Treated Like Mushrooms,
Peak "conventional oil" happened around 2005 on planet Earth, followed by the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. The real-economy was pulled from the swirling drain by fracking of shale oil and promised future financial profits to keep global finance operational for one last gasp with the newly redefined "Oil" being "crude + condensates",which peaked in November 2018, followed by the "repo-crisis"in August-September 2019, and the "going direct bailout" during COVID lockdowns in March-April 2020, which delayed the inflation until 2021 when lockdowns ended and people bought what they could find at twice the price. There was a semblance of return to a ghost of normalcy, with restaurants and small businesses badly attrited, and the knowledge that we had been lied to and poisoned, but we did have bills to pay...
"Crude + Condensates" production rose again, but peaked again in October 2025, and we now suddenly have the most important oil and natural gas conduit in the world, 20% of shipped production, mostly locked down,and demanding a change in the ("petrobuck") $US global financial system to open up for each ship bearing cargo, a non-$US tollbooth.
Emperor Trump has said he doesn't care and the US doesn't need it, so the US will bomb Iran heavily for 2 weeks and leave, because the US has important things to do onabusy schedule, maybe invading Cuba, because they are supporting terrorists, too.
Something that is easy to miss is that Israel intends to become the trade control-point between India & the Mideast, and Europe, which requires destroying the alternative routes through Iran and Turkey, as explained by Escape Key, Iran is being destroyed. Iran's Chabahar port might be invaded by US & "coalition" forces soon. This somewhat clarifies vague USraeli "military objectives" which appear to be massive-destruction of Iran.
The important point is that global financial elites, our "owners" and the politicians they pay and advise privately, need to front-run the coming collapse with a big enough war to kill enough people, and scare the remaining people into meek obedience, while they do the messy work of maintaining their own power, culling the human herds (us) and reforming the global economy to profit them, through owning trade and financial choke-points such as the strait of Hormuz, where they can collect tolls.
This may take awhile. Be out of debt and secure your ongoing basic survival needs to the best of your ability. The crop failures from fertilizer shortage will hit hard, but probably won't kill most people reading these words. This famine may kill some sizeable fraction of us this year and next, though...
The Honest Sorcerer on this particular route to our inevitable destination: Iran War: The Road To Ruin ... or how a holiday from reality comes to an end
Businesses don’t burn crude oil in tractors, trucks, construction and digging equipment—feeding, moving, mining and building the world—but diesel fuel made by refineries. Thus, when the biggest source of diesel (the Middle East) is taken out of the picture, a global shortage of heavy transportation fuels arises almost instantly. And this is the real issue here: the actual lack of fuel.....Even as some nations managed to buy or negotiate their way through the strait, we are talking about a handful of ships, not the 20-30 vessels transiting every single day before the war...
..Even in the most benign scenario—the continuation of missile exchanges without breaking anything critical—the real economic trouble is just about to begin. You see, there is a massive time lag between the start of a maritime blockade and the time when the shortage actually begins. Ships unloading crude this week in various Asian and European ports started their journey just before Israel and US attacked Iran. The past few weeks were a holiday from reality, with ships arriving according to schedule and oil being unloaded as usual. That period, however, has ended.....Oil in storage (used strictly to replace lost imports) could last for 10 months in China, 5 months in Japan, and 4 months in India… But only 2 months in South Korea, and even less than that in Australia. Even if the crisis were to end tomorrow, which it won’t, many Asia-Pacific countries would still have to face actual physical shortages...
..In highly import dependent nations, stress signals have already started to show up. Authorities have ordered employees to work from home across Asia, cut the working week, declared national holidays and closed universities early in order to conserve their supplies. Even China is making adjustments, trying to limit a fuel price hike there. At gas stations across Hanoi, Vietnam, “sold out” signs have started to appear, with around 15 to 20 stations shutting their pumps in recent days. In South Africa 75% of farmers indicated that they do not have access to fuel, and in some cases, receive as little as 20% of their usual monthly diesel allocations. The Philippine president declared a national energy emergency as fuel prices doubled and as vegetable farmers have been forced to stop planting... Cooking gas shortages have prompted an exodus of migrant workers leaving cities for their home states, where biomass cooking remains accessible... Combined with fertilizer shortages, delayed planting due to a lack of diesel fuel and the resulting slump in crop yields, however, the situation could easily become explosive—no matter what authorities decide to do.....Although LNG is widely used in the region, most industries do not have the capacity to store much of it, even if it is subsidized. Some, especially small businesses and agricultural companies, will be forced to close soon... This is the brutal reality of demand destruction: someone will eventually have to go without—and its usually not the wealthy… And if South Asian buyers—already priced out of spot LNG markets—are the canary in the coal mine, then we know who’s next: Europe...
..And since plastic is so ubiquitous, a massive number of companies are going to be affected downstream... Just like with COVID: if a special part becomes unavailable, it could make massive disruption in production on the other side of the planet.....Whenever there is an energy shock, batteries, solar panels and wind turbines are being touted as the “solution”—completely disregarding the fact that all of these technologies owe their existence to the very fuels they aim to replace. Coal. Oil. Natural gas...
..For a case study on how a scarcity of diesel fuel and a lack of sulfur (a byproduct of oil refineries) could wreak havoc on the electrification business look no further than Australia. In 2024 the continent sized country produced 26% of all bauxite, 38% of all iron ore, and 49% of all lithium mined on the entire planet. And they did so by burning thousands of gallons of diesel fuel per hour in giant excavators and dumpers, and leeching ores with sulfuric acid—particularly copper, uranium, and nickel. Commodity and stock markets, again, remain blissfully unaware what’s coming their way. Now, as I mentioned earlier, Australia gets more than two thirds of its fuel imports from four countries: Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and India, who themselves are at a dire situation already... We are talking about a crisis potentially affecting 49% of all Lithium mined on planet Earth... Well, so much for cheap Chinese electric vehicles “killing demand for oil.”...
..The Hormuz crisis has every potential to kill the AI boom—or at least to put an abrupt end to the growth of ‘hyperscalers’. As things stand today, a whopping $1.5 trillion in planned AI infrastructure might prove to be impossible to manufacture, due to a lack of Helium (a byproduct of LNG production and an essential material in chip fabrication)...As Richard Heinberg pointed out recently, that “today’s AI financial bubble is four times bigger than the subprime mortgage bubble of 2008 and 17 times bigger than the dot-com bubble of 2000.”...
..Iran managed to deliver a serious blow to the petrodollar system, too. In a nutshell: Gulf monarchies agreed to sell their oil in dollars, in exchange for military “protection” (as in painting a target on their backs). Up until recently the system worked brilliantly: countries buying oil were forced to use the dollar in their dealings, and the massive profits generated by that trade have been re-injected into the US economy in the form of investments and US Treasury Bonds. You see the world saves in dollars largely because it pays for its energy in dollars.....That system is now experiencing a heart attack, as much of Gulf oil is no longer allowed to leave, and as revenues no longer flow into Gulf monarchies.
Due to the dearth of surplus dollars reinvested into the financial economy, the risk of a global credit crunch has gone up considerably. Private credit, a $2 trillion industry that lends funds directly to companies that can’t easily tap public markets, is already showing major cracks...
..Finally, as an added bonus, Iran is already offering an alternative system: demanding payments for passage for ships in Chinese Yuan. Money, which they can not only use to buy just about anything (from plastic bags to $100,000 hypersonic missiles), but also to completely avoid sanctions, as transactions in Yuan can be handled outside the SWIFT system... Due to the dearth of surplus dollars reinvested into the financial economy, the risk of a global credit crunch has gone up considerably. Private credit, a $2 trillion industry that lends funds directly to companies that can’t easily tap public markets, is already showing major cracks...
..Meanwhile US peak oil is back on the map again—this time, however, without any miracles waiting to happen. According to EIA data (originating from before the war) peak US oil production occurred in October 2025 at 13.86 million barrels a day, and is unlikely to return to that level in the foreseeable future. The shale ‘revolution’ has run its course. It’s not hard to see how this information might also have played a role in the US decision to start the war on Iran. Despite all the rhetoric, the US has become a net exporter in late 2019 only. With production figures expected to return to (then fall below) those levels in 2028,7 there is really not much time left to take over the entire world. Attacking Iran thus was a “now, or never” decision—especially when you consider that the ultimate goal was to gain leverage over China, which could only be achieved by going after its sources of oil...
..We are living through a turning point in history... While losing 20% of world oil supply is a mighty big thing—especially if oil infrastructure gets damaged—it will not take us back to the stone age instantly. As things stand today, we are headed towards an economic depression comparable in scale and longevity to that of the 1930’s. Raw material, fuel, parts and other shortages stemming from supply chain disruptions will have their economic ripple effects all around the globe, forcing many companies to stop their production lines and to send their workers home. Business failures, foreclosures and unemployment is almost guaranteed to rise at this point, and GDP will fall far steeper than what present (subdued, manipulated) oil prices and forecasts might suggest. A major financial reset, too, seems to be unavoidable. Living standards across the globe will (continue to) fall... Economies will have to re-localize and simplify—by a lot. International trade will decline...
..Earth’s carrying capacity of humans will be greatly reduced, as a chronic lack of fertilizer and diesel fuel will prevent us from planting and harvesting as much food as we used to do before the war. That, however, doesn’t mean that we will lose everything all at once, or that everyone will go hungry. At the moment it is very hard to tell how deep this major round of simplification—initiated by a foolhardy attack on Iran—will go, or how high the world economy will be able to rebound after hostilities end. Should the fuel crisis persist for years to come, as many suspect it will, or should world oil production never return to January 2026 levels (which is highly likely), many countries will be forced to sell much of their livestock to save food for people, as well as to give up on industry and mining altogether to save on fuel for agriculture and transportation. https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/iran-war-the-road-to-ruin
Well, closing the Strait of Hormuz always has been recognized as Iran’s first and most obvious response way back in the 1970s. We were talking about that. First of all, the Strait of Hormuz has remained open all of this time. All of Trump’s threats that were going to need an army to reopen it are irrelevant because Iran is, as you just pointed out, letting ships from India, Japan, and other countries use it, so there’s been no need to liberate it. That’s not what the imminent attack on Iran is all about. It’s not about opening the Strait of Hormuz. It’s not about stopping Iran from having an atom bomb, which it wasn’t aiming for in all these past decades. And it’s not even about stopping Iran from having missiles and dismantling them. It’s always about a strategy that the United States has been planning and announced formally in 2003 when Wesley Clark, the general, said that America was going to occupy five countries in seven years, ending with Iran. The whole aim of America’s using the Middle East to control the major source of oil exports is centered upon removing oil, Iran, from the picture, at least removing Iran’s nationalistic leadership that overthrew the Shah from the picture. With Iran out of the picture, the United States can easily control the Arab OPEC countries as it’s done now. So this whole pretense that the fight that’s going to occur this weekend, Friday evening near Eastern time and Saturday morning U.S. time, is about sending troops to occupy an island in the strait or to force open the strait. That’s all a diversionary effect.
But what Iran has done so far, since you mentioned it, is put in place a very simple strategy. First of all, by charging $2 million for OPEC Arab ships going through, it’s made an advance payment on what it’s going to be charging for reparations, for the damage that’s already been done by the United States and Israel against itself. And it will simply use these charges to rebuild Iran. So, first of all, this has laid the groundwork for how Iran is going to impose reparations. Secondly, this prevents Trump from threatening the use of force because if ships are going in and out through the strait, it isn’t closed; it’s only closed to Iran’s enemies. So Trump is really trying to say, let our OPEC companies export without having to pay you any money at all. We want OPEC countries to have all the money so that they can do what they want as part of the American dollarized economic system. Third, pricing the oils in RMB has turned the tables on the United States by using its control of the world oil trade as a means of supporting the dollar. In this case, henceforth, the oil trade is going to be spent on non-dollar currencies, the nightmare of America’s dollarization. And fourth, just turns the tables also on U.S. government policy by using the threat of closing off oil as a means of imposing sanctions on other countries. The United States has been able to use the threat of closing OPEC oil to say that it can turn off the energy flow to countries that do not agree to follow policies that follow the United States leadership. Well, here it’s Iran that’s imposing sanctions on these countries, saying that America’s allies are saying, well, if you’re going to ally yourself with the United States and don’t meet the terms for us breaking the U.S. control over the entire Middle East and its oil exports, then we’re not going to let you conduct this trade. So this is the big issue. Iranian strategy that has led the United States to make all the threats that it’s been making. https://michael-hudson.com/2026/03/irans-economic-counterattack-explained/
But what Iran has done so far, since you mentioned it, is put in place a very simple strategy. First of all, by charging $2 million for OPEC Arab ships going through, it’s made an advance payment on what it’s going to be charging for reparations, for the damage that’s already been done by the United States and Israel against itself. And it will simply use these charges to rebuild Iran. So, first of all, this has laid the groundwork for how Iran is going to impose reparations. Secondly, this prevents Trump from threatening the use of force because if ships are going in and out through the strait, it isn’t closed; it’s only closed to Iran’s enemies. So Trump is really trying to say, let our OPEC companies export without having to pay you any money at all. We want OPEC countries to have all the money so that they can do what they want as part of the American dollarized economic system. Third, pricing the oils in RMB has turned the tables on the United States by using its control of the world oil trade as a means of supporting the dollar. In this case, henceforth, the oil trade is going to be spent on non-dollar currencies, the nightmare of America’s dollarization. And fourth, just turns the tables also on U.S. government policy by using the threat of closing off oil as a means of imposing sanctions on other countries. The United States has been able to use the threat of closing OPEC oil to say that it can turn off the energy flow to countries that do not agree to follow policies that follow the United States leadership. Well, here it’s Iran that’s imposing sanctions on these countries, saying that America’s allies are saying, well, if you’re going to ally yourself with the United States and don’t meet the terms for us breaking the U.S. control over the entire Middle East and its oil exports, then we’re not going to let you conduct this trade. So this is the big issue. Iranian strategy that has led the United States to make all the threats that it’s been making. https://michael-hudson.com/2026/03/irans-economic-counterattack-explained/
Well, you mentioned that it’s for the last few years or decades; it has actually gone back half a century.
Already in the mid-1970s, when I was working for the Hudson Institute, on contracts with the Treasury, and the White House, and the Defense Department, I sat in on meetings, and they were discussing all along how ultimately the United States was going to have to take control of all of the Middle Eastern oil, and that entailed conquering Iran.
And in the mid-1970s, at one military meeting, for instance, Herman Kahn was explaining how probably Baluchistan was the main opportunity to begin carving up Iran into subject ethnic constituencies. And Baluchistan, in between Pakistan and Iran, was probably the best place to start a separatist movement. There were military plans.
My field in the mid-1970s was oil and the balance of payments. I had that position at Chase Manhattan Bank for many years. I actually was the only — I was so low on the totem pole, being a technician and in my mid-20s, that I was the only person who was allowed to see all of the operating details and statistics of the US oil companies, the major companies, so that I could make a calculation as to the role that oil played in the balance of payments, supporting the dollar.
This was right after the United States was forced off gold, in 1971, because of the Vietnam War.
So, the United States all along has realized that what you’re seeing today was going to be the endgame of consolidating, they hoped, American control over the Middle Eastern oil; and they wanted their because the central point, the strongest lever that American foreign policy has had for the last century, is control of the world’s oil trade.
Because it’s so immensely profitable for the American oil companies themselves — it has given the oil companies major control over US policy — and also the US economy’s potential control over other countries, by the ability to turn off the supply of oil to other countries, thereby stopping their electricity production, stopping their chemical production, their fertilizer production with natural gas.
The oil industry includes the gas industry, because they’re so closely interconnected. All of this has been thought out. And every year, the military has been upgrading the long-term plans for — well, if we really, have to use force to entail our control over the Near East, the Middle East; if, for any reason, the OPEC oil countries want to become independent of the United States, and begin investing their oil profits outside of the United States, instead of sending all of their oil earnings to the United States, to invest in Treasury bonds, corporate bonds, US bank deposits, and stock holdings; well, if any of them should want to exert their own sovereignty and go their own way, we’re going to have to take over; and no matter what, we’re going to have to take over Iran, because that is the most powerful, final locking point of US control.
And, as we have discussed before, in 2003, General Wesley Clark came right out and said, well, we’re going to conquer seven countries in five years, culminating with Iran.
So all of this has been completely open. This is not simply Donald Trump’s war. It’s a war which he decided at this time, because America has steadily been losing its position of economic strength, military strength, and arms supply, and missiles, and aircraft, and bombs, as a result of the war, first in Ukraine, and then supplying Israel.
So there will never be a less bad time to go to war than at the present. And of course, it is a bad time, but it’s not as bad as it’s going to be. And the military, the neocons behind the military and behind the Central Intelligence Agency, are not going to give up.
They say, “Well, what do we have to lose? If we don’t conquer the Middle Eastern oil now, then we’re going to be losing what has become the major lever of American foreign policy”.
Donald Trump believed that he could conquer Iran, within two to four weeks. He actually believed that.
And his hope was that, by that time he went on his scheduled trip to China, he could confront China, saying, “Well, we’ve just caused a regime change in Iran. We’ve appointed an Iranian client oligarch, client dictator to take over and become sort of Iran’s version of Boris Yeltsin, administering Iranian oil in the interests of the United States”.
“So, we now have the power to impose sanctions on you, China. We can cut off your oil. But, you know, we don’t want to do that. If you begin to export the raw materials, the gallium, the tungsten, and all the other things that we need for our military that you’ve put an export control on, then we will give you the oil”.
Trump had hoped to be able to present China with that victory. Well, obviously that’s gone. The military miscalculated, because they could not think of an alternative that would threaten this grand plan.
Remember all of the American military attacks, for the last 50 years, ever since Vietnam — all of the wars that the US had, from Vietnam to Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela.
It has always been the United States and its allies, the coalition of the willing, against single countries. This is the first war that America has fought since World War Two where other countries that it’s fighting against are allied with each other.
It’s not just fighting against Iran now. It’s fighting against Iran, supported by Russia and China, because they all realize that this is a fight to the end, to decide: Is the United States going to be able to reassert its control over the world economy using monopolies? The oil monopoly, the information technology monopoly that it’s trying to do, the computer chip monopoly, the technology monopoly, also its ability to supply food to other countries, its exports and control of grain.
This is the last chance that it has. And there’s a feeling of desperation that has led the US planners to bet at all.
And that I think that it’s not going to work. All of the generals have told them that it’s not going to work. The generals who have been pessimistic have pretty much been forced out of the military, and the State Department, because, “If you’re pessimistic, well, why aren’t you on board? You know, why aren’t you on the team? Or are you Putin’s puppet? You know, you’ve just gotta have faith”.
America believed that it could not lose any war because its policy of bombing other countries was always going to work.
The American philosophy is, number one, you bomb civilians; you break all the rules of international law which are against that. You bomb civilians to demoralize them.
And if you concentrate, as Trump did along with Israel, a few weeks ago, you bomb the schools; you bomb the hospitals. That’s American policy in foreign countries.
It’s most visible in the case of Israeli policy, in Gaza, and now the West Bank as well. And it is the same policy that the United States has followed in Iran.
Well, the idea was that this would demoralize the population, and the Iranian population would want to get rid of the ayatollahs and say, “We don’t want to be bombed anymore; we want to save the children; let’s make a deal and appoint a leader favorable to the United States so that it will stop bombing us”.
Well, this was nonsense from the beginning, but it was the guiding spirit of American foreign policy: bomb a country, and that will lead to a regime change, and a collapse.
That was what America expected in Russia.
But Iran essentially has the same spirit that Patrick Henry had in America’s revolution against Britain in 1776. He said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”. And that’s exactly what Iran is saying.
For them, this is existential, because they know what the US plans are, since the United States has been so open about what its plans are.
Yes, they want a regime change; they want to break up Iran into parts; they want to take control of Iranian oil and use the oil export revenues to support the US dollar, and to support basically the US economy, and to give American foreign policy the option of turning off the oil to other countries, to say, “We can close down your industry, your chemical industry, all your industries that need electric power, oil, gas; we can do all that, if you take an independent policy, following your own sovereignty. And we in the United States reject the United Nations principle that every nation has its own sovereignty”.
This is the basic principle of Western civilization for the last half century, the basic principle of the United Nations Charter. All of that is being rejected by the United States.
And what it has done is galvanize other countries to recognize that, well, yes, this really is the final conflict.
This is a conflict, in Iran, to determine what will the shape of the international economy be? Is it going to restore American control of the oil trade, and give it the chokepoint over the international economy that it’s looking for? Or are we going to be independent of the United States?
That’s what this this war is all about. https://michael-hudson.com/2026/03/the-oil-shock-that-could-break-the-global-financial-system/
Already in the mid-1970s, when I was working for the Hudson Institute, on contracts with the Treasury, and the White House, and the Defense Department, I sat in on meetings, and they were discussing all along how ultimately the United States was going to have to take control of all of the Middle Eastern oil, and that entailed conquering Iran.
And in the mid-1970s, at one military meeting, for instance, Herman Kahn was explaining how probably Baluchistan was the main opportunity to begin carving up Iran into subject ethnic constituencies. And Baluchistan, in between Pakistan and Iran, was probably the best place to start a separatist movement. There were military plans.
My field in the mid-1970s was oil and the balance of payments. I had that position at Chase Manhattan Bank for many years. I actually was the only — I was so low on the totem pole, being a technician and in my mid-20s, that I was the only person who was allowed to see all of the operating details and statistics of the US oil companies, the major companies, so that I could make a calculation as to the role that oil played in the balance of payments, supporting the dollar.
This was right after the United States was forced off gold, in 1971, because of the Vietnam War.
So, the United States all along has realized that what you’re seeing today was going to be the endgame of consolidating, they hoped, American control over the Middle Eastern oil; and they wanted their because the central point, the strongest lever that American foreign policy has had for the last century, is control of the world’s oil trade.
Because it’s so immensely profitable for the American oil companies themselves — it has given the oil companies major control over US policy — and also the US economy’s potential control over other countries, by the ability to turn off the supply of oil to other countries, thereby stopping their electricity production, stopping their chemical production, their fertilizer production with natural gas.
The oil industry includes the gas industry, because they’re so closely interconnected. All of this has been thought out. And every year, the military has been upgrading the long-term plans for — well, if we really, have to use force to entail our control over the Near East, the Middle East; if, for any reason, the OPEC oil countries want to become independent of the United States, and begin investing their oil profits outside of the United States, instead of sending all of their oil earnings to the United States, to invest in Treasury bonds, corporate bonds, US bank deposits, and stock holdings; well, if any of them should want to exert their own sovereignty and go their own way, we’re going to have to take over; and no matter what, we’re going to have to take over Iran, because that is the most powerful, final locking point of US control.
And, as we have discussed before, in 2003, General Wesley Clark came right out and said, well, we’re going to conquer seven countries in five years, culminating with Iran.
So all of this has been completely open. This is not simply Donald Trump’s war. It’s a war which he decided at this time, because America has steadily been losing its position of economic strength, military strength, and arms supply, and missiles, and aircraft, and bombs, as a result of the war, first in Ukraine, and then supplying Israel.
So there will never be a less bad time to go to war than at the present. And of course, it is a bad time, but it’s not as bad as it’s going to be. And the military, the neocons behind the military and behind the Central Intelligence Agency, are not going to give up.
They say, “Well, what do we have to lose? If we don’t conquer the Middle Eastern oil now, then we’re going to be losing what has become the major lever of American foreign policy”.
Donald Trump believed that he could conquer Iran, within two to four weeks. He actually believed that.
And his hope was that, by that time he went on his scheduled trip to China, he could confront China, saying, “Well, we’ve just caused a regime change in Iran. We’ve appointed an Iranian client oligarch, client dictator to take over and become sort of Iran’s version of Boris Yeltsin, administering Iranian oil in the interests of the United States”.
“So, we now have the power to impose sanctions on you, China. We can cut off your oil. But, you know, we don’t want to do that. If you begin to export the raw materials, the gallium, the tungsten, and all the other things that we need for our military that you’ve put an export control on, then we will give you the oil”.
Trump had hoped to be able to present China with that victory. Well, obviously that’s gone. The military miscalculated, because they could not think of an alternative that would threaten this grand plan.
Remember all of the American military attacks, for the last 50 years, ever since Vietnam — all of the wars that the US had, from Vietnam to Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela.
It has always been the United States and its allies, the coalition of the willing, against single countries. This is the first war that America has fought since World War Two where other countries that it’s fighting against are allied with each other.
It’s not just fighting against Iran now. It’s fighting against Iran, supported by Russia and China, because they all realize that this is a fight to the end, to decide: Is the United States going to be able to reassert its control over the world economy using monopolies? The oil monopoly, the information technology monopoly that it’s trying to do, the computer chip monopoly, the technology monopoly, also its ability to supply food to other countries, its exports and control of grain.
This is the last chance that it has. And there’s a feeling of desperation that has led the US planners to bet at all.
And that I think that it’s not going to work. All of the generals have told them that it’s not going to work. The generals who have been pessimistic have pretty much been forced out of the military, and the State Department, because, “If you’re pessimistic, well, why aren’t you on board? You know, why aren’t you on the team? Or are you Putin’s puppet? You know, you’ve just gotta have faith”.
America believed that it could not lose any war because its policy of bombing other countries was always going to work.
The American philosophy is, number one, you bomb civilians; you break all the rules of international law which are against that. You bomb civilians to demoralize them.
And if you concentrate, as Trump did along with Israel, a few weeks ago, you bomb the schools; you bomb the hospitals. That’s American policy in foreign countries.
It’s most visible in the case of Israeli policy, in Gaza, and now the West Bank as well. And it is the same policy that the United States has followed in Iran.
Well, the idea was that this would demoralize the population, and the Iranian population would want to get rid of the ayatollahs and say, “We don’t want to be bombed anymore; we want to save the children; let’s make a deal and appoint a leader favorable to the United States so that it will stop bombing us”.
Well, this was nonsense from the beginning, but it was the guiding spirit of American foreign policy: bomb a country, and that will lead to a regime change, and a collapse.
That was what America expected in Russia.
But Iran essentially has the same spirit that Patrick Henry had in America’s revolution against Britain in 1776. He said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”. And that’s exactly what Iran is saying.
For them, this is existential, because they know what the US plans are, since the United States has been so open about what its plans are.
Yes, they want a regime change; they want to break up Iran into parts; they want to take control of Iranian oil and use the oil export revenues to support the US dollar, and to support basically the US economy, and to give American foreign policy the option of turning off the oil to other countries, to say, “We can close down your industry, your chemical industry, all your industries that need electric power, oil, gas; we can do all that, if you take an independent policy, following your own sovereignty. And we in the United States reject the United Nations principle that every nation has its own sovereignty”.
This is the basic principle of Western civilization for the last half century, the basic principle of the United Nations Charter. All of that is being rejected by the United States.
And what it has done is galvanize other countries to recognize that, well, yes, this really is the final conflict.
This is a conflict, in Iran, to determine what will the shape of the international economy be? Is it going to restore American control of the oil trade, and give it the chokepoint over the international economy that it’s looking for? Or are we going to be independent of the United States?
That’s what this this war is all about. https://michael-hudson.com/2026/03/the-oil-shock-that-could-break-the-global-financial-system/
"Peace" is what Gaza has, as you'll recall: Railway for Regional Peace, Escape Key
In 2018, Israel proposed a high-speed rail network called ‘Railways for Regional Peace’, connecting the Gulf states through Jordan to Israel’s Mediterranean ports1. A May 2025 paper from the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University confirms that this Israeli rail project became the template for a much larger initiative: the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC.
Every flow passes through Israel. There is no bypass in the corridor’s design.
In September 2024, Prime Minister Netanyahu stood at the UN General Assembly podium holding two maps.
The first he called ‘a blessing’: Israel and its Arab partners forming a land bridge connecting Asia and Europe, with rail lines, energy pipelines, and fibre optic cables. The second he called ‘a curse’: an arc of Iranian-backed resistance stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, shutting down international waterways and cutting off trade...
The first he called ‘a blessing’: Israel and its Arab partners forming a land bridge connecting Asia and Europe, with rail lines, energy pipelines, and fibre optic cables. The second he called ‘a curse’: an arc of Iranian-backed resistance stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, shutting down international waterways and cutting off trade...
..For the territories along the corridor, he specified the template. Gaza would be ‘demilitarised and deradicalised’, governed by a local civilian administration committed to peaceful coexistence. Iran would face pre-emptive force. Lebanon would comply with existing UN resolutions.
The corridor, the war, the governance of destroyed territories, and the compliance framework — all stated in a single speech, five months before the strikes on Iran began...
The corridor, the war, the governance of destroyed territories, and the compliance framework — all stated in a single speech, five months before the strikes on Iran began...
..What IMEC actually is
Most trade corridors are shipping routes. IMEC’s own design documents, presented by India’s Directorate General of Shipping at India Maritime Week in October 2025, describe three pillars: transportation, energy, and digital.
The first two are straightforward — stuff that physically moves, and stuff that makes things move. The third is different. The fibre optic cables and cross-border digital infrastructure carry identity verification, transaction monitoring, and programmable conditions.
The first two pillars are the system. The third is the feedback loop that governs it.
The same presentation names the geopolitical disruptions that make IMEC necessary: the Suez Canal blockage, the Russia-Ukraine war, and US tariff wars. The officials promoting the corridor are presenting the conflicts as its commercial justification...
Most trade corridors are shipping routes. IMEC’s own design documents, presented by India’s Directorate General of Shipping at India Maritime Week in October 2025, describe three pillars: transportation, energy, and digital.
The first two are straightforward — stuff that physically moves, and stuff that makes things move. The third is different. The fibre optic cables and cross-border digital infrastructure carry identity verification, transaction monitoring, and programmable conditions.
The first two pillars are the system. The third is the feedback loop that governs it.
The same presentation names the geopolitical disruptions that make IMEC necessary: the Suez Canal blockage, the Russia-Ukraine war, and US tariff wars. The officials promoting the corridor are presenting the conflicts as its commercial justification...
..The corridors Israel bypasses
Iraq’s Development Road — the $17 billion project connecting Basra to Turkey, with Chinese engineering involvement — would have given the Eastern clearing system a land route bypassing both Hormuz and Israel. The International North-South Transport Corridor, running from Mumbai to Moscow via Iran and Azerbaijan, is a second competing route — one that India’s own Director General of Maritime Administration describes as offering 30 per cent cost savings and 40 per cent faster transit.
Both corridors bypass Israel. Both depend on Iranian territory or Iranian stability. The war degrades both simultaneously. It sets the Development Road back by years and renders the INSTC unviable for as long as Iran’s infrastructure is under attack. Iran is the most important BRICS+ member in the Gulf region, and its military capacity was the one thing that made IMEC’s eastern sea lane unviable. Destroying that capacity clears the physical path, weakens both competing corridors, and forces the Gulf states to commit to the Western-backed system rather than continuing to hedge.
One military operation produces three strategic outcomes: IMEC’s eastern sea lane is secured, the Development Road is set back, and the INSTC is rendered unviable. In March 2026, a RAND economist told CNBC that ‘if Israel and the US win, IMEC will likely be Israel’s preference over the revival of Chabahar’. Chatham House confirmed the Chabahar-Zahedan railway — a key INSTC component — faces ‘indefinite delays’.
India’s $120 million Chabahar investment is at risk because its US sanctions waiver expires in April 2026. The war is resolving India’s hedge. https://escapekey.substack.com/p/railways-for-regional-peace
Both corridors bypass Israel. Both depend on Iranian territory or Iranian stability. The war degrades both simultaneously. It sets the Development Road back by years and renders the INSTC unviable for as long as Iran’s infrastructure is under attack. Iran is the most important BRICS+ member in the Gulf region, and its military capacity was the one thing that made IMEC’s eastern sea lane unviable. Destroying that capacity clears the physical path, weakens both competing corridors, and forces the Gulf states to commit to the Western-backed system rather than continuing to hedge.
One military operation produces three strategic outcomes: IMEC’s eastern sea lane is secured, the Development Road is set back, and the INSTC is rendered unviable. In March 2026, a RAND economist told CNBC that ‘if Israel and the US win, IMEC will likely be Israel’s preference over the revival of Chabahar’. Chatham House confirmed the Chabahar-Zahedan railway — a key INSTC component — faces ‘indefinite delays’.
India’s $120 million Chabahar investment is at risk because its US sanctions waiver expires in April 2026. The war is resolving India’s hedge. https://escapekey.substack.com/p/railways-for-regional-peace
Chabahar, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chabahar
Balochistan, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balochistan
Trump: US needs "a little more time" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while floating the prospect of seizing oil amid potential island or ground campaign
Iran and Hezbollah fire 140+ rockets during Jewish Passover, with sustained barrages hitting Israel
French-owned vessel becomes first Western-linked/European ship to transit Hormuz since war began, signaling a tentative thaw after weeks of near-total shipping freeze https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-says-little-more-time-needed-open-hormuz-take-oil-make-fortune-israel-hit-hard
Iran and Hezbollah fire 140+ rockets during Jewish Passover, with sustained barrages hitting Israel
French-owned vessel becomes first Western-linked/European ship to transit Hormuz since war began, signaling a tentative thaw after weeks of near-total shipping freeze https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-says-little-more-time-needed-open-hormuz-take-oil-make-fortune-israel-hit-hard
Houthis Confirm Coordination With Iran, Hezbollah In Several Attack Waves On Israel https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/houthis-confirm-coordination-iran-hezbollah-several-attack-waves-israel
Oil Drops As Iran/Oman Draft Protocol To Re-Open Hormuz After Trump's Overnight Threats https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/irans-highest-bridge-middle-east-destroyed-after-trumps-back-stone-age-threat
Cash Is King, Dowd Sees $10,000 Gold As The Credit Market "Is Starting To End The Party" https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/cash-king-dowd-sees-10000-gold-credit-market-starting-end-party
Iranian President Issues Open Letter To Americans, Questions If Washington Putting "America First" Or Acting As "Proxy For Israel" https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/uae-poised-join-anti-iran-operations-trump-rips-nato-paper-tiger-says-exit-beyond
Meanwhile in UAE, 12 people were injured by debris fall and Oracle and Amazon Web Services data centres were hit.
Kuwaiti authorities blamed Iran for the strike before midday on Friday. The plant was not identified and the extent of the damage isn’t known.
Following the attack, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied responsibility and shifted blame to Israel.
Israel’s “unconventional and illegitimate attack on Kuwait’s water desalination centres is a sign of the vileness and baseness of the Zionist occupiers,” the IRGC said in a statement posted on Telegram. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/3/kuwait-desalination-plant-oil-refinery-hit-by-missile-and-drone-strikes
Following the attack, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied responsibility and shifted blame to Israel.
Israel’s “unconventional and illegitimate attack on Kuwait’s water desalination centres is a sign of the vileness and baseness of the Zionist occupiers,” the IRGC said in a statement posted on Telegram. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/3/kuwait-desalination-plant-oil-refinery-hit-by-missile-and-drone-strikes
What, doesn't he want to invade Iran? Hegseth Ousts Chief Of The Army As Iran War Persists
The Pentagon shake-up under Trump has not ended, as on Thursday Pete Hegseth has dismissed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, asking him to step down into early retirement. The move is unusual, given this is the head of the Army and the United States is past the one-moth mark in Trump's Operation Epic Fury. A reason hasn't been given as to what amounts to Gen. George being effectively fired. https://www.zerohedge.com/military/hegseth-ousts-chief-army-iran-war-persists
Two officials confirmed that at least 15 soldiers were injured last week in an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base, adding that "Hundreds of US personnel have been killed or injured in the region since the US launched a war on Iran just over a month ago."
The Intercept found that CENTCOM's latest April 2nd casualty count and 'update' to be "three days old and excluded at least 15 wounded in the Friday attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia," noting that "The command did not reply to repeated requests for updated figures." This has raised suspicions that other incidents are being omitted too. https://www.zerohedge.com/military/allegations-pentagon-casualty-cover-intercept
The Intercept found that CENTCOM's latest April 2nd casualty count and 'update' to be "three days old and excluded at least 15 wounded in the Friday attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia," noting that "The command did not reply to repeated requests for updated figures." This has raised suspicions that other incidents are being omitted too. https://www.zerohedge.com/military/allegations-pentagon-casualty-cover-intercept
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-04-03
..Pentagon purge during active war: Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, reportedly opposed to a ground invasion of Iran. Two more generals — Hodne (Training Command) and Green (Chaplain Corps) — removed the same day. George replaced by Hegseth’s former personal aide. 26 generals/admirals removed since Hegseth took office. Multiple sources say George was categorically opposed to ground operations...
..Iran shoots down US fighter jet: Iran claims to have downed a US aircraft over its territory. Debris analysis by multiple OSINT accounts confirms wreckage consistent with an F-15E Strike Eagle, not the initially claimed F-35. CENTCOM denies any aircraft lost. Two crew ejecting visible in footage... ..Russia, China, France block UN Hormuz resolution: Bahrain’s draft resolution authorising force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was killed by triple veto. France, a NATO ally with 14 CMA CGM vessels trapped in the Gulf, sided with Beijing and Moscow.....IRGC published eight-bridge retaliation list across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan — including all three bridges connecting Abu Dhabi to the mainland...
..Pam Bondi fired as Attorney General, replaced by Deputy AG Todd Blanche. Reportedly begged Trump not to fire her. Firing linked to dissatisfaction over Epstein case handling Tulsi Gabbard reportedly on chopping block. Trump shot down the idea of moving Bondi to replace her
FBI Director Patel, Army Secretary Driscoll, and Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer could be next...
..Hormuz toll regime taking shape
Iran and Oman drafting protocol for “supervised and coordinated” transit — positioning for long-term control
Ships paying fees in yuan for passage. Clear pattern: only Global South countries granted passage
Three supertankers slipped through Omani waters bypassing Iran’s checkpoint — proof of concept for a workaround, but only 3 ships vs. the 75-85/day pre-war baseline...
..First French-owned vessel (CMA CGM) passed through Hormuz since the war began. Did they pay in yuan? https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-04-03
Iran and Oman drafting protocol for “supervised and coordinated” transit — positioning for long-term control
Ships paying fees in yuan for passage. Clear pattern: only Global South countries granted passage
Three supertankers slipped through Omani waters bypassing Iran’s checkpoint — proof of concept for a workaround, but only 3 ships vs. the 75-85/day pre-war baseline...
..First French-owned vessel (CMA CGM) passed through Hormuz since the war began. Did they pay in yuan? https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-04-03
Iran struck digital infrastructure before its own deadline — Iranian missiles hit Batelco HQ in Hamala, Bahrain (country’s largest telecom, hosting Amazon Web Services infrastructure) — before the April 6 IRGC deadline for 18 US companies expired. Also struck: Kuwait Airport fuel tanks, and US Fifth Fleet HQ in Bahrain...
..Axis of Resistance operating as single military body — For the first time, Yemen announced a missile attack on Israel in explicit coordination with Iran AND Hezbollah simultaneously. Iran launched its “largest continuous attack in 3 weeks” on April 1: 312 simultaneous rocket alerts covering 5.6M+ Israelis, cluster-warhead ballistic missiles impacting Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak.....470,000 containers and 20,000 seafarers trapped inside Persian Gulf — 65 vessels of the top 5 container lines stranded...
..NATO fracture: US considering exit, European intelligence relationship broken — Trump called NATO a “paper tiger” in Telegraph interview; Rubio questioned whether it’s “a one-way street.” UK officials confirm they “can no longer trust US counterparts with sensitive material.” France, Spain, Italy blocked airspace and bases — first collective European refusal of American military requests.....50,000+ US troops in region; 1,000 82nd Airborne; 5,000 Marines on amphibious ready groups; 12 A-10 Warthogs deployed to RAF Lakenheath (ex-CIA Larry Johnson: “only one reason for A-10s — close air support for ground troops”)...
..Iran FM Araghchi: “No negotiation has taken place. Trust level is at zero. We are waiting for them.” .....IRGC seized direct control of Iranian governance — rejected ALL intelligence minister candidates proposed by President Pezeshkian...
..April 6 deadline (Easter April 5). Pakistan-China brokering 5-point framework — war being negotiated in a Chinese conference room.....Hormuz Toll System as de-dollarization engine
IRGC collecting yuan/stablecoins via CIPS network; $2M/vessel for Larak corridor; $1/barrel oil fee projected at $100B/year revenue
India importing first Iranian oil in 7 years at ~$100/bbl — “quite the achievement in Washington for the long-term strength of the sanctions regime” Javier Blas
Turkey (NATO member) sold more repo-able Treasuries than non-repo-able gold ...
IRGC collecting yuan/stablecoins via CIPS network; $2M/vessel for Larak corridor; $1/barrel oil fee projected at $100B/year revenue
India importing first Iranian oil in 7 years at ~$100/bbl — “quite the achievement in Washington for the long-term strength of the sanctions regime” Javier Blas
Turkey (NATO member) sold more repo-able Treasuries than non-repo-able gold ...
..Netanyahu proposing Saudi-Mediterranean pipeline bypassing Hormuz — would give Tel Aviv leverage over entire GCC...
..Global food crisis in slow motion85-95% of Hormuz fertilizer traffic stopped; urea up 25-50% to $420-720/tonne
India losing 800,000 tonnes/month domestic urea (natural gas feedstock itself blocked at Hormuz)
South/Southeast Asia: 8-15% rice/wheat yield reductions projected if disruptions persist through May. No ceasefire reverses a missed planting season
Pakistan redirected 78M cubic feet/day gas from fertilizer plants to residential heating — government chose warmth over food
US corn: urea-to-corn ratio at 126 bushels/tonne vs. historical 75; 93M acres projected vs. 99M baseline; cascades to meat/dairy +10-25% by early 2027..“The rice plant does not negotiate. It has a biological clock. And the clock is running.”...
..WH senior staff discussing $150-200/bbl oil scenarios; Treasury sees $100+ as “baseline”... “Oil shocks often arrive as inflation and leave as recession.” https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-04-02
Thou shalt not negotiate against Israeli wishes: Senior Iranian Official Involved In Reaching Out To Vance Severely Wounded In Airstrike https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/senior-iranian-official-involved-reaching-out-vance-severely-wounded-airstrike
This could do the "stone age" thing Trump boasted of. UN representative resigns over claims of planned nuclear strike on Iran
Mohamad Safa, a UN representative for the Patriotic Vision Association NGO, also claimed that senior figures at the UN were 'serving a powerful lobby' https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-representative-resigns-over-claims-planned-nuclear-strike-iranNobody injured, or we'd be told, right?... IRGC targets hideout of US Fifth Fleet commanders in Bahrain https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/03/30/766093/IRGC-targets-hideout-of-US-Fifth-Fleet-commanders-in-Bahrain
South Korean air-defense system gets A+ against Iranian attacks: Cheongung-II Air Defense System Intercepts 29 of 30 Targets in UAE Combat Debut
“The Cheongung-II system deployed in the UAE demonstrated a 96% hit rate in real combat operations while countering a large-scale Iranian air attack,” said Yoo Yong-won. The Korean outlet Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the UAE used 60 interceptor missiles to engage 30 targets, successfully neutralizing 29 of them. It noted that multiple interceptors, usually two, are launched per target to ensure a successful kill.
Following the system’s successful use, the UAE government has asked South Korea to accelerate deliveries of additional Cheongung-II batteries and interceptors. Abu Dhabi aims to receive the ordered equipment ahead of the deadlines set in the main contract to strengthen its defense against Iranian strikes.
As previously reported, in early March the Cheongung-II system deployed in the UAE intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile for the first time. At the onset of the Iranian attacks, two batteries of the system were deployed in the country.
In 2022, the UAE signed a contract with South Korea worth approximately $3.5 billion for the purchase of 10 Cheongung-II batteries. At the time, it was the largest arms export deal in South Korea’s history. https://militarnyi.com/en/news/cheongung-ii-air-defense-system-intercepts/
If intentional, what might this mean? Russian Embassy Outraged After US-Israeli Strikes Damage Orthodox Church In Tehran https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/russian-embassy-outraged-after-us-israeli-strikes-damage-orthodox-church-tehran
Israel Continues Raids in Occupied West Bank, Detains Palestinians https://www.telesurenglish.net/israel-raids-west-bank-detains-palestine/
Legal viability aside, the new law reveals a deeper question, reflecting a perverse dissonance in Israeli society: Why are Jewish terrorists spared the noose while Arab ones are hanged? https://portside.org/2026-04-02/death-penalty-palestinians-israel-signals-long-live-jewish-terrorists
Israel Has Killed at Least 713 Palestinians in Gaza Since Signing Trump-Backed ‘Ceasefire’ Deal: Health Ministry
At least one person was killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza on Thursday https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/02/israel-has-killed-at-least-713-palestinians-in-gaza-since-signing-trump-backed-ceasefire-deal-health-ministry/
At least one person was killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza on Thursday https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/02/israel-has-killed-at-least-713-palestinians-in-gaza-since-signing-trump-backed-ceasefire-deal-health-ministry/
Gaza health ministry warns of imminent collapse as hospitals face fuel crisis https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/04/02/360565/
Who would Jesus "bomb back to the stone age"? Paula White sparks MAGA backlash after comparing Trump to Jesus
The presidential faith adviser faced fierce criticism after comparing the president to Jesus Christ during an event at the White House. https://www.ms.now/opinion/paula-white-sparks-maga-backlash-after-comparing-trump-to-jesus
7 killed, 26 injured in Israeli strike in Lebanese capital - Explosions heard across Beirut, with smoke seen rising from targeted site https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/7-killed-26-injured-in-israeli-strike-in-lebanese-capital/3887480
Poland rejects ‘unofficial’ US request to redeploy Patriot batteries to West Asia
Warsaw argues that redeploying one of its two Patriot systems would 'significantly weaken' its defenses https://thecradle.co/articles/poland-rejects-unofficial-us-request-to-redeploy-patriot-batteries-to-west-asia
NATO without America? A slow shift is already underway
Donald Trump’s foreign policy is not a temporary deviation, but a sign of what is to come https://web.archive.org/web/20260401053210/https://www.rt.com/news/636893-nato-without-america-shift/
During the national address to the people of Great Britain, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized that events in the Middle East have forever changed the landscape of U.K. economic and geopolitical policy. Signaling an inflection point crossed, the British prime minister announced that urgent actions were being taken to mitigate a national crisis.
Additionally, accepting the U.S. position toward NATO, and the U.K appears to be permanently shifted, Starmer said the British relationship with Europe now becomes critical to their vital national security interests. Against the backdrop of an end to the “special relationship” with America, the Brexit independence from the European Union is now a threat.
The United Kingdom must find a way to reunite with the European Union, because if it remains alone, without key support and protection from the USA, the British Empire is at risk of collapse. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/04/01/uk-prime-minister-keir-starmer-gives-a-national-address-things-will-never-be-the-same-again/#more-282130
A persistent and consequential distinction between the Soviet/Russian and U.S./Western military systems lies in the way their officer corps are educated and intellectually formed... On one side stands a model that treats war as a domain grounded in science and engineering, requiring deep technical literacy. On the other is a model that places greater emphasis on generalist education, leadership, and the broader political and strategic context within which military force is applied. These differing foundations shape not only how officers think, but how they plan, assess, and ultimately conduct operations.
AI Is "New Front Door To Commerce" As Consumers Ditch Google For Chatbots https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/ai-new-front-door-commerce-consumers-ditch-google-chatbots
Heavy Fighting, Israeli Airstrikes Killed at Least 50 in Lebanon in 24 Hours - Health Ministry reports overall toll rises to at least 1,318 killed https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/01/heavy-fighting-israeli-airstrikes-killed-at-least-50-in-lebanon-in-24-hours/
Death toll from Israeli assault on Lebanon rises to 1,318 victims https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/04/02/360517/
Israeli Attacks Kill at Least 27 in Lebanon, PM Sees No End in Sight - Family of four killed in Nabatieh airstrike https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/02/israeli-attacks-kill-at-least-27-in-lebanon-pm-sees-no-end-in-sight/
Israeli soldiers’ families say their sons face 'unreasonable' conditions in southern Lebanon
In letter to Premier Netanyahu, families say soldiers 'are under direct fire amid lack of resources, insufficient air cover' https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-soldiers-families-say-their-sons-face-unreasonable-conditions-in-southern-lebanon/3889780
In letter to Premier Netanyahu, families say soldiers 'are under direct fire amid lack of resources, insufficient air cover' https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-soldiers-families-say-their-sons-face-unreasonable-conditions-in-southern-lebanon/3889780
Israeli attacks displace over 1M in Lebanon, 1 in 5 affected: UN refugee agency
Israeli attacks drive mass displacement and force over 200,000 to flee to Syria in 1 month, spokesperson says https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-attacks-displace-over-1m-in-lebanon-1-in-5-affected-un-refugee-agency/3889848
Iran war teaching Taiwan hard lessons about US resolve
Taiwan getting a vivid glimpse of US power projection failures when tested by an adversary much weaker than China https://asiatimes.com/2026/04/iran-war-teaching-taiwan-hard-lessons-about-us-resolve/
Israeli attacks drive mass displacement and force over 200,000 to flee to Syria in 1 month, spokesperson says https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-attacks-displace-over-1m-in-lebanon-1-in-5-affected-un-refugee-agency/3889848
Taiwan getting a vivid glimpse of US power projection failures when tested by an adversary much weaker than China https://asiatimes.com/2026/04/iran-war-teaching-taiwan-hard-lessons-about-us-resolve/
Russia to send second oil tanker to Cuba as energy crisis continues, Moscow says https://www.euronews.com/2026/04/02/russia-to-send-second-oil-tanker-to-cuba-as-energy-crisis-continues-moscow-says
Warsaw argues that redeploying one of its two Patriot systems would 'significantly weaken' its defenses https://thecradle.co/articles/poland-rejects-unofficial-us-request-to-redeploy-patriot-batteries-to-west-asia
Donald Trump’s foreign policy is not a temporary deviation, but a sign of what is to come https://web.archive.org/web/20260401053210/https://www.rt.com/news/636893-nato-without-america-shift/
Starmer said the "British Empire" is threatened. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Gives a National Address – Things Will Never Be the Same Again
Against the backdrop of the Iran conflict, crisis in the Middle East and the disruption of energy supplies due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, U.K Prime Minister Keir Starmer held an urgent meeting with British business leaders, finance and bankers as well as U.K insurance leaders. At the conclusion of that meeting, he informed media of a national address. During the national address to the people of Great Britain, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized that events in the Middle East have forever changed the landscape of U.K. economic and geopolitical policy. Signaling an inflection point crossed, the British prime minister announced that urgent actions were being taken to mitigate a national crisis.
Additionally, accepting the U.S. position toward NATO, and the U.K appears to be permanently shifted, Starmer said the British relationship with Europe now becomes critical to their vital national security interests. Against the backdrop of an end to the “special relationship” with America, the Brexit independence from the European Union is now a threat.
The United Kingdom must find a way to reunite with the European Union, because if it remains alone, without key support and protection from the USA, the British Empire is at risk of collapse. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/04/01/uk-prime-minister-keir-starmer-gives-a-national-address-things-will-never-be-the-same-again/#more-282130
Elon Musk asserts that if you do not deeply comprehend the metallurgy, you are not actually making decisions:
The corporate world built a religion around one lie. That leadership is separable from understanding. That you can run a machine you cannot read. Musk: “At SpaceX, almost all my time is spent on engineering and design.” Not strategy meetings. Not press tours. Not optics. The weeds. Musk: “If you don’t understand something at a detailed level, you cannot make a decision.” If you need someone to translate the problem, you are not the decision-maker. The translator is. You are a rubber stamp with a corner office.
We built an entire economy rewarding people who speak in abstractions. https://x.com/r0ck3t23/status/2039334546815012925
Mike Mihajlovic at Black Mountain Analysis, Russian officers are Engineers: Notes on Military Education Approaches in Russia and the United States [i]
In the Soviet and later Russian tradition, military education has long been closely tied to the country’s broader emphasis on mathematics, physics, and engineering. Officers are typically expected to develop a solid grounding in technical disciplines, enabling them to understand the systems they employ at a fundamental level. Weapons are not viewed merely as tools to be operated, but as complex mechanisms governed by physical laws and technical limitations. This approach fosters a culture in which officers can analyze performance parameters, understand system vulnerabilities, and integrate components such as radar, missiles, and electronic warfare into a coherent operational framework. The educational institutions that produce these officers function not only as training centers but also as extensions of the scientific and engineering ecosystem, reinforcing a mindset that treats warfare as an applied technical discipline. https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/notes-on-military-education-approaches
We know. He's a patsy, but now it's semi-official: Bullet Used in Charlie Kirk Murder Doesn't Match The Alleged Weapon, Defense Claims https://www.zerohedge.com/political/bullet-used-charlie-kirk-murder-doesnt-match-alleged-weapon
A skyscraper "library" with a golden-Trump, and a 747 inside... Eric Trump Shares Remarkable Preview for Trump Presidential Library, Located in Miami https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/03/31/eric-trump-shares-remarkable-preview-for-trump-presidential-library-located-in-miami/#more-282088
The presidential faith adviser faced fierce criticism after comparing the president to Jesus Christ during an event at the White House. https://www.ms.now/opinion/paula-white-sparks-maga-backlash-after-comparing-trump-to-jesus
49% of healthy troops in the study experienced a >50% surge in NT-proBNP after two mRNA injections, a key marker of cardiac stress. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-study-half-of-covid-19-vaccinated
This cannot be officially discussed. Judge’s Ruling Shuts Down Testimony of People Injured by COVID Vaccines - “We keep getting pushed aside.” https://www.vigilantfox.com/p/judges-ruling-shuts-down-testimony
As you likely know: COVID-19 “vaccination, despite a potential temporary protection, may have increased mortality” https://jarle.substack.com/p/covid-19-vaccination-despite-a-potential
Those seeking their 6th booster are now either dead, disabled or have finally awakened to reality. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/pfizer-halts-covid-shot-trial-because
Due to the judge reversing all advised changes: Meryl Nass MD, The CDC recommends not only a Hepatitis B vaccine at birth for all newborns at no risk, but also for their mothers during the pregnancy if unvaxxed--double dosing the babies!--no risk assessment!
This is the 5th different vaccine CDC recommends DURING A PREGNANCY that has never been shown to be safe at that time for mother or her fetus. https://merylnass.substack.com/p/the-cdc-recommends-not-only-a-hepatitisSodas were the most purchased item on SNAP in Texas. New Restrictions On SNAP Purchases To Take Effect In More States In April https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-restrictions-snap-purchases-take-effect-more-states-april
High Fructose Corn syrup exacerbates gout: What’s the Relationship Between Gout and Sugar? https://www.healthline.com/health/gout-and-sugar
Results: During the 12 years of follow-up 755 confirmed incident cases of gout were reported. Increasing intake of sugar sweetened soft drinks was associated with an increasing risk of gout. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2234536/
Results: 2 studies involving 125 299 participants and 1533 cases of incident gout assessed the association between fructose consumption and incident gout over an average of 17 years of follow-up. No eligible studies assessed incident hyperuricemia as an outcome. Fructose consumption was associated with an increase in the risk of gout. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27697882/
Psychopaths are often "regular" people, and you likely know some. I Am A Psychopath
We aren’t. Psychopathy is a variant structure of the brain that won’t be evident until after the person reaches twenty-five, and at that time, provided the circumstances are present to allow for it, they can be diagnosed as psychopathic. We lack empathy, we lack fear, sadness, anxiety, remorse, we lack many of the things that explain to you in silent code how to behave around others of your kind, and the world in general.
Instead we have to either be taught, or figure it out on our own. Nothing neurotypicals do makes sense to us. It’s like trying to figure out a foreign film without subtitles and no scene context. We just begin to mimic. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/i-am-a-psychopath/
Neuroscientist James Fallon discusses how he came to discover, and how he's learned to live with, the fact that he's a borderline psychopath. Fallon is the author of The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vii60GUGTQU
Ampera’s reactor uses TRISO fuel that does not need to be refueled allowing continuous operation over decades. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/us-ampera-nuclear-firm-nrc-license
Climate Physicist Anastassia Makarieva looks at Australia and North America. Biotic Pump Q&A #3: Bringing Water to Drier Landscapes - On the positive and negative roles of human interventions https://bioticregulation.substack.com/p/biotic-pump-q-and-a-3-bringing-water
Ready for Rain (pictured with 1100 gallon tank installed last week to catch rain off the metal roof)
