CRIMINAL RULING CLASS

RON UNZ—Although Iran definitely seems to be winning the war, the continuing conflict does pose major risks to everyone in the world. This certainly includes China, which has carefully avoided any direct involvement.

The Chinese have allowed the Iranians to use their satellite positioning system and have also probably provided some important intelligence and reconnaissance information, crucial contributions that help to explain the excellent targeting of the Iranian missiles. But I believe that it is very much in China’s interests to do far more than this, and bring the conflict to a speedy conclusion, involving what amounts to an American surrender.

If the war goes on, there’s a good chance that the cycle of attacks and retaliations will destroy much of the energy infrastructure of the Gulf, leading to long-term losses of supply, hurting the Chinese along with everyone else. Probably China would suffer relatively less than Europe, Japan, or most other parts of the world, but it could hardly escape very substantial economic damage, as well as the loss of markets as most of its customers became impoverished.

Even more importantly, I’m deeply concerned over the possibility that Iran’s continuing success might result in either America or more likely Israel taking the conflict nuclear, with incalculable dangers for everyone in the world, including China.

PHIL. GIRALDI—And finally, for a bit of what just might turn out to be good news! The reports of the misfortunes of the world’s largest warship, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, have been circulating for the past couple of weeks, starting with malfunction of the ship’s toilets, requiring repairs and maintenance. According to one report, it may have been due to deliberate clogging of the ship’s plumbing by crew members flushing and otherwise jamming clothing and other “indigestible” items into the pipes. There has also been a large 30-hour fire reported in the ship laundry room which has required returning to Crete for major repairs. The Ford has now left the operational area linked to Iran.

DW—The discussion addresses the possibilities and challenges of deploying ground forces, particularly US Marines, noting that while Israel and the US contemplate ground operations, significant obstacles exist, including the unwillingness of Kurdish groups to engage and the heavily fortified Iranian positions around the Strait of Hormuz. Freeman suggests that US Marines might instead target the Lesser Tunbs islands, a contested territory between Iran and the UAE, as a strategic move to bolster UAE ties.

The war’s complexity is further underscored by the Gulf Arab states’ precarious position. Despite heavy reliance on US military support, these states face severe vulnerabilities due to their economic dependence on oil and gas revenues, which are threatened by the ongoing conflict and Iranian attacks. Freeman highlights the Gulf states’ dilemma as they struggle to maintain internal stability while caught between Iran’s military pressure and their reliance on US arms sales, which have delayed deliveries.