How's that Iran thing going?

Three weeks into the war, the Iranian regime is signaling that it believes it is winning and has the power to impose a settlement on Washington that entrenches Tehran’s dominance of Middle East energy resources for decades to come.

[...]

Netanyahu said Thursday that the war would end “a lot faster than people think.” Trump said this week the U.S. would wrap up the conflict in the “near future” even as the Pentagon dispatched thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

[...]

Iran has retained the ability to fire dozens of ballistic missiles, and many more drones, every day across the Middle East.

Instead of declining, the rate of fire actually picked up in recent days compared with 10 days ago. Iranian strikes inflicted catastrophic damage this week on key energy installations in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates—while Iran’s own oil exports kept booming.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf’s chokepoint, remains only possible with Iranian permission.

[...]

“The Iranians aren’t ready to end the war because they have learned an important lesson: They can, comparatively easily and cheaply, cause a lot of damage and disruption. They now want the whole world to learn that lesson, too,” said Dina Esfandiary, an analyst on Iran and author of a book on Iran’s foreign relations.

[...]

Tehran has pledged that it will agree to a cease-fire only if Washington and the Gulf states pay a steep price.

[...]

Iran is planning to enshrine a “new status” for the Strait of Hormuz to require every passing ship to pay fees to Tehran for the privilege.

[...]

“This hubris is dangerous because they are not smart enough to understand that President Trump will never let them win. They don’t understand how far he’s willing to go,” said Jason Greenblatt, who served as the White House special envoy for the Middle East in the first Trump administration.

[...]

A U.S. effort to secure shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz would be “a simple military maneuver” with “so little risk,” Trump said Friday in a Truth Social post blasting European allies for refusing to join the mission.

  WSJ

Sure, Jan. Then why this...

The Trump administration is temporarily lifting longstanding sanctions banning the “sale, delivery, or offloading of crude oil or petroleum products of Iranian origin” for the next month in hopes of curbing the meteoric rise in oil prices.

  Independent UK

Thereby giving Iran (and Russia) a huge boost in dollars to spend on war.

A “General License” issued by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released late Friday permits the purchase of Iranian oil that has already been loaded onto “any vessel” — including ships that have already been sanctioned — by waiving 10 separate sets of sanctions that have targeted both Russian and Iranian oil.

The sanctions that are being temporarily set aside have been in place for years, with many originating during Trump’s first term.

[...]

By waiving the sanctions, the U.S. will allow Iranian and Russian oil that is currently at sea to be purchased and unloaded without penalty until April 19, at which point the sanctions will resume unless the Treasury extends the waiver.

Any bets?

UPDATE 03/21/2026:

One of the missiles failed in flight, and a U.S. warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, according to two of the people. It couldn't be determined if an interception was made, according to one of the officials.

Iran’s targeting of Diego Garcia, about 2,500 miles from Iran, implies its missiles have a greater range than Tehran has previously acknowledged.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last month that Iran has deliberately limited the range of its missiles to around 1,250 miles.

  WSJ

Not any more.

UPDATE 03/22/2026:

Was this a mistake or intentional?

TACO

 

Ramping up the animosity

OK, fine.  But the US seized the plane in the Dominican Republic?  When did the Dominican Republic become a US territory?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Speaking of the European Union...

Closing off Russia

Cue MAGAworld rage

Joe Biden has agreed a landmark energy supply deal with the EU under which the US will increase transatlantic gas deliveries, in the hope of weakening the power the Kremlin wields thanks to its natural resources.

Speaking in Brussels after the deal was agreed on Friday, the US president said Vladimir Putin exploited Russia’s status as Europe’s main supplier of gas to “coerce and manipulate his neighbours” and that the proceeds of gas and oil sales “drive his war machine”. He said the partnership with the EU would strip Putin of that weapon by reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, as well as the continent’s overall gas demand.

  Guardian

I can hear the screams now. That's OUR gas! Give it to us and reduce our gasoline prices!

Oh, wait. What?

Under the plan, the US and other nations will increase exports of seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe by 15bn cubic metres this year. Even larger shipment volumes would be delivered in the future, he promised.

 Not gasoline?  The Guardian needs a new headline writer.  We don't often make it to paragraph three.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

They can afford to lose the odd yacht here and there

If action against Russia isn’t paired with reforms at home, the battery of sanctions set to come will fall flat, undone by the same Western nations professing to be aghast at this resurgence of empire, and at this return to warfare in Europe.

[...]

If Western policy makers hope to hold Putin’s cronies truly accountable, sanctions will have to be paired with pro-transparency reforms that can disassemble this web of secrecy. Western governments should start by ending anonymity in shell companies and trusts; demanding basic anti-money-laundering checks for lawyers, art gallerists, and auction-house managers; and closing loopholes that allow anonymity in the real-estate, private-equity, and hedge-fund industries. That is, if the sanctions are to retain their bite, the entire counter-kleptocracy playbook needs to be implemented—immediately.

[...]

Rampant financial anonymity in places like the U.S. makes it relatively easy for powerful rich people to evade sanctions. A Russian oligarch may have multimillion-dollar mansions in Washington, D.C.; or multiple steel plants across the Rust Belt; or a controlling stake in a hedge fund in Greenwich, Connecticut; or an entire fleet of private jets in California; or an array of lawyers setting up purchases at art houses around the country. And all of that wealth can be hidden—perfectly legally—behind anonymous shell companies and trusts that are enormously difficult to penetrate.

[...]

With few Americans paying attention, the U.S. transformed over the past few decades into the world’s leading financial-secrecy haven, providing all of the anonymity services kleptocrats in Moscow and around the world needed to continue their transnational money-laundering operations.

States such as Delaware opened anonymous shell companies for whoever came calling, while South Dakota and others invented new financial-secrecy tools that prevented even the federal government from figuring out who’s behind trusts in those states.

[...]

The most conspicuous jurisdiction feasting on ill-gotten Russian gains is the U.K. As illustrated by a recent report from Chatham House (of which I was a co-author), the U.K. has helped launder billions in questionable, illicit, and dirty post-Soviet money, especially out of Russia. In the process, suspect Russian wealth has flowed into British real estate, London’s luxury-goods market, and even the Conservative Party’s coffers.

[...]

So long as the policies that enable dirty money to flow around the globe remain in place, untouched even by those Western politicians now railing against Russia, any sanctions-related response will be less than the sum of its parts.

[...]

In Washington, at last week’s State of the Union, President Joe Biden announced the formation of an interagency “KleptoCapture” task force to target oligarchs. And Johnson’s government in London announced the same day that a long-delayed economic-crime bill—which would create a registry of offshore-owned property—would finally move forward in Parliament. Yet that bill is yet to be passed, let alone implemented, and the announcement came only as protesters gathered in Whitehall to remind legislators that russian money < ukrainian lives. Progress is far from assured.

  The Atlantic

But also,,,

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Biden bans Russian oil imports

The US is not highly dependent on Russia for its energy supplies, importing an average of 209,000 barrels per day of crude oil in 2021 – or 3 percent of the country’s total crude imports, according to the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) trade association.

Europe has a larger dependence on Russian energy supplies, with about 35 percent of natural gas in the European Union coming from Russia.

Biden acknowledged that on Tuesday, saying the US understands that many of its European allies “may not be in a position” to impose a similar ban. “The United States produces far more oil domestically than all the European countries combined,” the US president said.

“We can take this step when others cannot, but we’re working closely with Europe and our partners to develop a long-term strategy to reduce their dependence on Russian energy, as well.”

[...]

On Tuesday, the European Commission said the war “demonstrates the urgency of accelerating our clean energy transition”, announcing plans to increase the EU’s energy independence while reducing its reliance on Russian supplies.

[...]

Amid a raft of economic sanctions against Russia since it launched its Ukraine invasion, major international energy companies also have cut off ties to Russian state-owned energy entities.

[...]

Oil and gas giant Shell said on Tuesday that it would gradually withdraw from all Russian oil and gas, beginning with an immediate stop to all “spot purchases” of Russian crude oil. The company’s CEO, Ben van Beurden, also apologised for buying Russian crude last week, saying the decision “was not the right one” amid the continuing war in Ukraine.

[...]

Biden in his news conference on Tuesday acknowledged that his administration’s ban on Russian energy would likely lead to higher prices at US gas pumps.

“Right now, US consumers on average are paying about $4-plus for a gallon of gasoline or petrol. That’s up from about $2.70 a year ago, but that is expected to climb significantly,” said Halkett, adding that the ban could have political repercussions for Biden domestically as the US gears up for important midterm elections later this year.

“Still, this is something that the US president underscored in his remarks that he believes is worthy of doing,” she said.

  alJazeera

I'm surprised.  But I'm sure he's gambling on a deal with Venezuela, and perhaps if necessary, a release of some US product, to smooth over ruffled voters' feathers in time for the November elections.

Good luck with that

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Follow the money

America's brutal destruction of Afghanistan

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., secured a vote Thursday on President Joe Biden’s refusal to release to the Afghan central bank $9.4 billion of its own foreign reserves. It marked the first-ever vote on the White House’s lethal policy of asset denial that’s causing the displacement, starvation, and death of millions of Afghans.

[...]

Jayapal’s provision, drafted with Rep. Jesús García, D-Ill., would require the secretary of the Treasury to provide Congress with an assessment of the humanitarian suffering caused by U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan and its confiscation of the country’s foreign-held money.

[...]

As the Taliban neared Kabul last summer, Secretary of State Tony Blinken blocked the outflow of Afghanistan’s foreign currency reserves, and he hasn’t lifted a finger since then. The U.S. had spent nearly 20 years building an Afghan central banking system that was independent of the government and, despite fearmongering by a number of Democrats and Republicans, still operates without interference from the Taliban.

“These are not American taxpayer funds,” said Shah Mehrabi, a member of the central bank’s board and a professor of economics at Montgomery College, arguing for the release of Afghanistan’s reserves. “People are under the illusion that these are United States funds. These funds belong to Afghanistan. ."

[...]

Jayapal introduced her measure as an amendment to a gigantic anti-China bill that would subsidize the U.S. semiconductor and other industries with hundreds of billions of dollars and ratchet up military activities in the Indo-Pacific region. The House of Representatives passed the legislation — called the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength, or COMPETES, Act — on Friday. But the House rejected Jayapal’s amendment with 175 yes and 255 no votes, as 44 Democrats joined Republicans against the measure.

  The Intercept

Of course. Actually, I'm surprised it got 175 yes votes.

If you missed it, check out this Bulwark interview with George Packer, and/or read his Atlantic article: The Betrayal.

Jesus Christ

The Biden administration announced new sanctions on Friday against Cuba’s National Revolutionary Police and its top two officials, as the US looks to increase pressure on the communist government following this month’s protests on the island.

The Police Nacional Revolcionaria and the agency’s director and deputy director, Oscar Callejas Valcarce and Eddie Sierra Arias, were targeted in the latest sanctions announced by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

[...]

The administration said it is considering a wide range of additional options in response to the protests, including providing internet access to Cubans, and has created a working group to review US remittance policy to ensure that more of the money that Cuban Americans send home makes it directly into the hands of their families without the government taking a cut. Biden added that more sanctions were in the offing.

   alJazeera

Sixty years of sanctions already haven't done anything but deprive Cuban citizens of decent lives.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Is this supposed to make us angry?

In fact, it's something WE should have done. At least as it pertains to Wilbur Ross.

China said on Friday that it has imposed counter-sanctions on United States individuals including former US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in response to recent US sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong.

[...]

It was the second time this year that China has imposed sanctions on officials who served under former US President Donald Trump, who adopted a tough line on Beijing and confronted it over trade, business practices, human rights and other issues.

[...]

China also imposed unspecified “reciprocal counter-sanctions” on current and former representatives of a range of organisations, including the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Other institutions named included the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the International Republican Institute, Human Rights Watch, and the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC).

[...]

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a regular news briefing that the US was “undeterred” by China’s move [...] .

  alJazeera

No doubt.

“These actions are the latest examples of how Beijing punishes private citizens, companies and civil society organisations as a way to send political signals,” Psaki said.

Isn't that why everybody imposes sanctions?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Cleaning up Trump's mess - ongoing

People who were denied entry to the United States because of former President Donald Trump’s travel ban on 13 mostly Muslim-majority and African countries can seek new decisions or submit new applications, the US Department of State has said.

President Joe Biden overturned Trump’s so-called Muslim ban on January 20, his first day in office, calling it “a stain on our national conscience”.

  alJazeera

The United States on Monday revoked a sanctions waiver for Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler that was issued in the last days of the Trump administration.

The Treasury Department said exempting Gertler from sanctions was “inconsistent with America’s strong foreign policy interests in combating corruption around the world,” specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

[...]

The Treasury imposed the sanctions in December 2017 and June 2018, accusing Gertler of using his friendship with Democratic Republic of the Congo’s former president, Joseph Kabila, to win sweetheart mining deals worth more than a billion dollars.

The Trump administration eased the sanctions in a secret action in its last week in office in January, a licence granted by the Treasury Department showed.

While the licence did not remove Gertler, an associate and more than 30 of his companies from the sanctions list, it authorised, until January 31, 2022, “all transactions and activities” otherwise prohibited by sanctions against them.

The original designation of Gertler under the Magnitsky Sanctions programme made clear “Mr Gertler engaged in extensive public corruption,” the Treasury said in a statement on Monday.

The sanctions had prohibited Gertler from doing business with US citizens, companies or banks, effectively barring him from doing transactions in dollars.

  alJazeera

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Cleaning up Trump's mess - Part whatever

The Biden administration said Monday it is offering temporary legal residency to several hundred thousand Venezuelans who fled their country’s economic collapse and will review U.S. sanctions intended to isolate the South American nation.

Both measures mark a shift from U.S. policy toward Venezuela under President Donald Trump.

  AP

It was wise to wait until after the covid relief bill passed to bring it up.

Continue reading.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Should happen, but won't

The city of Detroit is calling for attorneys Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and their colleagues to be disbarred over their attempts to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, according to reports from The New York Times and Law and Crime.

The city has requested that a federal judge penalize the attorneys through sanctions, including removing their ability to practice law in the Eastern District of Michigan and issuing fines.

[...]

"We have been horrified by the inappropriate actions of these attorneys and the plaintiffs themselves, and we have intended to seek any sanction the court can order," Detroit’s counsel David Fink told Law and Crime.

  The Hill

Tudy Giuliani belongs in there, but I suppose he didn't actually file any of the lawsuits himself. Not totally stupid.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Amen

About time people started talking sanctions.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Update:

The global bully strikes

President Trump is ramping up a fight with both Iran and U.S. allies with just weeks to go before the presidential election.

The Trump administration insists all United Nations sanctions against Iran will come back into effect Saturday night and has vowed to enforce them even though the vast majority of the Security Council has rejected the United States’ authority to reimpose the sanctions.

The gambit could trigger an escalation with Iran in the final stretch of the election, and risks shining a spotlight on the administration’s increasing isolation on the world stage.

[...]

At issue is the Trump administration’s effort to snap back U.N. sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and several world powers, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

[...]

Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invoked the process to snap back sanctions, saying he set off a 30-day clock for the penalties to come into place.

[...]

The United States' European allies, he added, similarly are "driven by the desire to keep the JCPOA on ice in the hopes of a change in Washington's Iran policy" if President Trump loses reelection.

[...]

But every member of the 15-member Security Council except for the Dominican Republic rejected the U.S. standing to force the reimposition of sanctions since Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal in 2018.

Still, the administration holds the rejection means nothing and that legally the sanctions will be back in place at 8 p.m. Saturday.

  The Hilll

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

This is actually a surprise

The pressing question is:  Why is Rudy wearing a jacket three sizes too big for him?  He can afford a tailor.

The Trump administration on Thursday blacklisted four Russia-linked individuals for attempting to influence the US election, including a Ukrainian lawmaker it called “an active Russian agent” who has helped Rudy Giuliani dig up dirt on Joe Biden.

[...]

The biggest name added to the list is that of Andriy Derkach, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, who the Treasury Department said in a statement “has been an active Russian agent for over a decade, maintaining close connections with the Russian Intelligence Services.”

Derkach is part of a ragtag group of Ukrainian operatives working with [Rudy] Giuliani and hoping to help congressional Republicans surface damaging details about Biden and his family ahead of the election to benefit Trump.

  Buzzfeed

No collusion.

“Derkach and other Russian agents employ manipulation and deceit to attempt to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere around the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

[...]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Derkach "maintains close ties to Russian intelligence and sought to influence the views of American voters through a Russian-directed covert influence campaign centered on manipulating the American political process to advance Russia’s malign interests in Ukraine. This operation was designed to culminate prior to Election Day."

Did Mnuchin not know this guy was connected to Rudy? Or are they beginning the frame to cut Rudy loose and blame everything foul on him?

Perhaps they're preparing to clean their futures for when Trump is booted out of office so they can be part of the next GOP/Fascist administration. Believe me, when it comes down to the wire, they'll cut Trump loose, just like he wouldn't hesitate to cut them loose.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

We have got to get rid of these people

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.