Friends + Interlocutors,

This is not surprising. Blockading a country’s maritime ports is an act of war. It is not consistent with taking part in a ceasefire. Trump claimed Hormuz was open, but then instantly contradicting himself, he ordered the U.S. Navy to block traffic to and from Iranian ports. 

It was very unlikely that Tehran would not go along with such a one-sided arrangement. Once again, it is difficult to make sense of anything President Trump says. Tehran has reacted. Further negotiations are off for the time being. 

Will Trump respond by restarting airborne attacks? Or even a ground invasion? That’s possible. But then Wall Street might implode and the price of oil explode. He doesn’t want that. 

How long can Trump continue to play games? Will Netanyahu, the devil behind the war, now proclaim that Iran has broken the ceasefire, and hence he is free to continue the massacres in Lebanon? 

Or is all this just posturing?

Patrick

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