







In yesterday's piece I flagged a WSJ report, sourced to unnamed US officials, that Trump had privately rejected Iran's seven-day Hormuz plan. I called it what...
The Blockade Made the News for Working. The Casualties It Cost Took Two Weeks to Surface.
Saturday, Trump put his private rejection of Iran's Hormuz plan on the record. Sunday, Iran skipped Washington and went to Riyadh instead. Monday, two things...

Trump rejects Iran's conditional ceasefire proposal, WSJ reports, as Saudi coalition intercepts projectiles
Trump expects renewed U.S. bombing of Iran after the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reports, as Saudi-backed forces intercept projectiles.

Seven Months In, Iran and the US Actually Talked. The Oil Market Believed It.
Seventh piece in a series that started with Mokha falling on 09-11. Previous: The Strait Fell, and Riyadh Called Washington → Both Banks, and Now Iran's Own...

Saudi's MBS dialled Trump, warplanes were readied to hit Houthis. Then, a U-turn
Donald Trump held back from joining Saudi-led strikes on Yemen's Houthis after a personal appeal from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and days of internal wavering. The pause exposed the tension between avoiding a wider Iran-linked conflict and preserving Saudi support for Washington's regional strategy.

Trump gifts Saudi Arabia a nuclear win | Politics Weekly America
Donald Trump has announced a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia while pressing ahead with efforts to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. What’s driving Trump’s new agreement with Riyadh? And how is it likely to be received at home and across the Gulf?

Trump Accidentally Wrecks His Own Biggest Claim About Iran
Have we won the war against Iran or not?

Senators grilled Hegseth on Iran. Here are 3 big moments from the hearing
Hegseth said at the top of the hearing that the supplemental funding was an “urgent, necessary injection of resources” for the department’s needs. He didn’t directly mention the Iran war in his opening statement.

Saudi Arabia, UAE urge Trump to maintain pressure on Iran - WSJ
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are urging Washington to maintain sanctions and its naval blockade of Iran, complicating efforts to restart peace talks as attacks threaten their oil exports, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Missile Reached Riyadh. The Oil Market Didn't Blink.
Sixth piece in a series that started with Mokha falling on 09-11. Previous: The Strait Fell, and Riyadh Called Washington → Both Banks, and Now Iran's Own...

Iran, prices, ICE, and Epstein are the biggest stories of 2026
In a new database of news headlines stretching back to 2016, I show Trump's midterm convention failed to change news agendas

Trump scoffs at Iran’s demand for war reparations and other Mideast developments
U.S. President Donald Trump is scoffing at Iran's demands that the U.S. pay for devastation caused by five months of war.
Exclusive: US commanders bypassed warnings about outdated intelligence ahead of strike that hit school in Iran, sources say | CNN Politics
Senior US military commanders bypassed warnings in critical databases that intelligence about potential targets in Iran was severely out of date and approved some strikes — including one that hit a school, killing nearly 200 children and adults, according to three sources familiar with the decision-making process.

The Diesel Story Has Two Wars In It. Trump Only Wants to Talk About One.
Trump and Zelensky sit down at the UN General Assembly today, and the agenda item that actually has a shot at landing is narrow: a reciprocal pause on strikes...

A War for Oil: Economist Michael Hudson on U.S. Quest to Control the World's Oil Trade
The Ceasefire's Gone, the Talks Are Gone, and Nobody Agrees on the Tanker
Fifth piece in a series that started with Mokha falling on 09-11. Previous: The Strait Fell, and Riyadh Called Washington → Both Banks, and Now Iran's Own...
