With the Russians and Chinese in the background supplying the Iranians with intelligence and weapons , I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.The need to take down the IRGC is becoming increasingly urgent.
Allies condemn Iran's 'lethal plotting' in US, Europe, Australia
The United States, Australia, European allies and other countries condemned Iran-backed groups' plots to kill Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish communities in a joint statement released on Wednesday.www.reuters.com
Trumps attack on Iran - 2026 edition
- Thread starter IT Minion
- Start date
The Shart of the Deal.
Only God knows because no one else does.
Thank god - he’s got a deal and the strikes are off.
TACO’s for tea.
www.bbc.co.uk
TACO’s for tea.
Trump says he has 'cancelled' strikes against Iran after threatening 'very hard' attack tonight
Trump says discussions with Iran have been "brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved".
www.bbc.co.uk
Donald Trump says, indeed....
FT.com
But does anybody actually believe he's telling the truth (this time)?
There's just time for him and his buddies to place their orders before bad news comes out over the weekend, as usual, and the markets crash on Monday, as usual.
Meanwhile he's ****ed away most of the US Strategic Reserve of oil, which was intended to keep the country strong in times of war and crisis. Not by keeping the country strong in time of war and crisis, but exported to make money and depress the world price.
In other news, China has spent 20 years building alternative energy sources. They lead the world in solar and nukes. The fuel costs nothing, now the infrastructure is built, and every GW saves a barrel at little marginal cost.
"Donald Trump says US close to deal with Iran and calls off strikes
Markets rally and oil prices dip as US president claims agreement will reopen Strait of Hormuz"FT.com
But does anybody actually believe he's telling the truth (this time)?
There's just time for him and his buddies to place their orders before bad news comes out over the weekend, as usual, and the markets crash on Monday, as usual.
Meanwhile he's ****ed away most of the US Strategic Reserve of oil, which was intended to keep the country strong in times of war and crisis. Not by keeping the country strong in time of war and crisis, but exported to make money and depress the world price.
In other news, China has spent 20 years building alternative energy sources. They lead the world in solar and nukes. The fuel costs nothing, now the infrastructure is built, and every GW saves a barrel at little marginal cost.
"US crude exports have surged 2mn barrels a day since the war began. Washington calls it energy dominance. Look closer and it is something else: America is exporting its insurance policy. The extra barrels come not from new production but from storage — the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen to about 342mn barrels, the lowest level since August 1983, and is on track to hit a minimum level for operations by the end of summer. The buffer built over 50 years to protect against exactly this crisis is being shipped abroad. This is not supply responding to price. It is inventory responding to price — and inventory, unlike production, has a bottom.
Worse, the policy is self-defeating. A price signal is a mechanism that triggers investment and adjusts demand. Every barrel released to suppress the price delays the capital investment that would build actual energy security. The west is not building the New Joule Order. It is borrowing against it, with the bill arriving in the third quarter — when cooling for air conditioning, agriculture and driving demand add 5mn to 6mn barrels a day back into a market where the buffers are gone and its largest flexible consumer has already used its option."
FT.com
Worse, the policy is self-defeating. A price signal is a mechanism that triggers investment and adjusts demand. Every barrel released to suppress the price delays the capital investment that would build actual energy security. The west is not building the New Joule Order. It is borrowing against it, with the bill arriving in the third quarter — when cooling for air conditioning, agriculture and driving demand add 5mn to 6mn barrels a day back into a market where the buffers are gone and its largest flexible consumer has already used its option."
FT.com
They're currently consuming 16 million barrels of oil per day, 2nd only to the USA. The majority is imported, largely from Iran, less so from Venezuela recently.
So just think how pleased they must be, to be leading the world in electric cars, as well as renewable energy.
While Trump flogs his nation's Strategic Reserve to keep the world price down, is it a mistake to buy?
More of a mistake to sell it, perhaps.
"The consensus explanation for falling Chinese energy imports is “demand destruction” — the world’s largest importer buckling. The reality is the opposite. Faced with fuel prices up to 20 per cent, Chinese drivers charge instead of fill: highway EV charging surged 56 per cent year on year over the May Day holiday. Industrial users have switched to domestic coal. In aggregate, China can flex perhaps 2mn barrels a day of demand at will — flexibility no other large economy can approach. What looks like a collapsing customer is a customer that built an exit and is using it."
FT.com
Thank god - he’s got a deal and the strikes are off.
TACO’s for tea.
Trump says he has 'cancelled' strikes against Iran after threatening 'very hard' attack tonight
Trump says discussions with Iran have been "brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved".
"There was no official response from Iran. Tasnim, an Iranian news egency affiliated to the powerful Revolutionary Guards, said that until Iran announces any potential understanding, any statements by Trump about this matter should be viewed as part of the same messaging he has had previously."
FT.com
Unofficial word is deal, or Karg Island is turned into dust.
That's an interesting rumour spread by Trumpists.
Some questions for anyone who is not a supporter of Trump:
From what you have seen in the last two months:
- how many times has Trump said Iran is about to give in to his demands?
- will attacking Karg increase oil exports?
- have attacks caused Iran to surrender, or to fight back?
- has America increased the number of expensive assets within easy reach of Iran?
- how many casualties can America accept with equanimity before running away?
Did he "lose patience" in February?
Killing the leaders has led to harder-line leaders being promoted to fill the vacancies.
I wonder if Trump read his briefing paper warning of that.
Fantasy.