LOS ANGE;ES (OC).–Calls for revenge against the U.S. at the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral at the Grand Mosque in Tehran. Calls for revenge by Iranian President Mahmoud Peseshkian, Foreign Miniter Abbas Aragchi and Parliament Speaer Mohammed Galibraf do nothing to resolve the remaining issues to complete the MOU to develop a lasting peace. Whether or not the bad mood continues after Khamenei’s funeral is anyone’s guess. Iran’s mullah government hand on by a thread wheile the terrorist IRGC seems like in now controls theTehran-based mullah government. Ali Khamenei inherited the leadership of Iran after the June 3, 1989 death of Iran’s Revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei. Khamenei rule Iran for nearly 37 years, following in Khomenei’s tradition of blaming Israel for everything evil in the Middle East.
Khamenei developed a proxy terrorist network funding-and-arming Gaza’s Hamas Palestinian terror grou. Lebanon’s Hezbollah Shiite milita and Yemen’s Shiite Houth rebels, all committed to destroying Israel. So, when it comes to the current MOU, Iran’s mullah government lacks the resources needed to prolong the war with the United States. Iran’s air defenses are in shambles with its nuclear program disabled from heavy bombing from the U.S. and Israel. Democrats and the fake news doubted President Donald Trump‘s statement that the nuke program was “obliterated.” Whether admitted to or not, Trump fairly described the state of Iran’s nuke program, used by Ayatollah Khamenei as a kind of deterrent by enriching uranium to 60%, not the 3.67% promised under the old 2015 Iranian Nuke Deal. Khomenei was proud of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
Since President Donald Trump cancelled former President Barack Obama’s Nuke Deal May 8, 2018, Ayatollah Khamenei gave orders to ramp up unranium enrichment to just under weapons grade material. Iran possesses over 1,000 pounds of 60% uranium, something Trump wants handed over to a neutral country like Russia or giving to the U.S. for disposal. So far, Iranhas rejected Trump’s proposals to dispose of the remaining stockpile but no one knows whether it’s even accessible with all the bombing. Trump’s focus should be on concluding areas of agreement with Iran, like opening up the Strait of Hormuz without tolls or interference. When it comes to Iran’s nuke program, there’s no evidence that it presents a threrat to the U.S., Israel or any other Mideast country. Trump MOU demands that Iran surrender its 1,000 stockpile of 60% uranium to the U.S.
U.S. navy continues to escort ships in the Strait of Hormuz, largely because the IRGC does not recognize agreements made by the Tehran-based mullah government. Ayatollah Khamenei, whose funeral was attended by his three sons but not newly minted successor Mojtaba KIhamenei, set up the IRGC to run the country, something now happening since his death. Mohtaba’s absence from Khamenei’s three-day funeral proceedings shows that he’s either too disabled to attend or may not be alove at all. When the mullah government swore in Mohtaba March 2, it was clear its was a hssty event, largely because no one knew his medical condition fdrom the Feb. 28 bombing that killed his father. Not attending the funeral, it’s clear that Mojtaba may not be alive at all. There’s no evidence, only unconfirmed speculation, that Mojtaba is fit for duty.
Looking for revenge, the IRGC can’t do much against the U.S. navy to stop the escorts of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranp’s IRGC wants charge tolls in the Hormuz Strait, something that would give it a permanent revenue stream but increase fees to commercial ship tranisiting the Gult. Trump’s MOU says that Iran must allow unobstructive passage through an international waterway without f ees of interference. Whether or not Trump gets his way remain to be seen. Negotiating with the IRGC, like most terror groups, isn’t easy because they don’t follow normal protocols. Getting Iran to comply to the MOU when t hey no longer control the country won’t be easy for Trump. What’s clear is that Trump no longer wants the war to continue knowing the damage it does to worldwide oild prices. Trump wants oil prices and inflation to come down before the Midterm elections.
Ordering the U.S. navy to escort commercial ships in the Hormuz Strait handcuffs the IRGC, trying to to assert control with its armed swift boat fleet. Commercial ships wanted no part of Transiting the Strait when the IRGC could strike vessels through theHormuz Strait without getting attacked. IRGC has no means of revenue other that extorting cash out of commercial shiphs. Trump vowed that whatever the outcome of the war, he would not allow IRGC to charge transit fee because it adds to inflation. Since the war began Feb. 28, the price of crude oil shot up to over $100 a barrel\. Now that Trump negotiated the MOU, consumers have watched crude oil drop to $68 a barrel, dropping pump prices precipitously. U.S. consumers look forward to the return of lover pump princes, and, most importantly, and end to the latest inflation cycle.
About The Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
