lines’ and of course the mentality of no one left behind’ it became a heroic story for the media.

But with Pistol Pete and Donny’s chest thumping another chapter to this saga came out….

It was billed as an awe-inspiring mission that highlighted the astonishing ingenuity and sophistication of the world’s most powerful military.

But now the story of how an American air force crewman of an F-15 fighter jet was rescued in Iran is at the centre of an extraordinary online debate over whether it was all an elaborate smokescreen to cover up a disastrous US attempt to snatch Tehran’s enriched uranium.

One post by a defence commentator on X, which described the official story as ‘nonsense’, has attracted 1.5 million views.

Details of the drama – tailor-made for a Hollywood action film – were given by a triumphant Donald Trump two days after the plane was shot down.

The mission to rescue one airman, he said, involved a staggering ‘air armada’ of more than 155 planes, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refuelling tankers and 13 rescue aircraft, as well as hundreds of special forces troops.

The actual on-the-ground rescue was carried out under the cover of darkness by a strike force led by Navy SEAL Team 6 – the US military’s most elite unit – and Delta Force commandos flying in on two Special Operations transport planes also carrying small helicopters for the mission.

But a technical foul-up – the planes got bogged down on a muddy runway – allegedly necessitated a second rescue mission with US bombers creating a ring of fire around their makeshift air base to repel Iranian forces.

The missing aviator is now safe, according to Trump, who says the team that extracted him suffered no casualties.

…

But the events surrounding the ‘rescue’ are now being hotly disputed, not least by Iran. So who is telling the truth?

Suspicions about the White House version of events have been fuelled by the lack of information about the rescued air force colonel, the plane’s weapons systems officer, who has only ever been referred to by his call sign, ‘Dude 44 Bravo’.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15730295/Why-believe-mission-rescue-downed-airman-Dude-44-Bravo-really-smokescreen-audacious-attempt-snatch-Irans-uranium.html

Please read the attached article it has a good sequence of events…..

Now is this just a conspiracy theory in the making or is it a truth that is being used to sell the war?

It will make excellent fodder for a made-for-TV movie….maybe that is the plan all along.

Then I saw another story about this rescue plan…..where Donny was eliminated from the decisions…..

Military advisers intentionally excluded President Donald Trump from the command room during the recent high-stakes extraction of a downed American airman in Iran, fearing his erratic temper would jeopardize the mission, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a senior administration official.

The move came during a period of intense agitation for the president. Following the downing of a US jet by Iranian forces, Trump reportedly spent hours screaming at aides in a nearly empty West Wing, haunted by the specter of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. “If you look at what happened with Jimmy Carter… it cost them the election,” Trump privately fretted, according to sources familiar with the matter.

To mitigate the risk of impulsive interference, aides opted to provide the commander in chief with updates only at “meaningful moments,” rather than the minute-by-minute tactical feeds being monitored by the National Security Council.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-893485

If true it was a wise idea…..

Thoughts?

I Read. I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Why Worry About Iran?

Since our dear beloved leader has decided to venture into this ill-conceived war with Iran prices have shot up even more4 than before it all began.

But according to some d/bag from Kansas that is not what we should be worried about…..

A Republican senator on Tuesday tried to sell wary Americans on President Donald Trump’s war with Iran by telling them that national security is more important than any financial pain they’re feeling in the form of higher energy costs.

During an appearance on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America” program, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) tried to assuage Americans’ concerns about the spike in gas prices caused by the war by informing viewers that the US is “the leading producer of oil in the world, we’re exporting more than we’re importing.”

The US exporting more of its own oil to foreign countries whose regular supplies have been disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz does nothing to lower US gas prices and, if anything, will push them higher.

As a Monday Wall Street Journal article explained, “prices at the pump are poised to keep rising if the US exports more oil and gas and drains its inventories,” especially since “the jump in exports doesn’t yet correspond to an increase in US oil production.”

Later in the segment, Marshall acknowledged that Americans were feeling pain at the gas pump, but he said it was worth it to stop the supposed threat from Iran, which did not attack the US and, according to US intelligence estimates, was not close to producing nuclear weapons.

“I’m sorry that gas prices are going up,” he said. “But help is on the way, and your national security, yes, is even more important than your pocketbook.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/roger-marshall-gas-prices

What a disingenuous twat!

US is doing all this bullshit to placate Israel for some sick reason.

But not to worry it will get worse as long as that pasty asshole runs this country…..we can only keep working to see that this tool gets his comeuppance……and soon.

When this Iran debacle is done Donny will find another way to manipulate the markets to keep his ‘buddies’ in pocket change.

Sickening isn’t it?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Are We Blockading The Blockade?

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”

What’s Next?

The proposed ceasefire talks with Iran did not take (few of us thought it would) and now what fresh Hell awaits the region?

After Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan with no nuclear agreement and few clear next steps, politically problematic options remain for the Trump administration. It could reopen extended negotiations over Iran’s nuclear future, the New York Times reports, or resume the attacks that have triggered the largest energy disruption in modern history. President Trump, who announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, has argued that Iran should now simply give in after enduring more than 13,000 strikes. But Tehran says the casualties and damage have only strengthened its resolve. The shaky two-week ceasefire expires April 21.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf suggested the next step is up to the US, per the Washington Post. “America has understood our logic and principles, and now it’s time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not,” Ghalibaf posted on X. Any renewed conflict could worsen oil shortages, drive gasoline prices higher, deepen supply problems for products including fertilizers and semiconductors, and push inflation above its current 3.3%. Both governments claim victory from the first round of fighting—the US for its firepower, Iran for withstanding it—and neither side is signaling readiness to compromise.

One expert cautioned about the ceasefire, per Deutsche Welle. “The risk is gradual erosion,” said Fatemeh Aman of the Atlantic Council. “Local incidents, miscalculations, or actions by allied groups could test the limits of restraint. Without a follow-up diplomatic process, the ceasefire remains exposed. It may hold in the short term, but it lacks long-term stability.”

Donny’s newest threat for the conflict….a blockade…..

President Trump’s vow to use the US Navy to shut off Iran’s access to the Strait of Hormuz is pushing the six-week war into a more dangerous phase with major economic stakes, the Wall Street Journal reports. After US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan collapsed over Tehran’s nuclear program, Trump said the Navy will on Monday begin blockading the narrow waterway, inspecting ships that have paid Iran for passage, and clearing sea mines; he warned that any Iranian forces firing on US or commercial vessels would be “BLOWN TO HELL.” US Central Command says the blockade, which will begin at 10am Eastern time Monday, will be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations,” but that ships will be allowed to transit the strait if they are traveling between non-Iranian ports—a step back from Trump’s initial threat of a full blockade, the AP reports.

The Pentagon says the operation is feasible, but current and former officials who spoke to the Journal caution that keeping control of the strait—bordered by Iran and vital to global oil flows—will be far more complicated than launching the blockade. Iran’s regular navy has taken heavy losses, but the Revolutionary Guard still fields a large fleet of fast boats, drones, and mines that can harass or threaten US ships. Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery calls the effort “militarily manageable” but said Washington will likely need partners.

The economic fallout is already spreading. With Iran having previously choked traffic through Hormuz, factories in parts of Asia are cutting output, some gas stations there are rationing fuel, and some airports in Europe and Asia are running low on jet fuel. Analysts estimate about 13 million barrels a day of Gulf oil—or roughly 12% of global supply—has been knocked offline; a successful effort to halt Iran’s remaining exports could remove another 2 million barrels daily.

Trump and his advisers argue the blockade is needed to end what they call Iranian “extortion” and to prevent Tehran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. The White House says “numerous countries” will join the effort, though key European and Gulf governments have signaled their participation may depend on a broader ceasefire and an international mandate. Iran, buoyed by recent oil revenue, still holds leverage: it could target Saudi and UAE pipelines that bypass Hormuz or use allied groups to threaten other chokepoints, such as the Bab al-Mandeb off Yemen—raising the possibility of a drawn-out test of endurance between Tehran and a global economy already under strain. Experts who spoke to Reuters echoed those who spoke to the Journal, noting a blockade of the strait is an act of war that could bring retaliation from Iran, and is unlikely to help with US gas prices.

There you have just what is waiting for us on the horizon…..will Donny jump or will calmer heads prevail?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Shaky Ceasefire

Note:  I get juiced this morning early so I will be down for the count….chemo has that effect…..hopefully I will be at full strength come Saturday…..Have a good day.

It has been announced and it has been on unstable ground since that day…..but just for the FYI here are the points of each side….

US 15 Point Proposals Now

1) US will remove all sanctions on Iran

2) It will cease all threats to reimpose sanctions

3) Iran’s nuclear program will be frozen under a defined framework

4) US will assist Iran in developing a civilian nuclear project

5) There will be limit on enriched uranium to remain under supervision

6) US agrees to address the Iranian missile program at a later date

7) Iran’s nuclear program will be restricted to civilian purposes only

8) Iran will halt the development of existing nuclear facilities & capabilities

9) Iran will discontinue further expansion of enrichment capabilities

10) No production of weapons-grade nuclear material to occur on Iranian soil

11) Iran will hand over all enriched materials to the IAEA on an agreed timeline

12) Iran’s Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear facilities will be taken out of use

13) International monitoring and verification mechanisms

14) Implementations will be gradual and tied to compliance

15) Both sides to discuss additional regional and security issues

Then there is the counter from Iran….

Iran’s Current 10 Point Proposal

1) Guarantee that Iran will not be attacked again

2) Permanent end to the war, not just a ceasefire

3) End to Israeli strikes in Lebanon

4) Lifting of all sanctions on Iran

5) End to all regional fighting against Iranian allies

6) In return, Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz

7) Iran will determine the rules of safe passage through Hormuz

8) A Hormuz fee of $2 million per ship

9) Iran would split these fees with Oman

10) Iran to use Hormuz fees for reconstruction instead of reparations

Let’s pretend that this ceasefire holds…..who won?

So who’s winning, or has won, the Iran war thus far? Who’s losing?

Iran has agreed to a temporary ceasefire and to negotiate. But it will still run the Hormuz strait. It will collect fees. Higher global oil prices means it will make even more money from oil sales. That can buy a lot of Chinese radars and Russian anti-aircraft systems. The US will not control the Hormuz in any way. Iran will set the rules and control the strait, in cooperation with one or two friendlier Gulf states (Oman, maybe Qatar?)

Iran will replenish and accelerate production and development of its missiles and drone programs.

The Iran war—like the Ukraine war—means military power has changed radically. Surface ships are sitting ducks. Even 5th generation aircraft if they get too close. War is now about hypersonic missiles, autonomous weapons, massed drones in the air, on and under the water, low orbit satellites and surveillance—and of course economic destabilization.

The most important question remains: what will Israel do should US and Iran agree to a deal (or don’t)? Trump and the Iranians can agree to all they want. Israel will not necessarily abide by it (even if it says it will). When the dust settles, Israel will again try to find a way to lure America into its wars of expansion in the middle east.

(counterpunch.org)

Will this actually hold a peace in the region?

I think not for Israel does not want a peace for the region.

What say you?

Just FYI….Iran is claiming victory…..

US forces secured a “historic and overwhelming victory” over Iran, defense chief Pete Hegseth declared Wednesday, adding that “Iran proved utterly incapable of defending itself.” Iran, of course, begs to differ, with its national security council boasting that it delivered “an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat” to its foes, per the Wall Street Journal. A Washington Post piece finds that behind the bluster, neither side is a “clear winner,” but the newspaper is among a number of outlets exploring why Tehran is maintaining victory. The short version: The regime survived, albeit after losing key figures; Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz; and it still possesses a stockpile of highly enriched uranium, per Politico.

“What Iran did, systematically and deliberately, was hurt the US economy” by shutting down the strait and sending oil prices soaring, Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute tells the Journal. “They made sure the war was felt in the US,” he says, adding, “I don’t think Trump’s going to try that again.” And even after the ceasefire, Iran continues to maintain control over which ships are allowed to navigate the strait. “The implication: Iran is intent on using its newfound control over the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf as leverage over Trump as the Islamic Republic seeks to rebuild its power after the biggest threat to its survival in decades,” writes David S. Cloud of the Journal.

The Post, meanwhile, notes that crowds filled the streets of Tehran after the ceasefire announcement, triumphantly waving their nation’s flag, far from the “unconditional surrender” President Trump had previously demanded. Not that Iran emerged unscathed: In additon to the relentless bombing attacks from the US and Israel, it is now more isolated than ever in the region because of its attacks on neighboring nations. Still, as one Asian diplomat tells Politico of Hegseth’s threat to resume strikes if necessary, “Declaring victory by saying he will attack Iran some more seems like losing.”

What say you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Just In The Nick Of Time

For about 5 weeks our little mash-up with Iran has been raging…..Donny has been ranting and his minions have been dutiful.

And as if a movie plot at the very stroke of midnight a ceasefire deal has been announced.

Iran says it has accepted a proposal for a two-week ceasefire, but the war will only be considered over if and when a final agreement is reached that aligns with every element of its 10-point plan. President Trump said Tuesday that he had suspended attacks on Iran for two weeks after receiving a “workable” proposal for Iran. According to Iranian state media, the plan calls for coordinated, controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian military oversight, a halt to military operations against Iran and its allied groups, and the withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases in the region, Reuters reports.

  • “It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement, per the AP. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”
  • Tehran is also demanding the lifting of all US sanctions—both primary and secondary—the release of frozen Iranian funds, and payment of “full compensation” to Iran. In a statement on X, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” Araghchi, who said he was making the announcement on behalf of the Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would halt military attacks as long as the country was not attacked, NBC News reports.

The deal has done what it was suppose to do….drop oil pricess….

Oil prices plunged and US stock futures jumped on Tuesday after President Trump held off on his threat of devastating attacks on Iran. Futures for US crude oil sank 18% to around $92.60, while Brent crude oil futures fell about 6% to $103.40, the AP reports. Both prices remain well above where they were at the start of the war. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 2.4% and Dow futures jumped 2.1%, more than 900 points, reports CNBC. Stock markets in Japan and South Korea also soared, while bitcoin rose more than 5%, the Wall Street Journal reports.

  • Late Tuesday, Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets, subject to Tehran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it had accepted a two-week ceasefire and its foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.
  • Oil prices have spiked because the war has snarled the production and transportation of crude in the Persian Gulf. Much of that oil exits the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to reach customers around the world, but Iran has blocked it to enemies. A regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells the AP that the two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the strait. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. It wasn’t immediately clear what Oman would use its money for. The strait is in the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran. The world had previously considered the passage a toll-free international waterway.
  • About a fifth of the world’s oil transits the strait in peacetime. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, wrote in a statement that: “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” Before the war, there were no “technical limitations,” the AP notes.

There is two weeks for a deal to end this stupidity once and for all.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Another Rambling Speech?

The nation will be sitting on the edge of their chairs as Donny tells us what he has planned for the Iran War tonight.

President Trump says the end of the Iran war is near, and the White House says plans to explain what comes next in a prime-time address Wednesday night. In a post on X, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran” at 9pm Eastern. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said the US would wind down its military campaign in Iran within “two or three weeks” and again brushed off the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a problem mainly for other nations.

  • “We will be leaving soon,” Trump said, though the New York Times reports that he mentioned different timelines. He said it would be “maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job. But we want to knock out every single thing they have.”
  • Trump, who has repeatedly cited four or five objectives for the war, said he “had one goal: They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained,” the AP reports. Later Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was ahead of schedule with multiple objectives, including wiping out Iran’s missile and drone factories, CNN reports. “We’re well on our way. We are on or ahead of schedule on each of those four objectives and we can see the finish line. It’s not today, it’s not tomorrow but it’s coming,” Rubio told Sean Hannity in a Fox News appearance.
  • Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told European Council President Antonio Costa on Tuesday that Iran had the “necessary will” to end the conflict with the US and Israel if “guarantees” were in place, Euronews reports. “We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression,” Pezeshkian said, according to a statement from his office.
  • On the ground, the fighting showed little sign of wrapping up on Tuesday, the Times reports. A large airstrike hit the Iranian city of Isfahan, triggering a massive blast, and a Kuwaiti oil tanker went up in flames after a drone attack at a Dubai port, which Kuwaiti officials blamed on Iran. In Washington, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US has begun flying B-52 bombers over Iran for the first time in the conflict, describing it as evidence that Iranian air defenses have been badly weakened.

Will this be a typical Donny self love fest or will he give the nation the straight skinny?

My guess is the former not the later…..he has not giving the nation the straight skinny for over a year.

Will there be hints at US Troops on the ground?

So many questions with few answers forthcoming.

I will be watching and writing.  (so you do not have to)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Donny Is At It Again

Al through this mash-up with Iran Donny has made statement after statement and none have proven to be true…..so far….and as if right on cue another of his BS statements.

President Trump on Monday suggested that peace talks were making progress, but he also threatened to expand bombardment of Iran should those talks collapse. In a Truth Social post, Trump said the US was negotiating with a “new, and more reasonable, regime,” but he warned that a deal must happen quickly and demanded that the Strait of Hormuz be opened immediately, reports NBC News. If not, the US will end its military campaign by “blowing up and completely obliterating” Iran’s electricity plants, oil wells, and the vital energy hub of Kharg Island, he wrote. The US also might hit Iran’s desalination plants, he added.

The nature of the new negotiations was not immediately clear: Pakistan is hosting a forum of regional neighbors, though neither Iran nor the US was participating. A spokesman for the current Iranian regime, meanwhile, made clear that Tehran has had “no direct negotiations with the US,” reports the BBC. Esmail Baghaei also accused the US of “constantly” shifting its public positions. “I do not know how many in the United States take the claim of American diplomacy seriously,” he said. Still, Trump’s comments on progress have boosted optimism on Wall Street, notes CNBC, with Dow futures up more than 300 points. On Sunday, Trump also said Tehran agreed to let an additional 20 ships traverse the strait as a “sign of respect” to the US, per the New York Times.

And the markets love his statement….of course they.

But if these talks are going so well why is there a massive troop build up?

The US troop presence in the Middle East has quietly swelled to a level not seen in decades, now hovering above 50,000. The latest additions: 2,500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 2,500 sailors, plus about 2,000 paratroopers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, all moving into position as President Trump weighs his next moves in his month-old war in Iran, per the New York Times. Typically, about 40,000 US personnel are spread across bases and ships in countries including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, and the UAE. The buildup comes as Washington considers more aggressive steps to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil shipments that has been largely shut by Iranian retaliation.

The Pentagon is gearing up for weeks of ground operations in the country should Trump approve, per the Washington Post. Options reportedly include seizing territory such as Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil export hub. While analysts note that 50,000 troops would be far too few for a large-scale ground campaign in a country the size and population of Iran, special operations raids are possible, officials tell the Post. This would mark a new phase of the war, one “significantly more dangerous to US troops than the first four weeks,” per the outlet. More than 13 US service members have already been killed, with more than 300 wounded, including at least 15 injured in a Friday attack on a Saudi air base, reports PBS. A recent AP-NORC poll finds 62% of respondents strongly opposed to the use of ground troops in Iran, with only 12% in favor.

The mix of BS and troops leads me to believe that he is just waiting to strike.

Then Donny makes a statement that smacks of a war crime to me….

President Trump on Monday added Iran’s desalination plants to the list of infrastructure he may “blow up” if a deal isn’t reached to end the war, threatening attacks on the country’s water supply, a clear war crime under international law.

“The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social, though Iran continues to deny negotiations are taking place.

“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched,’” Trump added.

(antiwar.com)

The Straight….

President Trump is signaling to aides he’s ready to declare victory over Iran without fully reopening one of the world’s most critical oil routes, according to sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. Administration officials tell reporters Trump has privately said he’s prepared to wind down the US campaign within four to six weeks after degrading Iran’s navy and missile arsenal, even if the Strait of Hormuz remains only partially usable. That would effectively leave Iran with significant leverage over a passageway that carries about a fifth of global oil and gas, already driving up energy prices and squeezing industries worldwide. The White House says restoring normal traffic isn’t a core military goal for now, with Trump hoping diplomacy—or later, a coalition led by US allies—will eventually secure the waterway, sources say.

Sounds like he is looking for a way out.

This will be a devastating conflict when Donny makes up his mind….and you and I will be paying for his stupidity for years to come even if the conflict was to end soon.

Makes me ill.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Real Reason For Iran

We are entering into our 5 week of our lame conflict with Iran and to this day no one has given an accurate reason for our attacks….it was not nukes or some vague terrorism accusation, yada yada…..

Since the very beginning of this conflict our Little Donny has had multiple statements and each one has made the markets go up and down like some crazed yo-yo….and there you go just the reason that myself and many others have said was the reason for this war….market manipulation.

Just after noon on Friday, March 20th, US president Donald Trump declared victory to a group of reporters in his broadly unpopular war with Iran. Just two minutes later, however, he announced he was sending US marines anyway. The next minute, the president said there would be no boots on the ground after all. A few beats later, he admitted he didn’t want a ceasefire, then declared victory again, then requested a ceasefire.

The volley continued like this for nearly half an hour, the president’s stream of consciousness pouring from within, in a prime example of Trump’s contradictory messaging on Iran. In addition to exhausting reporters and scrambling the news cycle, episodes like this have fueled speculation that people close to the president are feeding off the chaos.

As a recent analysis by economist and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman argues, there’s evidence that insiders are profiting off the war in Iran. On Monday, for example, Trump reversed his weekend commitment to deliver painful retribution on the Iranian people if the country failed to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. At 7:05am on Monday morning, however, Trump chickened out, issuing a five-day pause on hostilities via a post on Truth Social.

The price of crude oil, which had flailed upward for weeks as shipments from the Persian Gulf slowed to a trickle, plummeted immediately, from around $112 a barrel before the announcement to a low of $97 by 11:00am.

However, about 15 minutes before Trump’s post, CNBC reported, there was a massive increase in the amount of S&P 500 e-Mini futures trading on the market, right before their price skyrocketed from around $6,500 to around $6,700. Someone also got incredibly lucky playing the oil market, with West Texas Intermediate May futures seeing a massive spike in trading activity at the exact same time — a sign that someone had shed theirs before the price experienced a major drop.

https://futurism.com/future-society/donald-trump-iran-manipulation

This manipulation is making speculators millions….and after all war is big business and Donny’s butt buddies are making out like bandits (which they are).

There is you answer, the real answer, to why this…..PROFITS!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Boots Are Made For Walking

The Iranian thing has been going on for 4 weeks or so and from what I see here on IST there is little interest on what Donny and his buddies in Israel are doing to the Middle East.

Awhile back Donny ordered 3000 Marines to the region and to be a stand-by and now he had ordered the 82nd Airborne, about 1000 troops, to be ready….

Approximately 1,000 US soldiers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are expecting to deploy in coming days to the Middle East, according to two sources familiar with the matter, adding to the growing military firepower in the region as the Trump administration says it is in talks with Iran to end the conflict.

The contingent includes Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, and division staff, as well as a battalion of the 1st Brigade Combat Team which is currently acting as the division’s Immediate Response Force (IRF), the sources said. The initial elements of the division staff and battalion are expected to begin deploying within a week, one of the sources familiar said; other elements within the brigade are also expecting to deploy at a later date, though those expectations could change as the situation develops.

US officials approved written deployment orders late Tuesday, the second source familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday.

The brigade will be the “ready unit” in the Middle East, prepared to be called upon if needed, the source said. The 82nd Airborne Division made a similar movement in 2020 after the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/24/politics/us-army-sending-troops-middle-east-iran

And few people noticed.

Is this the beginning of an escalation?

https://wegotthiscovered.com/news/american-boots-on-ground-imminent-in-iran-huge-deployment-arrives-in-middle-east-as-bloody-battle-looms/

What does it take to get Americans off their collective butts and care about what is being done?

Will the deaths of more American soldiers impress them enough to care?

These are the same people that feel it necessary to wish vets, ‘Thanks for your service’ whenever they are around.

When most of these people mean ‘glad it was you and not me’…..this saying is getting as offensive as the usual ‘thoughts and prayers’ after massive shooting.

I know that gas is expensive, food is expensive of Hell everything is expensive but that will not change even when Americans start dying…..it make things worse….but that matters not to some.

Everyday year I get a little more disappointed in my fellow Americans.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”