
holy smokes Trump FLIPS AGAIN!!!!! {BREAKING NEWS}
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Donald Trump has again shifted his stance, this time regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Just recently, he completely reversed his position from last week. Previously, in an address to the nation, Trump stated that the U.S. did not need the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that if other countries needed oil or control of the strait, they should manage it themselves. Today, however, he declared the Strait of Hormuz a "very high priority, major priority."
He also commented on the Iranians, calling them "good BS artists" and noting that "one terrorist with a mine on a boat could scare all the transiting ships worth billions of dollars." When asked by a reporter about Iran's parliament passing a law to charge tolls on ships in the strait, Trump initially misunderstood, thinking the U.S. would be charging tolls. Upon clarification, he surprisingly revealed, "Oh, well, actually, we've been working on a concept where we're going to charge tolls." He further elaborated, "We won. I'd rather charge the tolls. We are working on a concept where we charge tolls in the Strait of Hormuz." He also emphasized that any deal must include the "free traffic of oil." This is a stark contrast to his earlier statement that the U.S. didn't need the strait and that it would "naturally open up" after a war.
Interestingly, markets reacted briefly optimistically to this new stance, showing a slight uptick. This suggests that markets prioritize the global economy and the open flow of trade through the strait, regardless of U.S. involvement. The concern was that the U.S. would declare victory and leave the strait in a chaotic state, causing economic damage. Trump's renewed commitment to keeping the strait open, even through U.S. involvement, instilled more confidence.
Further details emerged regarding the ongoing situation. The deadline for negotiations is set for 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. Trump indicated he is negotiating with someone he has "a lot of optimism in" and believes they can "pull this off." He recounted an incident where a bridge in Tehran was blown up as a message during negotiations. According to Trump, 10 minutes after he questioned if Iran was backing up on negotiations, the bridge was destroyed, to which he responded, "All right, you guys want to keep playing games?" This suggests he is playing hardball.
Trump also revealed a plan to "completely obliterate every power plant and every bridge in Iran" within a four-hour window starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow, though he stated they would prefer not to execute it.
During a 90-minute press conference, Trump hinted at a potential future role for the U.S.: "We might even get involved in helping them rebuild." This is an interesting suggestion, as it somewhat aligns with Iran's desire for reparations to rebuild damage caused. This could indicate a potential common ground in negotiations, where the U.S. might offer to rebuild with American companies, rather than paying reparations. Despite the aggressive rhetoric, the speaker expressed doubt that the obliteration plan would actually be carried out, citing Trump's history of "flip-flops" and extensions on deadlines.
Regarding a recent rescue operation over the weekend, Trump demanded that the media provide information on any leakers. The operation involved 155 aircraft, including 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft. The high ratio of refueling tankers to fighters was noted as surprising.
Trump claimed Iran could be "taken out in one night," while the Iranian supreme leader issued a statement asserting that "assassinations and crimes will not disrupt the Iranian armed forces." General Kaine, as Trump refers to him, reported that when an airman activated his emergency locator, his first message to rescuers was "God is good."
Trump provided some details on the search for the airman, mentioning CIA involvement in scanning mountains. They initially thought they saw a head from 40 miles away and watched it for 45 minutes on camera. The terrain was described as green and mountainous, resembling Colorado, rather than the expected desert landscape. After 45 minutes, the individual stood up, confirming it was the missing airman, for which Trump credited the CIA. The rescue operation was deemed "risky" by Trump, as it involved "risking 100 American lives to save one or two."
Pete Hegseth indicated an increase in U.S. strikes on Iran today and tomorrow, with today seeing the largest volume since the war's start, and even more expected tomorrow. The downed aircraft's call sign was "Dude 44," with the front seater as "Dude 44 Alpha" and the back seater as "Dude 44 Bravo." During the rescue of "44 Alpha," one helicopter and trailing aircraft took small arms fire, a video of which is reportedly online. An A-10 "Sandy" call sign pilot ejected over friendly territory. The "Sandy" call sign, originating from Vietnam, is given to pilots who position themselves between the enemy and a downed ally. This highlights a strong American military ethos of "no man or woman left behind."
Trump also confirmed that a "man pad shoulder-mounted heat-seeking missile" took down one of the U.S. aircraft. He asserted that at the beginning of the conflict, Iran was more powerful than at any point in the last 47 years, criticizing prior presidents. He also stated that Iran's current leadership is "smarter and more sophisticated" and a "totally different regime," even though regime change was not the goal. However, he reiterated the threat to blow up their "very expensive to rebuild" bridges and power plants.
Despite the aggressive rhetoric, the speaker found some positive hints in Trump's statements, particularly the idea of potentially helping Iran rebuild, seeing it as a possible avenue for common ground in negotiations, even if it means U.S. taxpayer money going to repair damage caused by U.S. actions. The speaker remains cautiously optimistic, maintaining a "midpoint on the bear bull scale" at 49.