Also - it's 'toe the line' literally putting your toe on a line - I believe from old fashioned no gloves type boxing

Considering that we ( mainly US - UK complicit) installed the Shah - a dictator - supported Saddam Hussein in launching the biggest war since WW2 against them - complete with gas attacks- and numerous bombings and other attacks and they didn't close it- one feels they really needed pushed to it

I thought it was now the US blockading the Strait so how can Iran declare it open?

Someone wiser than me noted that the real value of a treaty is in the mutual respect and trust developed in coming to terms rather than what the specific terms actually are. When that goes - and ofc it has - the treaty is dead.

Telling Trump to go fuck himself is rapidly becoming the no1 vote winner for European politicians

OK- what Red Cross person? I see a generic nurse type person from a couple of decades ago, a soldier, generic peasants and some scary guys floating in the air that make me want to grab my BFG - what Red Cross?

In this case with Trump being such a simpleton I think he truly believes winning wars is just a matter of who has blown up more stuff.I think he is genuinely confused about why the Iranians keep refusing to admit defeat.

Trump has a good strategy here of constantly changing stances. That way his opponents know as little about his real plans as he does.

So - the straits will be opened by blockading them and the US navy will be interdicting vessels from other countries - but I'm mainly concerned for those Pakistani gentlemen who have to *continuously* thank Trump - must get pretty wearing...

Making tea requires the water to be essentially boiling. If your teapot/cup is cold it's going to suck the heat right out of the water and the result will only be fit for serving for breakfast in a Philadelphian hotel (last reference purely personal :)

I wonder what those tomahawk targets were. Probably things like effectively obsolete MBTs and aircraft, redundant C&C centres, admin buildings. I'm sure they were getting down to rebombing rubble and precision targeting sentry boxes by the time the US sued for terms

JDVance is on the negotiating job and he has been very clear that if Iran doesnt start complying the US is prepared to make some more very serious concessions.

Triumphal arches usually have engravings depicting the acts it is awarded for. Napoleon's has the names of his greatest battles - masterpieces of the art of war (if you nerd in that direction). Trumps will have a kidnapping and the greatest strategic debacle in American (possibly world) history.

Someone needs to ask Trump about this 880% drop in GDP

As far as 1 goes - no it's not. We're not talking here about some kind of existential threat, backs to the wall situation. We're talking about military adventures undertaken at the whim of a moron who doesn't understand its consequences. Failure will not crash the plane - success might.

Any word from the Iranians whether there is any basis at all to believe they will open the Strait for 2 weeks or are close to agreeing a 10 point plan? Or are they too busy pissing themselves laughing?

Pandas have to be the best argument for (somewhat) Intelligent Design. There's no way these evolved through survival of the fittest!

To be fair this kind of mission is always going to be potentially disastrous- it's in the nature of the thing. The US military do appear to have done the job pretty competently- one can only assume neither Trump or Hogsbreath were allowed anywhere near it until complete.

By someone who has no idea about ie comma placement? I'm not even sure what purpose truncating 'fucking' serves here - does he think it makes him sound more authentic?

What are these experts expert in? 'Dubious' suggests they doubt it but don't entirely rule it out.

'Gorgeous' George is not an entirely unbiased or in any way reliable as a source. Doesn't mean it's not true though...

These targets do not directly lead to the straits opening. The Iranian regime *may* choose to capitulate but if not the threat must be executed or you look stupid but having executed it has no power - there is now no reason to capitulate. Straits don't open but some babies in incubators die. Genius

It's hard to keep up with him - was this on praise of the Iranian leadership?

If the really bad thing involves kid rock and some rotor blades how bad can it really be?

Well the UK mainly imports oil from the US and Norway (and ofc has its own). I think maybe 1% comes through the Strait. So I think we'll probably decline the offer to occupy and hold 100s miles of coast.

'Seemingly' empty seats? Always allow for the possibility of real small and/or invisible people.

aka Comical Ali - well at least he knew the English word for 'war fighters'

Come to your defense from what ?

An empty taxi pulled up at the Capitol and Mike Johnson got out.

Indeed, Trump is the odoriferous pustulating public face but there is a whole crew of dangerous whack jobs behind him (holding their noses) and the danger is that with him gone the US gets a more competent incarnation of evil which will appear to be moderate and rational simply by not being Trump.