A very desperate Trump threatens to carry out war crimes on Iranian civilian targets.
From This Point Forward
From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Jul 22, 2026, 6:56 AM
The Escalation Threat
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump Says U.S. Will Bomb Iran’s Power Plants, Bridges if Tehran Strikes Ships
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday that the U.S. will “bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” including infrastructure in or near Tehran, every time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait.
The president’s comments are the latest indication that the two countries might return to full-scale war. On Tuesday, he said U.S. military forces would likely attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, the underground site where Israeli intelligence believes Iran has buried advanced nuclear-enrichment centrifuges, “pretty soon.”
“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s threats to strike Iranian infrastructure raise legal questions, including whether doing so violates the laws of war. Current and former military officials caution that it isn’t lawful to strike an adversary’s infrastructure for political purposes, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
Iran has effectively halted traffic through the vital waterway that before the war carried a fifth of the world’s oil by launching drones and missiles at commercial ships, roiling the global economy. An average of just 10 ships a day crossed Friday through Sunday, according to ship tracker Kpler. Iran has also threatened to charge tolls for ships transiting the waterway.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday announced a blockade of Saudi shipping, threatening the oil flow through alternative routes such as the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, amid a separate conflict with the kingdom.
Wednesday’s strikes by the U.S., the 11th consecutive night of bombing, targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities and military logistics infrastructure, according to U.S. Central Command.
Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. remains open to a diplomatic settlement, but that Iran doesn’t appear serious about a renewed ceasefire.
The Counter-Escalation Threat
Military Options Not Great
- The military options here aren’t great. The site is likely too deeply buried for U.S. munitions to penetrate, so it can’t be “destroyed.” That leaves the option of bombing entrances and tunnels to block access and hopefully entomb the centrifuges–an imperfect and temporary fix, but one the U.S. has been willing to use on other underground nuclear sites (e.g., Esfahan).
- We’re still left with the mystery of why neither the U.S. nor Israel has struck the site to date. Again, “inability to destroy” doesn’t seem to have been a guiding criteria in other targeting choices, so I’m skeptical that’s the reason here.
What’s the Mission?
- If the mission is to open the strait, then the MOU opened the strait.
- If the mission is to prevent Iran from getting a nuke, the MOU addressed that as well.
- If the mission is to make Trump look like a fool and lose more midterm votes, he is succeeding.
Guardian Angel of the Strait
This is about Trump’s fragile ego and the insane risks he is willing to take to deny he lost the war.
Trump is now the self-proclaimed “Guardian Angel of the Strait”.
Iran wants to charge $1-2 million for safe passage Trump wants to charge 20 percent of cargo, about $30 million per ship.
He later modified that to include investments of that amount in the US, equally preposterous.
Illegal War
Murkowski: “The War Powers Resolution is not ambiguous. It requires the president to terminate hostilities within 60 days absent congressional authorization. Hostilities began on Feb. 28…Is the administration still taking the position about needing no authorization from Congress?:”
Blame Biden
$2 Billion a Day to Open the Strait
Don’t Worry, Only 18 Dead
Iran Strait Opening Sequence of Events
- The strait of Hormuz was open.
- Trump started a foolish war at the request of Israel. Iran closed the strait in response.
- After wasting tens of billions of dollars and deplenishing US weapons systems, a MOU reopened the strait.
- In a feud over fees, Trump started bombing Iran. So Iran closed the strait again.
- Iran wants to collect $1-2 million in fees for passage.
- Trump declared himself as the Guardian Angel of the strait.
- Trump wants 20 percent of cargo, roughly $30 million in fees per ship for safe passage.
- Trump says a Guardian Angel fee is only fair even though he has failed to provide safe passage.
- In addition, Trump wants $2 billion a day in military funding to reopen the strait that he actually insists is already open and the US controls.
- To open the strait that is allegedly open will take $2 billion per day and $30 million per ship not counting the cost of rising oil and commodity price hikes.
The current mission, as best as anyone can tell, is to open the strait that was opened by the MOU, and was open before Trump started this asinine war.
This mission to open the strait will cost $2 billion per day plus $30 million per ship, with rising oil price inflation until the strait is open.
Costs do not factor in infrastructure damage, US global standing, or those needlessly killed or wounded by Trump’s actions.
Commodity Prices
- Crude Oil WTI 86.36 +2.02 +2.40%
- Brent Oil 93.58 +2.57 +2.82%
- Natural Gas 2.912 +0.047 +1.64%
- Gold 4,155.12 +78.72 +1.93%
- Silver 60.445 +1.337 +2.26%
West Texas Intermediate crude is up another $2.02 today to $86.36.
AAA National Average Fuel Prices
- The AAA national average gasoline price topped $4.00 a few days ago and is now $4.06 per gallon.
- A week ago the national average gas price was $3.89, a month ago $3.92, and a year ago $3.14.
- Diesel is $5.18 now, was $5.01 a month ago, and a $3.73 year ago.
If this madness continues for two more weeks, oil will be back above $100 and gasoline prices headed back toward record highs.
Stop the Funding
Vote No for more military spending.
Look on the Bright Side
Q: What’s that?
A: Only 18 soldiers have been killed so far. It’s a small price for such insanity.
Related Posts
July 21, 2026: Israel Gives Trump Marching Orders to Escalate the War. What’ll the Puppet Do?
It’s not orders per se. But it’s similar to the “intelligence” scam that started this mess.
July 21, 2026: Hegseth Blasted in Congress Over His Lies Iran’s Military Capability Destroyed
Hegseth seeks more money for illegal wars. Just say no.
After a war is over, when an army is attempting to rule a foreign population, there are often attempts by brave boys of the defeated side to retaliate, to pick off an enemy soldier here or there. This is usually punished by full-on atrocities by the victorious side. It’s the only way they can keep the ordinary population from siding with their brave boys.
In England after the Norman conquest, there was a concept called “proof of Englishry.” What it meant was that any time there was a murder, the first thing to do, if at all possible, was to establish that the victim was an Englishman and not a Norman. If a Norman was murdered, terror would rain down on the civilian population.
In New Guinea, at the time when Australia was administering it as the representative of the civilized world (think United Nations), there was a practice, at least in the early stages, of raining down massacre and terror on the local population any time a white man was murdered. This was policy, not just local vindictiveness. It was the only way to keep the population under control so that they could be civilized. And in the long run, it worked.
Indonesia is probably doing the same thing right now in the part of New Guinea that it controls.
I suggest that Trump and the Israelis are thinking this way about the Persians. The war is over: the Persians have been defeated. They must now be brought to accept their defeat by severe punishment any time they stick their heads up. What Trump is doing, in his eyes and in Israeli eyes, is not “war crime”: it is police action, firm administration of the new order of things.
You may recall that mass rape and similar atrocities in East Germany were part of the Allied arrangements after World War Two. Also, there is the little matter of the Yezidis. I don’t know whether the Americans or the Turks were responsible for creating the Islamic State – I assume it must have been one or the other of them. But as I understand it they used mass killing of males and forced marriage of the women against the Yezidis.
update on Iran:
rolling blackouts in tehran 4 hours each day. water, food, medical still available, but hospitals are also subject to the rolling blackouts.
everyone expects things to get worse.
Bombing a bridge or other infrastructure is a war crime? As determined and prosecuted by whom, exactly? The ICC? The organization that the US does not acknowledge as having any authority or jurisdication over the US or US citizenry? Clinton signed the Rome treaty but it was never ratified by the Senate, and the signature eventually withdrawn by the younger Bush.
According to Mish, the US is guilty of crimes that will never be prosecuted, by a court that the US is not subject to, and has never offically recognized or deferred to.
Can someone point me to the article where Mish called out Zelensky for war crimes after bombing Russian bridges, or the article chastising Iran for supporting terrorist activity across the globe, incuding their support of Oct 7?
For those believeing the US is “losing” to Iran: you do realize that the US has been exercising tremendous restraint, right? You do realize the the full force and might of the US military hasn’t been used in this theater, right?
The US, by it’s own claim, cannot commit war crimes in its defense of democracy. The ICJ is for other nations, not the US or its chosen ally.
Here’s the thing: Trump and his insane and corrupt toad-gang, may destroy Iran. This will cause human suffering on a scale that is significant, and will be documented. What then? The murder-gang that runs Israel can dance little jigs and express their joy. The world will feel disgust, but for now, can do nothing.
But it will not end there.
This event – this absurd, grotesque and tragic scenario, will send a messsge to every citizen of this planet. The actions of the USA, will make that nation a global anathema.
The organized, coordinated and planned destruction of America, will not happen right away. But this absurd and insane stupid war, will be the example, that explains and documents, why the world can no longer have a lunatic abusive USA, trying to act as Boss-Of-The-World.
Imagine, if Russia, was trying to dictate how the St. Lawrence Seaway was to be operated. Would folks in North America tolerate this? I cannot imagine any scenario in which they would.
Donald Trump is a stupid, dangerous person. He should be removed.
But this will not likely happen.
So, we will move forward, into global conflict, with no way to halt the madness.
Rather like World War One, it seems.
Agree with what you say, so few are willing to stand up to Trump or the US. Trump’s mafia-style arm twisting is brutal and very few refuse. Bullies are used to getting what they want, so when a nation like Spain stands up to the bully, it is shocking. Iran is the only country in the Middle East telling the US to shove it, and other countries admire it for doing what they all want to do, only they are too afraid of the consequences. No doubt Russia and China (and many others) are eager to provide secret assistance to Iran, in order to cause the US pain, which results in their pleasure. Why does America act like a bully? Because it can, and because Trump craves control of everything and everyone. At some point, however, the abused victims get together and fight back, and the bully goes down. If Iran survives and even comes out ahead, it will be the playbook for the rest of the world.
Iran knocked out US military bases throughout the Gulf, after which America consolidated what was left of its bases into Jordan. Iran just hit the US base in Jordan very hard, taking out numerous Blackhawk helicopters and hitting barracks resulting in troop deaths and many injuries. Iran claimed they were helped in their targeting efforts by many Jordanians, including members of the military. It seems believable that Jordanians want to help Iran fight back against the behemoth. Now the US forces are re-consolidating in Israel.
I read the list of what Trump wants and shake my head; it is basically the same fool hearted story we have exercised for every war we have entered since WW2 with the exception of Bush 41 (interesting he was a WW2 hero and learned from it) entry into Kuwait. Trump has no defined objectives, no strategy to obtain the objectives and seeming no idea of the war’s collateral damage to infrastructure, supply systems, economy, industry or agriculture worldwide. He does not understand that he is fighting a war with a material mindset and Iran is fighting to advance a religious objective, materialism is not paramount unless is supports the religious goals. Notice in the list that everything is designed to advance a deal, not win.
I did not think the war should have been started in the first place, but that genie is out of the bottle. I agree that Trump should have accepted the MOU with Iran controlling the straight, but that is probably not going to happen given recent events.
Iran has attacked civilian airports, water desalinization plants, civilian housing and been supporting terrorist attacks, but I seldom hear about those being war crimes. If we need to destroy infrastructure the military is jointly using with the civilian population, we should do it if necessary to win. I cannot think of a single war that did not involve destroying common use infrastructure.
My basic point is its past time to poop or get off the pot, otherwise this is going to be another Viet Nam, an extended pointless war with little if any definition of objectives costing countless lives and wasting resources. Remember it was guns and butter, the Viet Nam War and President Johnson’s Great Society social programs, that the country could not afford that led to the severing of dollar convertibility to gold. What a mess.
My preference is we get off the pot; religious fanatics are hard to beat.
don’t be a keyboard warrior Dave.
if it is important enough to you to kill my Iranian friends, all I ask is that you put your life on the line.
In essence all I said is that if you go to war, have a good reason, well thought out strategy and know the consequences and go to win and win quick. I also said I did not think this war was a good thing and that Trump and team did not do much of the prep work. I served, all stateside, during the Viet Nam War.
I said what I said because the genie is out of the bottle and the situation will not return to the previous conditions. The US needs a quick end or this ends up a costly quagmire in lives and resources that I do not want and my preference was to “get off the pot”. I do not want anyone to lose their life, especially in this destructive fiasco.
Where out of that do you get that it is important enough for me to kill your Iranian friends over that. I have friends from over the years that worked in the oil industry on Karg Island. Never been there, but I do not want those friends or anyone put in harms way.
Your comment infers you totally misinterpreted my position.
Impeach and sue for peace.
Dignified transfers happening now at Dover…makes me sick to my stomach.
Thank you for your service Goyim.
Are the Jews hiding in your closet too? Not zionists, just Jews in general.
Are you dancing to Moloch right now… celebrating the deaths?
When our children were five years old, we had to teach them that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” and now we have to teach this to the most powerful man on earth. What a sad state the USA is presently.
What you seem to miss is that he says much more than he does in his temp job
Nothing is more important to Trump than Trump. He would burn the United States to the ground to avoid a hangnail for himself. Trump is the Golgothan from the movie “Dogma” and has the same origins.
I assume the people who think he is great think that his unprecedented ego, selfishness, and mendacity are among the best features of Trump
Humans naturally gravitate toward, admire and identify with bullies and thugs.
Well it certainly is all he has going for himself.
If Trump has ego, selfishness, and mendacity, those are qualities that he shares with all the Establishment people who are condemning him. The thing that he does have and they do not have is a certain degree of ability. He does get some things done. That is the mark of the businessman and the military leader.
We have had more than enough geopolitical turmoil to rile the markets. But this has not happened. And to the dismay of people who figure the markets might spare us from further war. The collective west is doing war because it can at the moment. The markets are facilitating that instead of deterring it when they should be. The bond and stock markets, and oil prices each and collectively have the power to contain this insanity. But no.
But that would require you, me and every other Joe-Sixpack to take massive losses in our retirement funds.
Are you willing to lose half your retirement for the Iranian people?
If you’re bringing up scenarios like that, then just sell and buy back lower
Half the people can’t do that. The half that buy what you are selling.
for many centuries the stock markets have done quite well during wartime. war is good for business.
Perhaps its a distraction and some other thing(s), from just how bad things are
This isn’t about Trump’s ego, it’s about whether Iran controls Hormuz or not. Iran wants to control the strait not just for the immense leverage it provides, but also to impose a severe strategic loss on the US that would deter it from future attacks. The US obviously wants to avoid this major loss to maintain its global power and standing.
So, one of the two sides has got to give up for peace to occur, and it’s not going to be the global hegemon. That, or its war.
You’re probably right that the US won’t give up – at least anytime soon. Based on the last 60 years’ experience, the US only concedes a loss after a million or more people have died, tens of thousands of Americans have died and trillions of dollars have been wasted.
Our commitment to stupidity outshines any other country in the world… except Russia.
Gee, if only the United States had thought about that before it attacked.
An elderly POTUS, too panicked to sleep.
He can poop and sleep at the same time. Saves time during cabinet meetings.
Top Israeli Minister: ‘Best For Us’ If US Fights Iran While Israel Sits Out New Round of War
BWAHAHHAHAA
Who the hell is writing this comedy? Larry David?
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/top-israeli-minister-best-us-if-us-fights-iran-while-israel-sits-out-new-round-war
Why should Israelis risk their precious necks when the Americans will do it for them?
Why do you think police send in the dog?
Why do people think we say Trump is Bibi’s errand boy?
“Errand boi”…Is that how they spell “prison bitch” these days?
I see what you did there, very sneaky!
If you’ve ever wondered how manipulated the US equities markets are, look no further
There is no way we should not be in a recession right now
All my bros who lived through the 70’s know exactly what I’m talking about
But now the top 10% is almost half the economy so we get the K shaped economy.
The goal ever always only was to turn Iran into a failed state.
Basically, killing and destruction for its own sake, as there is no agreement that Iran can make that would satisfy Trump’s masters in Israel.
Trump Threatens to Commit War Crimes in Tehran
FIFY
He doesn’t care about war crimes or anything like that. He knows he won’t be around long enough to stand trial. It takes years for such cases to reach court.
And in the end even if he was convicted after a long trial and the appeals process they’d just sentence him to life at Mar-A-Largo and Trump Golf Course.
The threat itself is a war crime.
Maybe it is a simple logistics issue: having already pulverized the Iranian military, flattened their nuclear sites, and vaporized their missile bases, he is now burdened with a tragic surplus of unused munitions. Heaven forbid an impressive stockpile of bombs sits around gathering dust when some perfectly good new targets could be found to catch them.
Except that he hasn’t done any of those things.
Shhh…. He NEEEDS to believe…
Iran has made it clear they will destroy equivalent infrastructure in the Gulf Arab states. This is how Trump will wreck the global economy. At some point the destruction of infrastructure becomes so great it no longer matters if Hormuz opens or not. Resumption of production of oil, LNG, urea, sulfur, aluminum will not happen for months or even years.
Standing offer to companies/individuals with legal issues:
Who says criminal activity doesn’t pay? The cost is less than the benefits from the crimes.
Amid legal crisis, health care exec sends $1 million to MAGA Inc.
JUDD LEGUM AND REBECCA CROSBY
JUL 22, 2026
Trump’s behavior in the Iran War situation, in particular his ability or lack of, to walk away from the loss is exactly the same behavior he exhibited after the 2020 election. He lost there too and instead of listening to knowledgeable advisors and accepting reality he welcomed the sycophants who played his malignant personality by telling him what he wanted to hear even though it had no basis in reality. That conjured up a host of actions, from the fake electors to the assault on the Capitol. And he still hasn’t let 2020 go.
So to with Iran. He listened to sycophants and charlatans who had their own agendas, disregarded any advice he received about not going to war (did anyone advise him not to?) and launched the war. Now, finding himself mired in a situation he can’t win because the sycophants and charlatans were wrong about Iran, he mentally can’t accept that he can’t win. So he goes to the brink of a solution, signs the MOU, almost there but the last foot to the goal means he has to accept defeat in public without a bit of a fig leaf and he can’t do it. (presumably there are still C & S’s around him telling him one more push will do it.) So he backs away from the MOU, uses whatever excuse is handy to restart the war and here we are.
Unless someone overrides his decision I don’t think he’ll be able to end it. We’re stuck and he’ll likely escalate in different areas because the C&S’s tell him “this time it’ll work if they don’t have any water or electricity or shrines,” with unpredictable consequences.
Maybe Kash can get the Kremlin to help.
And probably more women, children and the elderly, if possible. Taco has no respect for human life except for his own.
They all don’t, on the contrary. The more of the unwashed (that’s us) are anihilated the more they get out of it. Warp Drive. Servants of Satan; SoS = PoS.
Perhaps doesn’t apply to all of them but to the eugenicists in control most certainly.
A bit lengthy but otherwise a good summary
“Who Is THEY?”ttps://www.coreysdigs.com/global/who-is-they/
h/t to theylied.ca
He’s not immoral, he’s amoral. He doesn’t have a compass on what’s right or wrong.
And America is looking pretty amoral too.
We are committing war crimes but instead of doing anything about that we are trying to disband the ICC.
Tate gets arrested for sex trafficking etc and Trump moves to protect his fellow serial child rapist.
How disgusting do we have to get before anything changes?
Found on internet:
We Westerners are the Third Reich today. We want world domination at any cost. Since we are sociopathic by nature, we will put everything on the line to achieve our goal. Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing should finally realize this.
For every Columbus, Hernán Cortés, or Francisco Pizarro who made it, there are thousands who died on the path to infinite wealth. For us, the “50 Cent” motto applies: “Get rich or die tryin’.”
We are not interested in our human or natural environment; we are not even interested in our own environment. Over the past 35 years, the West has destroyed itself out of sheer greed.
The smart people in Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing need to keep THAT in mind at all times. We are sociopaths. We are the Epstein class. We accept no partners; we accept only submission—or annihilation.
Every time JoJo or his butt buddies here open their yaps, they underscore this basic point.
Underrated comment.
In WW2, even heavy bombing of civilian centers did not cause civilian morale, and the German and Japanese regimes, to collapse. Only massive boots on the ground in Germany, and nuclear bombing in Japan, resulted in their surrender. The demand of the allies for unconditional surrender, coupled with the release of the Morgenthau plan to de-industrialize a defeated Germany, played right into Goebbels’ plans, and stiffened German resistance.
Good point
Thanks! Similar history in Hanoi.
I don’t think the objective is defeat anymore just control of the straight.
I think the original objective was to do to Iran what was done to Venezuela.
#EpicFailure
Not going to be able to do that with them launching drones from the shore.
That is, war crimes.
No one other than the losers ever gets prosecuted so its not really a deterrent.
Except when you lose. And the US lost yet another war of choice keeping to its streak since WWII.
For the record, the boots on the ground that mostly defeated Germany were Soviet boots.
the japanese surrendered to the americans because they were terrified the USSR was marching their way after having killed 80% or more of the nazis………….the nukes accelerated that……….
Good article Mish! It is easy to see Trump’s desperation growing every day. While he should never be underestimated, it is really hard to see him recovering from the damage he has done to the economy. He really has become the new Herbert Hoover.
The problem another poster pointed out is that the economy hasn’t really been wrecked to a significant degree and markets (stock, bond, money, real estate) have not retreated one widdle bit. If you think it has you probably don’t recall the dot com/y2k bust, the GFC 2009…. but surely you recall covid….in don’t even notice a blip in any of the circles I live, work, and play in. If that had happened then we might see a different set of actions by politicians including POTUS.
Our markets are captured, coopted and broken and that causes all sorts of problems, the failure to discount risk, like war, is an epic failure on their part. Not having a fiscal restraint in any place in the world, personal, professional or political always leads to problems.
You make a good point about the economy not appearing to be bad right now. The stock markets don’t really show reason for concern. However, inflation, loan and credit delinquencies, and affordability are all concerning. Trump openly talked at the MOU signing about worrying he would become Herbert Hoover if he didn’t strike a deal with Iran. He has a lot of access to economic information obviously as President. He lies all the time, but that was a statement against his interest. He said we had four weeks before collapse, and I think we are closer now than we were then.
It’s all held together by promises everyone knows won’t be kept. They just think the promises to THEM will.
Until they don’t.
GWB, Obama, Trump, Biden then Trump. Each President is getting worse and worse. I can only imagine how terrible the next President is going to be.
At least Obama could string words together and form a complete thought.
Yeah words like “if you like your plan you can keep it”, “if you like your doctor you can keep him/ her”, “it will cost $2,500 less”. Etc
No he couldn’t. The writer who put the script on his teleprompter did that.
Imagine Marco. How to say Mini Pedophile in Cuban?
Also “Narco” Rubio knew nothing about the family business…
I’ll go with El Pedofilo Chapo. That should be roughly close.
You are going to Lose Your Freaking Mind over President Cortez.