Iran War Update 14

Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in

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• The ceasefire in name only is no longer even that. At the NATO Summit in Ankara, Trump said: “For me, it’s over. I don’t want to deal with the scum any more. You know what scum is?” He went on to say, “These are evil, sick people, and we have to rid their cancer. They’re cancer. And you know what you do? You got to cut out cancer early, man… I told them, every time you hit, we hit. And of course, they’re dirty players…”

• Overnight the US attacked more than 80 Iranian targets following alleged attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian military said coastal bases and civilian facilities were hit in Hormozgan and Mashar provinces, as well as in Bandar Abbas where an Iranian soldier was killed.

• The US strikes continued on Wednesday with the bombing of locations in the Iranian port city of Bushehr.

• Iran responded by attacking US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence claims two ballistic missiles and 13 drones were intercepted. A blackout occurred after shrapnel hit energy infrastructure.

  

• It was only a matter of time until fighting resumed. Trump scrambled to create the illusion of a “deal” to save face, but the Memorandum of Understanding that was agreed was always unsustainable. It gave Iran everything it wanted. Iran aims to control the Strait of Hormuz and charge tolls on the vital shipping route, something the world will not tolerate. Ultimately the MoU is worthless and Trump seemed to confirm that in Ankara.

• It’s unwise to take any of Trump’s public comments at face value. They change all the time and sometimes he seems unaware that he’s contradicting himself. Is a full war back on? Israel’s i24 News, briefed by Israeli officials, said “Military action is now an option.”

• We’re seeing immediate obvious results. Oil prices have spiked, causing misery for everyone filling up at gas stations or trying to heat their homes. More worryingly for the US, the Strategic Reserves are dangerously low because Trump authorised the release of oil to keep prices down.

  

• Also in Ankara, Trump made a bizarre comment about Iran: “They’ve kiIIed thousands and thousands of our soldiers. They’ve kiIIed hundreds of thousands of innocent people.” If true, this would be a cover-up of epic proportions. The Pentagon has only admitted to the deaths of 13 soldiers.

• A trip to Israel by Secretary of Defense/War Pete Hegseth was cancelled at the eleventh hour due to rising tensions. He was scheduled to hold talks with Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. Instead Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio in DC in a few days. Talks are also advancing on a visit by Israel Katz.

• UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash: “The Iranian attacks on Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and the repeated aggression against Bahrain and Kuwait, are a clear sign Tehran is still unable to commit to de-escalation. The Arab Gulf states cannot remain a target for Iran’s hesitation between escalation and the path of rationality and peace.”