We, the citizens, are not the intended audience for much of what comes out of the White House. Foreign governments are. It may be a show of military or economic strength some times. It may be a show of good faith negotiation. It may be a demonstration of willingness to apply promised consequences.

I don't believe the Trump administration is blind to domestic election politics. They appear to genuinely be working towards the best long term outcomes even there are short term political costs.

I’ll admit I search “Iran war” every morning hoping to find an end to the uncertainty and am a bit disappointed nothing has changed. Looking at the half-full glass, that also means a nuclear weapon free Iran is still the status quo and Trump is maintaining his promise one day at a time.

US military fires missile to disable ship in Gulf of Oman,
(U.S. Marine Corps) A U.S. military aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into a ship’s engine room to prevent it from breaking through the American blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command said Saturday. U.S. forces on Friday issued more than 20 warnings to the Gambia-flagged ship M/V Lian Star as it cruised in international waters toward an Iranian port,

CENTCOM said in a statement. A U.S. aircraft fired the missile after the ship failed to comply. The ship was adrift in the Gulf of Oman, and U.S. forces had not boarded it, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. forces have disabled five commercial vessels and redirected 116 to fully enforce the blockade as a ceasefire with Iran remains in effect, CENTCOM said.

The U.S. launched the blockade on April 17 in response to Iran effectively closing the strait after the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.

A fragile ceasefire has held since April 7. While both sides have expressed interest in broader peace talks, they remain divided on several key issues, including control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has repeatedly attacked commercial vessels in the strait, effectively closing a waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil trade.

Meanwhile, an Iranian missile strike injured several Americans at a Kuwaiti air base, according to a report Saturday, the latest escalation that could further complicate efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war.

In a social media post Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “make a final determination” on a peace deal during a meeting in the White House Situation Room.

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theate...f-oman-21826428.html
Source - Stars and Stripes