Trump’s Big Mistake

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Donald Trump's Biggest Mistake Is Now Clear To See

Dmitry Orlov

[…]

First, a few words about the Strait of Hormuz. Although various clueless Western journalists were quick to start babbling about Iran “blockading” or “mining” the accursed Strait, no such events ever took place. Instead, ten or so ships attempting to pass through the Strait got set ablaze, by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, one must presume. As a direct result, ship insurance rates shot up into the stratosphere and shipping through the Strait all but stopped. It did not stop entirely because Iran started granting safe passage to ships that complied with certain requirements: they couldn’t have anything to do with the US or with Israel, the cargo had to be paid for in yuan (or renminbi), the Chinese currency, and there was also a hefty fee for safe passage. The course for safe passage lies through Iranian territorial waters, where Iranian forces can examine the ships closely.

Thus, Iran can still ship its oil to China, as it is accustomed to doing. Incidentally, Iran’s oil production volumes are close to matching the record they set half a century ago. On the other hand, the Persian Gulf monarchies are precluded from selling their oil for dollars. Saudi Arabia still manages to sell some of its light sweet crude via its port on the Red Sea, delivered via a pipeline, at hugely inflated rates. That is a direct invitation to the Houthis in Yemen to show their support for their Iranian brothers by once again shutting down shipping through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, as they had when Israel attacked Gaza, and so this export route may not last either. What’s more, quite a few of the oil, gas, fertilizer and other production facilities in the Gulf have been damaged or destroyed, making any future restoration of shipping volumes expensive and time-consuming even after hostilities end.

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A rocket to your superstructure could be metaphorically compared to a punch in the face if you happen to be an oil tanker. Less metaphorically, a punch to the face has certainly been delivered to oil traders who thought that they were managing world trade in oil by trading bits of paper (or bits of computer code) known as oil futures.

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Refineries around the world have to hunt around to find compatible blends of oil from specific sources, for which they now have to pay a premium, making the paper market for “benchmark crudes” rather beside the point. Overall, oil has suddenly become quite a lot less “fungible” as a commodity. This has had an immediate knock-on effect on oil distillates such as aviation kerosene which is no longer available in a growing number of locations, stranding tourists and business travelers. Even more significantly, shortages and high prices for nitrogen fertilizer, made from natural gas, are likely to cause a missed crop growing season in many countries, resulting food price inflation, malnutrition and, in the case of some poorer countries, even starvation.

Perhaps you have been able to gather all of this on your own by paying attention to the news — it’s not that difficult. But what I’ll describe next is not something that you will often hear. Trump’s war on Iran is an epic failure on a purely conceptual level, as a foregone conclusion, that no new developments are likely to alter in any significant way.

To set the scene, let us briefly rewind to the Dozen-Day War, which lasted from 13 to 24 June 2025, during which Donald Trump claimed to have destroyed Iran’s nuclear program. He didn’t; we’ll get back to this important detail in a little while. But what he did succeed in destroying was Iran’s various opposition movements and networks of foreign operatives. They were outed in a feeble and harebrained attempt at a color revolution, in the hopes of effecting a quick and easy regime change in Teheran. They took to the streets where they were counted and tagged and their leaders were subsequently all neutralized. Thus, the Dozen-Day War left Iran bereft of opposition movements.

And yet Trump went in for an exact repeat. Here we have been forced to bear witness to a confluence of several spectacularly stupid ideas:

• That Trump can still effect a regime change in Teheran even after all of the opposition leaders have been killed during his previous failed attempt.
• That it is possible to destroy the Iranian state by assassinating its leadership.
• And, finally, after failing at both of the above, that it is still possible to “make a deal” (in Trump’s primitive English) to end the conflict. Who does he plan to negotiate with? With the people he just killed?

Of course, not all Iranian leaders are dead. There is the new Rakhbar (supreme religious leader) Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Rakhbar Ali Khamenei, who was killed by an American air strike on his residence. What is notable is that the post of Rakhbar is not heritable. A Rakhbar is appointed in a process vaguely similar to that of appointing the Pope: in a conclave of great and respected Shia theologians. The appointment of the son of a Rakhbar as Rakhbar is highly irregular, especially given the fact that Mojtaba is not a great theologian, does not have a religious following and is generally considered something of a theological lightweight. So, why was he the one appointed?

I see three plausible answers to this question. First, Mojtaba is not a public figure of the sort that would be easy for the Americans to assassinate. In fact, nobody seems to know where he is. Second, his father died as a martyr and it is Mojtaba’s sacred duty to avenge his death. His appointment as Rakhbar puts him in a position demand revenge. Third, Mojtaba fought with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988 and has strong connections with it. It is the IRGC that will avenge Ali Khamenei’s martyrdom, along with the deaths of all the other Iranians.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a very curious organization. Unlike the generally agreeable and peace-minded Iranian leaders recently killed by Trump, the IRGC is made up of radical Shiites and the organization draws its inspiration from ancient Sufi military orders — imperial Persia’s most successful organizations. The order’s rules are based on the views of Imam Safi al-Din, the founder of the Safavi school, from the early 14th century. These principles underlie the IRGC’s organizational activities. Their essence is simple: no family ties are allowed once a man is accepted into the order and is initiated into the closed military-religious class.

Shia Islam is complex and nuanced, but the current conflict has distilled the duties of a Shia Moslem into just two functions: to die as a martyr; and to avenge the death of a martyr. The first function — martyrdom — was duly fulfilled by all of the now dead Iranian leaders, from Ali Khamenei, killed at the outset, to Ali Larijani, killed more recently. The second function — revenge —will be carried out by the secretive factotums of the IRGC who emerge briefly from their tunnels hidden deep in the folds of endless mountains. They emerge, fire a volley of rockets, then go back into hiding.

This is a rather simplistic summary of what would take several years of intensive study to fully comprehend, but even this modicum of information would probably be greeted with complete incomprehension by Trump and his merry band of political assassins. The American understanding of war was formed by what were the only truly successful military campaigns the Americans ever fought — against the American Indians. These wars lasted for an entire century and were a great success: Indian land was stolen; Indians were either killed off or herded into reservations. Here, the tactic of political assassination worked wonderfully: kill the Indian chief and the Indian braves disband in disarray, not knowing whom to follow.

It is this erroneous notion — that political assassination paves the path to victory — that caused Trump and his motley crew of assassins to make Trump’s Big Mistake. In the case of Iran, political assassination does not pave the path to victory; it just brings closer the assassin’s own death.

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Via https://boosty.to/cluborlov/posts/c3f7fe45-0214-42c7-9bf5-addf7ee568ed

Iran Charges Ships $2 Million Toll To Pass Strait Of Hormuz

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Edited by: Sanstuti Nath

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the Strait of Hormuz is “open to everyone” except Iran’s adversaries as he set out Tehran’s policy on X.

Iran has decided to charge some vessels $2 million (approximately Rs18.8 crore) to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to leverage its control over the global shipping choke point amid its ongoing war with the US and Israel. The massive toll has already been implemented, marking the new approach to controlling the critical waterway, Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is a member of the parliament’s national security committee, told state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), according to an Iran International report.

According to Boroujerdi, the move reflects what he called a new “sovereign regime” in the strait after decades. “Collecting $2 million as transit fees from some vessels crossing the strait reflects Iran’s strength,” Boroujerdi said.

“Now, because war has costs, naturally we must do this and take transit fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added, claiming the move shows the Islamic Republic’s “authority”.

Trump’s Threat

Boroujerdi’s remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s warning last week that the United States could target Iran’s power infrastructure if the strait is not reopened within 48 hours. Trump has said if Iran didn’t open the strait, the US would destroy its “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

The Iranian lawmaker also referred to Trump’s threat, saying Israel’s energy infrastructure would be within Iran’s reach and could be destroyed “within a day”.

“The illusion of erasing Iran from the map shows desperation against the will of a history-making nation. Threats and terror only strengthen our unity. The Strait of Hormuz is open to all except those who violate our soil. We firmly confront delirious threats on the battlefield,” he wrote.

Iran’s Warning

Following Trump’s threat, Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz, crucial to oil and other exports, would be “completely closed” immediately if the US follows up on Trump’s threat to attack its power plants.

[…]

Via https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-war-news-2-million-toll-on-ships-to-pass-strait-of-hormuz-what-iran-said-11252379

Chinese Publication Claims US Has Two Months of Rare Earths Left

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By Michael Kern – Mar 23, 2026

The U.S. has already launched hundreds of missiles and precision-guided weapons in the escalating conflict with Iran, an air campaign that has consumed billions of dollars in advanced military hardware in just weeks. But a new warning circulating in Chinese and Western media suggests the materials needed to keep producing those weapons may be running dangerously low.

Reports from the South China Morning Post and Reuters indicate Washington could have only weeks or months of certain rare-earth inventories available for defense manufacturing if supply disruptions deepen.

Rare earth elements are embedded throughout modern military systems—from missile guidance and drone propulsion to radar systems and fighter aircraft electronics.

“You can’t fight a twenty-first-century war with twentieth-century supply chains,” said Lipi Sternheim, CEO of REalloys. “Modern weapons rely on materials that are difficult to source, difficult to process, and difficult to replace once inventories begin to tighten.”REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY) is one of the few companies rebuilding the rare-earth metals stage of the supply chain in North America, converting rare-earth oxides into the metals and alloys used by magnet manufacturers and defense suppliers.

And it’s the 11th hour for American defense and the entire defense industry, even if it wasn’t in the middle of a war with Iran that reportedly cost $5.6 billion just in the first two days.

That vulnerability isn’t new. For decades, the United States allowed much of its rare-earth processing and metallization capacity to migrate overseas, leaving China to dominate the stages of the supply chain that convert raw materials into the metals and magnets used in advanced technology. Today, much of the rare-earth material used in Western defense systems still traces through Chinese processing facilities. The Pentagon is now racing to reverse that dependence ahead of a 2027 deadline that will prohibit U.S. weapons systems from using magnets made with Chinese-origin rare earths.

REalloys’ flagship facility in Euclid, Ohio, is already ahead of the deadline.

REBUILDING AMERICA’S RARE EARTH METALS CAPACITY

Mountain Pass in California produces rare-earth concentrate that is separated domestically into NdPr oxide. That is an important step in rebuilding North American capability – but oxide itself is not the material defense contractors actually use.

Before it can enter manufacturing, oxide must first be chemically reduced into pure rare-earth metal. That metal is then blended into precise alloys used to produce high-performance permanent magnets.

For decades, that conversion—from oxide to metal—has taken place almost entirely in China. Even when rare-earth ore was mined in the United States and separated into oxide domestically, the metallurgical step that turns that chemistry into usable industrial metal was still performed overseas.

That is the break in the supply chain.

REalloys is positioned to help close it.

At its Euclid facility, the company converts rare-earth oxides into finished metals and magnet-grade alloys through high-temperature reduction and refining processes. Those materials are the feedstock required by magnet manufacturers and advanced industrial users.

It is also one of the most technically difficult stages of the entire rare-earth value chain. Metallization requires tightly controlled reduction reactions, high-temperature furnaces, and continuous process control capable of maintaining stable yields and purity levels across multiple rare-earth elements.

“Metallization is the least developed part of the value chain outside China,” said REAlloys co-founder Tim Johnston. “It requires deep operating expertise and process control systems capable of managing complex variables in continuous production. Even with capital and strong execution, replicating that capability typically takes three to seven years or more, with significant technical and qualification risk.”

The Euclid facility is already operating, converting rare-earth oxides into metals and alloys inside North America rather than sending those materials overseas for processing.

Upstream, REalloys owns the Hoidas Lake rare-earth project in Saskatchewan, anchoring primary resource exposure inside Canada.

In Greenland, the company has signed a long-term non-binding letter of intent covering roughly 15% of future production from the Tanbreez rare-earth project, one of the largest deposits of heavy and medium rare earths outside China.

Additional supply agreements extend to Kazakhstan, where the company is working with AltynGroup on access to material from the Kokbulak project and surrounding concessions. In Brazil, an alliance tied to the Araxá rare-earth project adds another potential non-Chinese source of feedstock.

“We’ve already solved the hardest part—proving that rare-earth metallization and alloying can be done domestically to the specifications real customers require,” Johnston said.

REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY) isn’t stopping at metallization, either.

The company is also developing a large-scale permanent magnet manufacturing facility in the United States, designed to start with roughly 3,000 tons of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnet production annually and expand to as much as 18,000 tons per year.

At full capacity, that level of output could supply magnets for roughly 1.5 to 2 million electric vehicles annually, thousands of wind turbines, and large volumes of industrial motors, robotics systems, and medical devices. Defense systems—from missile guidance units to radar and avionics—also rely heavily on high-performance rare-earth magnets.

That dependency runs across the entire contractor base. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), whose F-35 program requires hundreds of pounds of rare earth materials per airframe for flight controls, radar, and electronic warfare suites, has moved to dual-source critical mineral inputs as the 2027 deadline closes in. RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX) faces the same pressure through its Raytheon unit, where AMRAAM and Tomahawk production depends on dysprosium and terbium magnets capable of holding performance under combat heat and vibration. At the smaller end of the contractor spectrum, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ: KTOS) has built its high-volume drone and unmanned systems business around domestic supplier agreements that lock in proven rare earth alloys—a model that only works if the metallization layer it depends on actually exists inside the United States.

The facility is designed to integrate multiple stages of the rare-earth value chain, including metallization, alloying, powder production, and final magnet manufacturing.

If completed at the projected scale, it would represent one of the largest NdFeB magnet production sites outside Asia and a significant step toward rebuilding a fully integrated rare-earth supply chain in North America.

With Euclid converting oxide into metal inside the United States, the rare-earth supply chain begins to close a loop that has been broken for decades—just as Washington prepares to bar Chinese-origin rare earths from U.S. defense systems in 2027.

[…]

Via https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Chinese-Publication-Claims-US-Has-Two-Months-of-Rare-Earths-Left.html

Marcos Jr Declares State of Emergency in Philippines

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Marcos declares state of national energy emergency

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 110, placing the country under a National State of Emergency and placing a unified package for livelihoods, industry, food and transport.PCO

Raffy Ayeng
25 Mar 2026

After weeks of not admitting that the country is experiencing a crisis, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday released an Executive Order declaring the whole country under a National State of Emergency and authorizing the unified package for livelihoods, industry, food and transport.

Under Executive Order 110, signed by the President in Malacanang Palace, it said that the declaration was due the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East involving the United States of America, Israel, and Iran, which have heightened geopolitical tensions in the region that plays a critical role in global oil production and transportation, creating uncertainty in global energy markets, severe disruptions in supply chains, and significant volatility and upward pressure on international oil prices, thereby posing a threat to the country’s energy security.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 110, placing the country under a National State of Emergency and placing a unified package for livelihoods, industry, food and transport.
Malacañang warns hoarders, profiteers over fuel crisis

The Order also cited the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy corridor for global oil shipments, which disrupted the flow of petroleum products to international markets and constrained global fuel supply, with corresponding implications on the stability and adequacy of our domestic energy supply.

“WHEREAS, the Secretary of Energy has determined that the foregoing circumstances pose an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply and that urgent measures are necessary to ensure the stability and adequacy of the country’s energy supply,” the Order read.

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 7638, or the Department of Energy Act of 1992, it authorizes the President, upon determination and recommendation of the Secretary of Energy, to declare a critically low energy supply or imminent danger thereof, and authorize the implementation of the fuel and energy allocation plan and other energy conservation measures.

Energy Secretary Garin, also on Tuesday, maintained that the fuel supply of the country, including jet fuel, has buffer stocks, stressing that on average, there is around 45 days’ worth of supply for the whole country to date, based on their talks with fuel companies.

In particular, the current domestic supply of gasoline is expected to last for the next 53.14 days; diesel, 45.82 days; kerosene, 97.93 days; jet fuel, 38.62 days; fuel oil, 61.49 days; and liquified petroleum gas, 23.51 days.

On the other hand, Garin said supply continues to come in since the government has even talked with governments from supplier countries like South Korea, Japan, and China.

The President, in his order, stated that “the declaration of a state of national energy emergency will enable the government, through the DOE and other concerned agencies, to implement responsive and coordinated measures under existing laws to address the risks posed by disruptions in the global energy supply and the domestic economy.”

“A state of national energy emergency is hereby declared in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and the resulting imminent danger to the availability and stability of the country’s energy supply,” the President said.

With the said declaration, the government will roll out a unified package for livelihoods, industry, food, and transport; the formulation of an Uplift Committee to oversee and coordinate the implementation of UPLIFT, which shall be composed of the President as chairman, with members including the Executive Secretary, and Secretaries of DOE, Transportation, Social Welfare and Development, Agriculture, Finance, Economy, Planning, and Development (Secretariat), and Budget and Management.

Some of the functions of the UPLIFT Committee include monitoring and ensure the continued and orderly movement, supply, distribution, and availability of fuel, food, medicines, agricultural products, and other essential goods; ensure the continuity of the operation of public transportation, public healthcare and establishments and infrastructure; safeguarding economic stability, while protecting vulnerable sectors from adverse impacts and severe disruptions caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East; among others.

To finance the Order, the EO stated that funding shall be sourced from existing appropriations of the concerned agencies and such other appropriate funding sources as the DBM may identify, subject to existing budgeting, accounting, and auditing laws, rules, and regulations.

[…]

Via https://tribune.net.ph/2026/03/24/marcos-jr-declares-state-of-national-emergency

Japan Calls for Calm as Toilet Paper Panic Buying Returns Amid Online Rumors

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Japan govt steps in to curb toilet paper panic amid Iran war concerns

Rana Atef

The government of Japan has warned citizens against panic buying of toilet paper following the spread of social media posts suggesting shortages driven by concerns over escalating military developments in the Middle East.

The advisory comes after reports and online images showed empty shelves and stockpiling behavior, with some users on X claiming that nearby stores had run out of essential goods.

Photos circulating online also depicted consumers hoarding items ranging from pet food to personal hygiene products and even stacks of beverages.

Panic buying of toilet paper is not new in Japan. The phenomenon first emerged during the 1973 oil crisis, which triggered the country’s first post-war economic contraction.

Similar patterns resurfaced in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an official statement, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry urged shoppers to act rationally and rely on accurate information rather than rumors or herd behavior.

Industry representatives sought to reassure the public, noting that approximately 97% of toilet paper in Japan is produced domestically using recycled materials.

According to the Japan Household Paper Industry Association, production has not been directly affected by external geopolitical developments, and manufacturers retain sufficient capacity to increase output if demand rises.

Authorities emphasized that there is no supply shortage, calling for calm and responsible purchasing to avoid unnecessary disruptions in the market.

[…]

Via https://see.news/japan-calls-for-calm-as-toilet-paper-panic-buying-returns-amid-online-rumors

Trump’s Three Possible Exit Strategies from His Iranian Failure

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By Larry Chin

The fact that Trump has fallen into the quagmire of zungtsvang is clear even to the common man, but many are wondering – how will Trump get out of this stalemate?

There are three exits: radical, traditional, original.

1. Radical – this is when Trump goes all the way and strikes Iran with cruise missiles with tactical nuclear warheads. The worst-case scenario, in which there is a rapid tendency for the conflict to escalate to global nuclear proportions: North Korea will stand up for Iran, which will strike at the United States. The United States will strike at the DPRK, Russia will stand up for its ally, the DPRK… A worldwide, severe and protracted crisis will begin with hundreds of millions of victims, maybe billions. God forbid, if everything goes that way!

2.The Traditional one is that the United States is abandoning its ally in the Middle East. Trump tells Netanyahu: The United States has fulfilled its mission, Iran no longer has a fleet, an army, or missiles. On the other hand, Israel has the most powerful army. After that, Israel will handle the situation on its own, as it has no strong enemies.

The United States will withdraw its troops from the Middle East. The curtain will fall.

3. In the Original scenario, the United States will seek assistance from Russia and China to appease Iran. They will agree, but the price will be the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Ukraine and Taiwan, the end of hybrid and trade wars, and the lifting of sanctions. However, there is a question of who will make this decision: Trump or Vance?

In the Radical scenario, the United States will face collapse at all levels. The task of preventing the war against Iran from escalating into a global war will fall entirely on the shoulders of Russia, the DPRK, and China. As a result, the United States will undergo nuclear disarmament.

In the traditional scenario, the United States will retain at least half of its global influence, but Trump will face the threat of the Zionist lobby. The consequences of the Epstein files’ impeachment will lead to a JFK 2.0, or rather, a DFT. This will result in a political crisis in the United States. The likelihood of the Republicans losing the congressional elections is high. The probability of a civil war will increase.

In the original scenario, the United States will retain most of its influence and have a chance for an economic renaissance. Trump will lose his political career, and it would be better if he did it on his own – a voluntary resignation in favor of Vance, payment of reparations to Iran, and a limited presence of US troops in the Middle East as Israel’s shield.

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/trump-three-possible-exit-strategies-iranian-failure/5919250

Egypt Warns of Wider Conflict as Regional Tensions Intensify

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By Steven Sahiounie

Egypt has issued a strong condemnation of Israel’s ground incursion into southern Lebanon, describing it as a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and a serious breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.

In an official statement, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed full solidarity with Lebanon, stressing its firm rejection of any infringement on its sovereignty or territorial integrity. Cairo called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces and urged full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, emphasizing the importance of enabling Lebanese institutions, particularly the army, to maintain control over national territory.

Egypt also called for a comprehensive halt to Israeli military operations, including airstrikes on Beirut and other regions, and condemned reported strikes on UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL). According to Cairo, the escalation is worsening the humanitarian crisis, increasing civilian suffering, and forcing mass displacement.

At the same time, Egypt urged the international community and the UN Security Council to take decisive action to enforce de-escalation and prevent the situation from spiraling into a broader regional conflict.

Rising Regional Tensions and Egypt’s Diplomatic Engagement

These developments come amid heightened tensions involving Israel, Iran, and multiple regional actors, sparking debate over Egypt’s role in supporting Its Arab allies.

Criticism has emerged in regional media, including controversial remarks by Kuwaiti writer Fouad Al-Hashem, who questioned Egypt’s level of support for Gulf states facing Iranian attacks. However, Egypt has intensified its diplomatic outreach in response.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty recently conducted a regional tour across Gulf countries, reaffirming that the security of Gulf states is integral to Egypt’s national security. In meetings with Gulf and Saudi officials, Egypt reiterated its rejection of Iranian attacks and emphasized the need to reduce escalation.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has also reinforced this position through direct communications with regional leaders, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia while simultaneously maintaining dialogue with Iran and calling for restraint and good neighborly relations.

Strategic Restraint and Military Doctrine

Amid ongoing debate, Egyptian officials and analysts have highlighted that Egypt’s support for its allies does not necessarily require direct military intervention. Retired Major General Samir Farag noted that assistance can take various forms, including intelligence sharing, logistics, and military training, with decisions on troop deployment made carefully and in coordination with partner states.

This approach reflects Egypt’s broader military doctrine, which prioritizes defending national territory and avoiding unnecessary entanglement in external conflicts.

Egypt’s Role in De-escalation: Insights from Political Analysis

Journalist Steven Sahiounie Interviewed Egyptian Political analyst Talat Taha and he emphasized that Egypt continues to play a pivotal and balanced role in the region, leveraging its strong relations with both the United States and Iran.

According to Taha, Egypt is actively working toward a broader ceasefire in the Middle East, particularly between Washington and Tehran, while maintaining strong ties with Gulf and Arab states. He stressed that Cairo supports de-escalation efforts and seeks to avoid being drawn into a conflict that does not directly concern it.

He noted that while there is no immediate threat to Egypt, the country remains prepared. Egypt’s military, he explained, is firmly committed to a defensive doctrine focused on protecting its borders, airspace, and resources, rather than engaging in offensive operations.

Taha also warned that the region is entering a dangerous phase, with the potential for wider conflict involving major powers. However, he questioned whether any country—including the United States—could sustain a prolonged war under current conditions.

The Palestinian Issue and Shifting Regional Priorities

Despite shifting regional dynamics, Egypt continues to position itself as a key supporter of the Palestinian cause. Taha stressed that Cairo has long been engaged in ceasefire efforts and peace initiatives, including recent diplomatic activity linked to Gaza.

However, he acknowledged that regional attention is increasingly shifting toward Iran and broader geopolitical tensions, potentially sidelining the Palestinian issue. Still, he emphasized that Egypt, along with countries like Jordan and Saudi Arabia, remains committed to keeping the Palestine at the forefront.

As tensions continue to rise, Egypt is maintaining a dual strategy: firmly opposing violations of sovereignty while actively pursuing diplomatic solutions to prevent further escalation.

Cairo’s approach—combining political engagement, strategic restraint, and regional coordination—underscores its role as a central actor seeking stability in an increasingly volatile Middle East.

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/egypt-warns-wider-conflict-regional-tensions-intensify/5919648

Musk found guilty of misleading investors

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Musk found guilty of misleading investors
FILE PHOTO: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arriving at federal court in San Francisco. © Getty Images / Josh Edelson

RT

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been found guilty in California of misleading investors during his $44 billion purchase of Twitter in 2022.

The class-action lawsuit, which had been filed shortly before Musk took control of the social media platform that he subsequently re-branded as X, focused on two tweets and comments made by the tech billionaire during a podcast in May 2022. Following those statements, including a post claiming that the Twitter deal was “temporarily on hold,” the company’s shares plunged by almost 10% in a single session.

The nine-man jury in San Francisco delivered its verdict on Friday, stating that the tech billionaire did mislead the shareholders, who sold Twitter shares at a lower price as a result of his announcements, with the tweets.

However, it also found that there was nothing wrong with what Musk said on the podcast and that he did not intentionally “scheme” to mislead the investors.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO could end up paying up to $2.6 billion in damages, according to the lawyers of the Twitter shareholders. Musk’s fortune is estimated at some $814 billion.

The verdict is “an important victory, not just for investors of Twitter, but for the public markets” that “sends a strong message that just because you’re a rich and powerful person, you still have to obey the law,” Mark Molumphy, an attorney for the plaintiffs, insisted.

Musk’s lawyers said that they will appeal the ruling. “We view today’s verdict, where the jury found both for and against the plaintiffs and found no fraud scheme, as a bump in the road,” the legal team at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said in a statement.

Musk, who is an extremely active user of X, has not yet commented on the jury’s decision.

The billionaire is often dubbed “Teflon Elon” for his ability to come out on top in the most difficult legal cases. In 2023, a jury in the same San Francisco court cleared him of similar charges of misleading investors, following Musk’s claims in 2018 that he had the funds to turn Tesla from a publicly traded company into a private one. That deal never happened.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/635792-musk-twitter-misleading-investors/

Armed Struggle Liberates Iraq After 23 Years Of Occupation

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Nate Bear

After weeks of attacks by Iraqi resistance groups, the US and NATO yesterday began evacuating all of their military personnel from Victoria Base in Baghdad.

They are unlikely to return.

This is an unprecedented, momentous achievement, and follows the January withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the Ain al-Asad airbase after years of attacks.

These withdrawals mean the US presence in Iraq is now confined to Kurdistan.

Iraqi fighters, with the support of Iran, have effectively decolonised their country, 23 years after the US invasion, and six years after Iraq’s parliament voted to expel US forces.

At the time, the US refused to honour the democratic vote. Because despite all the lies about freedom and democracy which justified the original invasion, imperialists don’t care about democracy. They care about interests. About oil. About strategic footprints. And all these were best served by maintaining a military presence in Iraq.

Trump was president at the time of the vote, and threatened sanctions in response.

What worked in the end?

Violence. Armed resistance. Speaking the language of imperialists and colonisers back to them.

The resistance to the US-NATO troop presence in Iraq has been long-standing. Attacks by Iraqi fighters have been periodic, aided by Iran in moments of heightened tension. In 2020, after the US assassinated Iran’s General Soleimani, Iran launched a missile attack on Ain al-Asad Airbase, the largest-ever against US forces abroad. The attack left over one hundred American troops with traumatic brain injuries and accelerated US plans to withdraw forces.

And since the US-Israeli sneak attack on Iran last month, Iran and Iraqi resistance groups backed by Iran, have been pounding Victoria Base, a sprawling, city-like complex on the outskirts of Baghdad. The attacks, via drones, missiles, and small arms, have resulted in a significant number of serious injuries, prompting the US over the weekend to request a 24-hour ceasefire so they could evacuate the remaining troop presence.

Violence achieved what votes and diplomacy couldn’t.

Iran has helped liberate Iraq, and in its overall conduct of the war, is teaching the west a harsh lesson.

It is for this reason that western leaders are whining like sex-starved billy goats about Iran’s “reckless attacks.” The west is so used to the impunity that comes with imperial power they can’t accept that a nation they see as sub-human is not only able to fight back, but to do so in a way that imposes material costs on their interests. It infuriates them to see a sovereign nation completely outside the orbit of western imperialism stand up to their bullying.

What we’re seeing are both the limits of imperialism, and the lengths to which the west is willing to go to protect empire and its system of domination.

These lengths are extreme, and include of course the abandonment of international law.

It’s actually crazy when you think about it.

Day after day we see universal condemnation not of an illegal war of aggression, but of the legal response to that aggression. We keep seeing demands for Iran to stop fighting without commensurate demands for the US-Israel to do the same.

“Stop shooting back, but let them keep shooting you.”

The west is demanding Iran surrender to the aggressor without conditions.

It’s so nakedly imperialist, a gloriously teachable moment.

But this abandonment of international law is also incredibly dangerous. Because it has left Iran nowhere to turn but total war. The world’s refusal to acknowledge basic facts about who is the aggressor and who is the victim has left Iran’s leaders with no options other than to go as far up the escalation ladder, in response, as they can.

Look at it from Iran’s point of view. Twice attacked during negotiations, their revolutionary religious leader assassinated during their most important religious festival, toxic rain falling on 9 million people, thousands of civilians murdered, schools, hospitals and clinics bombed. Then when they fight back against unprovoked aggression, almost the entire world condemns them.

Under these conditions, what is Iran supposed to do? Where are they supposed to turn for support? Who can be trusted to arbitrate any deal and guarantee Iran’s territorial security?

The credibility of the UN is shot to pieces.

International law lies dead in Gaza.

International institutions work entirely for empire.

The whole UN Charter system is a lie, its administrators decadent and corrupt.

It means Iran’s only logical strategy is to carve out its future security arrangements through force.

No international body or statute is coming to save them.

Armed struggle and resistance until the enemy retreats first is the only rational choice based on their history and recent experience.

Because for Iran this is an existential war for survival.

And there are signs that Iran’s armed resistance is working.

On Saturday, Trump threatened to bomb Iran’s power infrastructure by the end of today if they didn’t guarantee all ships the right of transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said if the US did it they’d attack all water desalination and oil platforms throughout the Persian Gulf. So this morning Trump revised the deadline. He said good progress had been made on negotiations and gave Iran until the end of the week to open the Strait before he commits a war crime. Iran said Trump was lying about negotiations. The foreign minister said they haven’t talked to the Americans since the war started.

So Trump backed down.

Faced with a credible threat to make the Gulf states effectively uninhabitable and collapse the global economy, he backed down.

Threats of violence worked.

Because violence, as the resistance in Iraq has just proved, is the only language imperialists understand.

[…]

Via https://www.donotpanic.news/p/armed-struggle-liberates-iraq-after

Trump Lying About Negotiations with Iran

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Trump says Iran has become 'much more aggressive' in nuclear ...

Press TV

🔺 In recent days, the United States has insisted on using some neighboring countries as intermediaries to negotiate with Iran, but Iran has not responded.

🔺 Iran has not responded to the request for negotiations, and no talks have taken place with the United States.

🔺 Although no response has been given to America’s requests through a neighboring country, Trump has falsely claimed negotiations with Iran in order to back away from his earlier threat to attack Iran’s electricity infrastructure.

🔺 America’s false claim amounts to an escape route it has chosen to compensate for its humiliation in the face of failure against our country.

🔺 The real reason for Trump’s retreat from attacking our country’s infrastructure was the decisive threat from the Armed Forces.

🔺 The reason for Trump’s creation of intermediaries is the deadlock and failure of the United States and the Zionist regime in their war with Iran.

Via https://t.me/presstv/181444