Trump's 'Mini-War' in Iran Is... Back
Trump’s Iran war re-escalates with Congress, again, conveniently absent. Plus, new polling shows astonishing support for Palestine and a potential outsider in the New York suburbs.
On this day in 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on Saint Helena. The former emperor of France was sent to the bleak island in the southern Atlantic Ocean in October 1815, having refused to accept the end of his time in power. Just saying.
Good morning, friends. Prem here. Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday, wherever you are. And I am sending warm wishes to you all in Iran and the Gulf, because the so-called “ceasefire,” as with the other such “ceasefires” over the past two-and-a-half years, is proving to be fleeting…
In today’s ‘First Draft,’ Donald Trump can’t decide if hostilities are “terminated” – let alone if those hostilities were “war,” a “mini-war,” or a “special operation.” Also: new polling from the New York suburbs shows how far left rank-and-file Democrats have moved on Israel and Palestine – and yet, the party machine is intervening in California to boost a candidate who said Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and then… changed her mind.
Trump the Terminator
Days after President Donald Trump claimed hostilities against Iran had been “terminated,” that seems, predictably, anything but the case, as the US, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates attack and counterattack over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made last week’s claim that fighting had stopped in order to avoid having to seek congressional authorization for his war, as he passed a 60-day deadline to do so, per the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
Republicans in control of Congress show no sign of holding Trump to that limit, but nonetheless, his logic was spurious, as he claimed that time during a ceasefire didn’t count towards the 60-day limit. Moreover, Trump claimed that the war was “terminated” in the middle of a massive deployment of troops and resources, in part to help maintain a blockade of Iranian ports and shipping in response to its closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a move that only took effect after Trump attacked Iran, and which has tanked global markets, causing oil prices to surge and restricting the flow of agricultural products.
On Sunday, Trump announced “Project Freedom,” his plan to have US vessels escort stranded ships out of the Strait. He called the operation a “Humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran,” and warned that any interference would “unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
Iran’s national security and foreign policy chief, Ebrahim Azizi, threatened retaliation.
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