Trump Goes Silent as Iran Strikes Ship

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1:30Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump has gone silent as Iran strikes another cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. This is precisely what I predicted was going to happen in the first video I did this morning. Moments ago, we learned the following. A UK MTO United Kingdom maritime warning stated the following. Attack, attack. A cargo vessel has been hit on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the bridge. Master has reported no casualties and no environmental impact. Obviously, Iran is exerting its newly claimed control over Hormuz after yesterday's Omani route breakout. Remember, Iran said you cannot go through the Oman route, the Oman passage.

2:26Ben Meiselas:You need IRGC approval. And if you try to test us, we will knock out your ship. That is precisely what happened. And I've been saying, yes, the oil prices have been dropping on the Brent crude futures, but I said there is massive instability and it's dropping based on massive market manipulation. And remember this morning, I shared with you the data under the two years in the Biden administration following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And I said, look at what the prices were there, way higher. I said there's far more instability now. And also we see there's far more instability in Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine responding by attacking the Russian oil depots.

3:16Ben Meiselas:Yet the price of Brent crude was$73. It made absolutely no sense to me at all. And Donald Trump, after manipulating the market all day yesterday and Treasury Secretary Besant doing the same look. He has no items today on his calendar where he'll be talking to the press. Who knows? Maybe he shows up. He hasn't posted anything on social media. It is a fraud in plain sight that is taking place. Another open source intelligence account explains how this container ship was hit by a projectile sailing in the forbidden corridor of the Omani waters. Again, That's the video I did this morning because I said, this is what's going to happen, and it's going to happen quite frequently.

3:59Ben Meiselas:And the fact that two U.S. aircraft carriers, fighter jets, drones that are going around the Strait of Hormuz 24-7 couldn't protect this container ship in the Omani waters is a reminder. The U.S. has no control over the Strait of Hormuz. and I've been showing you the actual satellite data of the ships that are pinging that they are in the Strait of Hormuz. And you'll see right here that yesterday there were ships trying to get through the Omani route. You see right here that the ships have been turning around and they either use the IRGC route or they don't get out of the Strait of Hormuz. That's what's going on.

4:39Ben Meiselas:You know, Foreign Minister Aragji spoke with his counterpart in Oman, the Foreign Minister of Oman, to discuss regional updates. And here's what they said coming out of this meeting, that they agree that for a temporary 60-day period, that they will allow for there to be free transit through the IRGC-controlled area in the Strait of Hormuz. But that's for a limited 60-day period. And thereafter, Iran intends to charge fees, billions of dollars in fees. And the Wall Street Journal did an article about that today, but we didn't need that from the Wall Street Journal because Iran has been saying it and they've been doing what they're saying.

5:23Ben Meiselas:And we can read what's in the Memorandum of Understanding. Iran intends to charge environmental service fees, protection fees as the overall toll structure where they plan to make billions and billions of dollars. And by the way, we can actually show you data, show you receipts, show you audio. I mean, this isn't some cloak and dagger stuff right now. I mean, this is happening in plain sight. So for example, ships have turned around in the Strait of Oman when the IRGC issued the warning. We have the audio of the SEPA Navy. That's the IRGC Navy. SEPA Navy. SEPA Navy. Turn your ships around. Turn your ships around or we will strike you.

6:08Ben Meiselas:And the ship that didn't turn around got hit. That's what happened. Here, I'll show you this. Let's play this audio of the SEPA Navy, the IRGC Navy broadcasting this. We have the satellite footage of the ships turning around. And then we have the Trump regime, Donald Trump, Besant, Rubio, manipulating the markets. Let's listen to the audio. Let's play this clip. Attention all vessels, attention all vessels, attention all vessels in Perjengol and Oman Sea. This is Sephan Navy warning. Transiting in the Strait of Hormuz is only possible with Sephan Navy permission and on designated routes. If any vessel attempt to transit in the Strait without our permission or AIS off or outside of the designated route, It's responsible for any consequences of any danger.

6:59This is Stefan Evi out.

7:24Ben Meiselas:abundant, and homegrown. But apparently, the U.S. only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises, and trash talks. That's what they think of the United States, and that's what the rest of the world thinks of the United States. So you have Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who refused to participate in the Switzerland technical talks regarding the MOU because he didn't want to be associated with it. So he already shows divisions in the negotiating team by him not being there and just having J.D. Vance, Kushner, and Witkoff at the Switzerland talks. You're the secretary of state, dude. That's literally your job as the top diplomat to be there.

8:08Ben Meiselas:Sorry if you don't want to do it. That's what your job is. But instead, Rubio's meeting with the Gulf Council Cooperation countries this week. He's meeting with Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, and others. Notably, Saudi Arabia is not on his schedule. Saudi Arabia doesn't want to meet. They're livid. And all these countries are livid. And they're saying the US security umbrella failed. And these GCC countries want to try to figure out how, and I did a video on this this morning as well, to do reconciliation commissions and figure out how they can become more closer allied with Iran because they need protection.

8:47Ben Meiselas:And the US hasn't provided it. All they get from Trump and Rubio is fraud and lies and catastrophic invasions, and then fraud about the catastrophic invasions that cause death and destruction to the economy. So Marco Rubio is there in the Middle East, and he's meeting with these Gulf countries, these Arab nations. And Rubio's like, no one can charge tolls. Let's just suppose we went crazy and lost our minds and agreed that there could be a tolling mechanism. How would you enforce it the way it's enforced today, Rubio? Iran knocked out a ship and y 'all go silent and y 'all go silent and then just say everything's going fantastic to manipulate the markets for your right-wing oligarch buds.

9:35Ben Meiselas:Here, play this clip. You go through the straits and think about it this way. If you have, it's not even workable. Let's suppose that we went crazy and lost our minds completely and decided to agree to have a tolling or a fee mechanism, how would that work? It's not doable. Because what's the consequence for not paying? Let's say a ship says, well, I'm not going to pay the fee. It's not like a toll on a road. You don't get a ticket in the mail. They get shot at. You shoot at one ship, you sink one ship, no other ship is going to move. So that sort of system is not only unwise, it can't happen.

10:06It's not even workable. So you might as well abandon the fantasy now.

10:09Ben Meiselas:Then Marco Rubio says, and our relationship with Oman is fine because Oman says they're not in favor of a tolling system. Read the damn M-O-U, you idiot. We can see the text. And I know you want to say, oh, there's no algae in the reflecting pool. Don't believe your eyes. No, January 6th wasn't an insurrection. We're not going to talk about the 2020 election. I mean, COVID was caused by Dr. Fauci. I mean, all of your ridiculous life. Can we speak about the truth, please? The MOU says that there's a 60-day period where there won't be tolls, there won't be charges, but then after 60 days, there can be.

10:50Ben Meiselas:It's in the MOU, the document, and it's also in the technical discussions that happened after. Here, let's play this clip. Is the current bilateral relationship with Oman now in a good place? And are you convinced they're not playing games with respect to that issue? I mean, our relationship with Oman is fine. I mean, ultimately, there's not going to be any fees or tolls. There's not going to be any. And they've signed, you know, they were there in the meeting today and they said it, that they're not in favor of a tolling system. So that's good. I do have to ask because it's just a few weeks ago.

11:22All right.

11:23Ben Meiselas:Well, Rubio, what about the$300 billion reconstruction fund that the U.S. has guaranteed Iran that's in the MOU? True, The MOU doesn't say that that$300 billion has to be paid directly by the U.S., but Trump is a signatory to a guarantee of$300 billion to Iran. In the most basic of principles, that's a guarantor. So it's got to come from somewhere, Rubio. So did you speak with the Arab nations about the$300 billion? Because the Trump regime said that money is going to come from the Arab nations and not us. So surely that came up, didn't it, Rubio? Here play this clip. Mr. Secretary, in the meeting with the GCC allies, did any of them make any commitments to pay into this$300 billion reconstruction?

12:15No, it was not discussed. I mean, the reconstruction cut, that's way down the road. And that's something, you know, that'll be dealt with at the appropriate time in this process. But that was not discussed by anyone.

12:26Ben Meiselas:Oh, so that wasn't discussed. So that's just a fraudulent provision. That's what Donald Trump has done his whole life. He never honors a contract. He views negotiation as a way to sucker punch. He believes that the good faith that's supposed to occur is for suckers and losers. And by the way, Iran realizes that. That's why they've built a tiered system in this agreement where they get the benefits first. They get funds unfrozen. They get the blockade removed. They get the sanctions waivers. And those things have happened. So Rubio, another question for you, buddy. The MOU did not include a specific number of years during which Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon.

13:11Ben Meiselas:So what's it going to be, Rubio? You got some specifics? And Rubio says, ah, the MOU is not even really a deal. It's just a framework of an outline to negotiate. No, no, no, Rubio. I hate to break it to you. The MOU has binding provisions. It is a short form, but it is binding. And yes, it creates obligations for future negotiations, but there are binding provisions in the MOU that then get implemented, not changed, implemented through a longer agreement. That's why these Trump regime people are all such freaking frauds. Watch what Rubio says. Let's play this clip. Mr. Secretary, the MOU did not include a specific number of years during which Iran could not develop nuclear weapons.

13:57Should a final agreement have a specific number? And is the U.S. pushing for that? No, that's why would an MOU would not have that because the MOU is not a final agreement. An MOU just creates the construct and the outlines for a negotiation. And there's no doubt that as part of that negotiation, very specific terms like years and limits will be discussed. And that includes the mechanisms by which it's verified and enforced.

14:18Ben Meiselas:All right. Well, Rubio, are you aware of any of the frozen money that Qatar holds being transferred already to Iran? We know that that happened. It's undisputed that happened. What does the lying Rubio say? Because these people lie about everything. Everything is a lie. I'm not aware. I'm not familiar. I'm not aware about that. Well, it happened, Rubio. I'm aware about it. The rest of the world is aware about it. the Arab nations you're meeting with are aware about it. So when you say stupid shit, when you say stupid stuff like that, people are like, okay, you have no credibility. You have no credibility at all.

14:54Ben Meiselas:Here, sorry, I cursed. Here, played this clip. Are you aware, has any, or are you aware of any of the frozen money that Qatar holds being transferred already to Iran? Well, I'm not aware of that. I don't think anyone in our system has said that. So I don't know if you're responding to some news or anything that's out there. But as of right now, we're not aware of any money, nor have we agreed for any money to be transferred. Okay. So all that money is still there. As far as that's our understanding. And there's no agreement on that point. And then you bring in Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump's husband, Donald Trump's other son-in-law.

15:33Ben Meiselas:It's like a family affair. You've got Kushner in Switzerland, Michael Boulos, Tiffany's husband, sitting next to you in the meeting in UAE with MBZ, the president of the UAE, and the head of Abu Dhabi? Really? That's what you do? Do you also realize that makes you look pathetic? You just have Bulo sitting there? What is this, an internship? A nepotistic internship? What are you doing? And Rubio was asked about it. Can you clarify why Tiffany, Trump's husband, was sitting next to you at the meeting in Abu Dhabi? Doesn't that make the US look stupid? but he was there to see his brother who lives here.

16:12Ben Meiselas:He was just there to like hang out and catch up. By the way, I'm going to show you that Rubio said that. He's there to hang out and catch up. That's great, everybody. That's great. The American economy right now is in the trash. The American people are suffering. But guess what? Tiffany's husband, he's just there hanging. He's chilling with the crew. What in the hell is going on? Here, play this clip of Rubio so you can hear for yourself. Michael Brulos was today. Michael Brulos? Oh, he was there to see, his brother lives here. He was just there to see me and catch up. No, no, no. There was a working lunch, right?

16:49There was, but he wasn't, but the conversations around him had to do with, he was just here because his brother lives here, and I'm a good friend of Michael's, so we had a chance to catch up. Thank you all. Thank you.

17:01Hey guys, where are you? No need to be.

17:03Ben Meiselas:And as Steve Ratner explains, the Trump administration has already authorized$20 billion for Iran before the final long-form deal. It's in the MOU. Iran's got it. If a deal is reached, Iran could receive nearly$500 billion. And by the way, probably more than that as well. That's the reality while the American people are the ones who suffer. We got new PCE, the Fed's preferred inflation data today. PCE inflation jumped to 4.1 % year over year in May. It's the highest inflation in three years, and it's due largely to the war in Iran's impact. Core PCE inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose to 3.4%, the highest since fall of 2023.

17:50Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump's promise when he ran for office is that he would bring down prices. they are increasing and they are increasing at a very, very quick rate. So it's the exact opposite of what he promised. But it's not only that. As Heather Long notes, Americans are getting squeezed right now in other ways. They're not able to save anything at all. The personal savings rate for Americans has dipped below 3%, one of the lowest readings in the past 15 years. People are dipping into their savings in order to survive. Personal savings rates for May 2025, 4.9%. Personal savings rate for May 2026, 3%. And there's been this downward trend.

18:36Ben Meiselas:And you saw, you may have heard about this, that Apple has announced that all of its products will be having massive price hikes. Macworld reports, Apple is implementing significant price hikes across Macs and iPads, at least$100 to$200. The Mac mini rising to$799 from$599. The iPod Air increasing by$150. Some of its other MacBook Pros increasing significant amounts, hundreds of dollars. Why? Because of massive inflation. The price of chips are increasing as well. That's AI inflation, data center inflation, while these companies try to make record profits. And the consumers are the ones who are getting screwed right now.

19:28Ben Meiselas:US petroleum inventories, what they have in, we keep them in Oklahoma and the international inventories, continues to deplete. US petroleum inventory is depleted by another 10 million barrels and have fallen a total of 151 million barrels since the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February. This is still happening because what Trump and Rubio is saying happening in the Strait of Ramoose is not happening. So when you see the price of Brent,$72.53, it's BS. It's market manipulation. It's pure and simple market manipulation. And then when When the oligarchs have somebody in office who wants to hold them accountable, they manipulate the markets and they say, well, the market expectations are going to make it so that we now have to jack up our prices, then we'll take the record prices.

20:23Ben Meiselas:They figure that someone like Trump gives a massive tax breaks, massive other benefits, massive other subsidies for them. They'll go, okay, we'll lower it, we'll lower it. Then when it's someone who holds them accountable, then they raise the prices and then they blame been on, it's the market expectations of instability. Really market expectations of instability because it seems like the expectation should be pretty high right now of instability based on a catastrophic war in the current condition of the Strait of Hormuz. I'll note a few other things as well on the instability. Netanyahu giving a speech earlier, there are still tasks we must carry out.

21:02Ben Meiselas:There is still much more we must do against Iran. There is still much more we must do against Hamas. There is still much more we must do in Lebanon. That's his speech. He ain't going anywhere. He ain't going anywhere. They have demanded in these Lebanese ceasefire talks, more land in Lebanon. They go in the South, that is our security zone. But we need to go even more. We need pilot zones, pilot zones and security zones. So we're going to basically take it all over. That's what they're asking. And the Lebanese are like, we thought we were here to discuss a ceasefire. Now you want more land in Lebanon?

21:36Ben Meiselas:You want pilot zones and security zones? What do we even do? That's what's happening with those discussions. Israel's defense minister, his name is Israel Katz, his first name is Israel, says, we are not allowing civilian populations to return to Lebanon. More than that, the first line of villages inside the security zone has been completely destroyed. We completed it. 100 % destruction. That's what you're bragging about? You're bragging about genocide? You're bragging about annihilation? Really? I mean, that's what they said this morning. You have J.D. Vance out there. This was from UnHerd. And so Rob Amari did a great job reporting on this.

22:22Ben Meiselas:This is what he quoted J.D. Vance as telling him after leaving Switzerland. The Emiratis, by far the most hawkish, by far the most pro-Israel country in the Gulf, they're having conversations with Iranians that have never happened before, including with the IRGC. Yeah, because they don't trust you anymore. They need to reconcile with Iran because the US security umbrella is over. And maybe it's also statements like this, J.D. This is what J.D. told Sarabha Ramri. The Iranians were like, fine, fine. We'll send somebody from the IRGC to hang out in Doha with someone from CENTCOM. And that's how we're going to settle a lot of these disputes, J.D.

23:04Ben Meiselas:Vance said aboard Air Force 2. Fine. We'll send our IRG. If you really want them to hang out with CENTCOM, we'll send it. Fine. That's how J.D. Vance, who says he's not really familiar with the whole diplomatic thing, while Rubio refuses to show up as well. And that's That's how things are going right now while we have Tiffany Trump's husband or boyfriend or whatever hanging out at our diplomatic meetings while Kushner is trying to raise $5 billion from his fund. That's what's going on this morning. That's the facts. That's the data. Do with it what you want. But that's what's called facts. Hit subscribe.

23:45Ben Meiselas:Let's get to 7 million. and thanks for watching.