IRGC Boldly Warns World to Stay Out of Its Strait of Hormuz, Denounces Big Bad American 'Adventurism'

AI generated

TEHRAN—In what military analysts are calling "peak Persian tough-guy theater," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took to the airwaves Thursday morning to flex its nautical muscles over the Strait of Hormuz, reminding everyone that the world's most critical oil chokepoint now belongs to them and their speedboats.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy warned Thursday that foreign powers have “no stake” in the Strait of Hormuz and said U.S. involvement in determining traffic routes through the key waterway would draw a “crushing response.”

In a statement, the IRGC Navy accused Washington of “adventurism and interference” as tensions rise over commercial shipping in one of the world’s most important oil corridors. Because nothing says "legitimate maritime power" like a theocratic regime that treats international waters like its personal driveway.

American bases in the region would be targeted if what the IRGC called “U.S. aggression” is repeated, according to state media. This threat lands with all the intimidating force of a guy yelling at clouds while hiding behind his mullah.

The IRGC also claimed Iran had increased vessel transit through the strait over the past two weeks, but said recent U.S. actions had seriously disrupted the process of reopening the route. Transit capacity under Iran's supervision had recovered to about 50% of pre-war levels over the past two weeks, the IRGC claimed, adding that transit capacity was only being expanded for vessels granted permits to use routes designated by Iran. Translation: "Please ignore the burning tankers and our history of piracy. We're very good at this."

The warning comes as the U.S. and Iran trade strikes and threats over maritime security in the Gulf, with Washington saying its military operations are aimed at protecting commercial vessels and civilian mariners. You know, that crazy outdated concept called "freedom of navigation" that used to matter before we decided strong countries aren't allowed to act strong anymore.

Tehran has since taken effective control of the strait, allowing it to force a stalemate in its confrontation with the world's most powerful military. Nothing quite like a regime that can't feed its own people lecturing the U.S. Navy on naval strategy."The U.S. has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back," Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote Wednesday night on X."The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through U.S. threats."

Meanwhile, the U.S. military continues polishing its very large arsenal, wondering if the mullahs have ever seen what happens when America stops pretending these threats are serious.

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President Trump might remove Syria from US's list of state sponsors of terrorism

Trump Eyes Syria Terror List Removal: “Guy’s Crushing It, Folks” POTUS said, referring to Syria's POS.

In a move that has foreign policy experts clutching their pearls and reaching for their smelling salts, President Donald J. Trump announced Wednesday that he’s strongly considering yanking Syria off America’s official “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list, because, in his words, the new Syrian leader is “doing a great job.” [And had probably told "The Donald" that he likes him.]

The announcement came during a press gaggle in Turkey as Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a man whose résumé apparently now reads “Reformed Bad Boy” instead of whatever it said last week when he was the "Be-header in Charge."

“Are you going to remove Syria from the state sponsor of terrorism list?” a brave reporter asked, bravely risking a brave follow-up question.

“I think I will, yeah,” Trump replied with the breezy confidence of a man ordering a well-done steak. “Why wouldn’t I? He’s done a great job. Maybe he would have brought that up in a little while. That’s a good question. Yeah. Any problems that I think we should? Yeah, I will.

”Translation: Syria went from “Axis of Evil Adjacent” to “Model Student” faster than you can say “Art of the Deal.” The country, which until recently was starring in “Failed State: The Sequel,” now gets the Trump stamp of approval.

For context, Syria currently shares the prestigious terrorism sponsor list with such luminaries as Iran, North Korea, and Cuba, the geopolitical equivalent of the island of misfit toys.

Trump seems ready to hand Syria a diploma and a participation trophy just for showing up and not blowing anything up this week. 

At press time, State Department bureaucrats were reportedly seen wandering the halls muttering, “But we have a process,” while Trump was already sketching out potential Trump Tower Damascus on a napkin. Because if there’s one thing the Middle East needs, it’s more winning. And Donald Trump is, as always, happy to oblige.

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Comrade Sanders Urges Sexually Assault Accused Democrat To Quit Maine Race So Party Can Find Fresher Face To Lose To Susan Collins

WASHINGTON—In a stunning display of progressive principles that somehow only apply when it's politically convenient, self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders urged Maine's scandal-plagued Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner to drop out of the race Tuesday, because nothing says "believe all women" like immediately throwing your own guy under the bus the second a damaging allegation drops.

"I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine," Sanders, a prominent progressive backer of Platner and his biggest national ally, said in a statement."In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside."

Sanders, the cranky Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats and has spent decades railing against the establishment while being the establishment, joins a growing pile-on of Democrats who were all-in on Platner until a woman accused him of forcibly having sex with her nearly five years ago, an allegation Platner has denied.

Senate Democratic leaders and their allied super PAC suddenly decided Maine, that critical battleground state Kamala Harris somehow won in 2024, isn't worth the investment if their guy might be radioactive.

Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Chuck 'Nostrils' Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, issued a joint statement to the same effect, calling for Platner to withdraw from the race and allow the party to choose a new nominee.

Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also withdrew her endorsement for Platner on Tuesday, calling on him to 'exit the race immediately.' "These allegations are devastating and must be taken seriously," she wrote on Twitter/X.

Republicans currently enjoy a comfy 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats would need to net four seats just to tie things up and keep pretending they run the place. Losing Maine would make that mathematical miracle basically impossible, forcing them to defend seats in places like Georgia and Michigan, states President Donald Trump actually won in 2024 while somehow flipping deep-red territory like North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, and Texas. 

Good luck with that, comrades.

Platner has remained silent after saying in a social media video on Monday that he was taking time "to reflect on the best path forward," and think about all the girls he loved before.

He can be replaced on the ballot if he drops out by July 13. The Maine Democratic Party would have until July 27 to select a new nominee, presumably one without quite so much baggage this week.

Potential candidates, including Democrats who lost last month's primary for governor, were already positioning themselves for a likely Senate run on Tuesday like vultures circling a progressive dream that just crashed into reality.Former state Senate President Troy Jackson filed federal paperwork on Tuesday to form an exploratory committee that allows him to start fundraising, the Bangor Daily News reported.

Nirav Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the party should hold an open and transparent process to select a new nominee. "Anyone running for this nomination should agree to at least one televised debate and hold multiple public town halls across every corner of the state," he said in a statement on X that notably emphasized he is "not an establishment politician" or "an insider.

"Republican Incumbent Well-Funded, Surprisingly Not Under Investigation The lucky Democratic nominee, whoever that ends up being, will face Republican Senator Susan Collins, who chairs a panel that oversees the nation’s federal discretionary spending and somehow hasn't been canceled yet despite being a moderate from Maine.

Collins, 73, has a nearly $10 million war chest and is backed by multiple super PACs. The Senate Leadership Fund has pledged to invest $42 million in Maine, and Pine Tree Results PAC has spent almost $7 million boosting her campaign. The Pine Tree Results PAC has canceled its ad reservations for next week, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, which suggests Republicans expect Platner to drop out this week because why waste money on a guy who's already politically dead?

In a statement on Monday, Collins called the allegations against Platner "appalling.""Nevertheless," she said, "it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate." Classic Collins: polite, factual, and ready to watch the Democrats eat each other alive.

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Iran attacks commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz, US launches 'powerful strikes' in return

The world's leading sponsor of "peace through someone else's surrender" has once again discovered that attacking international shipping comes with consequences.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had begun delivering what can only be described as a long overdue reality check to Iran after the regime attacked commercial vessels carrying innocent civilian crews in one of the world's most important waterways.

Apparently, the mullahs mistook American restraint for weakness. That tends to happen right before they learn the difference and experience an FAFO alert.

"U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," CENTCOM wrote on X. "The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz."

It turns out that when President Donald Trump says freedom of navigation matters, he is not talking about a strongly worded letter or another United Nations group therapy session. He's talking about making sure terrorists and rogue regimes understand that attacking civilian shipping is not a risk free hobby.

CENTCOM left little room for diplomatic spin.

"Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire."

Imagine that. Iran agreed to a ceasefire and then violated it. Who could have possibly predicted such an unprecedented plot twist, besides everyone who has watched the regime operate for the past four decades?

The message from Washington appears refreshingly simple. If Iran wants to menace international commerce and threaten innocent lives, America is fully capable of introducing the regime to the bill for its behavior. 

Free passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains a vital American interest, and under Trump, those who threaten it should not expect another lecture. They should expect consequences.

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Ukrainian woman suspect in Monaco parcel bomb shot dead in Kyiv

Anastasiia Berezovska

Anastasiia Berezovska, is the 39-year-old Ukrainian woman suspected of planting the parcel bomb in Monaco on June 29, 2026. Unfortunately for her, she was found shot dead near Kyiv.

Some of you might not remember or know about the Monaco Bombing so I will provide the facts as we know them.

A shrapnel-packed explosive device detonated in the entrance hall of an apartment building in Monaco, seriously injuring Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev (a sanctioned oligarch with reported Russia ties), his partner, and their son. Authorities described it as a targeted attack. Berezovska was seen on surveillance disguising herself as a man (heavily built, dark long-sleeved top, light shorts, black bucket hat). She fled the scene on foot, then by car to Germany.Monaco prosecutors and Interpol issued a Red Notice for her on charges including attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy. She was Ukrainian, spoke German, and had a tattoo. German police raided a flat linked to her.

Her body was discovered by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office on July 6 - 7. She suffered from gunshot wounds to the head where pistol cartridges were on the ground nearby outside Kyiv.  She had been buried and the site with torture tools was also discovered.

A serving Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR/GUR) officer confessed to killing her, along with a former law enforcement officer, who also took the law into his own hands. The officer admitted he acted on his own initiative, without informing superiors, and had prior contacts with Berezovska (including money transfers). 

The two men were detained.

No confirmed motive or direct link has been publicly established between Berezovska’s killing and the Monaco bombing’s organizers. Ukrainian officials emphasize the intelligence officer acted independently. Speculation (unconfirmed in official statements) includes possible Ukrainian intelligence ties to the original attack, given Yermolaiev’s profile and the rapid cross-border developments.

The case raises questions about internal Ukrainian dynamics and risks to sanctioned figures abroad.The bombing obviously shocked Monaco, a hub for wealthy Ukrainians and Russians and fast cars.

This remains an active investigation with cross-border elements (Monaco, Ukraine, Germany, Interpol). 

Details could evolve as more evidence emerges. 

[Sources include: BBC, Reuters, CNN, AP.]

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Nashville Jury Convicts Man Who Poisoned Pregnant Girlfriend, Killing Her and Their Unborn Child

Justice was swift in Nashville. After fewer than three hours of deliberations on July 1, a jury found 30-year-old Blaise Taylor guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, and their 24-week-old unborn daughter. 

Later that same day, jurors recommended he spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Taylor was convicted of second-degree murder for Benning's death, first-degree premeditated murder for the death of their unborn child, and two counts of felony murder covering both victims.

Prosecutors argued that Taylor deliberately poisoned Benning during a February 2023 dinner at the couple's Nashville-area home in an effort to kill their unborn child.

As Alex Byington reported, "Prosecutors accused Blaise Taylor of poisoning Benning by allegedly spiking her pink lemonade with a deadly cocktail of cocaine and alcohol during a Feb. 2023 dinner at their Nashville-area home in an alleged attempt to induce an abortion."

The medical evidence painted a damning picture. Davidson County Medical Examiner Dr. Erin Carney testified that Benning had unusually high levels of cocaine in her system despite having no history of illegal drug use. Taylor initially tried to explain away the medical emergency by calling 911 and telling first responders that his girlfriend appeared to be suffering from an allergic reaction.

The testimony from one of Benning's closest friends proved especially devastating.

According to Li Cohen of WSMV, the friend had been with the couple earlier that evening. After they painted canvases together and took photos, Benning made a frantic phone call.

"She was like, 'I know you put something in my drink because I can't even walk straight.' She was just saying that she couldn't feel her legs," Nijaiha Jackson testified. "...You did this so something would happen to the baby."

Those words would become chilling evidence of what prosecutors said was a calculated act of murder.

The outcome was tragic.

"Benning was clinically dead before an ambulance was able to get her to a hospital," Cohen reported. "Her unborn daughter died within two days, and Benning was taken off life support a week after the incident, on what would have been her 25th birthday."

Taylor managed to avoid arrest for more than a year before authorities tracked him down in Logan, Utah, in March 2024.

According to Metro Nashville Police, the arrest followed "months of investigation" into the deaths. Detectives concluded that Taylor had poisoned Benning without her knowledge on February 25, 2023.

The guilty verdict closes one chapter in a horrific case that claimed two innocent lives. Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9, where he is expected to receive the punishment recommended by the jury: life in prison.

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Iran Tells America to Stop Being Mean Before It Agrees to Another Deal

Araghchi gets caught picking nose, pretends to be scratching it

One of the more amusing traditions of modern diplomacy is watching the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism lecture the United States about proper etiquette. It is a bit like being scolded on table manners by a burglar climbing through your kitchen window.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to X on Tuesday to announce that "negotiations on a final deal will not commence" if the United States continues making military threats. Apparently, the regime that has spent decades funding terrorist proxies, chanting "Death to America," and pursuing regional domination has suddenly become very sensitive about harsh language.

Araghchi insisted that "Para 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is clear. Negotiations on final Deal (sic) will not commence if threats continue."

Then came the wonderfully indignant command: "Honor your signature."

There is something almost poetic about hearing representatives of the Islamic Republic lecture America about honoring agreements. This is, after all, the same regime that has treated international commitments as Dad jokes whenever they stood in the way of its ambitions. But now Washington is expected to speak softly while Tehran pockets concessions.

Paragraph 13 of the memorandum states that the United States and Iran are committed to implementing a ceasefire, lifting the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, waiving sanctions, and unfreezing restricted assets before broader negotiations begin.

It adds, "The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs."

The timing of Araghchi's warning was hardly mysterious. He appeared to be responding to President Donald Trump's remarks on Monday when Trump reminded Tehran that America still possesses both patience and overwhelming military power that can 'bomb the crap' out of Iran if we so choose.

"We're going to make a deal, or we're going to finish the job," Trump said.

That is called leverage. It is also what happens when the world's strongest military negotiates with a regime that has spent years mistaking Western weakness for virtue.

Araghchi attempted to project confidence by declaring, "Millions of proud Iranians rallied in unity to honor Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and his legacy. Neither they nor our Brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats."

U.S. Democrat mourns Khamenei's untimely death from above

Governments that are truly unafraid rarely feel compelled to announce it. History has a funny way of exposing the difference between confidence and propaganda.

America should remember a lesson that has too often been forgotten. Peace is preserved not by pretending tyrants are misunderstood partners. Peace comes when America's adversaries understand that our promises mean something, our patience has limits, and our strength is more than a talking point. 

If Tehran finds that intimidating, perhaps the problem is not the tone coming from Washington. Perhaps it is finally realizing that the era of endless American apologies has come to an end. 

The reality is that while the regime leaders and the IRGC continue to turn oxygen into carbon dioxide, this conflict will never end. 

Thank you for following Brain Flushings. Please take time to simply check out the sponsors on this page--it's one way to support my work and you don't need to purchase anything to do so. Of course, you can Buy Me A Coffee if you want to support me directly. And finally, don't be afraid to subscribe if you enjoy the blog--it's free, and worth the cost.

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Not Very Sunny Hostin feels unsafe in neighborhoods flying Old Glory

The good news is that America's 250th birthday came and went without incident. The bad news is that someone forgot to warn Sunny [whose given name is an oxymoron] Hostin that millions of terrifying suburban homeowners might celebrate by displaying . . .  the American flag. OMG!

The View co-host has once again insisted that neighborhoods covered in Old Glory make her feel "unsafe," reviving a claim she first made in 2021 as though patriotic front porches are the latest national security threat. Interestingly, Hostin has never been attacked by a patriot nor the flag, so she might actually be pulling our collective leg.

During a discussion about America's semiquincentennial, Hostin reminded viewers that she still stands by her mental disorder that creates irrational fear and causes her to get the willies.

"I said this on this show many, many years ago, because this is my tenth year on the show," Hostin recalled. "I said there are times when I walk into a community and I see American flags all over the community and I suddenly feel unsafe because there’s a section of this country that has co-opted the American flag, and they equate being an American or an American flag with White supremacy and that should never be the symbol of White supremacy, but they have weaponized."

Can we finally agree that white supremacy is incredibly minute in our nation, and while it exists, it's highly probable that Hostin has never been the target of such disgusting behavior by someone flying Old Glory at their home. This is why her condition is possibly mental, or perhaps it's racist as she sees everything in terms of race and anger.  

One almost expects the next public service announcement to warn Americans that exposure to excessive patriotism may cause spontaneous cable news anxiety. 

Hostin's comments followed discussion of a viral image showing a group of white nationalists riding a Washington, D.C., Metro train while wearing American flag-themed insignias. The extremists deserve condemnation, but Hostin's leap from a handful of actual racists to ordinary families flying flags outside their homes requires an Olympic-level long jump.

"That, for me, was a defining image of modern America for Black Americans," Hostin said.

Apparently, the existence of fringe extremists now means every retired veteran, every family celebrating Independence Day, and every homeowner with a flagpole is part of the same terrifying landscape. By that logic, criminals who wave rainbow flags would make Pride flags suspicious, yet somehow that standard only seems to apply to Old Glory. And let's not forget those folks whose uniform has an American flag displayed.

Guest host Michelle Buteau eagerly joined the performance after spending the Fourth of July celebrating with a cake reading "America, Do Better B----," because Buteau is also a virtue-signaling person and knows that it's safer to be condemning our great nation than to take a conservative stand defending her.

"When you say it’s the best nation. The best nation for who? Because if we are celebrating 250 years, what are we exactly celebrating, is what I want to know," Buteau said. "So I’m really glad that picture was taken, because that picture is how we feel walking into many rooms, down the street. That picture is how we feel and nobody will believe us. So look at that picture and understand how it feels."

But somehow Buteau and Hostin along with her ilk, have no intention of leaving for what they see as a "better country." That's because there is no better country.  

Fortunately, co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin managed to inject a rare dose of sanity into the conversation.

"The flag belongs to all of us," Griffin replied.

That simple statement seems almost revolutionary on an anti-American program determined to portray the Stars and Stripes as some sort of warning label.

Hostin has been telling this story for years. Back in 2021 she defended another media personality who claimed American flags made her uncomfortable, insisting that neighborhoods decorated with the nation's flag sent an unmistakable message.

"When someone of color, a Black woman, is telling you her feelings, people need to listen and not, you know, repudiate it and not say, 'Well, that can’t be true,'" Hostin had said at the time, later adding, "When I drive into a neighborhood, and it’s not July 4th, and I’m not in a predominantly military household neighborhood and there are flags, American flags, everywhere, alongside Trump flags, alongside flags with stars in a circle, I feel threatened."

Then came the dramatic conclusion.

"Because the message is very clear," she continued. "It’s a message of White supremacy. It’s a message of racism, and it’s a message of their country, not my country. I don’t understand why that would receive backlash. People need to listen when I am saying this is how I feel. This is my experience in this country."

Feelings are real. They are not automatically facts.

If someone genuinely believes that a cul-de-sac full of parents grilling burgers beneath American flags is an inherently dangerous place, the problem probably is not the flags. More likely, it is years of media conditioning that has convinced some people patriotism itself is suspicious by leftists like Hostin.

The irony is impossible to miss. The same commentators who insist the American flag "belongs to all of us" also spend an astonishing amount of time explaining why ordinary Americans should be viewed with suspicion for displaying it. You can't have it both ways, but she's too thickheaded to see this.

If Sunny Hostin truly feels endangered every time she sees Old Glory fluttering in the breeze, Americans can be forgiven for wondering whether the fear is rooted in reality, or simply another daytime television performance designed to turn patriotism into pathology.

I vote for pathology.

Thank you for following Brain Flushings. Please take time to simply check out the sponsors on this page--it's one way to support my work and you don't need to purchase anything to do so. Of course, you can Buy Me A Coffee if you want to support me directly. And finally, don't be afraid to subscribe if you enjoy the blog--it's free, and worth the cost.

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