Today’s worthless news on Iran
It hardly worth it to read the news on Iran these days. On this, though, I can hardly blame the reporters, because Trump bobs and weaves – purposely – in a way that’s pretty much impossible to predict as far as outcome goes.
And yet, this is where we are at the moment, at least verbally:
President Trump threatened Iran on Wednesday with “higher level” military strikes if it doesn’t accept a peace deal, but he says it’s “too soon” for new direct talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan after reporting “great progress” in negotiations to end the war.
Iran has yet to react publicly to President Trump’s announcement of a pause in the brief Project Freedom mission to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which prompted the first Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and against U.S. Gulf allies in almost a month.
Mr. Trump put Project Freedom on pause Tuesday night, saying it was to see if “a Complete and Final Agreement” to end the war with Iran could be nailed down amid what he called “great progress” in negotiations brokered by Pakistan.
I read all sorts of alarming things about the possible deal in the works. I won’t even link to them because, if previous experience is any guide, they are meaningless.
I also note that fuel prices are high, but not as high as in 2022 (Biden administration):
Gasoline prices across the U.S. surged to an average of $4.54 a gallon on Wednesday, the highest since July 2022, according to AAA data.
The price of regular gas has jumped 52%, or $1.56 per gallon, since the start of the Iran war in late February, as disruptions to oil flows in the Middle East drive up costs for motorists. The cost is approaching the highest-ever gas price, when it reached $5.02 a gallon in June 2022 during a pandemic-era spike in inflation.
But who can remember back that far? So hey, let’s elect Democrats because they’re so good at holding down gas prices!
Trump is stalling for time. The summit in China with Xi is next week, he doesn’t want to provoke kinetic action until the summit is completed. Many issues to be worked out with China, including possible new security arrangements in the Middle East, so there is no point in taking decisive action in one theater that would prevent a greater geopolitical reckoning. It requires patience, and nerve.
Milk and eggs are now CHEAPER!!
I have the receipts.
@ Neo > “So hey, let’s elect Democrats because they’re so good at holding down gas prices!”
This meme’s for you!
https://accordingtohoyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1893566820988751872.jpg
Most of this “issue” (Hoyt 2026-04-25) deals with the SPLC, but there are a lot of other good ones, contributed by Sarah’s Huns and Hoydens ever week, including in the comments.
I like it when a couple of topics come together.
https://accordingtohoyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/092425a6de93271f7e78f8c37cc86b2544ea53ff5bdc552efd6bb8c0926512b0.png
Misinformation that the Democrats would like to suppress, again.
https://accordingtohoyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/hkllkjjjljl.png
I have fallen away from many of my former “must read” pundits due to circumstances this year, and am only just now tuning back in to Mark Steyn, who has been in Ukraine for several weeks!
As always, it’s a pleasure to read his witty posts, even when I don’t necessarily agree with all his positions. He has some contacts and insights that don’t come together in any other place on the internet.
Given the circumstances noted in these most recent posts, adding him to your personal prayer list would be a timely good deed.
May 1: Mark agrees with Neo on avoiding worthless ruminations, although with a different focus.
https://www.steynonline.com/16182/when-wars-merge
May 4: Contra Mark, I do not think that Iran is entitled to claim the entire Strait of Hormuz as their exclusive territorial waters; research may be needed.
https://www.steynonline.com/16192/the-strait-jacket
May 5: Not unexpectedly, traipsing around a country at war, including having hotels across the street from his bombed into rubble, is not good for Mark’s health, which was already quite precarious.
https://www.steynonline.com/16193/choosing-their-words
AesopFan on May 6, 2026 at 10:30 pm:
“This meme’s for you!
https://accordingtohoyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1893566820988751872.jpg ”
Are those pictures of that young woman in the public domain?
Her visages have been used to such great effect (or affect) so often she probably deserves to receive some form of royalties!
Jeff Childers had a good analysis of the state of affairs, current at least on May 4th:
(And I hope the Force was with you all!)
https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/virtue-signals-monday-may-4-2026
There is another reason that Gas prices just spiked. I believe that they are switching fuel blends, from Winter to Summer.
Well, I’m an optimistic kinda guy. Trump sounds more optimistic, guardedly, than before. And the Dow, after five days of gains, is so close to 50,000 investors can taste it.
I give it 50% for the Iran War to be settled satisfactorily within a week. Here’s a good summary from Jesse Watters:
–“Watters: The next 48 hours should be pretty interesting…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3uY_o75vTE
$4.54 a gallon sounds damn good to me, but that’s only because I live in the foolish state of California where prices are at $6 or more per gallon, and now every radio station MUST report how much it is several times a day; which of course they never did when ZOMBIE JOE was in AUTOPEN mode, when it was higher. In the summer of 2022, I paid $7 a gallon while on vacation near Yosemite National Park. My truck has a 28 gallon fuel tank. I still have the receipt.
The Trump MO in real estate was to talk big, take big risks, look like a hero if things worked out, or otherwise, quietly liquidate and move on to the next deal.
It sure looks to me as though the Iran conflict fits the pattern, except with Iran in control of Hormuz, there really is no “quietly liquidate” option.
“Negotiating” with the current Iranian regime is pointless. Republicans (and even Trump) used to understand this until about 10 minutes ago.
I see two ways that this could end. One way is that Trump may be able to squeeze the Iranians with his own Hormuz blockade enough to cause the regime to fall. In this scenario the reports of an oil shock and bigger economic damage coming down the pike are overblown, or the pressure gets to Iran before it gets to Trump.
Option two is that Trump will agree to JCPOA 2.0 and then apply all of his public relations/political jujitsu to sell it as a major victory. It will be a tough sell. MAGA will go along with whatever Trump says. They’re a cheap date. Right-of-center hawks who actually remember what they believed 10 minutes ago about negotiating with Iran might make their peace with the situation because of the military damage that Trump did in March, or not. A lot is going to depend on what that set believes about how long it is going to take Iran to rebuild its capabilities. (You better believe that in this scenario, Iran will use whatever capabilities it has left to engineer the fastest possible nuclear break out.)
Most of the voting public, I fear, are going to judge the whole thing based on gasoline prices and economic performance. Even if gasoline returns to the February baseline tomorrow (and it won’t), I think the public is going to ask what benefit Trump won for the country in exchange for the economic cost that public has borne. If the answer is “we blew up a bunch of stuff” and got a deal that the general public isn’t going to be able to distinguish from Obama’s JCPOA, look out. If the economic pain continues or intensifies, look out. If there is a recession in the next six months, look out.
At this point, I think we should all pray for option 1. I fear that there is no winning option 2.
neo: Today’s worthless news on Iran.
And that, ladies and gentlemen,
is the most perceptive analysis you will read today.
I WISH Trump was “bobbing and weaving”! My dog is smarter than Obama, so I naturally assumed Trump was too. But it looks like the Iranians are playing with him, and now Xi wants to play too!
Trump is toying with losing the our credibility because he loves to make deals… well, I’ve got a deal for you, Donny! Drop the hammer, or resign!
one might consider the region between kharg island Iranian territory, not the boundary to Oman, which unlike most of the Gulf States have indulged the IRGC for way too long, I understand proximity to the regime can restrain some response,
the Qataris got a punch in the mouth, for their indulgence, and their remunerations to the european soccer franchises and other luxuries,
sarah hoyt does have a dry sense of irony,
I do wonder why no one seems to be publicizing this whole exercise as “how much are you (America and the World) willing to pay for oil/fuel for a year to fully insure there is no nuclear war with Iran and thus avoid all of the VERY BAD stuff that will happen should that occur?*”
If the administration and Congress were to (or were to have) come out with a pronouncement that we are passing a 1% (or 2 or 3%) increase in everyone’s income taxes for the explicit purpose of removing Iran as a nuclear threat, a lot of people would accept and probably agree doing so for a year or two would end up being a decent tradeoff. Of course since 20% of the income tax paying population now pay at least 80% of the income tax, most people would not see a major impact compared to seeing their personal vehicle fuel costs going up, with numbered signs all over the place.
Why is such a perspective seemingly lacking? Why isn’t it part of the “sales promotion” for this “war”. Or a larger and more coherent part of said promotion?
*”Oh, and if we want to discuss it more openly, there will be (might be; should be) enhanced benefits in keeping China, Russia, North Korea, et al. on a shorter leash. Plus maybe get Europe to finally become the adults controlling their continent.
In re gas prices, scrolling down from the most recent entry in this “live stream” news report (a format I abhor):
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-trump-progress-peace-deal-strait-of-hormuz/
Funny how the prices under Biden Inc. are suddenly of no account whatsoever.
NPR consistently uses the term “all-time high” for current gas prices, completely dropping the qualifier “… since Biden was President.”