Enter the Red Dragon; China Sends Warships to Strait oi Hormuz

 It is challenging to interpret some parts of the Bible. Martin Luther commented that the Revelation has 'a lot of straw'. It has been said that the book was written with a bit of camouflage coding so the APostle John would not be immediately executed by the Emperor Nero who may have been negatively referred to by John in writing the little book (Biblos means 'little books').

SOme parts of the Bible were prophecy and some of those prophecies where fulfilled back in the day and some are yet to be fulfilled. Those points are points of contention to various Christian, and even Islamic sects. Iranians are primarily Shia'a Muslims and have and eschatology (end times) prophecy criterion remarkably similar to Christian pre-tribulation criteria because the work was probably lifted from the book of Revelation by Muhammad with some changes.

Partial preterist Christians believe that part of the prophecies were fulfulled and others remain. One controversial prophetic section is THe Revelation. Readers are left to interpret the meaning for themselves of course, as is the nature of reading. Some of the parameters of the prophecies could be in the process of fulfillment in the MIddle East presently. It is well known however that the perception that some parts of Bible prophecy are being fulfilled is a recurrent phenomenon that occurs several times in every generation.

The Red Dragon that seeks to devour a woman's child, and the great harlot Babylon, could refer to the Persian Gulf, Babylon or just Iraq or Iran etc and the Iranian effort to attack Israel and the United States (possibly a Christian nation where Jesus's kingdom of God remains the strongest). The Red Dragon also refers to Satan who wears something like an evil Santa suit without any white or black on it to lighten the mood from just blood.

Interpreting scripture is challenging when it has many possible dimensions or levels of meaning for so many word strings. One could be correct in an interpretation yet not exhaust the remaining uses for interpretation of the reference that could yet occur in the future or have occurred in the past. And one need be careful not to add anything to the book or all the curses mention would be added unto thee. Muhammed may have violated that admonition long ago compounding Middle East challenges for Iranians.

The harlot of many nations seems closed again. Phonetics for the phenomenon are definitely weird. Ha ha ha means ‘the, the, the’ in Hebrew. A sense of humor seems an underlying theme. Divine humor-how else could one stand the pathos of politics? Charging a toll for opening Hormuz lol, took pimping to a higher level.

If China is one of the meanings of  the Red Dragon in Revelation 12 it is interesting to note that China has sent a few naval frigates to try to force open the Strait of Hormuz to let her oil tankers with Iranian oil products run through the U.S. naval blockade. It is possible that world War Three could begin with that slight action of Chinese ships fighting with U.S. in the Gulf of Oman.

I suppose the ships could be allowed to pass if they first unloaded the oil products somewhere in Oman or onto a waiting empty neutral flagged ship whence the  products could be sold to pay for the harm done to allied interests from Iran.

Iran Targets Water Making Plants- Zelensky Targets Russian Oil Export Facilities

Iran has escalated from attacking military bases, oil tankers, and oil shipping facilities to striking desalination plants that supply water to civilian populations in Persian Gulf countries. They hit a plant in Kuwait yesterday, killing an Indian worker. This escalation is plainly a war crime.

Replacing water production for these desert nations within the short timeframe people can survive without it (a maximum of about three days) would be extraordinarily difficult. Bureaucracies do not move that fast. If global warming, the federal deficit, or Homeland Security funding needed to be fixed within three days, the results would likely be just as chaotic.

It is challenging to weigh President Trump's options regarding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. A ground invasion of the Iranian littoral and the strategic Persian Gulf islands would likely cost many American lives. Iranian forces hold superior battlefield positions, allowing them to attack downhill with sustained waves of drones and rockets. The time required to sanitize the Strait safely for shipping would be significant. While U.S. military counter-drone technology will improve over time, it will not arrive soon enough to fully protect Persian Gulf allies from ongoing Iranian drone and missile attacks.

A boots-on-the-ground operation in Iran to secure the Strait of Hormuz could also cost Republicans control of the House of Representatives, unless it proves to be a quick and victorious campaign—an improbable outcome for such an invasion.

U.S. troops heading to the region could help defend Persian Gulf allies while supporting efforts to engineer emergency water production—perhaps by transporting desalination equipment or other solutions across the region's deserts. Developing alternative routes to export oil and import water, even as long-term hostilities with Iran continue, may be the least ineffective approach.

Kharg Island and other Iranian oil production facilities could be targeted and razed using air power, such as B-52 strikes. This would deprive Iran's government of critical income from oil and gas sales.

As the world's leading oil producer, the United States could sell large volumes of oil at elevated prices to Europe and Asia while regime change develops in Iran over the course of a year or more. With domestic gasoline prices rising as a result, the Trump administration could take the bold step of offering tax cuts and incentives to electric vehicle producers and buyers, while quantitatively stimulating solar panel and alternative energy production in the United States. This could help attract some environmental voters from the Democratic side and improve Republican chances in the upcoming House and Senate elections.

The American oil industry already stands to reap record profits while Iran continues targeting Persian Gulf oil exports, so they are unlikely to oppose the policy.

                                   image credit- Google Maps

America's air defense equipment is not good enough to defend Persian Gulf allies against Iranian drones and missiles. The U.S.A. is developing lasers to target incoming drones, yet the army's ground based HVP weapon to hit missiles within 10 miles isn't yet ready for prime time. It is still "being developed".

"The U.S. Army's "smart pebbles" ground-based Hypervelocity (HPV) weapon is formally known as the Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP), a next-generation, guided, kinetic-energy projectile designed to be fired from conventional 155mm cannons for high-speed missile defense."

Emperor Zelensky is of course targeting Russian oil and gas facilities in order to drive up the cost of oil for Europe (supplying Ukraine with military support) and reduce Russian revenue supplying oil to Europe. He may leverage anti-drone defense experience from Ukraine to offer to help out the Persian Gulf alliance 'in exchange for'... The U.S. should be able to develop its own cloud of anti-drone drones for short term use. TEMU supplies drones for $29.95. Anti-drone defense drones need to be better quality though, and with smarter AI chips. Someday homeowners may buy their own anti-drone drones from TEMU or ebay- such as a Peregrine raptor-predator model, co-piloted with a good AI chip.

Supplying water to the Persian Gulf is the most interesting and vital challenge to find a solution for. It is something to consider. It is hard to believe that with so many years to prep for anti-drone defenses that the U.S.A. wasn't ready to defend against the mass of cheap weapons Iran has stored in hidden, distributed bunkers and basements.

'Another FIne Mess'; President Trump, Public Debt, Petrodollars, Zelensky and WW 3

 President Trump does not pursue wealth with half measures, yet he appears to approach ending the wars in Ukraine and Iran with precisely that—half measures. By the time he finishes his term, the United States may carry roughly $45 trillion in national debt. That figure could surge 200–300% if the dollar collapses following the end of the petrodollar system and a shift toward petroyuan dominance.

Trump seems to thrive on these high-stakes, emergent situations. Meanwhile, President Zelensky has asked the West for nuclear weapons to offset Russia’s nuclear advantage. He apparently seeks to upgrade Ukraine’s existing MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) policy into an active nuclear exchange with Russia. If Moscow were vaporized, Russia would almost certainly retaliate with an all-out strike involving thousands of nuclear warheads against the West. The Russians have deep institutional experience with MAD doctrine; handing nuclear weapons to Zelensky is a losing hand to play.

The situation in Iran is equally perilous. The original Aryan nation—Iran derives from the word “Aryan”—is led by descendants of the ancient Persian and Parthian Empires. (The last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, bore a name meaning “Parthian.”) Iran is fighting on its home ground, backed by Russia, China, and other allies, in what is likely to become a protracted war of resistance against U.S. efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Even basic Toyota pickups can transport Russian, Chinese, and Iranian missiles with a 25-mile range to positions threatening the Strait. There are dozens of additional ways to deliver force capable of sinking oil supertankers. Joined by fanatical Shi’a fighters, the opposition will be more than happy to tie the United States down in the Persian Gulf for a decade of costly conflict, with enormous opportunity costs for America.

This war might never have escalated had the U.S. ended sanctions on Russia and restored normal commercial and diplomatic relations. Without such pressure, Russia would have had far less motivation to divert Western attention and resources toward the Middle East. Ukraine’s advance has already slowed, partly because Starlink has been provided exclusively to Ukrainian forces. A U.S.-brokered settlement along the Dnipro River region could have ended the conflict earlier.

Iranians themselves are divided in their political preferences. Roughly 30% support restoration of the monarchy, 30% strongly oppose it, and another 30% are indifferent. Historically, Iran has been ruled in rotation by civilians, the military, and theocrats, with leadership shifting through different approaches to internal change. No one can confidently predict the outcome of political upheaval there. Leftists who helped bring Ayatollah Khomeini to power in the 1979 revolution were quickly liquidated when he suppressed the Iranian communist party (Tudeh). The late Shah harbored ambitions to dominate the region but was thwarted. Ordinary Iranians once worked in U.S.-linked hospitals yet were denied equal treatment, breeding resentment. Britain may still harbor hopes of reclaiming influence over Iranian oil fields.

In summary, as Laurel and Hardy might have put it: “Well, here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.”Democrats continue to push for open borders and, through movements like “No Kings,” seek to depose what they view as the American monarchy under Trump. The only apparent hope—if Democrats regain power—is that they might implement a $30 trillion anti-global warming program, pushing total U.S. public debt toward $75 trillion, plus the routine addition of another trillion dollars annually through deficit spending.

Fundamentally, there is little serious leadership competition for the Republican “Kings” who at least defend national borders and add less to the national debt. Democrats are disingenuous about a sustainable economy and politics; they too are reliant on petrodollar politics. Solar panels dropped in price 50% because the Chinese mixed communist politics combined with free enterprise over-produced solar panels. Now they may find windfall profits and political influence gain by saturating the planet and third world with solar panels while the cost of oil rises.

What President Trump could do more decisively is target Iran’s oil export capacity, reducing it to roughly 300,000 barrels per day—the amount currently exported via a pipeline safely away from the Strait of Hormuz. About 95% of Iran’s oil production flows through Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. Reducing that facility to rubble would cripple Iran’s ability to finance new weapons purchases, which would be strategically useful in any protracted conflict where the Strait is likely to remain contested or closed to U.S. allies anyway.

It is positive that Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been severely damaged. Now is the time to halt Iranian oil sales entirely and, in the event of a post-theocratic government, offer targeted loans or assistance so Iran can purchase Chinese-made solar panels and accelerate a practical transition to electric vehicles and domestically produced power.