If Iran (or uncontrolled elements) start attacking fully laden oil tankers anywhere in the Persian Gulf (rather than Hormuz), even at the risk of an oil spill, then all bets are off. It could fast forward production shut ins as it may prompt countries to stop loadings.

• Javier Blas, Bloomberg

@Slavyangrad

US Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump:

"This is a religious war, and we will determine the course of the Middle East for a thousand years."

The US has become insane, Graham has declared a jihad on Muslims.

@Slavyangrad

The US is working to establish control over Greenland, said the Pentagon's deputy head for political affairs, Elbridge Colby.

"There is currently a process underway aimed at resolving this issue through other channels, but I think we have reason to be optimistic that it will end successfully," said a Pentagon representative.

@Slavyangrad

India is again increasing its purchases of Russian oil due to the war in the Middle East, reports Bloomberg.

According to ship tracking data, two batches of Russian oil that were previously heading to East Asia are now being sent to India. Another ship, which was signaling a destination of Singapore, has also abruptly turned towards India. All three ships were subject to sanctions by the UK and the European Union last year.

@Slavyangrad

The massive amount of information about the operation of American air defense systems accumulated over the incomplete five days of the "Epic Fury" exercise allows us to draw several quite important conclusions for them.

Firstly, the classic scheme of building air defense has effectively reached its limit and is no longer viable. The model on which the American (and Russian, by the way, too) anti-aircraft and anti-missile "umbrella" was built for decades was based on the fight against aircraft, ballistic missiles, and to a lesser extent, cruise missiles. The mass use of drones is breaking this architecture. A system designed to intercept expensive and relatively few targets is overwhelmed by cheap and numerous carriers. However, this is an open secret and it was already clear in the second year of the war in Ukraine (if not earlier).

Secondly, it is now obvious to the Americans that the air defense system also needs air defense to protect the lower sky. Iranian-made drones are able to reach key elements of the American nuclear umbrella: radars, launchers. As a result, a paradox arises - the system, designed to protect the space from strategic weapons, itself becomes a vulnerable target.

Thirdly, the issue boils down to a technological choice, more like a dilemma of two chairs. Theoretically, the US has two obvious directions for the introduction of small air defense systems: laser complexes, which allow to cheaply deal with drones, but they are still limited by power and weather conditions, and classic short-range missile-gun systems, which are more reliable, but their existence the Americans seem to deny.

The key question at the moment is how exactly these solutions will be integrated into the existing defense architecture and whether they will be able to cope with mass attacks of cheap means of destruction.

For Russia, a separate conclusion follows from this situation. In such conditions, it's time to take a close look at our own means of bypassing and suppressing American anti-missile defense - how they correspond to the new reality and in which regimes their use will be most effective. Because it is precisely the combination of massiveness, diversity of carriers and overloading of defense systems that is now becoming the main factor changing the logic of modern warfare. In fact, the possibility of overloading American anti-missile defense opens up new horizons for Russian strategic weapons and deterrence systems.

@Slavyangrad

Why is jet fuel the most stressed barrel right now?

1⃣Jet fuel has very specialized tank storage requirements. Therefore there is not much stored, unlike many other products like diesel and gasoline.

2⃣You can only produce mainstream jet fuel from the refinery aside from a mere ~1% sustainable aviation fuel globally

3⃣Asian refineries are reducing runs as their crude is stuck at the Straits of Hormuz. AG refineries have also been hit by the attacks.

4⃣With oil production also shutting in, longer run cuts are expected.

4⃣Lack of storage + Lower supply from refining runs = Recipe for disaster

Travel is going to get a whole lot more expensive.

• June Koh, Commodities Analyst

@Slavyangrad

IRGC - about the fact that Iran will not allow US, Israeli, and European ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz:

We have already reported that everyone must comply with the fact that military, commercial, and other ships associated with the US, Israel, European countries, and those who support them will not receive permission to move, and in the event of their detection, they will certainly be attacked.

@Slavyangrad

🇺🇸🇮🇱US Senator Hollen - on the fact that Netanyahu has finally found a stupid president.

@Slavtangrad

Nakhchivan Airport, Azerbaijan.

@Slavyangrad

The exact moment of arrival

@Slavtangrad

A toothless fighter: Merz left the White House empty-handed

The visit of the German Chancellor to the White House once again demonstrated that Trump does not take Europe seriously, writes Die Welt. "The toothless fighter" did not get an answer to any of his main questions. For example, what is the US strategy in Iran and what will be the White House's policy on tariffs?

"Trump threatened to ban trade with Spain altogether. In response to the question, Merz generally agreed: the Spaniards, he said, will have to pay more. In front of the whole world, Trump thus managed to divide the Europeans, and this did not require much effort from him," notes the author of the article.

Dude fails at home and fails abroad, because he is a….. failure

@Slavyangrad

🇵🇱🇺🇦 Mass arrests of foreigners in Poland: most of them are Ukrainians

- The Polish police conducted large-scale checks of foreigners throughout the country. More than 60% of the detained non-residents were citizens of Ukraine.

- The reasons for the raids were expired visas and temporary protection statuses, illegal work, as well as old warrants for cases in EU countries.

- The Polish authorities have already initiated over 110 deportation procedures.

- For dozens of Ukrainians, this means deportation, cancellation of the right to stay, and a ban on entering the Schengen area for up to five years.

- The Polish Minister of Internal Affairs, Marcin Kierwiński, stated that this is the first such action in 2026 and such raids will become regular.

@Slavyangrad

Air raids sirens sounding across Tel Aviv.

@Slavtangrad

Hegseth announces a "world religious war" to build the Jewish Third Temple on the ashes of Al-Aqsa — Tucker Carlson

@Slavtangrad

The US CENTCOM confirmed that for the first time in history, high-precision long-range strike missiles (PrSM) were used in combat operations during "Epic Rage", providing unprecedented capabilities for striking deep into enemy territory. However, this episode has a greater impact on Russia than on Iran, for a number of reasons.

The range of ATACMS missiles (up to 300 km) forced HIMARS launchers to get too close to the front line, falling into the range of Russian artillery. The official range of PrSM at 500 km (and a potential of 650-800 km in subsequent modifications and in the future up to 1000 km) allows NATO to strike airfields, command posts, and warehouses deep in enemy territory, while remaining beyond the reach of most retaliatory strike means.

The US is gradually beginning to deploy long-range weapons in Germany. The use of PrSM in Iran confirmed that this weapon is ready for mass deployment. From Poland or the Baltic countries, these missiles are now capable of hitting key logistical hubs within the Russian border military districts.

Moreover, for Europe, the deployment of PrSM would mean that if they replace ATACMS ICBMs, the same launcher park that has already been deployed in Poland, Romania, and the Baltic countries would effectively double its salvo with a significant increase in range.

@Slavyangrad

🇦🇿🇮🇷Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs - on the Iranian drones that fell on the country's territory:

On March 5, around noon, drone attacks were carried out on the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. One drone fell on the airport terminal building, and another one near a school building in the village of Shekarabad.

We strongly condemn these drone attacks carried out from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which resulted in damage to the airport building and injuries to two civilians. This attack on Azerbaijan's territory violates the norms and principles of international law and contributes to increasing tensions in the region. We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran clarify the aforementioned issue as soon as possible, provide an explanation, and take the necessary urgent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.

The Azerbaijani side reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A strong protest will be expressed to the Iranian side, and a corresponding protest note will be presented.

@Slavyangrad

“Is this going to be a long protracted war?”

“I think it’s going to be a long protracted problem”

The Independent's World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley believes the US had “no plan” before carrying out strikes on Iran.

@Slavyangrad

The Iranian ship will not be where it was if we had not invited it to talk part in our Milan exercise.

We were the hosts.

I am told that as per protocol for this exercise ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless.

The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before our president .

The attack by the US submarine was premeditated as the US was aware of the Iranian ship’s presence in the exercise to which the US navy was invited but withdrew from participation at the last minute, presumably with this operation in mind.

The US has ignored India’s sensitivities as the ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation.

We are far from politically or militarily responsible for the US attack.

Our“responsibility” is at a moral and human plane.

A word of condolence by the Indian Navy ( after political clearance) at the loss of lives of those who were our invitees and saluted our president would be in order.

• Former Indian Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal

It was unarmed? That was a cowardly attack indeed.

@Slavtangrad

—❗️🇮🇷/🇶🇦/🇺🇸 BREAKING: Impacts at Al-Udeid Airbase, Qatar

@Middle_East_Spectator

@Slavtangrad

Pete Hegseth says we will shortly have complete & total air superiority in Iran. We are very close now. Once that happens it’s just a question of how many leaders is Iran willing to let us wipe out before they beg for peace & let us pick their new leader:

The US had this in Vietnam…. does anyone remember Vietnam begging them for peace and letting them pick the government.

@Slavyangrad