Trump Criticizes South Korea, Japan, and Other Countries for Not Helping to Re-Open the Strait of Hormuz
If you believe what President Trump is saying, it is looking more and more like the U.S. will end the war without re-opening the Strait of Hormuz:
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that South Korea was “not helpful” to the United States, noting the presence of American troops “in harm’s way” in the Asian country “right next to a nuclear force,” as he highlighted the need for countries to secure the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the remarks during an annual Easter luncheon at the White House, singling out South Korea, China, Japan and France as he reiterated that those countries that rely on the strait for energy imports should act to help reopen the waterway, a crucial oil shipping route.
“Let the European countries do it. Let South Korea, who was not helpful to us, by the way. … You know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force. Let South Korea do it,” he said, referring to the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea and North Korea’s nuclear force.
“Let Japan do it. They get 90 percent of the oil from the strait. Let China do it. Let them all do it,” he added.
You can read more at the link, but if I had to guess the U.S. casualty projections to re-open the Strait are not worth it to Trump in a mid-term election year. Due to the U.S.’s ample energy supplies, Americans are not going to experience fuel shortages like much of the rest of the world and this gives Trump the opportunity to push the problem on to nations reliant on Gulf energy sources to solve.
He’s not wrong on this..
My, what an interesting speech he made. If it’s that easy to open the Strait, why isn’t the US Navy doing it? It should be easy for them, just sail right in, like he said. So then why are they parked thousands of kilometers away from the conflict area, away from the Iranian drones?
So now he wants others to clean up the mess he started? Typical TACO behavior.
“Oh wait, Iran isn’t as easy as Venezuela? Someone give us an off ramp quick!”
You clowns are watching America First in action.
America’s primary goals are reasonably completed.
The rest of the problem belongs to those who have a problem…
….which is not America.
Want to buy some West Texas Intermediate at the new international price?
(Actually, America would stick around and assist, as the cost is reasonable and the results are satisfying, but everyone else has to show some minimal effort… which they are not… so…)
America doesn’t have enough oil to replace the Gulf oil. Not even close. And the shale oil being pumped out of the US is running out as the US has gone past the peak oil and is on a downward trajectory. You’re running out, that’s why your oil production is not increasing despite Trump’s rhetoric.
And you think the high oil prices won’t affect Americans? For sure, those Asian economies that depend heavily on Middle East oil will suffer first. But eventually their suffering will boomerang to America in the form of runaway inflation and increasingly likely economic collapse caused by another 2008-type financial crisis. It’s only a matter of time.
This is why evil amateurs with a long wrap sheet of sex crimes and financial crimes (now add blatant war crimes to a growing list of crimes) shouldn’t be voted into a global leadership position.
To answer my own question, the US ships aren’t parked in the Hormuz because they are cowards. The real reason is that the US commanders are smart enough to know that they’re vulnerable to Iranian drone and missile attacks. They know that the US isn’t ready to fight this new type of war, where the drones have leveled the playing field between rich/powerful and poor/weaker countries. But how long will the US commanders disobey this sycophant? He just fired the US Army chief today for refusing orders.
It seems the next phase has begin.
Watching Trump negotiate since the 80s had always been a pleasure.
It is even more pleasurable when his negotiations are backed up by carrier groups and cruise missiles.
His methods never really change. But that is because everybody who negotiates well has essentially the same box of tools.
We have now just switched to the next level.
Hitting military and political targets has not brought Iran to the negotiating table as was hoped. But it was likely expected that the leaders of a fatalistic Islamic cult will destroy the entire country before giving in.
The next step is infrastructure.
Because the next America-friendly regime will need to rebuild, oil infrastructure is last but not entirely off the table. Besides, that needs to be saved for leverage over Asia. Imagine if Iranian oil can no longer go to China.
On today’s menu is bridges. The media also points out the destruction of historic medical research facilities. That’s too bad. But one man’s medical center is another man’s biological weapons research facility. Can’t be taking any chances. If covid taught us nothing…
The horse has been led so close to water and it almost wants to drink… but let’s see. The Iranian people have every opportunity to take their country back. The fact they could be motivated in 1979 means they should be able to do it again…
…but that credit probably goes to the true skills of communists in organizing and acting.
Hat tip to leftists manipulating the immediate emotions of their subrational followers in ways the right simply can’t do with people who think things through.
(It wasn’t pretty what happened to the communists once used by the Islamists… but ugly things happening to communists is always beautiful performance art.)
So let’s hope America and Israel keep killing Iranian leadership until someone steps up willing to cooperate in producing oil rather than regional terror.
Then Iran can join countries like Korea that are prosperous and left alone.
“America doesn’t have enough oil to replace the Gulf oil. Not even close.”
You are thinking about it all wrong.
“And the shale oil being pumped out of the US is running out as the US has gone past the peak oil and is on a downward trajectory.”
No it isn’t, no it hasn’t, no it isn’t.
“You’re running out, that’s why your oil production is not increasing despite Trump’s rhetoric.”
No it isn’t and no it isn’t.
Note to Everyone: When you hear someone talk about “Peak Oil”, classify them with Flat Earthers, Fake Moon Landers, Global Warmers, Chemtrailers, etc. Record global (and American) oil production, with each year setting a new record, despite 30 years of Peak Oil Panic should be your first clue.
40 countries, including China, EU, Korea, Japan, India, and ASEAN, are meeting right now to negotiate with Iran because their survival is at stake due to what the US did. Already, some ASEAN countries have been given free passage through the strait without any fees. There’s no need for military action against Iran, because Iran will allow their ships to pass through as long as you’re not the US, Israel, or any country that supports them in this war.
They are also sending their negotiators to discuss restarting the import of Russian oil. They’re all cutting you out.
Everything you just stated is simplified and/or misrepresented.
But it doesn’t matter.
Here is the deal.
Get cute and do something behind America’s back and all of Iran’s oil infrastructure gets destroyed with absolutely no real effort.
Then there can be more meetings.
You still don’t quite understand America First.
But the 40 nations meeting to try to figure out what to do have some notion of it in their insect brain.
In the end, they will make a big show but generally do as America wills.
Enjoy.
The US can’t even win against Iran. The drones have changed the equation. There’s no need to depend on the US for military protection, and end up like the Gulf countries – destroyed by dangerous unpredictable US military adventure without checks and balances.
Does Korea also want to risk it, if the US decides to attack a country in Asia (like North Korea or China), and it’s South Korea receiving all the missile and drone attacks?
The best defense is two things: 1) nuclear deterrence, and 2) lots and lots of drones and missiles – tons of them, enough to last the other side’s drone warfare.
There’s no more need for outdated US military ground forces, which have not changed much since WWII.
“The US can’t even win against Iran.”
Before making that statement you need to do two things.
– define winning
– wait until this is all over
Then you will be taken seriously.
The stated goals for winning have pretty much been met. Keeping the straits was not part of the completion criteria.
This isn’t about you.
“The best defense is two things: 1) nuclear deterrence, and 2) lots and lots of drones and missiles – tons of them, enough to last the other side’s drone warfare.
There’s no more need for outdated US military ground forces, which have not changed much since WWII.”
You speak wisdom and truth with those statements.
The Age of Infantry is closing for many conflicts. We are not too far away from Terminator vs Terminator… though they will be shaped more like dogs than men… and the skies will be filled with increasingly autonomous drones.
The Age of Carriers is coming to an end… and it will end abruptly when someone figures out how to sink one… and then another. We are not too far away from autonomous long range high-altitude hypersonic bombers taking off from America, delivering their gifts, and coming back for a refill.
The new policy will be uninterrupted disruption until behavior comes into alignment. And the costs will be minimal compared to now.
It’s good to see some sensible voices countering the lies and fake news being spewed by the MAGA Setnaffarian idiots.
@Korean Person:
Here comes the 666.