By Douglas V. Gibbs
You can’t reason with the unreasonable, and Iran’s leadership has been unreasonable the entire way. Islam, or at least the leaders who refuse to participate in the modern version of getting along at the dinner table, knows only a firm hand.
President Trump, unlike the past week-knees of Presidents who preferred paying Islamic madmen Tribute Payments (hence, Obama’s pallets of cash to Iran) or cowering under the threat of Muslim Terrorism, has a firm hand and has proven he is willing to use it if necessary. After pretty much cornering Iran into a position where their only chess move remaining on the board is to surrender, the Islamic revolutionary regime has decided to go down fighting – so, President Trump has ordered a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters to enforce a ceasefire with Iran and get ships moving in and out of the Persian Gulf so that the oil can flow again.
Understand, America has all the oil we need. We do not depend on the movement of oil in and out of Iran and her Middle Eastern neighbors. But, we live in a global market, and when supply is restricted by theocratic madmen who refuse to cry uncle when pushed against the wall, prices worldwide rise and as a result President Trump is more than willing to apply pressure in other spots and take military action when necessary.
The blockade of ship traffic to and from Iranian ports not only should get other ships in the area moving, but also starve Iran of its final economic lifeline. The hope is the move will convince Iran to honor negotiations, while opening up movement and navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. The blockade, in particular, will also make sure Iran cannot sell any oil, and is designed to serve as a punishment against Iran for threatening to attack other ports in the region. The move was in response to Iran’s military declaring the “security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for all or for none.”
Iran’s leaders also put out the message that Iran will “firmly implement a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz.”
President Trump warned that Iran’s remaining force of small boats “will be immediately ELIMINATED” if any of those vessels even approach the U.S. naval blockade. Trump indicated the same system to knock out drug dealer boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean would go into action.
Vice President J.D. Vance in Pakistan spent hours in negotiation with Iranian officials, but the Iranians failed to fully comply with U.S. demands according to Vance. And, Iran added their own new demands, none of which the United States will consider.
European countries have stated they will not participate in the blockade, again leading Trump to comment how our allies are not behaving as allies, and the president has stated the U.S. government may reexamine its relationship with NATO as a result.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
