48 hours until another round of Trump blather?

Per the Dissident Monday, following up on his Sunday piece, Trump's "48 hours or else" was his second in two weeks to Iran.

And, the "or else" didn't happen the first time. So that's why Iran didn't budge the second time.

Krugman claimed Saturday that Trump wouldn't TACO. Yeah, Paul, but he already did. Even if Hegseth was behind his "Glory be to god," Trump could still TACO.

And, as of last night, per what I could find shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern, Trump did semi-TACO at least.  

Iran? Yes, the Strait of Hormuz gets opened — but only if you pay a toll, whether to Iran or Oman. (How much Iran will crowd Oman, and related factors, remains to be seen.) 

Klipp said, a couple of hours before the deadline, that Trump was afraid. Whether that or other things, I don't know.  

The bigger picture?

China is laughing all the way to the bank, or all the way to the electric recharging station, as Trump gets ever more stupid and mendacious over Iran. Of course, like the US looking at Europe after World War II, China may not want the US economy to go TOO much into the crapper. 

It's getting so bad that even Bari Weiss' minions are worried. 

They should be. Iran shot down that F-15 US plane with a shoulder-fired missile. WHAT? Like we gave the Afghan mujahideen 40 years ago? Damn we're idiots. 

Meanwhile, the current government of Pakistan comes off looking ever more like a US flunky. 

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Update, April 8: Iran claims that Israel's newest strikes on Lebanon are a violation, per this AP story.  Therefore, it has closed Hormuz again. It has also said that any reopening will be under the management of its military. That said, Trump and "Glory be to Satan" Pete Hegseth claim Lebanon is not part of any cease-fire. Meanwhile, Trump and Karoline Unchristian Leavitt (she refuses to adopt her husband's surname like a good submissive married Christian woman) appear to disagree on what to think about Iran's earlier 10-point proposal.

THAT then said, Iran's Supreme National Security Council is dreaming if it thinks the US has agreed to compensate it for war damages.

So, per Mearsheimer, myself and many others, yes, Trump has his ass in a crack. But, not necessarily as deep a crack as Iran thinks. 

Second, via The Dissident, negative views of Israel in the US have increased since the start of the war, per Pew Research. A big takeaway? Probably in part from the "manosphere," 57 percent of Republicans 18-49 now have negative views of Israel. 

Also via The Dissident, Daniel Levy said on Democracy Now that Trump must be made of less serious stuff than previous presidents, being dragged into this war by Netanyahu. Per Hegseth probably being behind the "glory be to god" of Trump's one Lies Social blast, how much did Bibi triangulate off him? 

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Update, April 10: Via Jeff St. Clair's installment this week of his Friday Roaming Charges, climate change, despite being denied by Trump, may be another reason he wants an early exit from the Iran War:

 And, US troops would be weighted down with much more kit than their Iranian counterparts. In addition, how would US machinery like the craptacular, sucktacular F-35 perform in these conditions?

Also, per Jeff, how are Conservative Cafeteria Catholics in the US accepting, or rejecting, Pope Leo XIV's statements on the war to date? 

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Update, April 11: CNN says China is going to supply air defense systems to Iran. I told you who benefited from the two weeks, didn't I? 

Specifically, if true, it's MANPAD shoulder-launched missiles like the one that shot down the F-15. In further shades of Afghanistan, US intelligence claims the sales will be laundered through third-party countries. 

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Update, April 12: Trump says he will blockade Hormuz, and based that threat on a lie, the lie that Iran had "promised" to reopen it. Will this bring him into a direct collision with China? That might just be called a half-lie, given Iran's and the United States' differing interpretations of what was agreed to before the talks in Islamabad. Claiming other states will help with the blockade is an even bigger, and fuller, lie, though. And, did two US vessels already sail through, early Sunday time in Iran, per the story on the talks failing? I kind o doubt that one, too. Then there's the lie by implication that this blockade would happen immediately, when in reality, Trump admitted Sunday morning US time to Maria Bartiromo that it ain't so.