The Trump Card...

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Good, good. Time for the other countries to step up.
If items 1-3 have been accomplished, how does Iran keep launching missiles at US targets, Israel, and targets in various other countries?

Also, Trump previously called on the Iranian people to rise up and take control of their government, and for Iranian soldiers and police to surrender to the "Patriots." And he has called out to have a hand in selecting Iran's new leader. None of that is mentioned in his post. Why not? Did he give up (surrender) on those objectives? Is it now acceptable to Trump that Iran's current Supreme Leader remain in charge, and that the current regime remain in place?

You say it is time for other countries to step up. Why do you think that? By their refusals so far, they seem to disagree. When Trump asked them to step up with navy support, they turned down Trump cold.

Finally, Trump spoke of "winding down" US military efforts in Iran. He said nothing of Iran winding anything down. And he said nothing about reopening the Straight of Hormuz.

Is it Trump's plan to simply stop attacking Iran, calling it a day, and letting Iran decide if and when the war will end? Is it Trump's plan to let us continue to endure the "small price to pay" at the fuel without a foreseeable end?
 
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muttly

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If items 1-3 have been accomplished, how does Iran keep launching missiles at US targets, Israel, and targets in various other countries?

Also, Trump previously called on the Iranian people to rise up and take control of their government, and for Iranian soldiers and police to surrender to the "Patriots." And he has called out to have a hand in selecting Iran's new leader. None of that is mentioned in his post. Why not? Did he give up (surrender) on those objectives? Is it now acceptable to Trump that Iran's current Supreme Leader remain in charge, and that the current regime remain in place?

You say it is time for other countries to step up. Why do you think that? By their refusals so far, they seem to disagree. When Trump asked them to step up with navy support, they turned down Trump cold.

Finally, Trump spoke of "winding down" US military efforts in Iran. He said nothing of Iran winding anything down. And he said nothing about reopening the Straight of Hormuz.

Is it Trump's plan to simply stop attacking Iran, calling it a day, and letting Iran decide if and when the war will end? Is it Trump's plan to let us continue to endure the "small price to pay" at the fuel without a foreseeable end?
Trump : Either destroy the regime or they unconditionally surrender.


We will be alright. It’s a temporary situation. In the meantime, ride your electric bike to work.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Smart move:
It's a smart move to lift the sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil? Iran is killing US troops, destroying US facilities, and attacking Israel and other friendly nations (to the extent we have any friends left). And Trump admin lifts sanctions so oil money will more easily flow into Iran's coffers? How is that a smart move? What is the benefit?
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Trump : Either destroy the regime or they unconditionally surrender.


We will be alright. It’s a temporary situation. In the meantime, ride your electric bike to work.
You did not answer the question:

If items 1-3 have been accomplished, how does Iran keep launching missiles at US targets, Israel, and targets in various other countries?

Regarding the other, I do not own an electric bike. I live close enough to work to walk if need be. My days of paying $500 to refuel are history.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Trump Is Not a General or Military Strategist. He's a Fool With a Flamethrower.

On March 21, on Truth Social, Trump said: "If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP"

When he posted that, did he actually think Iran would reopen the Straight? What did he actually expect to come out of this threat?

If he secretly loves bombing the s**t out of other countries because it's fun, he got the continuing war he wants. If he actually believed his ultimatum would have a positive effect, he is sadly mistaken.

Iran responded on social media the next day:

"Following previous warnings, if Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is violated by the enemy, all energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the U.S. and the [Zionist] regime in the region will be targeted."

Consider how this looks to Israel and the other Mideast nations that have been repeatedly attacked by Iran -- with pinpoint accuracy.

On Thursday evening, with no warning or courtesy notification to anyone, Trump blurts out an ultimatum. Iran response, telling the other nations tat their water supply and power plants are now at extreme risk. How happy do you think they are with Trump as his deadline approaches?

Iran is a mountainous country. With extra effort, they can obtain water from that source. Some of the other countries in the Mideast are deserts and they are highly dependent if not exclusively dependent on desalination plants for their water. Iran has a major advantage here. With one missile, they cal lay waste to a facility that will create a thirst crisis in Saudi Arabia, for example.

A thirsty population acts differently than one that has drinking water available. Do you think that even entered Trump's mind as he eased his personal anxiety with his ill-considered tweet?

There sits the fool, with his unhinged imagination and his phone.
 
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muttly

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
It's a smart move to lift the sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil? Iran is killing US troops, destroying US facilities, and attacking Israel and other friendly nations (to the extent we have any friends left). And Trump admin lifts sanctions so oil money will more easily flow into Iran's coffers? How is that a smart move? What is the benefit?
Those proceeds will be severely restricted.
Grok:
IMG_3827.jpegIMG_3828.jpeg
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Those proceeds will be severely restricted.
Grok:
What Grok says about this was true until recently but two things make it less so today.

1. Iran is a full member of BRICS, which conducts foreign trade in their currencies, not the US Dollar exclusively like before.

2. The petro-dollar isn't what it used to be. The oil countries have been accepting payment in Chinese Yuan for some time now, precisely to loosen the grip the US used to have by virtue of the dollar being the sole global reserve currency.

Iran will be perfectly fine accepting payment in Yuan instead of dollars because a large group of nations now also accept Yuan in foreign trade. These days, a BRICS country can readily accept and spend Yuan across borders. They don't need the dollar to do that anymore, and they don't need Western banks.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Those proceeds will be severely restricted.
Grok:
I had an additional thought about this. The Grok info you shared describe exactly the devices with which sanctions are enforced. Trump lifted the sanctions, there by neutralizing every item on the list. Whether Iran collects payment for its oil in US dollars or Chinese Yuan, Trump is literally giving Iran a free pass. That's Iran ... you know, the country that is killing US soldiers and destroying BILLIONS of dollars worth of US assets.

Trump is so desperate to get the price of gas back down that he'll try anything to do so. Lift sanctions on Russia's oil sales? Yes. Lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales, yep. That too.

Rewarding Iran is inconsistent with destroying Iran. How do you rationally explain that? You can't, unless you admit that Trump has no plan, acts on impulse, and suffers from increasingly severe dementia.
 
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muttly

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I had an additional thought about this. The Grok info you shared describe exactly the devices with which sanctions are enforced. Trump lifted the sanctions, there by neutralizing every item on the list. Whether Iran collects payment for its oil in US dollars or Chinese Yuan, Trump is literally giving Iran a free pass. That's Iran ... you know, the country that is killing US soldiers and destroying BILLIONS of dollars worth of US assets.

Trump is so desperate to get the price of gas back down that he'll try anything to do so. Lift sanctions on Russia's oil sales? Yes. Lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales, yep. That too.

Rewarding Iran is inconsistent with destroying Iran. How do you rationally explain that? You can't, unless you admit that Trump has no plan, acts on impulse, and suffers from increasingly severe dementia.
Wrong. I doubt the Iran “military leaders”, whoever they may be at the current time, are getting a free pass.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Regarding Trump's "I am pleased to report ... good and productive conversations" post, did it even enter your mind to see what Iran is saying about this? Did you think it might be wise to fact check Trump's post?

It entered my mind and it took just seconds to learn that Iran has issued multiple denials. The truth is, the talks Trump speaks of did not happen. Trump is lying to you and the world about this.

It's that simple. Trump is lying.

Per Grok:

Iran has categorically denied U.S. President Donald Trump's claim of "very good and productive" (or similar phrasing like "good and productive") talks between the two countries.

Multiple Iranian official sources and state-affiliated media outlets have rejected the assertion that any direct or indirect negotiations, discussions, or contacts have occurred.Key points from Iran's responses include:Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a statement denying any dialogue between Tehran and Washington, describing Trump's announcement as an attempt to lower energy prices and "buy time" for potential military actions.

State-run or semi-official outlets (e.g., Mehr News, Fars News Agency linked to the IRGC, Mizan news agency) quoted sources stating there have been "no direct or indirect talks," no negotiations, and that Trump's claims amount to "psychological warfare."

Iranian media framed Trump's decision to postpone planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days as a [Trump] "backdown" or "retreat" due to Iran's firm warnings and credible military threats (e.g., potential broad retaliation against regional energy facilities), rather than the result of productive diplomacy (Emphasis mine).

Tehran reiterated its stance against any negotiations until its war objectives are met, and that de-escalation requests should be directed at Washington as the party that initiated the conflict. (Emphasis mine)

This contradiction arose in the context of Trump's March 23, 2026, announcement (via Truth Social) that recent conversations had led to a conditional pause in military action amid ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, including issues around the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian responses appeared swiftly after his post, emphasizing defiance and portraying the pause as a response to Iran's threats rather than bilateral progress.

No evidence from available reports indicates Iran has acknowledged or confirmed any such talks. The situation remains tense, with markets reacting to de-escalation hopes from Trump's side, while Tehran maintains a hardline position.
 
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Pilgrim

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Retired Expediter
Regarding Trump's "I am pleased to report ... good and productive conversations ..." post, did it even enter your mind to see what Iran is also saying about this? Did you think it might be wise to fact check Trump's post?

It entered my mind and it took just seconds to learn that Iran has issued multiple denials. The truth is, the talks Trump speaks of did not happen. Trump is lying to you and the world about this.

It's that simple. Trump is lying. He lied to you, and you bought it.

Per Grok:

Iran has categorically denied U.S. President Donald Trump's claim of "very good and productive" (or similar phrasing like "good and productive") talks between the two countries.

Multiple Iranian official sources and state-affiliated media outlets have rejected the assertion that any direct or indirect negotiations, discussions, or contacts have occurred.Key points from Iran's responses include:Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a statement denying any dialogue between Tehran and Washington, describing Trump's announcement as an attempt to lower energy prices and "buy time" for potential military actions.

State-run or semi-official outlets (e.g., Mehr News, Fars News Agency linked to the IRGC, Mizan news agency) quoted sources stating there have been "no direct or indirect talks," no negotiations, and that Trump's claims amount to "psychological warfare."

Iranian media framed Trump's decision to postpone planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days as a [Trump] "backdown" or "retreat" due to Iran's firm warnings and credible military threats (e.g., potential broad retaliation against regional energy facilities), rather than the result of productive diplomacy (Emphasis mine).

Tehran reiterated its stance against any negotiations until its war objectives are met, and that de-escalation requests should be directed at Washington as the party that initiated the conflict. (Emphasis mine)

This contradiction arose in the context of Trump's March 23, 2026, announcement (via Truth Social) that recent conversations had led to a conditional pause in military action amid ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, including issues around the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian responses appeared swiftly after his post, emphasizing defiance and portraying the pause as a response to Iran's threats rather than bilateral progress.

No evidence from available reports indicates Iran has acknowledged or confirmed any such talks. The situation remains tense, with markets reacting to de-escalation hopes from Trump's side, while Tehran maintains a hardline position.
So you choose to believe Baghdad Bob from Iran rather than Trump? TDS is real. Also what was the query you offered grok to generate that response?
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
So you choose to believe Baghdad Bob from Iran rather than Trump? TDS is real. Also what was the query you offered grok to generate that response?
You make a worthy point. In a war, both sides are prone to lie for propaganda purposes. But in this case, the question at hand is so clear that the truth can be easily discerned. To have talks, both sides must actually talk. If one side says they talked and the other side does not, it's pretty clear who is telling the truth.

Now, you could say the side that said there has been no talks is lying about that, for reasons unknown. So to consider that, we look for confirming facts. In this case, the confirming facts include:
  • Multiple and clear denials from multiple Iranian sources.
  • The Straight of Hormuz remains closed.
  • US ground troops remain inbound toward or stationed near Iran.
  • No public evidence exists of any meetings happening anywhere (no footage showing negotiators in meetings).
The only way you can logically assert that Trump is telling the truth and Iran is lying is to invent some super-secret reason why it is logical for Iran to lie about something like this. If it is true that "good and productive conversations" has happened and both sides actively participated, how does it serve Iran to deny that?

It is very easy to say how it serves Trump to lie about this. He is desperate to bring oil prices down and to calm the declining stock markets. His Truth Social post did that very thing, especially at first, when the algo-traders reacted to the news in premarket trading.

That explains Trump's motive to lie. What would Iran's motive be to deny "good and productive conversations" if they actually happened?

With all that said, fairness requires me to mention an additional fact. I do not believe it to be decisive in the "whose lying?" question above, but it is an important new development that merits mention.

In the last 24 hours, none of the major players (US, Israel, Iran) has launched strike against the other. This is the first 24 hour period like this since Trump illegally started this war on Feb. 28. There have been "quiet" times when there were just a single attack in a 24 hour period, but not a 24-hour period like this when there were no attacks.
 
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