Trump attacks Iran as it closes Strait of Hormuz again

TRUMP’S WAR on Iran is leading to ever more trouble. The Memorandum of Understanding – which Trump claimed was a ceasefire – is over, and the world faces more economic downturn and warmongering.

This is not so much a war as a reckless act by a delusional US President who assumes that what he wants will happen – and has no idea what to do when something else happens.

After four months of US air strikes on Iran and Iranian strikes on other Gulf states and closing the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan forced the two countries to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. This wasn’t the peace deal Trump described it as (and probably hoped it would be). This was a ceasefire, applying to the USA and Iran, but also to Israel and Hezbollah, together with a pledge that the two sides would negotiate further.

It also stated that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened, but in the rush to agree a deal, any deal, no detail was agreed. This left Iran saying there were complying with the deal because the Strait was open – but meaning that a single route in and a single route out were open to ships that Iran gave permission to and on paid a fee.

The ceasefire held for a few days, allowing Iran to bury Ayatollah Khamenei and his relatives who were killed by US strikes at the beginning of the war. The Strait of Hormuz was the Achilles Heel in the agreement. Iran fired on ships going through the Strait of Hormuz which were not on Iran’s permitted routes. The USA decided to punish Iran by launching air strikes on the country. Iran responded by conducting air strikes on various Gulf states.

By the early hours of 12th July, the USA was conducting air strikes on Iran for the third night running. Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz was now closed. And the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, announced that the “will of the nation” was for revenge.

The US intervention against Iran, in partnership with Israel, has made life more dangerous in both countries – and much more difficult for the people of Iran. Both the USA and Israel are facing elections this year: both regimes face falling popularity and neither seems to have a way out.

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