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

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
32,628
11,781
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
“Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on Monday that the only way to restore regular shipping traffic through the strait was to end ⁠U.S. military interventions in the waterway, and warned that "continued interference could lead to greater incidents in the global oil and gas sector."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was seeking to establish a joint mechanism with Oman to manage traffic through the strait, adding that U.S. pressure on Oman had hindered discussions.

Iran has sought to establish a permanent fee and permit system for vessels using the waterway, which before the war carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural ⁠gas shipments.

The U.S., which revoked a licence waiving sanctions on Iranian crude sales last week after earlier attacks on shipping, said its forces were positioned to safeguard freedom of navigation.

"Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing," it said.”
Trump asserted that the strait remains open under American protection and said the U.S. would charge 20% of every cargo as compensation for its costs. He didn’t detail how that would work but said procedures would be formulated immediately.

“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’” the president said on social media.

Iran’s armed forces said, “We will under no circumstances allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.”
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
32,628
11,781
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
1783988621932.jpegUntil now, the US had said the strait should remain open to all without tolls – except when it wasn’t saying that — as it was before it and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
1783988771866.jpegAny attempt by the US or Iran to charge fees would violate global norms on freedom of navigation and would be likely to cause further economic disruption far beyond the region, and yet President Donald Trump first publicly stated that the United States could collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz on June 20, 2026.
1783990400269.jpeg
“Earlier on Monday, Trump had said the US would demand a 20% toll tariff on all cargoes shipped through the key passage. He suggested in a post on his Truth Social platform that the US should be known henceforth as the “guardian of the strait of Hormuz”, as Iran and the US engaged in some of the heaviest drone and missile exchanges since an interim deal was negotiated to bring an end to the conflict.”
“We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” Trump said. “We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection.” The president said the U.S. would be “reimbursed” by 20% of the value of cargo to help cover “any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security.”
1783990611156.jpeg
1783989705004.jpeg
The criminals prevent rival gangs from targeting the business🙄, establishing a monopoly on crime within that territory. Essentially, the victim is paying the mob to not victimize them. Trump said ⁠the ⁠US would probably take over ⁠the strait and should ⁠be reimbursed for controlling ‌the waterway. “We’re going to ‌keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it,” Trump said in a ‌phone interview on Fox News.
(YouTube & Trump says US will guard Strait of Hormuz and impose tolls | ABC NEWS)

…seriously though, what the hell are they doing this time?
 

55Mercury

rigid member
May 31, 2007
4,507
1,147
113
What are the odds that the alleged shipping strike by Iran, that prompted these latest strikes by the United States on them, was actually a false flag done by Israel?
I mean, it's not like it hasn't been their MO in the past.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Taxslave2

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
32,628
11,781
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
What are the odds that the alleged shipping strike by Iran, that prompted these latest strikes by the United States on them, was actually a false flag done by Israel?
I mean, it's not like it hasn't been their MO in the past.
Or by America? Or by one or several of the countries Iran has been lobbing missiles and drones at? I have no idea, but it’s not like the IRGC isn’t claiming responsibility and justification for these attacks.

Iran’s IRGC said in a statement that two oil tankers it said ignored repeated warnings were targeted and disabled. It added “that cooperation with the aggressor enemy…will only result in regret, damage, and delays in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as well as creating an energy crisis in the world.”

“Earlier, Trump told reporters at the White House that a deal with Iran was still possible, but stressed that the U.S. would eventually control the “whole” of the strait.
1784033639737.jpeg
“I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” Trump said. “We’re spending money, and so what we’ve done is we are going to be reimbursed for protection.”
1784033766488.jpeg
The American petrodollar system has been in place for over 50 years. It originated in 1973 following the collapse of the gold standard. It was cemented in 1974 through an agreement where Saudi Arabia agreed to price its oil exports in U.S. dollars in exchange for U.S. military and economic support as the last 1/2 century of payment to the U.S. already so far.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced two “offending supertankers” had been hit and disabled.
The worsening attacks have increased doubts that a memorandum of understanding signed last month will lead to a permanent halt in the war, which has disrupted global energy supplies and raised fears of a rise in inflation globally?
“Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump said on social media.
"Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future." The US president provided no further details?
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
32,628
11,781
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
President Trump said that the strait "is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran" and that "oil is flowing like never before (?), thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military".

Speaking later after talks in Washington with the new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Trump said: "I don't like the concept of a fee, but at the same time, it's not fair that we're protecting this Strait for the entire world” in exchange for…the petrodollar in 1973 to the present day. Why since 1973? That’s when the Bretton Woods system ended that pegged global currencies to the U.S. Dollar after Nixon severed the direct convertibility of U.S. Dollars into gold…but that’s probably just a coincidence.

He (Trump) said he had changed his initial toll tariff fee plan after receiving numerous calls from Gulf leaders.

In response to Trump's announcement, Iran said it would remain in control of the Strait of Hormuz.
1784070440565.jpeg
(YouTube & Why Trump's Hormuz Toll Will Probably Backfire)
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
32,628
11,781
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Iran is ‌signalling it ⁠may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut Bab el-Mandeb, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world's most vital energy arteries at risk.

“Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, through which Saudi oil exports and a substantial share of global shipping pass. Some shippers have been returning to Red Sea routes after being deterred by Houthi attacks linked to the Gaza War that began in 2023.

As a result of this year's Iran war, Iran has been trying to assert permanent control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to impose fees on vessels passing through it, in what would be a major shift of the balance of power in a region where the U.S. has ⁠long acted as guarantor of security.

The IRGC said on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until what it described as "the end of America's evils".
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
32,628
11,781
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Fermín is said to have been the son of a Roman of senatorial rank in Pamplona in the 3rd century, but anyway, Iran and the United States exchanged intensified fire on Thursday in a week-long escalation that has all but torn up last month's truce?

The week of increasingly intense fire has tested the limits of escalation that both sides set during four months of fighting before last month's truce. But in the midst of the attacks, U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the release of a U.S. citizen in Iran as a "gesture of goodwill".
Iranian sources have told Reuters that Iran's aim was to establish its authority over the strait. But having made that point, Tehran is not keen for a wider escalation that would torpedo the June memorandum of understanding (?), which it still regards as giving it most of what it sought.

Since last week's flare-up, Iran has declared the strait closed. The United States responded by reimposing its own blockade of Iran's ports from Wednesday, including firing at an empty tanker in the strait it said was bound for Iran. The U.S. military said it fired Hellfire missiles into the tanker's smokestack near Iran's Kharg Island after it ignored warnings.

Trump has not ruled out the possibility of using someone’s ground forces, including to seize Kharg Island, site of Iran's main oil export terminal. He has repeated threats to hit Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations.

(President Trump has suggested that if a ground campaign is needed in Iran, America's allies could be called upon to do the fighting. He has not ruled out deploying U.S. troops, stating he will do whatever is necessary, but has stated, "We have other people that will do the ground campaign for us")

Iranian Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said that if Trump carried out that threat, Iran's armed forces would strike "all remaining infrastructure" across the region, and the response would be more severe, wider in scope and more destructive than previous attacks.

This latest chapter in the goat rodeo started February 28th with a failed regime change, so the IRGC knows that if it loses, it’s finished, so it has nothing to lose by going full scorched earth if it thinks it won’t be victorious.
Iranian-Canadians in Canada have long complained that the country risks becoming a safe haven for members of Iran’s regime, and have called for better screening to weed them out. More recently, the government’s threat assessment agency said in a declassified report that the regime’s intelligence service may be linked to attacks in Canada since the start of the Iran war.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
32,628
11,781
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
On Tuesday, Trump threatened to target Iran's energy infrastructure if Tehran failed to return to talks.

Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told state media Tehran had "no reason" to abide by any agreement that did not benefit the country.

He added that Iran's national security depended on maintaining what he described as "Iranian arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz.