The Paris Playground






Here we go again:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/14/middle-east-crisis-live-hezbollah-urges-lebanon-to-pull-out-of-talks-with-israel-blockade-of-strait-of-hormuz-begins

As stated in an earlier post - this is about exploitation and not negotiation for Iran.  They are not done with us yet.  The image above appears graphically enriched.  But Admiral Jong Dun is verbally enriched in his response to U.S. desires to blockade the waterway.  The Minister of Defense has made his position abundantly clear.   And a Chinese vessel is moving peacefully through the Strait of Hormuz.




Iran continues to massage the situation, calling Spain a true friend.  Hmm  What are they being offered? A squatter has taken up residence in our Department of State, and that squatter's name is Tehran. The Islamic Republic is undoubtedly making deals with the allies we claimed not to need; the allies we so desperately now wish to support us.

We have made unattainable demands on Iran.  We have placed Iran in a subservient role as opposed to an equal role at the negotiation table.  The subservient role is only taken when there is a clear victor.  And with a leadership fatwa that no U.S. flagged ship would ever pass through the port again from a leader who was killed hours after he released his amr (command) into IRGC chain of command, we should step out with a new model for resolution.

Iran will not give up their nuclear science and technology flank.  Perhaps our only negotiation in Paris should focus on a re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz to all ships in need of passage.  And what?  What do we have to offer them in exchange for the required equilibrium needed for global markets to stabilize?

There is an interesting AI graphic of President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on a dilapidated ship with the theme "The Pirates of the Caribbean".   Yes. This is about opening a choke point.  There is an order of operations. And mathematically, we need to resolve what is inside the initial set of brackets first.  If we can accomplish this in Paris,  additional bracketed equations will be more easily resolved.  But we are hardly in a position to make bloated demands.  Not when we are holding a porridge dish and asking for more. 

Each negotiation delay strengthens Tehran's political capital in the region.  The message is clear. "Hey, we will not deal with the United States.  But you can deal with us directly instead."

Spain - is in an enviable position.  And they know it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Charlie Kirk Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" would not exist if he had been assassinated for his thoughts at age thirty-one. I would have never read Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago" if he had been assassinated for his political thoughts at thirty-one years of age. Winston Churchill would have never written "Hinge of Fate" (one of my favorite selections) had he been assassinated at thirty-one years of age. Ernest Hemingway was fifty-three years old when "The Old Man and the Sea" was published. Leon Uris was thirty-four years old when his novel "Exodus" was published. The average age of the delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention was forty-two.  Benjamin Franklin was 81 years of age at this time. The famous Persian poet Ferdowsi began writing "Shahnameh" when he was 37 years old and did not complete it until he was about seventy years of age.  This would be a tremendous loss not to have access to his though...
Read more
Image
Mohamed Elhassan He is powerful, made up of imperceptible layers.  He was only in his mid-teens when he first heeded the call to political action traveling to the Republic Palace of President Jafar Nimeiri seeking justice for his family. He is a well-respected Sufi.  In June,  he was awarded a Masters Degree in Islamic Studies from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar).  A recognized leader of the Kwahla tribe - with 16 million members.   Fast forward to 2010 and 2015 when he ran for President of the Sudan.  In 2015, it was my privilege to serve in a minor advisory role.  In recent years, he has given an enviable one hundred interviews with Al Jazeera Mobasha (life).   His name is Mohamed Elhassan.  I merely call him "friend". Mohamed Elhassan is president of the Sudanese Gathering Accord.  He is a man who knows his business, takes care of his business, and more importantly, takes care of his people. Less than a month ago he tra...
Read more
State of the Union:  Live Blogging Tammy and Blackfoot will begin live blogging shortly.  Grab your favorite drink and your BINGO cards and get ready to settle in for two hours of our POTUS speaking at SOTU.  We hope to keep this fun! https://opinionbytammy.blogspot.com/2026/02/state-of-union-bingo-cards.html __________________ Here we go, gang! "Gang" in the friendly family way, not in the Tren de Aragua way. President Trump and Mrs. Trump have left the White House and are on their way to the Capitol. I'm sure these past few days have been chock full of leafing through journals and diaries, and holding meetings with the inner circle for messaging strategies. Regardless of how much input his team gives him, we can always rely on our POTUS to not mince words, to lay the facts on the table and give us straight talk. Recently saw Newsom talking about Trump being an actor, and that he's a different person in different situations. Once again, Gavin is projecting his weakne...
Read more