Iran Declares World's Busiest Shipping Lane Now Subject to "Supreme Leader's HOA Rules"

Iran's ruling mullahs apparently woke up Sunday and decided that one of the world's most important shipping routes now belongs to them.

An Iranian lawmaker announced that Tehran intends to keep a firm grip on the Strait of Hormuz, confidently informing the rest of the planet that everyone else will simply have to obey. It is the diplomatic equivalent of the neighborhood bully claiming ownership of the public sidewalk.

"We unequivocally support the ever-victorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' decisive action against the American enemy and the assertion of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz," Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security Commission, wrote in a post on X.

Apparently, "ever-victorious" now means repeatedly picking fights with countries that possess aircraft carriers, stealth bombers, and a habit of responding when provoked.

Rezaei doubled down on the fantasy by declaring, "The Strait of Hormuz will not return to its previous state, and others have no choice but to submit to Iran's directives in the Strait."

The statement was widely interpreted as Iran's version of posting a handwritten "My Pool, My Rules" sign on an international waterway.

The bravado came after President Donald Trump warned on June 27 that the U.S. military would "complete the job" if Tehran failed to honor the ceasefire agreement. History suggests that when Trump starts talking about "completing the job," Iranian officials suddenly become very interested in underground architecture.

The interim Memorandum of Understanding between Tehran and Washington includes provisions governing the Strait of Hormuz intended to guarantee toll free passage for commercial vessels during a 60 day period.

Whether Iran plans to honor that agreement or simply continue issuing royal decrees over waterways it doesn't own remains to be seen. Fortunately for the world's shipping industry, international law has traditionally carried a little more weight than an angry post on X.

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Tillerson wants Israel to give back some military aid

The Trump administration may force Israel to return $75 million in U.S. aid that was awarded to them by Congress after a hotly contested effort by the Obama administration to financially limit our U.S.-Israel military alliance.

You remember Obama--he was the former president who favored Islamic nations over Israel and was obviously anti-Zionist with the same fervor as Muslims across the globe. 

Taking back the money would be an incredibly stupid move on Trump's part because it would show our other allies we aren't trustworthy.  And the fact that Israel is the only civilized country in all the Middle East and one of our greatest allies would weaken our military influence in the region.

Congress allocated the additional $75 million last year, making the total aid package about $38 billion, despite Obama trying to restrict Israel from lobbying Congress for more funding for several key military undertakings.

Obama's last minute Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Israel didn't sit well with Congress. The MOU capped U.S. aid to Israel and included a provision barring Israel from requesting more financial assistance from Congress.

Now Trump is thinking about another pivot away from what he told his ardent supporters. He is considering forcing Israel to return the extra $75 million and be Obama-like by going along with the MOU.

Congress will, thankfully, fight him on this if he tries to "do an Obama."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is said to be leading the effort to have Israel return the money. The anti-Zionist Tillerson argues that Israel must stick to the letter of Obama's MOU, despite objections by Congress.

Suddenly Trump has changed his tune about undoing the damage Obama did.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R- Ark.) had "strongly warned the State Department" earlier in the week "that such action would be unwise and invite unwanted conflict with Israel," a senior Congressional aide told the Washington Free Beacon.

If Congress allows Trump to get away with the Obama MOU, it would seriously limit their constitutional right to allocate U.S. aid dollars in whatever way they see fit in the future. In other words, the MOU is unconstitutional, like much of what Obama used his pen and phone to get passed.

Tillerson's State Department is engaged in a lobbying effort to convince the National Security Council (NSC) to allow it to request that Israel return the additional $75 million and remain in line with the Obama MOU.

And you thought Trump et al were Republicans.

Sen. Cotton and other lawmakers see this as reckless and unnecessary and would only increase tensions with Israel at a time of mutual cooperation on a range of key issues, such as the war against Islamic State, Iran and other terrorism in the Middle East.

Israel is surrounded by Islamic nations that want to see them destroyed. Obama wanted the Jewish State to return to their 1967 borders, which would have been suicidal, and besides, their present borders came from the spoils of war, a conflict they didn't start.

If the State Department chooses to demand Israel return the money, Congress is prepared to fight Tillerson on that issue.

Insiders told the Free Beacon that the State Department-led effort is an attempt to undermine Congress and derail the White House's strong working relationship with Israel.

According to multiple sources, Tillerson's State Department has become a sore spot in the administration an that Foggy Bottom is perceived as being in "open war" with the White House on a range of major issues, including the U.S.-Israel relationship, Iran and other matters.

If Trump keeps Tillerson on as Secretary of State, things will only get worse in the Middle East, especially for the Jews.

"This is a transparent attempt by career staffers in the State Department to f**k with the Israelis and derail the efforts of Congressional Republicans and President Trump to rebuild the U.S.-Israel relationship," a veteran congressional advisor who works extensively on Israel said. "There's no reason to push for the Israelis to return the money, unless you're trying to drive a wedge between Israel and Congress, which is exactly what this is--it won't work."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) held up passage of the 2016 MOU over disagreements with Obama's restriction of Israel lobbying Congress for increased funding. He said in a statement that "Congress is not a party to this agreement nor is this agreement binding on future congresses." He added, "Congress has an independent duty to make a decision about the proper level of support for Israel or our other allies. To suggest this (agreement) will bind future presidents and congresses for the next decade is constitutionally flawed and impractical."

It was Graham who saw this as an effort to trample on Congress' right to allocate taxpayer funds and he worked to ensure Israel received the additional $75 million. 

So now you know where Tillerson stands on Israel-- the same place where his Middle East buddies from back in his ExxonMobil days stand.



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