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Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump is looking for help in the war he started.
What is happening? Over the weekend, Trump said in a post that “multiple” countries “will be sending Warships” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key sea route bordering Iran.
In his post, Trump named “China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and others” as possible participants in efforts to reopen the Strait; he said on Monday that “I have to tell you, we have (countries) that are very interested. They are already coming.”
But so far, it doesn’t look like Trump has much of a following; several NATO countries, including Germany, Italy, and Spain, have already rejected him, as have other nations.
Why is Trump so focused on the Straits? About a fifth of the world’s oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed since earlier this month following US and Israeli attacks on Iran. The shutdown translates into a major economic and political problem for Trump: The average price of gas in the United States is up nearly 80 cents compared to a month ago, to around $3.72/gallon.
what is the main picture? Trump entered the Iran conflict with a hot topic. In January, a dangerous US military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro succeeded without an American death. The US attack on two Iranian nuclear facilities last June also went off without a hitch and resulted in little retaliation from the Iranians.
Now, despite the US military success in Iran, things are not going well. Trump has no direct option to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the response from US allies so far suggests that help is not on the way.
And so, it’s time to leave…
Trump’s posting of Social Truth isn’t the only thing that happened over the weekend; it was also the Oscars! I enjoyed it this piece from my colleague Alex Abad-Santos about the movie Sinners and why, ultimately, it didn’t need a Best Picture win to end its historic run. Have a good evening, and we’ll see you here tomorrow!
