Given that diesel and fertilizer prices are soaring, I have a question.
Reflections on Fertilizer
Damn them Fertilizer Tariffs
It’s Everything
So, when is the next farm bailout?
The Greatest Risk
WSJ: Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that Americans could get relief from high gas prices, but that it could take a few weeks. “Americans are feeling it right now. Americans will feel it for a few more weeks,” he said on NBC News. “But at the end we will have removed the greatest risk to global energy supplies.”
Irony of the Day
Please note the Strait of Hormuz was open until a stupid war closed it. It has never been closed, but now it is.
And now were are begging other countries to help us open the strait.
Help Not Needed
Coalition of the Unwilling
WSJ Exclusive: Trump Administration Plans to Announce Coalition to Escort Ships Through Strait of Hormuz
The Trump administration as soon as this week plans to announce that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition that will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which runs along the Iranian coast, U.S. officials said. They are still discussing, however, whether those operations would begin before or after hostilities end.
The White House declined to comment on the expected announcement, which could shift depending on battlefield conditions. Publicly, many countries have been noncommittal to such an escort mission until hostilities cease, given the risks involved.
Non-Committal? Let’s Fact Check
Switzerland
France
Canada
Belgium and Spain
Japan Is a Polite No
China
UK
“Guck Off” Synopsis
I am pleased to report the UK, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Japan, China, and Canada all told Trump to “Guck Off”TM
There is only one member of the “Coalition of the Willing”.
I don’t doubt that Trump told the WSJ of “Plans to Announce Coalition to Escort Ships Through Strait of Hormuz”.
But the reporting was poor. The spin on X was even worse.
But’s that’s OK because Hegseth says we are protected by God.
Don’t Worry, We’re Protected by God
A Rebuttal from Pope Leo
Days after Pete Hegseth said the U.S. war in Iran is protected by God, Pope Leo XIV denounced those who “involve the name of God in choices of death.”
“God cannot be enlisted in darkness.”
Hegseth Is Amazingly Brilliant
“The only thing prohibiting shipping in the straits right now is Iran shooting at shipping. It is open for transit should Iran not do that.” The American Sun Tzu!
How can anyone possibly dispute that?
Trump’s Obvious Motto
How Fascism Sneaks Up On You
A Big Flashback
“Trump in 2008: Anyone who invades the Middle East under false pretenses should be impeached.”
Trump is about to get his wish.
Accurate Reflections on America First
“America First” sounds great until it turns into “America Alone.”
If you spend years bullying allies and torching relationships because you think leadership means dominating people into submission, you can’t be shocked when the world shrugs and says, “handle your own war.”
Yes, indeed, Guck Off!
Related Posts
Please note 5,000 Marine Expeditionary Unit Heads to Iran, Prepare for Boots on the Ground
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approves a Centcom request for a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
March 14, 2026: Trump Begs the World for Military Assistance After Saying Help Not Needed
Hello world, send help!
March 14, 2026: Good News, Trump Declares the End of the War for the Sixth Time
Is there a doctor in the house? Trump needs help.
March 15, 2026: A War that has Already Ended Seven Times, “Will Certainly” End in a Few Weeks
Trump’s energy secretary provides more certainty.
I never cease to be amazed by the prophetic insights by members of the Trump cabinet.Americans are so very fortunate.
Provided for comment, not necessarily for truth:
https://shanakaanslemperera.substack.com/p/the-nitrogen-trap
Trump and his minions for months have bitch-slapped and insulted Europe very publicly over and over, telling them they are worthless losers in front of the world. Causes them untold economic pain. Laughs in their faces.
Then he starts a pointless war against a country that is no threat, and pushes the world toward economic collapse.
Trump’s response to the Strait closing? Demand that Europe come solve the massive problem he created. He never sought a coalition with the Europeans before going to war, but expects them to come in and clean up after him. At least they have some self-respect and the courage not to get directly involved in a pointless war.
The sheer idiocy of this man and his brain-dead supporters is going to wreck the world economy. What does Trump do now?!
Consequences of the actions near the straits of Hormuz
release of SPR oil is political, not emergency, in my opinion
and should not be done at this time especially since the levels
pre Biden have not been restored and the fill tube (damaged under Biden)
have not been repaired (if accurate)
Biden like his Boss Barack, have caused more damage to this nation than most ……
Since we produce all the oil we need, WHY exactly do we have to follow the prices set in the world commodities markets?
WTI was selling for something like $55/barrel 3-4 weeks ago. Presumably, the price was enough to make an acceptable profit on.
So why can’t the government force oil companies to price at this level for oil used for domestic consumption?
This would keep OUR oil and gas prices stable.
Sometimes you say what seems to be sensible stuff, but mostly, you come out with stuff like this. It would be amusing until I realize you are probably a voter.
He just wants a little attention.
Which doesn’t address the question! So 2026 internet. Whew.
“Why not fascist?”
Ah you follow the drill baby drill for American energy independence. When actually that translates to let us drill more for more profits. Typically a call from republican politicians . .
Only those born yesterday do not realize Trump is working for his Big Oil masters and their quest for more profit. You want answers? Try following the money.
Impeach Trump on the grounds of insanity.
If Trump were to be considered insane, the path to removal wouldn’t be impeachment but rather implementation of the 25th amendment. That would require Vice-President Vance and multiple members of the cabinet to certify that Trump was no longer capable of holding office. Trump could try to fight it, but he would have to get a supermajority of the Congress to back him, which wouldn’t happen. I suppose there is some miniscule chance this could happen after Nov if the Republicans are truly demolished. Or perhaps if Trump were to order the use of nuclear weapons in Iran. But this scenario requires Vance and the cabinet to show a strentgh of character that there is no evidence they possess.
Zackly. Trump chose his VP and Cabinet on the basis of slavish loyalty and lack of principle.
America & Iran agree that Hormuz is not closed
Alireza Tangsiri, Commander of the IRGC Navy:
Earlier a spokesman had stated:
The Strait is open for friendly nations and any Gulf nation that dismisses the Israeli ambassador and bars American military presence.
The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) can begin pumping oil within approximately 13 days of a presidential authorization. It has a maximum physical capacity to release roughly 4.4 million barrels per day, though typical drawdowns are smaller, often targeting around 1–1.1 million barrels per day in major releases.
Performance: In 2022, releases were roughly 1 million barrels per day, and a 2026 release of 172 million barrels is planned over 120 days.
Everyone thought Biden was dumb to drain it from 600+MM bbl to ~400MM and now Trump is halving it from there, and the right lauds his genius. Anyone with a body temp IQ can see this charade for what it is.
And Trump forgot to refill it *before* he went to war.
This request for assistance from other countries has to be considered as yet another fundamental change in the role of the US in the world. The US has long acted as a guarantor of freedom of movement on the seas, including places like the Strait of Hormuz but also other key passageways such as the Strait of Malacca in Indonesia (which is probably even more critical to China than the Strait of Hormuz). Trump seems to be ripping up that concept now. And when NATO countries doen’t give him ships (why would NATO countries send their ships into the Strait of Hormuz when the US navy itself still considers it too dangerous to do?), then he will have a temper tantrum and rip up NATO too.
naturalnews.com predicts Global Food Shortage due to shortage of fertilizers.
Wonder if Russia and Canada will increase fertilizer shipments
Was trying to give my vote for some other folks comments but system rejects my votes and keeps saying…. I cannot vote for myself?……My only comment is this one now after facing this
voting blockage ?
I am fairly certain Mish’s blog is under attack by forces that don’t like his messaging. His blog suddenly breaks, his main computer crashes and I suspect there may be other things happening that he’s not aware of yet.
If I were Mish I would do the following:
Affirm that you’re not suicidal (just ask Massie).Consider wiping all computers and rebuild from scratch. (better yet, replace all computers with new ones).If using Microsoft Windows as an OS – dump it, not secure.Run a full anti-virus malware scan on all computers, including the blog server(s).
It will all be hosted by a 3rd party. It’s not computers running in Mish’s basement.
WordPress is just some really junky code.
Same here for the last 4 or 5 days.
Does it to me as well.
I have had it say something like “Too many requests, please slow down”. This has happened a few times the last 2 weeks.
We have joined… we are The Allcommenter now.
Glenn Greenwald says Tucker Carlson told him he expects to be charged by the DOJ for talking to Iranians, and that they (US or Israel) have been reading his communications. Greenwald says Tucker believes this because he has been warned by contacts he has in the DOJ and the Trump administration.
It would be consistent with Mossad action and administration desires to screw with any site pointing out the failings of the war with Iran.
IDK the reason for this war.
All I know is that the Epstein files are getting very little attention.
Energy Secretary Wright? Mr zero credibility himself after his BS post about a US ship going thru the Straight of Hormuz.
China might be about to play hardball with Mr Trump. Back off Iran or we’ll take Taiwan.
Brent at $104 (May) as I type. I love the smell of profits in the late night before market open Monday!
$ Index near 100.Trump wants a weak $ though.
The longer it takes to get the oil flowing again, the worse things look for Trump. As a result, Trump is failing and flailing.
For all his repeated boasting of “winning” the war, there are 15 million barrels of oil and refined products per day that are not getting out of the strait of Hormuz. Which means he is losing.
The only barrels transiting the strait are 1-2 mbpd of Iranian oil headed for China and India.
The US Navy could easily stop these ships, but they don’t. Because Trump is desperate for any oil to get out. Even if it is Iranian oil headed to China and India.
He is so desperate that he has also removed sanctions on Russian oil held in tankers currently at sea. Who are the winners here? Iran, Russia and China.
Recently, he has begged others to release oil from their SPRs. The US will release 172 million barrels from its SPR. Shockingly, Trump did not add any oil to the US SPR in the last year when oil prices were low, as he planned these attacks on Iran. What a f*cking moron!
The same goes for Trump’s empty threats to take out Iran’s oil infrastructure on Kharg island. If the US destroyed Kharg island today, oil prices would jump $30 immediately and the world would be headed for a severe recession or depression.
Trump is desperate for help to get the strait open, since the US Navy has said they cannot do that; going so far as to beg China, and threaten NATO members if they don’t help. Suddenly he is begging for help from all the countries that he has pissed off with insults and tariffs for the past year.
When it comes to f*cking up, Trump is the GOAT! And sadly, the entire world will suffer because of him.
There is hope, K-Pop Demon Hunters won Oscar for best animation. Maybe they can start hunting Demons running this country.
Houthis are considering Red Sea blockage!
Iran says they will allow 2 Indonesian tankers to transit the strait. Just like they let two Indian tankers through.
Australia officially says NO to sending ships to the strait of Hormuz to help the US. Most countries have said it is unlikely. So far no one has said yes.
Sounds like Iran has a new revenue source: toll charges for every passing supertanker.
“High Gasoline Prices Might Last Weeks”
And the financial market’s response is irrational as usual: stock futures up, crypto up, oil futures down, gold down. The kicker? $Trump meme coin up 41% in the last week.
Same thing happened last weekend (re: futures) but they tanked as soon as market opened on Monday. This market may be irrational but it only has one direction to go the longer the war drags out and that’s down.
I cross-checked his assertion with data from the Department of Duh, and and his figures appear to be well within the realm of possibility.
I don’t believe that this war with Iran is right, moral, or justified. However the increase in the price of energy is not what makes it wrong or right, it is just a consequence of the decision to attack Iran. Yes this increase in the price of energy just makes the decision even more unfathomable but it doesn’t make it unjustified.
Ir could last weeks. It could last months. It could last years. Oil company stocks are up 50%. Those companies expect various disruptions are going to take a while to unravel.
If Trump would have decided to enjoy the “Biden economy,” he would be in great shape right now. Instead, he chose to screw everything up, and what we have now is a stagnating labor market, a GDP barely growing (despite the froth of an AI bubble), surging gasoline prices, and an exploding federal deficit.
Iran warns UAE to evacuate ports. More infrastructure about to go kaboom.
https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-03-15-2026
Gonna be a busy trading day tomorrow.
I’m sure Russia or China gave them the data if they didn’t acquire it themselves
People have no clue. Japan and Korea get most of their energy/fuel from ships through the Hormuz, if those two economies collapse they will ALL collapse.
But reading all those administration quotes is a riot, this is 5D (five dimensions of dumb) MAGA thinking and those two extra dimensions of dumb must be limitless based on the daily briefings and quotes we get from these clowns.
The clock is ticking, two more weeks of $100+ oil and kiss your 401k retirement goodbye. Fixed income seniors will be howling to the moons of Jupiter. I believe I called that a while back saying I could hear the echos of screams from the future. The future starts now.
Do worry, Trump will find a way to make things even worse.™
Iran has apparently considered allowing through ships loaded with oil paid for in yuan. I don’t know how this would work for oil from GCC countries – if it would at all. Maybe Iran will demand a passage fee paid in yuan. To the extent that they allow oil to pass, they will lessen the spike in price, but maybe they’d be happier to accelerate de-dollarization and the demise of the petrodollar. I don’t think the US can “open” the strait, so it’ll be Iran’s decision about whether to push hard for a price spike or to kill the petrodollar.
From a strategy and tactics perspective, Iran should just keep the straits closed until the whole world economy crashes. If they do anything else, it will just give US and Israel time to reload their munitions and go back and do the same thing over again.
A world economic crash will be painful for everyone so maybe it will force everyone to ask why we are doing all of this over religious nonsense.
I agree. Maybe it will motivate the world to put all its forces together, move into Iran and completely wipe out the Regime, once and for all.
Everyone telling the USA to go it alone is a weird way of aligning a coalition of nations with the USA. Want a second chance at your take yet? …
How about now?
They are trolling, as there is no system setup to enforce that. And the trolling serves as a diplomatic signal that Iran is not in a hurry for a cease-fire and any off ramp Trump might be seeking will not come cheap.
The “art of the deal”, I guess.
But even if that wasn’t the case, the refineries and oil wells are being shut down because the local oil reservoirs are full and there is nowhere else to store the oil. Once those shut down, it will take many months, if not over a year, to get them fully running again.
Just wait until the Houthis join in and declare the Red Sea passage closed…
What are they waiting for?
Is way beyond Japan and Korea. Lots of developing and emerging countries have dollar denominated debt to private European, US and Asian banks. If the crisis lasts long enough they will default and the entire global financial system could face a systemic issue.
Yes, exactly but Japan is the largest holder/buyer of US debt and if they stop buying US debt, yields will explode on US debt because who’s going to lend Trump money now?
Yes, all countries in Asia, Africa and other places will suffer, that’s a given but the biggest threat to Americans will be the total collapse of the market and 401k savings, investments, pension funds, etc.
Heck it may crash social security and medicare too. We’re talking Global Great Depression here. This can lead to total financial Armageddon and that’s not hyperbole.
But maybe that’s Trump’s plan to stay in power, crash the world economy, declare martial law and remain dictator for life.
Iran says the strait is closed for ONLY US and its allies.
What could be worse than a regime that executes women if they don’t wear the proper Islamic clothing? That vows to murder the Jewish population of Israel? That has caused the deaths and maiming’s of thousands of Americans? That is supplying Russia with killer drones to murder Ukrainians? That is the number one sponsor of terrorism in the world? That wants to develop nuclear weapons to annihilate America? That has ballistic missiles that can already strike Europe now and potentially America in the future? That has murdered over 50,000 of its own people for protesting its brutality in the last couple of months?
But you and so many others want to continue to bury your heads in the ground vis-a-vis Iran because OMG gas/oil will cost a bit more and the economy will take a short-term hit? Whew.
Sometimes I wonder how you people manage to look at yourselves in the mirror in the morning and not be disgusted by what you see.
If you actually gave a rat’s ass about women, why isn’t the US bombing Saudi Arabia?
Women in Iran can vote, are elected to Parliament and have held ministerial posts.
But they are STILL killed for violating dress standards. Why are you ignoring this part, tying to insert misdirection with a whataboutism? Are you an IRGC member?
And in Texas pregnant women die from lack of medical care because of Jesus.
Are you a Christian Nationalist?
Screw TX, the subject is Iran. I know you’re only a woman, but try to focus.
Almost all the atrocities you listed have been committed by Israel on Gaza so shut the f**k up already. I am not a supporter of Iran or any of the evil things they do but dictators around the world do terrible things, the people that live around them need to rise up and fix their own problems.
Israel can do whatever it wants as can Iran, just leave the US taxpayer out of it.
More whataboutism. LAME, like most of your posts.
Maybe one day you can figure some of this out.
I’ve got it all figured out. It seems that many others on this blog haven’t or aren’t capable of doing so.
The rest of the world went down this path with the USA in Iraq, and then again in Afghanistan.
That bridge has been burned to dust.
and it will take “2 weeks to flatten the curve”
nothing the government does better than LIE to the people
Panic is slowly gripping the stock market. Expect the selling to pick up this week.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/panic-is-slowly-gripping-the-stock-market-expect-the-selling-to-pick-up-next-week-dc422e90?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqfmNy_Yx3MkYhAzL21NgO4sZqop6TA46edEbsGDJ83uhe2aPhzmj6mA&gaa_ts=69b5b81f&gaa_sig=VcFftvy8yHpYWyujM6WBUtyVy34LA2acT2PuAlXrFoW1RP3Pene2E47XMR4AZvYL2_BR06j-Ec-kXRf0mpmGdA%3D%3D&isGaa=true
It’s only been 2 weeks. Give it another month or two.
No sh!t! Gonna be a legendary mess
it was only 2 weeks to flatten the curve too
If Covid was any indication the “2 weeks” will be 3 months of major crisis, maybe a cooling off over the summer, another outbreak in the fall, ongoing trouble all next year, and then kinda sorta moving back toward normal by mid-2028 or so.
Except that we are starting from a worse situation economically and this is a war with even more disruptive potential than what happened during covid.
Most fert for 2026 is bought and applied. Maybe some N for the summer.
The problem wont manifest until the fall.
A bit of hype but the longer range term is a problem.
Farmers need to use cover crops anyway which cuts reliance on fertilizers.