Trump Strikes Iran Ports and then Begs for Ceasefire

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4:35Ben Meiselas:This is a breaking news alert. The United States military just conducted strikes in Iran. The strikes were conducted in the port of Kashem at Bandar Abbas and in Manab. CENTCOM is confirming. State regime media, which calls itself Fox, is confirming. State regime media, which calls itself CBS, is confirming. We're also hearing from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. They're confirming that strikes took place by the United States, and Iran is saying that they responded with strikes at two Navy destroyers, which Iran says is now leaving the area after trying to come into the Strait of Hormuz.

5:19Ben Meiselas:We are also hearing from various other Iranian news sources talking about retaliation now being expected from Iran. Let's just go through some of the facts, folks, about what's taking place. So first, we got the news from state regime media Fox saying the United States military just carried out strikes on Iran's Keshen port in Bandar Abbas. Senior U.S. officials were telling Fox. Then CENTCOM posted the following. CENTCOM protects U.S. warships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman on May 7th.

6:04Ben Meiselas:Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones, and small boats at the USS Truxton, the USS Rafael Peralta, and the USS Mason transiting this international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck, according to CENTCOM. Iran seems to suggest that some U.S. assets were indeed struck. CENTCOM eliminated inbound threats, according to CENTCOM, and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. knows CENTCOM does not seek escalation, but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.

6:49Ben Meiselas:And that's what was stated by the Trump regime. After these strikes, we just hit Iran, but we're not restarting the war. We don't want escalation, Iran. Let's take a look at what Iran is saying just went down. The Iranian Navy says the following to their regime media. Following the violation of the ceasefire and the aggression by the terrorist U.S. military against an Iranian oil tanker near the port of Jask and the approach of warships belonging to the terrorist U.S. military toward the Strait of Hormuz, a very large scale and precise combined operation was carried out. various types of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, along with kamikaze drones equipped with high explosive warheads were launched towards enemy destroyers, those U.S.

7:38Ben Meiselas:naval ships. Intelligence monitoring indicates significant damage to the American enemy and three invading enemy warships quickly fled the Strait of Hormuz area. Now, Iran's Qatam al-Nbiya central headquarters spokesperson said the following. The aggressive terrorist and pirate U.S. military violated the ceasefire by targeting this Iranian oil tanker traveling from Iran's coastal waters near the Jask toward the Strait of Hormuz. A very similar message. So what seems like what went down is two to three U.S. destroyers went into the Strait of Hormuz. Then the Iranian Navy saw these U.S. destroyers heading into the Strait of Hormuz, opened fire on the destroyers.

8:27Ben Meiselas:The destroyers returned fire. Then there were strikes by the U.S. on the Keshem port, as well as in the Bonder Abbas area and in the Minab area. We know Minab as well because that's where the Trump regime massacred the little schoolgirls at the beginning of the war. And then there was a open hostilities that took place here. According to Iran, the U.S. Navy destroyers then exited the Strait of Hormuz once they came under attack. Iran claims they caused damage. The U.S. says no damage was done to those destroyers. Here's how state regime is now talking about it as Fox. A senior U.S. official tells me it was a U.S.

9:13Ben Meiselas:military strike on Iran's Kashim port in Bandar Abbas moments ago, but added this is not a restarting of the war or an end to the ceasefire. OK, the strike on one of Iran's oil ports comes two days after Iran fired 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at the UAE Fujair report, eliciting anger from Gulf countries after top Pentagon leaders said Tuesday that the Iranian strikes did not rise to the level of breaking the ceasefire, calling it low level attacks that didn't rise to the level. Pause. You see what's happening. Donald Trump announces Project Freedom. He says he's going to send destroyers into the Strait of Hormuz to escort tankers and cargo ships out.

9:56Ben Meiselas:Trump tries to do that earlier in the week. Iran stops them. Iran strikes a UAE vessel, a South Korean vessel, as well as the Fujairah port. Trump says Project Freedom is done, and we don't believe this is a violation of the ceasefire. American markets start to do well on that news. Oil starts to drop. Saudi Arabia and UAE and Kuwait and others get pissed and say, OK, you're not going to do anything. Iran just started shooting at your destroyers and Iran just attacked the UAE port. You got to do something. OK, Donald, we're going to block you from accessing United States air bases or air bases under joint control or our airspace in these Middle East countries.

10:38Ben Meiselas:That became a massive headline, looked like made Donald Trump look so, so weak that he was now being blocked from these Middle East air bases. So then I think Donald Trump's like, all right, all right, all right. I'll send the destroyer. We'll do it again. I'll send the destroyers in and in retaliation for Iran striking the Fujairah report, we'll we'll attack Keshem and we'll attack Bander Abbas and Manab. Then can we have access to your air bases again? Because we learned right before these U.S. airstrikes took place that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait said, OK, we'll give you access back to the air bases and and the airspace.

11:18Ben Meiselas:And it was like, well, did they cut a deal? This seems to be the deal that was cut right here. goes on to say a senior U.S. official confirms that they're reporting that the Saudis and Kuwaitis reverse course on blocking Trump from their air bases and airspace because Donald Trump basically just did this. Then Fox confirms that senior U.S. officials are confirming that the U.S. military struck the Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Manab. In response, Iran's top joint military Command says Iran will respond decisively and immediately after U.S. breached the ceasefire by attacking an Iranian oil tanker near Jask and opposite Fujairah while launching air assaults on civilian areas in Bandar, Khmer, Sadiq, and Qashem Island in cooperation with some regional countries, i.e.

12:12Ben Meiselas:UAE overtly, Saudi Arabia covertly, and Iran's Navy Command confirms the same. Now, it may seem like a year ago, but it was only 48 hours ago that Axios' Barack Ravid, who in my opinion serves as Donald Trump's personal stenographer, wrote, scoop. The White House believes it's getting close to an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations. That didn't happen. Then Iranian broadcasts called out Ravid and said, Axios reported five times in 19 days that a deal with Iran was imminent. Five times and no deal materialized.

12:52Ben Meiselas:It appears that reporter Barack Ravid, along with friends in the U.S. government, may be profiting from market volatility, to which Barack Ravid, who's apparently very soft as well, goes, this is a lie. Axios didn't report even once over the last three weeks that a deal was, quote, imminent. The Iranian regime at state TV and its bots and influence accounts on social media are pushing this lie. It's regime propaganda. Don't fall for it or amplify it. I kind of know your post, though, man. We've kind of seen you posting. There's a deal. Maybe you didn't use the word imminent, but about to happen very close imminently.

13:31Ben Meiselas:Use a lot of words like that, in my opinion. And then over the past 24 hours, Donald Trump brought in those UFC fighters. He's like, oh, Iran wants to do a deal so badly. Here, play this clip. We've seen an opponent right now in Iran that has refused to submit. You seem optimistic now to maybe push through a deal. What's different about this moment now than in other moments where a deal has seemed close? Well, why do you say they refuse to submit? You don't know that. You don't know what's going on behind you. A few days ago is a long time ago. In the world of war, a few days ago, no, they want to make a deal badly.

14:04And we'll see if we get there. If we get there, They can't have nuclear weapons. You know, it's very simple. But what's not to submit? So they had a Navy with 159 ships, and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water. They had an Air Force, lots of planes, and they don't have any planes. They don't have any anti-aircraft. They don't have any radar left. Their missiles are mostly decimated. They have some. They have probably 18, 19 percent, but not a lot by comparison to what they had. And their leaders are all dead. So I think we won. Now it's only a question of, look, if we left right now Iran, it would take them 20 years to rebuild.

14:41You would call that we're in good shape, right? We're in good shape. And now we're doing well. Now we have to get what we have to get. If we don't do that, we'll have to go a big step further. But with that being said, they want to make a deal. We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it's very possible that we'll make a deal.

15:02Ben Meiselas:And he continued to reiterate that message play. This clip.

15:32And who wouldn't when your military is totally gone? We could do anything we want to them.

15:38Ben Meiselas:And now let me show you University of Chicago professor John Meerschmeier. Here's what he says. And I think he's spot on in this analysis. Let's play it. We have got to find an additional way to the blockade to bring the Iranians to their knees. You know, the blockade alone is just not going to do it. So, again, yesterday we tried to force the straits. That didn't work. And maybe we'll try a bombing campaign again, and that will backfire big time, just as yesterday's events backfired big time. So there is no solution here with military force. What you're going to have to do is work out a deal with the Iranians.

16:18Ben Meiselas:And we, of course, can't bring ourselves to do that because the Iranians have won. They've won a victory here. And if we sit down and negotiate a deal, it will become manifestly clear to anybody with a triple digit IQ that the Iranians won because Trump will be forced to make huge concessions in negotiating that deal. There you have it, folks. Let me know what you think. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks, everybody, for watching. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our sub stack at MidasPlus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad-free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only available at MidasPlus.com.

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