TakingStock

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So a 2-week ceasefire that's turned into a month and a half has helped Iran rebuild their military capabilities? Shocking.

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Rueters: Irans Supreme Leader ordered that ALL near weapons grade uranium must stay in Iran.

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Trump is about to move the goalposts on Monday “out of respect for the highly respected Field Marshal of Pakistan”

Now you have to worry about Trump making a bad deal just to "make a deal" because it's clear he wants an exit ramp. If a "deal" is reached, don't be surprised to see a deal that doesn't address the enriched uranium.

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Have you taken a history class? It's a well-established fact that after every war—except for the Korean War, because it is still truly ongoing and no one has been "defeated"—there are always remnants or pockets of resistance, even in defeat.

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Yes, but Trump's implication throughout his Truths and messaging regarding Iran being "defeated" is that they don't pose a threat anymore. He's backtracking on that now since there really is no easy exit ramp here and we've entered into a stalemate of asymmetric warfare that will likely keep oil prices above $90 for the next year at least.

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DJT is stuck and has one of two choices: resume with no intent of stopping - don't care if Ghandi steps in - or walk away and leave the ME more volatile than ever

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Apparently Trump confirmed that Middle Eastern allies called and asked him to hold off on new attacks fearing new retaliation. In turn, Trump just said that Iran "still has some capacity" to retaliate which will not surprising directly contradicts his constant proclamations that Iran is "decimated" and "defeated". That type of language is significantly hurting the messaging around this conflict.

Do we believe Trump that the Middle Eastern leaders told him not to attack? I'm not really even sure what to believe anymore. I do find it interesting that the UAE has attacked Iran themselves but now they're begging Trump to restrain himself?

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Holding off at the request of other Muslim nations again.... When will he realize that at this point it's just one ideology trying to protect itself, despite it's factional differences?

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He's become pathetic at this point. He's only concerned about the reaction of the stock market to any renewed military action. "Serious negotiations are now taking place...a deal will be made". How many times have we heard that nonsense? The Iranian leaders (whoever remains) have to be loving this.

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Then maybe it would be a good idea for the President and Secretary of War to stop telling everybody constantly that Iran is "decimated", "they have nothing", and "have no ability to fight back at all". People tend to believe what they are told repeatedly, and then have a hard time understanding how an enemy that supposedly has nothing is still able to shut down a major international waterway.

Trump and Hegseth's constant need to stroke their own ego and make sure everybody knows they have totally, completely won the war better than anyone else ever has won a war is probably backfiring now

I don't think it's crazy to suggest that the public perception of the war would be 10-15 points higher in Trump's favor if he simply didn't have access to Truth Social

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Spot on. While this isn't likely to become a Vietnamesque "quagmire", it certainly has the potential to remain a long lasting stalemate where Iran wields all the power to attack vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz at will and the price of oil doesn't drop below $90 for the foreseeable future.

I don't think people appreciate how much damage Iran did to oil & gas export infrastructure in the Middle East over the past few months. Unfortunately, short of regime change and a clear indication Iran's nuclear capabilities have been destroyed and the enriched uranium is seized, this whole operation didn't really accomplish all that much strategically in the long run.

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Not sure how accurate the report is. It is the NYT after all.

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Not too surprising with a ceasefire that likely won’t end and Iran basically able to regroup and recharge as needed.

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If we were dealing with rational actors this would be an appropriate strategy but, these people are not remotely rational or sane. I really believe they think they can delay or evade long enough then Trump will lose his nerve. It's just time to light 'em up again and this time start turning out the lights.

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Absolutely, the Iranians are laughing behind the scenes at the prospect of a “deal” and the extra time is helping them to regroup.

Time to ratchet up the pressure and start dropping some bombs again.

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It’s been rather quiet on the Iran front. Weren’t they supposed to respond by last night?

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Yeah, another deadline came and went and Iran is laughing at us. They’ll play the long game and laugh as oil stays above $90 for the next 6 months and very likely much longer.