Headline from the CNN front page:
Trump says US will blockade the Strait of Hormuz
I mean, sure, I’ll supply the context for readers-of-the-future.
We’re in the midst of the US & Israel attacking Iran, bombing, missile strikes, whatever. I don’t know what historians will call this, but I call it Trump’s War.
For maybe the last couple of weeks, Iran has used mines and missiles to stop shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. As a large percentage of world-wide shipping transits the Strait for shipping time reasons, including nitrogen-based fertilizer as well as oil tankers, price inflation is occurring and threatens to get worse – all attributable to the actions of the US and Israel.
A few days ago a cease-fire was agreed to between Israel and the US and Iran; the latter was to stop attacking shipping, thus saving Trump’s bacon.
Peace talks began in Pakistan, but now CNN notes in a picture caption:
Oh, sure, I can see the ham-handed attempt to win is explained thusly:
• Blockade in the strait: President Donald Trump said the US Navy will start preventing ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, risking an even greater spike to oil and gas prices as he seeks to maximize leverage over Tehran. The US and other countries will sweep for mines in the vital waterway during the blockade, Trump said.
And it might be right; experts on this sort of thing are far and few between, and I’m not one of them. But if I were the Iranian government, I’d just tell the missile sites to shutdown and have a cup of coffee, ‘cuz the Americans are doing your jobs for you.
And this all comes off as Trump trotting behind everyone else, watching everyone ahead of him in the race take a left turn, and singing out ten seconds later,
Quick, everyone, take a left turn!
I should mail him a big plastic red nose.
