EUnuch’s are flakes. Macron, Starmer & Merz are despicable. Meloni is a disappointment, and that Spanish blowhard Pedro Sanchez is beneath contempt.
Macron lectures the world about stability and restraint while France quietly does the opposite behind closed doors.
In a single day, France aligned with China and Russia at the UN Security Council to block a resolution that would have enabled action to reopen the Strait of… pic.twitter.com/YsMNJANpMj
My message here clearly struck a nerve. A few friends from when I was press secretary, domestically and abroad, don’t like what I said. Instead of seeing how Western European nations must change, they just want to attack Trump.
No, Iran has not announced or granted blanket “free passage” to all French ships and tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a special reward for Macron’s stance. What actually happenedA single French-owned container ship (CMA CGM Kribi, Malta-flagged) successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 2–3, 2026. It was the first known French-linked (and Western European-linked) vessel to do so since the recent Iran-related conflict escalated and largely shut down commercial traffic.
If these were senior leaders in the IRGC, you have to wonder who is left to negotiate with. Seems like the IRGC wants to go down with the ship since there seems to be no progress with the negotiations. So what will probably happen is we will keep bombing for a few more days until there is almost nothing left of Iran’s military and civilian infrastructure. Then we’ll determine that they are not a threat for a generation to come, and leave. As for the Strait of Hormuz, that’s Europe’s, China, and India’s problem. Let them have some skin in the game.
Trump said Operation Epic Fury was nearing completion of its core military objectives, while warning that Iran would be hit “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks if it refused to accept terms. He also warned the regime could be sent “back to the stone ages” if it continued to resist.
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump wrote. “Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign [sic] down on them. Glory be to GOD!”
Trump had previously warned that if Tehran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and failed to reach terms, the United States could strike major regime infrastructure, including electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island — the country’s main oil export hub.
— Liberal Tear Creator™ (@LibTearCreator1) April 4, 2026
Iran claims downing of 2 US planes; Hormuz ‘deadline’ looms
Iran claims the downing of two C-130 planes and two Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the US. State television broadcast footage of wreckage, saying it belonged to one of the planes.
This claim comes hours after US President Donald Trump says the American officer who went missing in Iran after the downing of his F-15E fighter jet has been rescued and is “now safe and sound”.
Japan will provide Australia with a normal level of fuel supply as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
The Australian government is continuing to meet with fuel exporters in the region to shore up ongoing supply.
What’s next?
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is planning a visit to Australia, Japanese media is reporting.
Fuel will continue to flow from Japan into Australia under assurances given during recent talks between the two countries.
Australia sources just 0.7 per cent of its petrol and 6.8 per cent of its diesel from Japan, with the bulk of it coming from Singapore and South Korea, according to data published by the NRMA.
Japan is among the top five countries from which Australia sources refined fuels.
Australia now has fuel reserves equivalent to 39 days’ worth of petrol, 29 days’ worth of diesel and 30 days’ worth of jet fuel.
Trump has repeated a demand for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, issuing what he says is a 48-hour deadline.
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them.”
Connectivity watchdog NetBlocks reports that Iran’s internet has now been down for 35 days, a total of 840 hours, as it enters its 36th day.
US-Israeli attacks have hit two petrochemical plants in southern Iran’s Khuzestan province, and one person has been killed in another strike on the Bushehr nuclear site.
The UAE today bore the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory attacks on GCC countries, saying it responded to 23 ballistic missiles and 56 drones today.
Previous blog entries:
Trump scolds allies for not joining Strait of Hormuz mission
European leaders have rejected demands by US President Donald Trump to join military operations to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Germany says it has no intention of joining the US-Israeli war as Europe’s foreign policy chief says EU nations have “no appetite” to send forces to ensure open navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran says it has closed access “to our enemies”.
Thousands of Iranians gathered in Tehran for the funeral of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval commander, killed in an Israeli strike, with mourners pledging unwavering resistance despite stern warnings from the United States.
People attend Alireza Tangsiri’s funeral, holding his portrait and that of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right. [AFP]
Walking away completely is not the answer. Forcing a renegotiation is. It’s time NATO needs to pay the U.S. for it’s involvement with NATO.
For decades, the United States has carried this alliance on its back. We fund it. We defend it. We lead it. Meanwhile, too many member nations freeload, underinvest in their own defense, and still expect American protection. That era should be over. If NATO wants the United States, NATO needs to pay for the United States. Period.
And then there’s Spain.
If Spain is blocking U.S. access to bases and airspace during critical operations tied to Iran, that’s not just unhelpful. That’s betrayal. You don’t get to sit under the NATO umbrella while undermining the very country that makes that umbrella possible.
So here’s the line. Spain should be kicked out of NATO.
Not warned. Not negotiated with. Removed.
An alliance requires loyalty. If Spain won’t stand with America when it matters, they don’t belong. Let them see what defense looks like without the United States backing them.
The US and Israel step up attacks, targeting a century-old medical research centre in Tehran, a bridge near the capital and steel plants after United States President Donald Trump threatens to bomb Iran back to “the Stone Ages”.
During his address to the nation on Wednesday, Trump said that the US was close to completing its core objectives in Iran – but didn’t offer a firm timeline for when the conflict might end. Iran says Tehran will continue to ‘fight back’.
Two of Iran’s biggest steel plants – Khuzestan Steel Company in the city of Ahvaz and Mobarakeh Steel Company in the central Isfahan province – say they have been pushed out of service following a series of US-Israeli attacks.
How far the Houthis are willing to go in this war?
Houthis in Yemen joined the regional conflict between their ally Iran and its enemies, the United States and Israel, by firing ballistic missiles into Israel last week.
UAE tells Iranian expats it will ‘protect rights of all residents’
The UAE says Iranians living there are a “respected and valued” part of society and the state is committed to protecting their safety and rights.
An estimated half a million Iranians live in Dubai alone.
Trump: “Well, I think it’ll [Hormuz] automatically open, but my attitude is, I’ve obliterated the country.”
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President Trump has posted on social media this morning, clearly signaling he is further down the road towards an off-ramp:
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All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT
The reaction was a drop in the price of oil…
Former IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohsen Rezaee: There Will Be No Ceasefire This Time; Iran’s Missiles Are “Infinite”; We Are Holding the U.S. by the Neck – The Fate of Hitler in the Snows of Russia Awaits the Americans pic.twitter.com/P7JEcdUUMk
TEHRAN — Iran fired missiles across the Middle East on Tuesday as its capital was hit by fresh explosions, after US President Donald Trump threatened the country’s key oil export hub, power stations and desalination plants.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview that US President Donald Trump prefers diplomacy as a way to end the conflict with Iran, and direct talks with Tehran are ongoing through intermediaries.
Trump earlier threatened to target Iran’s civilian energy infrastructure, including power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island, if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement comes after Madrid refused to let Washington use jointly operated military bases for the US-Israel war on Iran.
US President Donald Trump threatened to cut trade with Madrid after the Spanish government denied the US use of the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain, forcing 15 US aircraft to relocate.
Spain has also been a vocal critic of Israel’s war on Gaza. In October, its parliament approved the enshrinement in law of a total arms embargo on Israel, permanently banning the sale of weapons, dual-use technology and military equipment.
Some action in Judea & Samaria:
This is from Al Jazeera, so the language is about “settlers” & “occupied”.
Israeli forces stormed schools run by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in the Shuafat refugee camp, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli forces arrested a 24-year-old student during a raid on his home in Kafr al-Dik, west of Salfit.
Dozens of Israeli settlers set up mobile homes on Palestinian-owned land in the village of Birin, southeast of Hebron, to expand the illegal outpost of Mitzpe Ziv.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains closed after it was shut to Muslim worshippers in late February. Israeli authorities extended the state of emergency until mid-April.
The Israeli parliament approved the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners accused of killing Israelis.
For more on what has happened in Palestinian territory this week, here is a recap.
