News Vérité

We really won this war, didn’t we? After our agreeing to an Iranian-mandated ceasefire in the form of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), Iran is now requiring ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to obtain a permit and insurance from the Islamic Republic. Hmmmm…passage was free prior to February 28 and our bombing campaign on Iran. Now, ships have to pay? Not only that, but Iran is refusing to continue negotiations for a nuclear deal, citing Israel’s belligerence toward Hezbollah. No doubt part of a tactic to string the U.S. along in negotiations until we just give up, or Trump is succeeded by a Demofiend president willing to accept anything. Here’s what’s going on with the Strait: Iran now requires all commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to obtain prior passage permits and use Iranian-approved insurance. Issued by the newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), these rules stem from the recent US-Iran interim peace deal to restore maritime navigation. Also, passage must occur only on lanes designated by Iran rather than the internationally recognized Traffic Separation Scheme, as before. Here’s the good news: Fees are on hold while the 60-day negotiating window is open. Get those ships moving

UPDATE: Since I wrote this, the administration has released the final version of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU), discussed below in its draft form. The released version is certainly wordier, but it is still so Iran-friendly as to look like we never bombed the hell out of them and won the war (presumably). As for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, it still does not bar “fees” being charged. It also releases assets currently frozen by sanctions and other actions, in addition to the promised $300 billion redevelopment fund. Regarding Iran’s fissionable nuclear material, the MOU cops out completely, saying that it only need be “down blended,” which means it could also be “up-blended” in the future to develop nuclear weapons. READ THE 14-POINT MOU My original post follows: Wow, I can’t believe what I just read. The Wall Street Journal has released a copy of the draft of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be signed by U.S. and Iranian representatives this Friday. From what I’ve read, I’d say that Iran comes out the winner. The deal even makes Barack Obama’s generosity, dollar-wise, look like a pittance. This MOU pledges $300 billion for the redevelopment of Iran! The

After the British intercepted, boarded, and stopped a shadow Russian tanker carrying oil despite sanctions, a Russian frigate — the Admiral Grigorovich (pictured above) — has fired warning shots in the English Channel. The shots were fired near a British yacht sailing between the Isle of Wight and Normandy. The shots followed an audible demand for the yacht to get out of the frigate’s way, according to BBC reports. The two vessels were within 500 yards of each other when the shots were fired. The frigate reportedly had been ordered to escort shadow tankers through the channel. The incident took place while G-7 leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, were gathered in France to discuss global issues, including the wars in Ukraine and Iran, though the latter may now be subject to a renewed ceasefire. President Trump has famously diminished the U.S. role in NATO, even threatening to pull out (which he cannot do without Congressional approval). Trump’s stance, along with the drastic depletion of U.S. weapons stockpiles following the Iran assault, has emboldened Russia’s Vladimir Putin.