[RE]

PBS.ORG 2026-03-18

Iran war pushes Asian nations into energy triage as they conserve power

BANGKOK (AP) — The escalating war with Iran is pushing parts of the world into energy triage, forcing governments to choose where to cut demand or absorb costs, while prioritizing dwindling supplies.  Asia is the most exposed since it relies heavily on imported fuel, much of it shipped through the now-blocked Strait of Hormuz. The narrow passage offshore from Iran is the main route for shipping a fifth of global trade in crude oil and liquified natural gas.  Governments in the region are scrambling to adjust — tallying oil reserves, conserving energy, competing for supplies and trying to blunt prices. That brings difficult trade-offs: saving power may slow business activity. Prioritizing cooking gas for households can hurt restaurants and other businesses.

IMAGEIO.FORBES.COM 2026-03-18

The Countries Most In Danger Of Running Out Of Oil

Before the war, 40 tankers carrying 20 million barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products traversed the Strait of Hormuz every day. This week Iran has allowed just a handful of tankers to slip through Hormuz, including ships flagged to India and China. Amid oil rationing and shortages, which countries are most in danger of winning the race to empty?

Looks like the real Peak Oil fun is getting underway for all the oil importing countries.  Oil exporters have a bit of an advantage here, but of course everything is so interconnected the problems won't be limited to the importers.  We're on the way back to the Stone Age!

RE

[K-Dog]

EDITION.CNN.COM 2026-03-18

US warship believed to be carrying additional Marines to Middle East tracked off Singap...

A US Navy warship believed to be carrying Marines and sailors to the Middle East is nearing the Malacca Strait off Singapore as it makes its way to the region.

1915 Dardanelles Campaign

In the Dardanelles, the British and French believed they could force the strait with naval power alone. They were stymied by a "layered defense": mines blocked the water, and mobile howitzers on cliffs prevented minesweepers from eliminating mines.

After failing to force the passage, the Allies were forced into an "ignominious" withdrawal in 1916 after suffering 250,000 casualties.

                                                                                                               

Feature	1915 Dardanelles	2026 Hormuz/Iran
Tactical Obstacle	Mines & Cliff-top Howitzers	Smart Mines & Anti-Ship Missiles
Strategic Goal	Knock Ottoman Empire out of WWI	Neutralize Iranian Nuclear/Military Power
Outcome	High casualties, eventual withdrawal	Ongoing; Oil $120+; Global supply shock

This is Iranian state news.



It is hard for me to find information about what is going on in Iranian Society.  I suspect they are galvanized like Americans were after Pearl Harbor.

Again an empire attacked.  And America has a Hirohito.

From Gibbon :

"The irresolute emperor, instead of breaking through the toils of the enemy, expected his fate with patient resignation; and accepted the humiliating conditions of peace, which it was no longer in his power to refuse.

The five provinces beyond the Tigris... were restored to the Persian monarchy. He acquired, by a single article, the impregnable city of Nisibis; which had sustained, in three successive sieges, the effort of his arms...

The spirit of the Romans was subdued by the edge of famine rather than by the sword of the Barbarians."

 

 

[K-Dog]

[K-Dog]

 

[RE]

Iranian forces strike US military bases across the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain in coordinated missile and drone operations.

And not a SINGLE Amerikan grunt was killed!  They missed everybody!  Amazing!

RE

[K-Dog]

 

Chucklehead Trump escalates.  Trump did what BIbi told him to do, and Trump let Bibi bomb gas facilities in Iran.

So Iran responds tit for tat.  No surprise, and Iran's leaders would be fools not to respond in kind.  Trump means them no love and Trump is demented.  If you give Trump anything he only takes more.  Taking more than he should is how this emotional vampire gets his self-esteem.  Trump is toxic and is killing people the way a small child might kill a bug.  To make himself feel big.  Because inside he is a very tiny man.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a stark warning to neighboring Gulf nations. Their oil and gas industries would be "completely destroyed" if Israel or the United States conduct any further attacks against Iranian energy infrastructure.

The Sampson Option is why no fool self-serving American president ever was this stupid before.

 

Trump murders and sacrifices the prosperity and blood of America and you let him.

That is what the Germans did in WWII.

[RE]

On the positive side, we have moved forward the date where industrial civilization will be no more.

RE

[K-Dog]

 

[monsta666]

Just remember the Western media is downplaying the success of Iran's attacks on middle-east infrastructure as it goes against the narrative that Iran has been crippled by the barrage of American/Israel airstrikes.

What I also gather is the UAE government is actively suppressing any information on the damage taking place in their country. It is not a stretch to assume other rich Arab states are following the same protocol as they wish to protect their image of being a safe haven country. All this means is it is quite likely the reality on the ground is worse than what the media is portraying as the Western and Arab media have a vested interest in suppressing coverage of Iran's military successes.

The big question is how long this conflict will last and what impact this will have on Trump's presidency.

[K-Dog]

It goes against the narrative that Iran has been crippled by the barrage of American/Israel airstrikes.

Anything that goes against their narrative of total annihilation is an admission of defeat because the 'regime' is still in power and the straight is closed.  Defeat will not be admitted.  Trump always blames someone else.  But since there is nobody else to blame, Trump has to frame what has happened so far as a smoking awesome victory or man up.  Trump manning up to anything is like asking for rain on a sunny day.  And that also goes for anyone bewitched by his greatness.  Doubling down is Trumps only viable survival strategy.  Trump is going to double down our asses into a nuclear winter.

As RE has pointed out.  Multiple airstrikes on bases yesterday, and America loses no soldiers.  It is hard to believe.  Very hard to believe.  Yet there are many true believers.

[RE]

As RE has pointed out.  Multiple airstrikes on bases yesterday, and America loses no soldiers.  It is hard to believe.  Very hard to believe.  Yet there are many true believers.

It does not surprise me that no casualties besides the dozen or so thhat were reported from the fueling plane crash have been reported by the FSoA military.  What I do find slightly surprising is that nobody in the media has even questioned it.  It's the elephant in the room nobody has noticed.

Also bothering me is the language used when the corpses were returned.  Every time it is mentioned they use the words "dignified transfer".  Have dead grunts ever been returned in an "undignified" manner?  Why is it so important to mention the ceremony was dignified?

The fact NO casualties are being reported lead me to suspect there are quite a few.  Obviously this goes against the narrative we can win these thing with no dead bodies with surgical precision AI directed robots.  You can't keep this covered up forever, and when it does start to leak out the effect will be worse.  If the marines go running up the beach. it will be a fucking disaster.

RE

[RE]

 

Not sure this article describes the "Worst Case Scenario", more like just an easily predictable bad one.  Escalation to Global Thermonuclear War is certainly a possibility, and that would definitely be worse.  A 5 year recession would be bad for sure, but a decade long Global Depression would be worse.  Higher food prices would be bad, but a Global Famine with half the worlld population dying of starvation would be just a little worse, don't ya think?

Are any of these LIKELY outcomes right now?  No, but the chances have definittly risen from minute to significant and are worth considering as worst case scenarios.

At this point, I can't see ANY way "normal" pre-war shipping will return inside the next year, and quite possibly never.  That will significantly reduce the flow of oil from the gulf and keep the prices high until the demand crashes, which it must once the consumers are fully tapped out.  Oil production facilities that manage to survive undamaged will have to be shut in.

Somewhere along the timeline there will be a credit crisis as bankruptcies pile up, followed by bank failures.  This kind of thing is bad enough when it is just resultant from malinvestment in one sector like real estate, or a confined area like southern Europe, but when it's global and across all sectors it's a pretty hopeless situation.  Maybe the Smartest Guys in the Room can find a Magic Bazooka, but it will surprise me if they do.

At most, I think we're 6 months away from a financial crisis that will make 2008 pale in comparison.  I could be wrong of course, wouldn't be the first time.  Not looking good though.

RE

[K-Dog]

Had the plane actually landed the incident would never have made the news.  At all.  The plane crashed, and the Department of War made truth it's first casualty.  As evidenced by unrealistic casualty reports.

[K-Dog]

Where the 'sunk cost' argument becomes literally true.  5,000 Marines can seize a specific objective, like Kharg Island (approx. 8 sq. miles).  But they will not "hold the door open" across the straight. They will be a landing party that becomes a stationary target once they hit the beach. Marines able to watch retaliatory missiles going into Ras Tanura as they wish upon a star.

On Truth Social today (March 20, 2026), Trump claimed the U.S. is "very close to meeting objectives", and that operation Epstein Fury is nearing completion.  Simultaneously, the Pentagon has accelerated the deployment of the 11th MEU (USS Boxer) to join the 31st MEU (USS Tripoli).  Lies lies and more lies is what Trump delivers.

[TDoS]

Had the plane actually landed the incident would never have made the news.  At all.  The plane crashed, and the Department of War made truth it's first casualty.  As evidenced by unrealistic casualty reports.

SO...CNN lies like..say...folks all over the internet? Or we don't believe CNN because the report comes from an official source?

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/19/politics/f-35-damage-iran-war

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said the fifth-generation stealth jet was "flying a combat mission over Iran" when it was forced to make an emergency landing. Hawkins said the aircraft landed safely and the incident is under investigation.

"The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition," Hawkins added. "This incident is under investigation."

You figure in a week or two after the initial shock of a single aircraft being hit by Iranian fire....folks won't notice when they reverse themselves?