Trump stated that the current conditions for a deal with Iran are "not good enough."

"Iran wants to make a deal, but I don't want to make it, because the conditions are not good enough yet," Trump said, adding that any conditions should be "very strong."

When asked about the possible terms of a deal, the president replied: "I don't want to tell you about it," but agreed that one of the points would be Iran's complete renunciation of any nuclear ambitions.

He also questioned whether the new supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "even alive."

"I don't know if he's even alive. So far, no one has been able to show him. I hear that he's not alive, and if he is alive, he should do something very smart for his country, namely - surrender," Trump said.

According to him, he was "surprised" that Iran attacked other countries in the Middle East.

"I was very surprised," Trump said, adding that this was "the biggest surprise for me in this whole story."
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So, Trump is delusional, or attempting to engage in his usual "big talking salesman" tactics. Perhaps both. Of course, he has to sell the idea that everything is fine to the American people. All evidence points to the fact that Trump is the one in a desperate position.

The admission that Trump didn't plan for Iran's asymmetric strikes on targets in the region to cripple logistics of perhaps the most important trade nexus in the world is astounding. He is openly admitting that he placed the Middle East and the whole world in harm's way due to his own criminal ignorance. That right there should disqualify him from running anything.

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Iranian hackers claim they are about hit Mossad hard.

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Chinese Liaison (Китайский свяZноj):

The yen has already depreciated so much that the average salary in Tokyo is almost the same as in Shanghai.

We need to intensify the stories about the shining technological Japan, living in the 25th century, and the hordes of dwarfs in straw hats in China, working for a bowl of rice and one dollar. And the stories about how dying Asian countries, which have only a few weeks left, whose economies are on the brink of collapse, who devalue their currency to keep the population in poverty, because they are totalitarian and unfairly export everything with a devalued currency, for which sanctions and tariffs should be imposed against them, and so on - on the contrary, we need to tone it down. After all, they are talking about China, but it turns out to be about Japan, and that's different (you need to understand).

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On the other side, there are the NAFOs who are simultaneously against the US attacking Iran while being pro-Kiev. You could argue that this is consistent, because "Trump is Putin's stooge, and the war in Iran is entirely Trump's doing." However, this argument falls on its face, as Zelensky has personally placed himself in opposition to Iran and sucked up to his orange father, directly offering assistance even as the father rejects him.

The conflict in Ukraine is an American project to expand the US's dominance over global affairs, just like the conflict with Iran. Regardless of which senile fool sits in the Oval Office.

Supporting Ukraine is supporting the American Empire, and there's simply no way around that. The Ukrainian leadership joined an evil empire for false promises and now shove their own citizens into a meat grinder to fulfill their master's wishes. While other President's may not be as blunt as Trump, they all advance the same goals.

🌒@EastCalling

The conflict in Iran threatens a global food crisis.

According to the Financial Times, an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East could lead to serious consequences for global food supplies due to a reduction in fertilizer supplies.

🟢Attacks disrupted the operation of a significant portion of urea production facilities in the Middle East.

🟢More than 1.1 million tons of fertilizers and components for their production are stuck in the Persian Gulf, leading to a 50% reduction in supplies.

🟢About a third of the world's urea exports and 45% of sulfur pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which was previously blocked.

🟢The shortage of fertilizers coincided with the planting season in the Northern Hemisphere, which could reduce rice yields.

🟢Since the beginning of the conflict, urea prices have risen by more than 40%.

Experts warn that a shortage of fertilizers threatens food production on many continents, which could exacerbate existing problems in global supply chains.

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In Odessa, a TCC employee (Ukraine’s conscription cops) mistakenly shocked his colleague with an electric stun gun.

At that moment, they were trying to force a detained man into a bus. Apparently, the shock was intended for him.

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Tucker Carlson says that the CIA is preparing a "criminal referral" against him for communicating with Iranians before February 28th. He also mentions that they are "reading his texts."

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Via Tasnim:

It is reported that Iran plans to also shut down the Bab Al-Mandeb.

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The speaker of the Iranian parliament Ghalibaf's reaction to Trump's claim about defeating Iran

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Military Chronicle:

The Iran-allied movement "Ansar Allah" (Yemeni Houthis) has threatened to block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the key shipping routes between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This was stated by a representative of the Houthis, Abed al-Sour.

According to him, in the event of such a decision, not only commercial ships but also military ships, including aircraft carrier strike groups, could be blocked. The talk, as claimed, will be about ships that the Houthis consider linked to the US and Israel. It is logical to assume that with the means available to the Houthis, it is unlikely to break through the layered missile defense of the US Navy's AUG without additional involvement of the IRGC's potential.

However, against the backdrop of such statements alone, fears in the West are growing about a possible "narrow bottleneck" in several strategic points of the Middle East. Thus, The Economist notes: if the Strait of Hormuz maintains restrictions or actual closure until the end of the month, some analysts predict a jump in oil prices to $150-200 per barrel. Such a scenario could hit supply chains, accelerate inflation and increase the risk of a global recession, especially for countries that import fuel and use maritime logistics. And such a scenario is quite likely even without taking into account the factor of possible problems in the Bab al-Mendab Strait area.

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Kuwaiti analyst:

You cannot appease zionists. Jared Kushner received a lot of money from the Gulf countries, and now they are being bombed. And they are being told it is their duty to fight for the zionist agenda.

🌒@EastCalling

Before this conflict began, most analysts in the USA thought that the blocking of the Hormuz Strait was some unlikely, theoretical event. Now, Trump has forced Iran's hand, and he cannot declare victory without unblocking the Strait. Otherwise, it will be clear that Iran is the one in control, and there is no telling when they will reopen it and when they could block it again.

Another reason why things will never return to "normal."

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The presidential assistant on foreign policy, Ushakov (known as Voland), sent away European diplomats.

Source: Пятница

From the article (read in full here):

The conflict in the Middle East has diverted Washington’s attention from a peace deal, according to four EU diplomats involved in talks with Ukraine. At the same time, the diplomats said, it was benefiting Russia through higher oil prices, a suspension of US sanctions and the rapid depletion of American munitions Kyiv needed.
The negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials, mediated by the US, were “really in the danger zone”, said a senior European official.
“A pause has indeed appeared in the talks. The Americans have other priorities, and that’s understandable,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The last three-way peace talks took place in Geneva on February 17-18. Another round due to take place on March 5 in Abu Dhabi was postponed because of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and a new date and venue have yet to be announced.
“The Middle East has severely reoriented political attention” away from Ukraine, one of the EU diplomats said. “For us, and for Ukraine, it’s a disaster.”

EU countries had been told that US arms shipments, particularly air defence, would be delayed as Washington prioritised Middle Eastern customers, the diplomats said, with major ramifications for Kyiv.

<...>

❗️Peskov told the FT: “The Europeans don’t want to help the peace process. When the representative of France came, he didn’t bring any positive signals. And so there was indeed nothing positive for him to hear.”
“Unfortunately, the Europeans are spending all their efforts on convincing the Ukrainians to continue the war,” he said. “We are convinced the Europeans are making a mistake from the perspective of their own future.”
Russia was confident it was winning the war, Peskov said. “The dynamic on the front is positive for us. We are advancing and getting closer to achieving our goals, but as President Putin said, we are open to a diplomatic settlement.”
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🌒@EastCalling

Oilprice.com

The oil futures paper market is likely underestimating the massive supply disruption that a closed Strait of Hormuz is creating in physical crude and fuel supply globally.

Crude futures prices briefly spiked early this week to $119 per barrel, before retreating to the $90s and trading at $100 a barrel early on Friday in Asian trade.

However, the premium of physical Dubai crude has surged to $38 per barrel over its paper equivalent, according to data compiled by Reuters columnist Clyde Russell.
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The state of a physical commodity selling at a premium to its paper value is called "backwardation." Usually, this is a "sell" signal for the market, but in the context of a supply shock, it means the opposite. Basically, the market is assuming the supply will return soon but the people buying the stuff are clamoring to get their hands on it now.

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❗️Reminder that today, at 19:00 MSK/ 17:00 CET / 12:00 EST we'll be streaming live with Colonel in reserve Vladimir Trukhan and Lt.Colonel in reserve Oleg Shalandin.

Military Update and Q&A

Livestream will be broadcasted to:

Oleg Shalandin's VK
Oleg Shalandin's Rutube channel
Our X

Ask question here with #question
Language: Russian

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