Donald G.W.B. Trump officially attacks Iran

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"we're sending you to fight and die, but we can't tell you why"

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gargantuan sale of bombs to Israel

US President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to sell to Israel a munitions package worth $2.8 billion, which will include tens of thousands of highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs, according to a US official familiar with the sale.

The planned sale, which has been informally communicated to relevant congressional committees that weigh in on large arms sales, includes 20,000 MK 84 and 20,000 BLU-117 2,000-pound bombs, the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

News of the package was first reported by The Washington Post, which added that the sale also includes a package of 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-sai...2000-lb-bombs/

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a one month shutdown of the East-West pipeline is probably not the worst case for Saudi Arabia

Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, sees the Saudi economy contracting 3.1% this year. The slump could deepen to as much as 4.5% — worse than during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 — if the East-West pipeline is shut for a month and the government can’t send significant volumes of oil through Hormuz in the meantime, she said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...shut-for-weeks

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failed war leaves US military short of strategic standoff weapons

The Pentagon will need at least five years to replace the missile interceptors it expended in the Iran war trying to defend U.S. troops and bases.-WaPo

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Trump's war may yet result in regime change in the Persian Gulf

Saudi Arabia has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air-defense assistance as it faces sustained Houthi attacks and dwindling missile-interceptor stocks.-AP

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.. because Saudi Arabia’s main ally and arms supplier, the United States, has seen its own stock of interceptors dwindle ..”

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US side deal with Ansar Allah

US President Donald Trump said on Sept 12 the Houthis had phoned his administration asking the United States to keep out of the Yemen war. Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Sept 14 the US was in direct contact with the group, without giving details.


In the meeting, which one source said took place on Sept 13, the Houthis told US officials they had no intention of attacking American vessels and that they were committed to the 2025 ceasefire with the US, two sources said.

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/m...nd-sources-say

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There is no problem to be solved in the Middle East today that was not created by the war itself.

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South Korea snubs Trump

Seoul likely bracing for the White House to respond by threatening U.S. troop reductions along the DMZ. "There will be no deployment of troops or dispatch of military assets to​ be involved in or intervene in this war,” Mr. Lee said in a news conference.

www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/w...

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KSA eager to stop the bleeding

Saudi Arabia has conveyed through the Sultanate of Oman a new proposal to the Houthis in Yemen, including a two-week ceasefire and the opening of direct talks between Riyadh and the Houthi leadership.


According to the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, the aim is first to discuss the Houthis' humanitarian demands and then attempt to reach a comprehensive agreement by the end of the ceasefire period.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-909031

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Trump abandoned Saudi Arabia when they were counting on him the most, in a war Trump started without consulting anybody, so now he's selling them more protection

The US State Department approved the possible sale of around $24.3 billion worth of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jets and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, the department announced on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia requested to purchase 48 of the jets, as well as 49 engines and other materials.

According to a State Department statement, the F-35 sale is intended to support US foreign policy and national security objectives by strengthening Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter threats to the kingdom’s security.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-908993

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[Blake]

Fun!

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the war and the supply-shock it caused, are causing global shipping inflation

• Hormuz and Red Sea disruptions are spilling into global shipping, driving more energy cargoes through the Panama and Suez Canals as trade routes become longer and less efficient.
• Panama Canal access costs have exploded, with auction slots reaching a record $5.3 million and waiting times rising to 17 days amid surging demand and reduced transit capacity.
• The wider tanker market is under extreme pressure, with charter rates topping $1 million per day as refiners scramble for scarce physical crude and available vessels.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oi...de-Routes.html

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El Nino related drought and low water levels in the canal are partly -- but only partly -- to blame here

bids on daily auctions to secure slots through the Panama Canal have soared to an average of above $1 million in August, up by 16 times from a year ago.

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Explosions were reported in and around Riyadh and Al-Kharj early amid reports of a large-scale ballistic missile attack by Iran-aligned Houthi group Ansarallah targeting sites in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Civil Defence issued an alert over potential danger in the capital and several other cities as reports of incoming missiles emerged. Flight-tracking data also showed some flights into Riyadh International Airport being diverted or placed on hold.

Footage circulating online reportedly showed an explosion near Riyadh and Al-Kharj, while another clip appeared to show a ballistic missile descending as a Patriot interceptor seemingly missed its target.

The reports and footage have not been independently confirmed by Saudi authorities.

https://www.timesnownews.com/world/m...icle-156184661

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At the end of August, South Korea’s SK Gas has reportedly paid as much as $5.3 million to secure a passage on September 1, sources with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. The previous record-high slot fee – that’s on top of the regular transit fee – was also set in August, at $4.6 million, by another South Korean shipper.

According to the Panama Canal Authority, recent auction results have reflected “significantly stronger demand.”

The median auction price paid before the war in Iran broke out in February was around $55,000.

For vessels without booked slots, the waiting time to transit the Panama Canal is 17 days now, compared to just two days in February, according to Argus Media data cited by Bloomberg.

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Large plume of black smoke rises from the fuel storage area at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 19, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone

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escalation trap for the KSA

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It's Iran asking for a deal this time, but the price could be too steep for Trump

Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview that Tehran had communicated to the Trump administration via Qatari mediators its conditions for ending the war “on all fronts.”

“A response from President Trump is awaited,” Al Jazeera’s report reads.



Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview that Tehran had communicated to the Trump administration via Qatari mediators its conditions for ending the war “on all fronts.”


“A response from President Trump is awaited,” Al Jazeera’s report reads.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-iran-2677895008/

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something seems to be happening