Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran … War

[papa smurf]

Ladies and Gentlemen it's TACO day

Trump announces 'Project Freedom' in Strait of Hormuz to be paused


Donald Trump says the US effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz is paused while America aims to finalise a deal with Iran. It comes after a cargo ship was reported to have been hit in the key waterway.

https://news.sky.com/story/iran-war-...banon-13509565


https://news.sky.com/video/trump-pau...ormuz-13540571

So, Operation Epic Fury is concluded, Operation Freedom is on pause, does that leave us with Operation No One Can Find Their Aerse With A Map, Mirror, And Detailed Directions?

And why is this happening?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/h...ng-of-iran-war

In divisions of the State Department that typically would handle the Iran response, numerous veteran diplomats with decades of collective experience were fired, retired or were reassigned — replaced by more junior officials or political appointees. The administration cut more than 80 staffers in Near Eastern Affairs, according to numbers compiled by a State Department employee who was terminated last year based on surveys of colleagues.

For instance, the administration appears to have been caught off guard by what would happen once the U.S. struck Iran — something Trump himself acknowledged this week when he expressed surprise that Tehran retaliated with strikes on American allies in the region. "Nobody expected that. We were shocked. They fought back," Trump told reporters this week.

Pigott said staffing reductions "are not having any negative impact on our ability to respond to this operation, our ability to plan, and our ability to execute in service to Americans." He added that the department "rejects the premise that key decisions were made without meaningful input from experienced professionals."

But Iranian retaliation on U.S. allies was predictable, according to former officials, as well as previous wargames and conflict models run by both the U.S. military and private organizations. The National Security Council, which Trump has pared, typically would have presented the president with analysis from experts within the bureaucracy.

Instead, decisions are made by a small group of officials close to the president without the planning or coordination of the larger machinery of government, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as the president's national security adviser.

How to be "smartest person in the room"? Fire the really smart, experienced people who know what they’re talking about…