This is a short but important post by Trump.
It means that: 1) The war is over (and the extended ceasefire confirms it) 2) Trump is ok with walking away from Iran even without a deal, and letting the world clean up the Hormuz mess So yes, the war might be over. But the consequences of this war might be felt for a very long time.
Trump just announced Iran called off the planned execution of 8 women protesters.
- 4 will be released immediately - 4 will serve one month in prison - Iran responded directly to Trump's personal request made yesterday ahead of negotiations - Trump says Iran's leaders "respected my request as President of the United States"
Trump goes nuclear on the Wall Street Journal after they published an op-ed titled "The Iranians Take Trump for a Sucker."
"What did I give them? A country in tatters! Their Navy is at the bottom of the sea, their Air Force is gone, their leaders are DEAD, their Nuclear Labs were OBLITERATED." He also drops a specific number: Iran is "losing 500 million dollars a day" from the blockade. And calls the WSJ "just another failing political RAG" that "Rupert Murdoch told to write." The irony is that both Trump and the WSJ are making each other's case. The WSJ says Iran played Trump. Trump says he destroyed Iran. Both can be true simultaneously. Iran's military is devastated AND the regime survived, kept the Strait, and is negotiating from a position of leverage. Still, Iran is losing $500 million revenue a day. And that's the economic leverage the US is using.
Part of US strategy: Iran is running out of storage for oil. Once they stop pumping, it can damage oil field production capacity.
You can't just flip the on/off switch on oil wells. If you stop, clogging happens. This can cause massive reduction in the amount of oil you get out of that oil well, requiring expensive and time consuming rework. Source: Wall Street Mav
Treasury Secretary Bessent has outlined a stark economic strategy: storage at Kharg Island is expected to reach capacity within days, potentially forcing Iran to halt oil production.
He describes the campaign as “Economic Fury,” warning that any individual or vessel involved in these shipments could face U.S. sanctions. This marks one of the most aggressive economic threats in the conflict so far. Unlike flipping a switch, shutting down oil wells is a complex process. Restarting them can take months and cost billions—and in some cases, production never fully returns. In essence, Bessent is signaling a strategy aimed at inflicting long-term damage to Iran’s oil infrastructure without the use of military force.
The Pentagon just proposed the largest defense budget in U.S. history at $1.5T or +42% in one year.
• $65.8T (warships & support ships) - Largest shipbuilding program since Kennedy. • $54.6T (autonomous warfare) • $6.1T (next-gen B-21 bomber) • 85 F-35 jets • 18 battle force ships • 16 non-battle force ships • Golden Dome missile defense • 12 critical munitions restocked • critical minerals supply chain investment Record drone investment. 44,000 new troops. The Iran war costs are not included. That’s a separate bill. America is no longer preparing for a war. It’s preparing for wars (with a "s")👁️ Source: Visual capitalist, Voronoi
The US blockade of the blockade seems to work rather well for the US.
It's substantially reduced Iran's oil exports (and inflow of hard currency), seized an Iranian ship and threatened secondary sanctions on Chinese banks that deal in Iranian oil. Meanwhile, oil prices are down from their highs. And the US is exporting record volume of il & gas. Kudos! Source: Robin Brooks
Trump said China had allegedly agreed not to supply weapons to Iran as part of deal tied to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.
- Says he is opening the strait "for China too, and the World" - He expects to meet Xi soon. Claims Xi Jinping will give him "a big, fat, hug" when he visits in a few weeks - Says both countries are "working together smartly and very well" - Adds the U.S. remains "far better than anyone else" at fighting if needed - "This situation will never happen again"
