Iran War. . . USA Up 2-0 in the First Period

Taxslave2

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Condom prices to swell over supply disruptions due to Iran war
Karex makes more than five billion condoms annually

Author of the article:Denette Wilford
Published Apr 24, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

In this picture taken September 20, 2017, a worker packs condoms at the Malaysian condom-maker Karex Industries headquarters in Port Klang.
In this picture taken September 20, 2017, a worker packs condoms at the Malaysian condom-maker Karex Industries headquarters in Port Klang. Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP /Getty Images
The prices of rubber products are surging dramatically, according to condom and glove manufacturers, which are blaming on supply chain disruptions stemming from the war in Iran.


Karex, the world’s largest condom maker which supplies condoms for brands like Trojan and Durex, said it had to raise prices by up to 30%, while global supplier Top Glover, said the main material for its synthetic rubber gloves has doubled in cost.


Much of the rubber industry in Malaysia, where both companies are based, relies on oil to produce goods, but supply has been scarce since Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz.

Costs of raw materials hit hard
The closure, which began after the United States and Israel launched strikes nearly two months ago, has also affected raw material costs and disrupted global shipping.

“We continue to experience longer lead times from suppliers, increased price volatility and higher freight costs,” Karex chief executive Goh Miah Kiat said in an email to AFP.

“In the meantime, we are also holding more key raw materials critical for business operations, and hence requiring the need to increase costs by up to 30 per cent.”

Silicone oil, one of the aforementioned crucial raw materials, is “used in every condom,” according to the company, which noted that costs have been affected “across the board,” including the price of condom material nitrile latex and natural rubber.


“The situation is definitely very fragile, prices are expensive,” Goh told Reuters. “We have no choice but to transfer the costs right now to ⁠the customers.”

Karex makes more than five billion condoms annually, and provides condoms to organizations such as the World Health Organization and the U.K.’s National Health Service to help prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases around the globe.

Goh noted that more condoms are “actually sitting on vessels that have not ⁠arrived at their destination but are highly required,” Goh said, pointing out that many developing countries do not have enough stock because it takes time for the products to reach them, per Reuters.

The prices of other Karex products, including its personal lubricants, probe covers to catheters, and aluminum foil packaging, have also increased, Goh said.

Costs have been affected “across the board”, including the price of condom material nitrile latex and natural rubber.


‘Tight supply’
Meanwhile, Top Glove, pointed toward the spike in the price of nitrile butadiene rubber as the main source of its pain due to it skyrocketing in price “by more than 100 per cent, reflecting tight supply,” they said, per AFP.

“For natural rubber gloves, input costs have risen by approximately 30 per cent, as natural rubber is a traded commodity which is impacted by the uptrend in crude oil prices.”

Top Glove supplies 95 billion gloves per year to more than 2,000 customers worldwide.

Both manufacturers assured their supply remains stable.

“However, longer ship lead times are causing lower inventory levels at our customers’ end, and certain condom manufacturers are facing challenges in production,” Goh noted of the Karex products.
So we import the main ingredient for population control, then import people to increase the population. We are fucked.
 

Ron in Regina

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff and Kushner would leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Leavitt struck an upbeat tone, saying the U.S. had seen some progress from ⁠the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come this weekend.
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But Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on X that Iranian officials did not plan to meet with U.S. representatives, even though U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner planned to travel to Islamabad. Iran's concerns would be conveyed to Pakistan, the spokesperson said.
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(YouTube & Trump says Iran presented new offers 10 minutes after he canceled US team’s trip)
Now, does this top Iranian diplomat know that he’s going to Pakistan for talks on the ceasefire with the US (?) or is this just another Trump announcement (?) is anybody’s guess at this point.
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Araghchi is said to be heading to Oman and Russia after his meetings in Pakistan. It is not clear whether he will stay in Pakistan for Witkoff and Kushner’s arrival, although Iran has previously ruled out direct negotiations, citing the continuation of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
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Ron in Regina

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Now, does this top Iranian diplomat know that he’s going to Pakistan for talks on the ceasefire with the US (?) or is this just another Trump announcement (?) is anybody’s guess at this point.
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Hmmm…I wonder if Iran’s top diplomat knows he’s returned to Islamabad again or not? Abbas Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital late the previous day, creating confusion around an expected second round of talks there, but he returned before continuing on to Moscow on Sunday, Iranian state media said. He had been in Oman, which previously mediated talks and is on the other side of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The White House last week said it would dispatch envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, whom Iran doesn’t trust or want to be there, to follow up on historic face-to-face talks earlier this month. But shortly after Araghchi's departure Saturday, Trump said he had called off the mission because of a lack of progress with Iran.

Indirect talks between the two sides were ongoing, two Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, etc…

Strait of Hormuz at center of Iran’s discussions in Oman. Iran wants to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows in peacetime, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, etc…& Oman’s response wasn’t immediately clear, meaning?

The official, who is involved in mediation efforts, also said Iran insists on ending the U.S. blockade before a new round of talks and that Pakistan-led mediators are trying to bridge significant gaps between the countries. Even before Saturday’s developments, Iran’s foreign ministry said any talks would be indirect and Pakistani officials would act as go-betweens, reflecting Tehran's wariness after rounds of indirect talks last year and earlier this year both ended with Iran being attacked by the U.S. and Israel.

On that note, the ceasefire — between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah group — has been extended by three weeks. Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.

Syed Mohammad Ali, an independent political analyst in Pakistan, said the delay in the talks (between Iran & Trump America, not Israel & Hezbollah) must not be seen as a setback and that indirect talks were progressing. He said tensions between Washington and Tehran cannot be eased overnight and the negotiation process requires patience.

Araghchi (Iran's foreign minister) also spoke by phone with counterparts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia (who has a mutual defence agreement with Pakistan, and thus the push by Pakistan to keep claiming there’s progress in the American/Iranian talks) on Sunday.
A standoff remained on in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran has restricted movement through it and the U.S. enforces a blockade of Iranian ports…or is it the U.S. enforces a blockade of Iranian ports and shipping, so Iran is also blockading all other shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Either way, everyone is winning 103%, and winning so hard, harder than anyone has ever won in the history of winning.
 

pgs

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View attachment 34215
Hmmm…I wonder if Iran’s top diplomat knows he’s returned to Islamabad again or not? Abbas Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital late the previous day, creating confusion around an expected second round of talks there, but he returned before continuing on to Moscow on Sunday, Iranian state media said. He had been in Oman, which previously mediated talks and is on the other side of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The White House last week said it would dispatch envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, whom Iran doesn’t trust or want to be there, to follow up on historic face-to-face talks earlier this month. But shortly after Araghchi's departure Saturday, Trump said he had called off the mission because of a lack of progress with Iran.

Indirect talks between the two sides were ongoing, two Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, etc…

Strait of Hormuz at center of Iran’s discussions in Oman. Iran wants to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows in peacetime, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, etc…& Oman’s response wasn’t immediately clear, meaning?

The official, who is involved in mediation efforts, also said Iran insists on ending the U.S. blockade before a new round of talks and that Pakistan-led mediators are trying to bridge significant gaps between the countries. Even before Saturday’s developments, Iran’s foreign ministry said any talks would be indirect and Pakistani officials would act as go-betweens, reflecting Tehran's wariness after rounds of indirect talks last year and earlier this year both ended with Iran being attacked by the U.S. and Israel.

On that note, the ceasefire — between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah group — has been extended by three weeks. Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.

Syed Mohammad Ali, an independent political analyst in Pakistan, said the delay in the talks (between Iran & Trump America, not Israel & Hezbollah) must not be seen as a setback and that indirect talks were progressing. He said tensions between Washington and Tehran cannot be eased overnight and the negotiation process requires patience.

Araghchi (Iran's foreign minister) also spoke by phone with counterparts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia (who has a mutual defence agreement with Pakistan, and thus the push by Pakistan to keep claiming there’s progress in the American/Iranian talks) on Sunday.
A standoff remained on in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran has restricted movement through it and the U.S. enforces a blockade of Iranian ports…or is it the U.S. enforces a blockade of Iranian ports and shipping, so Iran is also blockading all other shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Either way, everyone is winning 103%, and winning so hard, harder than anyone has ever won in the history of winning.
Who’s on first ?
 
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Ron in Regina

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Who’s on first ?
Well, they both are, right? Assuming the Strait of Hormuz is first base…
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…& it appears both sides are still winning and both sides are demanding a full surrender from the other so…yeah, shipping remains at an effective standstill in the vital waterway that previously carried one fifth of the world's oil, and other essential products such as fertilizers needed for the global food supply, so everyone is winning.
Either way, everyone is winning 103%, and winning so hard, harder than anyone has ever won in the history of winning.
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That means everyone not Iranian or American is also on first winning in this slapfest.
(YouTube & A 50-Year-Old Law Is About to Collide With Trump's Iran War)
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 (50 U.S.C. 1541–1548) is a federal law designed to limit the U.S. president's authority to commit armed forces to hostility without congressional consent. Passed over a presidential veto on November 7, 1973, it requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and mandates their withdrawal within 60–90 days unless Congress declares war or authorizes the action.
 

Taxslave2

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Can we believe what any side of this says? We have a stone age theocracy with modern weapons on one side, a leader that most likely has dementia among many other health and cognitive issues on another side, a media that largely prefers to print what the highest bidder tells them instead of doing investigative journalism on another side, a good portion of the civilized world that is too afraid to stand up on another side.
So far the only winners are international arms manufacturers and those that play in the futures market.
 
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Ron in Regina

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Can we believe what any side of this says? We have a stone age theocracy with modern weapons on one side, a leader that most likely has dementia among many other health and cognitive issues on another side, a media that largely prefers to print what the highest bidder tells them instead of doing investigative journalism on another side, a good portion of the civilized world that is too afraid to stand up on another side.
So far the only winners are international arms manufacturers and those that play in the futures market.
I think China and Russia are winning in the Iran/Trump/Epstein war too…or maybe not.
 
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petros

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Can we believe what any side of this says? We have a stone age theocracy with modern weapons on one side, a leader that most likely has dementia among many other health and cognitive issues on another side, a media that largely prefers to print what the highest bidder tells them instead of doing investigative journalism on another side, a good portion of the civilized world that is too afraid to stand up on another side.
So far the only winners are international arms manufacturers and those that play in the futures market.
Stone Age? Are you fucked?
 

Ron in Regina

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Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, two regional officials said Monday.
…& it appears both sides are still winning and both sides are demanding a full surrender from the other so…yeah, shipping remains at an effective standstill in the vital waterway that previously carried one fifth of the world's oil, and other essential products such as fertilizers needed for the global food supply, so everyone is winning.
U.S. President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the disagreements that led the U.S. and Israel to go to war on Feb. 28.
 
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pgs

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Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, two regional officials said Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the disagreements that led the U.S. and Israel to go to war on Feb. 28.
Won’t fly .
 
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petros

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Nope. Are you? Beheadings and stoning adulterers went out of vogue centuries ago in the civilized world.
Did it or is it what you've been lead believe cuz there isn't a shortage of murder suicides with heads blow off with shotguns over cheaters in US or Canada.

Sounds uncivilized to me
 

Taxslave2

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Did it or is it what you've been lead believe cuz there isn't a shortage of murder suicides with heads blow off with shotguns over cheaters in US or Canada.

Sounds uncivilized to me
As far as I know none of those were ordered by a court.
 

Ron in Regina

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Beheadings and stoning adulterers went out of vogue centuries ago in the civilized world.
Did it or is it what you've been lead believe cuz there isn't a shortage of murder suicides with heads blow off with shotguns over cheaters in US or Canada.
Capital punishment is still a thing, or it was until recently. The beheading thing, which happened most recently, the release of the first (fourth in the series though) STAR WARS movie, or the last beheading by guillotine in France?
(YouTube & The Shocking Truth About Star Wars and Guillotines)

I also hear that bell-bottoms firing squads might be making a comeback in parts of North America. As part of a broader effort to expedite federal executions, the Trump administration is expanding permitted methods beyond lethal injection, citing difficulties in obtaining drugs…😳…& that the global generic pharmaceutical supply chain is heavily reliant on the Strait of Hormuz, with roughly 80% of pharmaceutical imports to the GCC region (a major transit hub) passing through this area. India, which supplies 60% of the world's generic drugs, depends on this route for shipping, alongside the Red Sea, for its pharmaceutical exports and raw material imports. Is this related? I have no idea.

To expedite is to speed up the process, progress, or execution 😉 of something, making it happen faster or more efficiently. It is a formal verb often used in business, logistics, or administrative contexts, such as to "expedite a shipment" or "expedite a request".
 

Ron in Regina

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The weird thing about Isis...they mysteriously have never attacked Israel or made threat to Israel.
If true, for that neighbourhood, that would be weird except that in March 2022, Arab-Israeli ISIS-inspired terrorists carried out stabbing and shooting attacks in Hadera and Beersheba, killing 6 individuals.

…& in 2015, ISIS released a Hebrew-language video promising to reach Jerusalem…& in 2020, its leader, Abu Hamza al-Quraishi, called on followers to attack Israeli communities, stating that targeting Israel was a "new phase" for the organization.

Then there’s the ISIS-affiliated fighters in the Golan Heights occasionally exchange fire with IDF units, and some accounts suggest a 2016 incident where fighters "apologized" for firing? That is pretty weird in all honesty.🤔

While ISIS expresses hatred for Israel, its primary focus has been targeting "apostate" governments in Arab nations and Iran, often leading them to label Israel a "lower priority" compared to their regional war…which in the Arab and/or Muslim world tends to leave out the Jews, though they do get honourable mention though as that “later gator” still on the list sorta thing.
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Israel, for its part, hasn’t directly attacked ISIS as it’s got its hands full with enough others in its general vicinity (let’s call it the neighbourhood).

Now ‘some’ have suggested that Israel has found it strategically convenient when ISIS engaged with shared adversaries (like Iran, Hezbollah, or the Syrian regime), but this does not constitute an alliance, and the ISIS-linked group, "Wilayat Sinai," has fired rockets at southern Israel on multiple occasions, indicating direct conflict on the border.
Beheadings were done by Isis shit heads while on all the meth they wanted.
Evidence from the field, including ISIS fighters with track marks from intravenous drug use, suggests the use of methamphetamine (or similar high-grade stimulants) to sustain them during fighting, and has been linked to the large-scale production and trafficking of "Captagon," a popular stimulant often dubbed the "jihad drug," which has been used to fund their operations.
ISIS has engaged in manufacturing methamphetamine in captured drug labs in Syria, utilizing these drugs as a source of revenue and as a stimulant to fuel fighters.
 

petros

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If true, for that neighbourhood, that would be weird except that in March 2022, Arab-Israeli ISIS-inspired terrorists carried out stabbing and shooting attacks in Hadera and Beersheba, killing 6 individuals.

…& in 2015, ISIS released a Hebrew-language video promising to reach Jerusalem…& in 2020, its leader, Abu Hamza al-Quraishi, called on followers to attack Israeli communities, stating that targeting Israel was a "new phase" for the organization.

Then there’s the ISIS-affiliated fighters in the Golan Heights occasionally exchange fire with IDF units, and some accounts suggest a 2016 incident where fighters "apologized" for firing? That is pretty weird in all honesty.🤔

While ISIS expresses hatred for Israel, its primary focus has been targeting "apostate" governments in Arab nations and Iran, often leading them to label Israel a "lower priority" compared to their regional war…which in the Arab and/or Muslim world tends to leave out the Jews, though they do get honourable mention though as that “later gator” still on the list sorta thing.
View attachment 34225
Israel, for its part, hasn’t directly attacked ISIS as it’s got its hands full with enough others in its general vicinity (let’s call it the neighbourhood).

Now ‘some’ have suggested that Israel has found it strategically convenient when ISIS engaged with shared adversaries (like Iran, Hezbollah, or the Syrian regime), but this does not constitute an alliance, and the ISIS-linked group, "Wilayat Sinai," has fired rockets at southern Israel on multiple occasions, indicating direct conflict on the border.

Evidence from the field, including ISIS fighters with track marks from intravenous drug use, suggests the use of methamphetamine (or similar high-grade stimulants) to sustain them during fighting, and has been linked to the large-scale production and trafficking of "Captagon," a popular stimulant often dubbed the "jihad drug," which has been used to fund their operations.
ISIS has engaged in manufacturing methamphetamine in captured drug labs in Syria, utilizing these drugs as a source of revenue and as a stimulant to fuel fighters.
I.S.I.S Isreal Secret Intelligence Service.

Same goes for alQaeda Why haven't they attacked Israel?