Echo4India

5th Fleet aint what it used to be. That said- they could have been augmented… if the intent to strike Iran had been communicated beforehand. (like weeks beforehand).

Assessments are that although Mojtaba Khamenei was injured during the war he remains capable of carrying out his duties and managing state affairs as Iran's new supreme leader.-JPost

Too bad he wasn’t doing his actual job of overseeing the military and creating/shaping DoD (not stupid “War Department”) policy. It appears he pulled out our mine sweepers from the P Gulf right before the stupid war began.

Doesn’t he sound like a creature that knows he‘s lost control of the situation? There’s an air of desperation in that post.

Guess what Cheeto boy- you don’t get to end the episode of Major Regional War in the Straits of Hormuz like it’s a reality show.

Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to two people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue. https://cnn.it/4ljpiay

Here we go. Interestingly, we detected the mining but appear to have taken no steps (at least that have been reported) to stop it. Not large scale mining… yet. But they’ve started.

Our military is designed to work with allies. Many have great mine sweeping capabilities. DJT doesn’t like allies or joint… anything. So here we are.

But it’s another sign that the Navy had no idea that the White House was going to launch a major regional war.

Start to watch the story. This may be a Chinese exercise, but there are some odd elements about it. It’s probably nothing but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

This was literally my first thought as well.

Donald Trump has started a war of choice in the world’s vital energy sea lanes. Those sea lanes have a choke point. That chokepoint must be controlled.

There were always going to be consequences for electing Donald Trump. We have arrived at those consequences.

Apparently, there are ground options being considered. I still think they’ll try to avoid using those because of the cost in an election year. But at the end of the day… choices are limited in what began as a war of choice.

It is always either incompetence or corruption. This could be a mix.

It goes beyond that. The US Navy ia already overstretched and not large enough to support all of the missions it has around the world. This is now very long campaign that is just starting.- and will exist long after this president leaves office- will sap its limited resources. China wins.

And by the way, I want to be clear there’s no evidence that there’s a large ground operation about to happen.

Absolutely that’s what DJT et al would like. They need Putin’s help. Again.

The scale of the consequences and its implications I mean.

And- btw- major naval operations will be necessary in the Gulf long after the official cessation of hostilities. Years.

And this will draw away ships and logistics from the Pacific. The scale of this disastrous war is hard to overemphasize.

It’s not a palatable option from a political standpoint... especially in an election year. But the military reality is that ships can be sunk landmasses cannot. So we can open Hormuz but Iran *will* attrit ships over time. The only way to prevent this is by controlling the northern shore of Hormuz.

I suspect a lot of young Americans are aboard ships gathering around the Persian Gulf. Some may not be coming home. I hope folks remember they serve us… not the man in the Wh.

ffs… beyond cringe. Gross.

Usually not a good sign.

Opinion- Hormuz can be reopened. But not without losses of ships and crew. Then you have to keep it open. Likely more losses. The White House only now seems to be recognizing this. And long after a cease fire there will be a need for a large U.S. Navy presence drawing away from the Pacific.

The grim choice facing the Trump administration: Economic or naval collapse? | CNN Business The Trump administration is currently trapped between the specter of a global economic recession and a naval catastrophe.

www.cnn.com/2026/03/09/b...

The only way he does this is with boots on the ground. And probably a very violent landing somewhere.

Let’s just hope he’s talking out of his butt as usual. It’s close enough to taco Tuesday to declare it taco Tuesday. I think it’s taco Tuesday in theater so it counts

Iris Dena: Torpedoed Iranian warship was offered sanctuary in India India says Tehran sought permission to dock three ships on the day the US and Israel began a war on Iran.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Saudi energy giant Aramco has begun reducing production at two of its oilfields, two sources said on Monday, as the US-Israeli war on Iran and subsequent attacks have disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.-Reuters

It makes the defensive job easier for the missile shooters. They don’t need much time to react. They just can’t be too far off axis of the incomings. Hence they like the ships close together and close to them.

Wait till he finds out that Iran may not end the war, even when they say so.

A senior Iranian official warns that the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States has entered a “new phase,” dismissing suggestions that the war could end soon and signaling possible retaliation targeting energy infrastructure across the region.-CNN

Is he hinting this may yet be brought to an end soon? But Iran may have other ideas. No matter what- the U.S. Navy is going to have to open Hormuz. It will be very very dangerous. Even if the air campaign ends tonight that will still be true. DJT no longer controls events as he did in the beginning