💬 🇬🇧 Former Head of the British Army General Lord Dannatt:

US domestic opinion will be very averse to seeing large numbers of American service members coming home in body bags.

It would be foolish for any American military planner to think this could be done without casualties.

There will be casualties. There will be fatalities. The question is how many, and to what extent the US public is willing to tolerate them.

I think Donald Trump, if he’s honest with himself, has to admit he’s bitten off something pretty big — perhaps more than he can chew.

I also think a lot of domestic opinion is swinging against him, so he has some very difficult issues to face.

Frankly, if I were a senior US military adviser, I would be prepared to draw up plans for a ground operation, but I would make very clear to the president the difficulties involved and the likelihood of casualties.

My bottom-line advice would be: Mr. President, I wouldn’t do this.

#️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump has signaled 12 times that the Iran War may be close to ending, repeatedly claiming victory, predicting it would wrap up soon, or pointing to possible peace talks—even as the conflict continues into its fifth week.

💬 🇮🇱 Netanyahu on Iran:

They tried to kill Trump twice… they’re still trying to kill him.

💬 🇮🇱 Netanyahu:

I don’t hear North Korea chanting “Death to America.” I don’t hear China or Russia chanting it either.

These are all adversarial countries, but they’re not seized by fanaticism — Iran is.

💬 🇮🇱 Netanyahu on Europe:

Many European countries have shown remarkable weakness in the face of a regime that calls America the “Great Satan,” Israel the “small Satan,” and views Europe as something in between — a civilization that must also be crushed.

💬 🇮🇱 Netanyahu:

There are things that I hear from the Arab countries and from the United States as well:

And I think these are interesting ideas — to divert all the energy pipelines, oil and gas from the Gulf, where the Iranians have a geographic choke point, westward across Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea and up to the Mediterranean ports, our ports in Israel.

And therefore, you just get around the geographic choke point.

💬 🇮🇱 Netanyahu:

The Gulf States are actually encouraging the United States to accelerate its action against Iran.

💬 🇮🇱 Netanyahu:

We knocked out about 70% of Iran’s steel capacity.

#️⃣ 🇰🇼 Kuwait says its giant crude oil tanker Al-Salmi was directly targeted by an Iranian attack while anchored in the anchorage area of Dubai Port, UAE.

The tanker was fully loaded at the time of the incident.

The attack caused structural damage to the vessel and triggered a fire on board, with a possible oil spill in the surrounding waters.

⤵️ 🇺🇸 Trump’s approval just under 40% and falling.

Net approval ~ -17 (worst of his second term so far).

Main reason: rising gas prices (~$4) + economic frustration.

Iran war isn’t helping, no rally effect; it’s unpopular and tied to higher costs.

#️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 TRUMP IS READY TO END THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN WITHOUT REOPENING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ.

The White House has concluded that attempting to reopen the strait would extend the conflict beyond the planned four to six weeks, writes The Wall Street Journal.

According to the report, the president has decided that Washington should focus on its main objectives — Iran’s navy and its missile stockpiles.

⤴️ 🇺🇸 Gasoline prices in the United States have exceeded $4 per gallon for the first time since August 2022.

#️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 PERSIAN GULF COUNTRIES ARE URGING THE UNITED STATES TO CONTINUE THE OPERATION AGAINST IRAN — AP.

According to the agency’s sources, representatives of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain want the fighting to continue until radical changes occur in the leadership of the Islamic Republic.

At the same time, Oman and Qatar are leaning toward a diplomatic settlement, the Associated Press notes.