Operation Epic Fury

Five tankers seen loading oil on Iran's Kharg Island, as US blockades Strait of Hormuz - report

Another five tankers, loaded with approximately 9 million barrels of oil, were spotted in the Gulf of Oman earlier this week and are no longer visible in the images.

An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Shinas, Oman, March 11, 2026.
PEOPLE WALK past a billboard featuring an image of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a building in Tehran, last week.

Iranians fear increased repression despite ceasefire, economic collapse

US President Donald Trump gestures during a roundtable focused on tax cuts in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, April 16, 2026.

Trump cites 'some pretty good news' on Iran, says ceasefire may end if no deal reached by Wednesday

US President Donald Trump addresses a Turning Point USA event entitled "Build the Red Wall" at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 17, 2026.

Trump says Iran agreed to hand over enriched uranium, Iran denies claims


Mamdani condemns Iran war, claims conflict led to violence, prejudice within US

“The very things that I often speak about that are necessary for New Yorkers…would cost a fraction of this tens of billions that we are seeing [fund the war],” Mamdani said.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference after an Air Canada Express jet collided with a ground vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, U.S., March 23, 2026.

Vance, Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Pakistan for talks with Iran

White House officials said they were skeptical that the talks could immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as both sides accused each other of breaking commitments made to secure the ceasefire.

A man rides his motorbike past a billboard installed alongside a road as Pakistan prepares to host the US and Iran for peace talks, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 10, 2026.

The Iran war ceasefire: A guide for the informationally perplexed - opinion

Have the US and Israel achieved their objectives? These are not trivial questions. But the deeper issue is this: In today’s information environment, they may no longer have clean, binary answers.

The news cycle moves at the speed of light, but true understanding requires a slower speed. Resist the urge for instant clarity; of the world of black and white, searching out the grey is our salvation, and chance for attaining Strategic Patience.

Trump: Iranians only alive to negotiate, have no cards but 'short-term extortion' with Hormuz

"The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short-term extortion of the world by using international waterways," Trump posted on Truth Social.

US President Donald Trump gives a press conference in the White House, April 6, 2026.

Pakistan in the spotlight: A ceasefire mediator Israel should watch closely-opinion

Pakistan and Israel have no diplomatic relations and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif urged the Muslim world to identify Israel and India as “true and eternal enemies.”

Iran and Pakistan falgs. Illustration.

Airline pilots fear retribution over refusing to fly in Middle East, aviators' group says

Airline pilots express widespread safety concerns flying in the Middle East during the Iran conflict, fearing retribution from airlines for refusing high-risk assignments.

An Emirates aircraft is seen through the window of a Middle East Airlines airplane at Cairo International Airport, March 31, 2026; illustrative.

Iran-linked ships drive traffic through Strait of Hormuz, ship tracking data shows

Despite a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US, most vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in the past day are linked to Iran, according to ship tracking data.

Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026.

US consumer inflation expected to have surged in March amid Iran war

March's US Consumer Price Index is expected to show a sharp increase due to soaring oil prices from the Iran conflict, dampening hopes for a rate cut this year.

An illustration of rising prices following US-Iran conflict.

Not total victory, but a new reality: How Israel reshaped its war with Iran

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Israel did not achieve all its war aims against Iran, but it emerged more secure, with its fiercest enemy badly weakened and the regional balance shifting in its favor.

‘THOSE WHO lionize Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will portray the operation as an unmitigated success; those who loathe them will dismiss it as a total failure. The sober truth lies in between.’ Here, Netanyahu speaks to the media in Jerusalem in March.

Middle Israel: What comes after NATO? The fall of the Western alliance's era - opinion

The Western alliance has lost its compass, driver, and fuel. And since this alliance is brain-dead, a new one will have to come in its place.

US SECRETARY of State Marco Rubio meets with Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte at the State Department in Washington DC, on Wednesday. The Western alliance is brain-dead, and a new one will have to come in its place, the writer argues.