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“Already you’re seeing tankers are starting to dribble through the straits, and I think it’s a sign of how little Iran has left,” he said.
“We’re very optimistic that this is going to be over in the short run, and then there will be price repercussions when it is over for a few weeks, as the ships make it to the refineries.”
President Donald Trump on Monday repeated his call to nations to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and complained that some were not very enthusiastic about providing help to Washington.
Trump wants nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the channel for tankers that usually transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
“Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me,” Trump said at an event at the White House.
Jeff had the story earlier today: there were reports that the now-dead Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not happy about his son succeeding him. We might understand why: there are reports suggesting he could be gay. Once again, the rumor mill is spinning rapidly because it’s likely that his son, the new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is in a medically induced coma. He was severely wounded in an airstrike, which might have cost him one or both of his legs. He has no idea his dad or a large part of his family are dead, nor is he aware of the regional war happening right now.
Still, the memes to this news have been gold. Some we can’t share for obvious reasons, but they’re amazing nonetheless:
The mullahs when they find out the new Ayatollah is gay pic.twitter.com/Bhzp6H2w3u
— The Drunk Republican (@DrunkRepub) March 16, 2026
Ayatollah Khamenei and his son circa 1987: pic.twitter.com/iCZZl1ea2B
— Makaveli Memez (@MakaveliMemez) March 16, 2026
Gayatollah https://t.co/GIDaGWcFES pic.twitter.com/h2A9AcWGOl
— what.i.meme.to.say (@whatimemetosay) March 16, 2026
— DevilDog (@MAGADevilDog) March 16, 2026
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Comes Out of the Closet pic.twitter.com/MOlZacjFw8
— Associated Fress (@AssociatedFress) March 16, 2026
🌈🌈🌈 pic.twitter.com/WtJcoK7nbu
— Jayroo (@jayroo69) March 16, 2026
My Gayatollah feed right now 😂 pic.twitter.com/SAmk0JaPvg
— Brandie with a 🐝 (@BrandieWithABee) March 16, 2026
The new Ayatollah of Iran https://t.co/J6m3SSSscF pic.twitter.com/5DcpJK30VN
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 16, 2026
“GAHHHH I’m Ayatollah Mojtaba Khameini and I’m gay!!! I’m gonna throw myself off a building!!!” https://t.co/ANXkBzlS9v pic.twitter.com/VRfxkcPPtT
— Flappr (@flapprdotnet) March 16, 2026
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued statements after replacing his father who was killed in US-Israeli air strikes which started the Middle East conflict, but he has still not been seen
from www.mirror.co.uk
President Donald Trump is pressing U.S. allies to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces shut down large swaths of commercial traffic through the region.
In a Saturday post on Truth Social, the president noted that countries “who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait” would be sending ships to the area “to keep the Strait open and safe.”
He explained that while the U.S. has “already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability,” it is “easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway.”
He said he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and others would also lend their naval support to the effort to reopen the Hormuz Strait.
Despite the turbulence, oil prices, which had been above US$100 a barrel, fell sharply and stocks rallied after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC the US was “fine” to let some Iranian fuel vessels sail through the strait, and believed Indian and Chinese tankers had also passed through.
Ship-tracking data showed a Pakistan-bound oil tanker had passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, indicating that some countries are able to negotiate safe passage for their vessels.
On Sunday, Trump had demanded that countries relying heavily on oil from the Gulf should help protect the strait, and said he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate.
However, many – including Germany, Italy, Greece, Japan and Australia – said they would not send warships.
Massive march in NYC, backing the Trump Administration’s strikes on Iran.
BREAKING: Massive march in NYC, backing the Trump Administration’s strikes on Iran. pic.twitter.com/jJ540C5tjv
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 15, 2026
The Democrat media axis is lying to you. About everything.
🚨 JUST IN: Pro-Trump demonstrators are RUSHING the streets of New York City waving USA and Iranian flags — “Make Iran Great Again!”
Massive “USA!” chants are breaking out
They are canceling out the paid leftists who support Islamic terrorism! 🔥pic.twitter.com/9IJCQNZnO0
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 15, 2026
🚨 BREAKING: Pro-Trump Iranian patriots and allies just came out IN FORCE, chanting “USA! USA!” at a “Make Iran Great Again” march outside the UN in NYC
AWESOME! Cancel out the Islamist supporters, Trump is on the right side of history 🇺🇸 🇮🇷
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 15, 2026
Reality does not match the narrative being pushed:
“Polls show that the divide within the Make America Great Again movement over President Donald Trump’s operation in Iran may be exaggerated.”https://t.co/5omSil2sGb
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 12, 2026
President Trump put fire under the broader community of concerned nations: the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT! The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be (Truth).
That message continued through the weekend. New York Sun: President Trump pledged Saturday to quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz with help from a multinational naval coalition, even while claiming to have “destroyed 100%” of Iran’s military capability in a two-week campaign that has disrupted global oil supplies and raised fears of a broader regional confrontation. “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. He called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to contribute vessels, saying those nations have been harmed by what he described as “this artificial constraint” (New York Sun).
One thing the Iran War has demonstrated is that the overwhelming majority of journalists and commentators on the war are blindingly ignorant of the basics of military operations, they are unacquainted with the staff process, and they are so eaten alive by the all-devouring TDS virus that they have lost the ability to reason when Trump is involved.
The purpose of this post is not to declare victory, but to demonstrate that President Trump is leading a top-shelf strategic team put together by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. He is getting good advice, he’s listening, and he’s making good decisions.
Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported what I think is a blindingly obvious example of how command and staff relationships work and how the commander-in-chief handles those relationships, and tried to portray it as a scandal or an example of recklessness.
Before the U.S. went to war, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told President Trump that an American attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Caine said in several briefings that U.S. officials had long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones and missiles to close the world’s most vital shipping lane, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
Trump acknowledged the risk, these people said, but moved forward with the most consequential foreign-policy decision of his two presidencies. He told his team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait—and even if Iran tried, the U.S. military could handle it.
Now, two weeks into the war, Iran’s leaders have refused to back down, and the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as Tehran’s most potent leverage point.
Despite CNN being forced to walk back their fake news over the weekend where they suggested the U.S. military and the Trump administration didn’t have a plan to protect the Strait of Hormuz, ABC News program The View still pushed it during their Monday episode. The news show then went on to encourage people to vote for Democrats in the November midterms.
Chronically aggrieved co-host Sunny Hostin pushed the false claim there was no plan for dealing with Iran’s efforts to close the Strait, then suggested the national average price of gas was $8-per-gallon because of it:
I can’t believe that the president didn’t know that Iran’s response to this would be to close the Strait of Hormuz and not allow tankers in. And now our energy prices are going off the rails, $8 for gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that “we don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans” as President Trump has claimed Iran is seeking a deal to end the war between the U.S. and Iran.
“We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,” Araghchi said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
As the war entered its third week, Mr. Trump has claimed in recent days that Iran wants to reach a deal. The president said in a post on Truth Social late Friday that Iran “is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept!” On Saturday, he told NBC News that “Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet.”
But Araghchi said “we are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes,” saying “this is what we have done so far, and we continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory.”
Keir Starmer is speaking at his press conference.
The war is entering its third week, he says.
He says he has been clear in his objectives.
First, we will protect our people in the region.
Second, while taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war.
And third, we will keep working towards a swift resolution that brings security and stability back to the region and stops the Iranian threat to its neighbours.
President Donald Trump has warned that the United States has the capability to wipe out the Iranian regime’s most critical oil export hub within minutes, and the U.S. military is “locked and loaded” and ready to do so with a moment’s notice.
However, Trump says he has deliberately chosen not to pull the trigger – yet.
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said U.S. forces are fully prepared to destroy Kharg Island, the regime’s primary oil export terminal and a vital economic lifeline for Tehran.
“We can do that on five minutes’ notice,” Trump said.
“We have it all locked and loaded and ready to go if we want to do it.”
President Donald Trump delivered a stark warning to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), urging allied nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and cautioning that failure to do so could have serious implications for the alliance.
Speaking in an interview with The Financial Times, Trump said NATO members that rely on the critical shipping route should share responsibility for protecting it.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said.
“If there’s no response, or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”
President Donald Trump wants the world to act quickly to stop Iran from threatening shipping in the Straits of Hormuz. Iran has used mines, drones, and naval harassment to disrupt traffic through the narrow channel between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. About one-fifth of global oil shipments travel through that route, and a shutdown would send fuel costs climbing across the world within days. Trump’s message to allies and rivals alike remains simple: help reopen the waterway and keep global commerce moving.
Trump already ordered American forces to strike all remaining Iranian maritime assets and energy facilities tied to the effort to block shipping. U.S. forces destroyed over 30 Iranian mine-laying vessels and carried out strikes against an oil hub on Kharg Island. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth supports the campaign and has kept naval forces in the region on alert.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded with warnings that Iran would increase retaliation if attacks continue. Trump still calls on allied navies to join the effort and escort tankers through the strait.
This is a developing story.
A U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft has gone down in Western Iraq.
Recovery efforts are underway.
Right now, it is not believed that the crash was caused by hostile or friendly fire.
Here’s what we know so far:
U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT CRASH — WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
– Two KC-135 refueling aircraft involved
– One crashed in western Iraq
– The second landed safely in Israel
– Six people were aboard the crashed aircraft
– Search and rescue operations underway
– Incident not caused by hostile…— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) March 12, 2026
There is little doubt that U.S. and Israeli strikes on military targets inside Iran have dealt a severe blow to the country’s capacity to wage war. The campaign has eliminated the first and second tiers of Iran’s leadership, destroyed more than 60 naval vessels, degraded its weapons stockpiles, and dismantled key air-defense systems — leaving large portions of the regime’s political and command infrastructure in disarray.
Yet despite the devastation, Iran’s leadership shows no sign of capitulation. Instead, it remains defiantly entrenched. As the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps exhausts its remaining military options, it has increasingly turned to another weapon: a coordinated propaganda campaign waged through its state-controlled media. And, as so often happens, the anti-American foot soldiers of the U.S. legacy press have proven more than willing to amplify it.
President Donald Trump said the replacement for the deceased Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, hasn’t been killed, although he implied he was seriously injured.
The statement, made in an interview with Fox News set to air on Friday morning, was first reported by Fox and other sources on Thursday night.
The announcement comes after much speculation that the new supreme leader had also been killed in one of the airstrikes that led off the joint U.S./Israeli campaign against Iran on Feb. 28.
President Donald Trump campaigned on ending endless wars, not starting them. Just over a year into his second term, he is delivering this on his terms. The U.S.–Israeli 2026 military campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, which began following Iran’s reckless provocations in the wake of the 12-Day War, has already achieved its strategic goals. With only a small number of remaining nuclear facilities left to neutralize and the Strait of Hormuz on track to be fully secured within the coming weeks, the United States stands ready to proclaim mission accomplished and swiftly conclude major combat operations.
President Donald Trump blasted the New York Times early Friday morning for its coverage of Operation Epic Fury, claiming that it showed that the U.S. was “not winning.” The president provided a list of military accomplishments so far and teased that something would be occurring “today.”
“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth.”
U.S. Central Command has confirmed that the military lost a plane as “Operation Epic Fury” continues in the Middle East.
CENTCOM put out a statement on Thursday and shared the news on X:
U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the…
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has released video footage showing American strikes destroying the Iranian regime’s outdated aircraft on the ground as the U.S. military continues its campaign against the Islamic Republic.
“The Iranian regime is losing air capability day by day,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X.
“U.S. forces aren’t just defending against Iranian threats, we are methodically dismantling them,” the command added.
The post included a video showing several Iranian planes being destroyed.
CNN’s Abby Phillip had to issue an on-air correction for pushing fake news. She can pretend that it was a mistake all she wants, but the facts were known well before she decided to push a blatantly false narrative about the bombing attempt in New York City over the weekend. As someone who fancies herself a journalist, it was inexcusable.
Iranian missiles and drones attacked at least five vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, signaling a major escalation by Iran in the war. The attacks resulted in the virtual closure of the strait to normal maritime traffic.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly appointed supreme leader of Iran, was notably absent from a rally held in Tehran celebrating his appointment, raising fresh questions about the stability of the regime following the recent war with the United States and Israel.
Thousands of supporters gathered Monday at Enghelab Square for the event, which was organized to mark the transition of power after the death of longtime ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
But the man the crowd came to celebrate never appeared.
President Trump revealed during a press conference at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that the U.S. government knows the locations of suspected Iranian sleeper cell operatives and is closely monitoring them as Operation Epic Fury unfolds in the Middle East.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, reportedly issued his first public “statement” Thursday as swirling rumors claimed he is gravely wounded, possibly in a coma and even missing part of a leg after the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father and shattered Tehran’s leadership.
The message was not delivered in person. Instead, Iranian state TV aired a lengthy statement read by an anchor while an image of Khamenei was displayed on screen.
In the statement, Khamenei vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to shipping and promised retaliation.