The massive U.S. Air Force airbridge into the Middle East showed no signs of slowing today. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social telling Iran the clock was ticking. Trump followed it with a graphic showing the Middle East overlaid with the American flag, red arrows pointing toward Iran from multiple directions. Hours later he shared a video of himself playing commander-in-chief from the bridge of a U.S. warship, spotting an Iranian drone on screen and ordering "Fire! Boom!" Axios reports Trump plans to hold a Situation Room meeting with his top national security team tomorrow (May 19) to discuss options for military action against Iran, per two U.S. officials. PM Netanyahu convened the security cabinet after a phone call with Trump yesterday. Kan News cites an Israeli source saying Israel and the U.S. raised readiness posture amid the possibility of striking Iran, and that any renewal of attacks would happen jointly across both countries. Israeli media reported this morning that Israel is preparing to resume operations in Iran, believing Trump will decide to restart strikes over stalled negotiations. The talks themselves keep moving in circles. Reuters reports negotiations remain far apart, with Iranian officials saying the U.S. has offered only limited sanctions relief and modest movement on the nuclear issue. A senior Iranian source says Washington is willing to release 25% of Tehran's frozen assets in phases; Iran is demanding unrestricted access to all its funds and the full removal of U.S. sanctions. Iran's state-run Tasnim adds that the latest U.S. proposal would only temporarily suspend sanctions on Iranian oil exports during negotiations — Tehran wants full removal, Washington is offering interim relief. Iran's revised counter-proposal calls for a permanent end to the war, full sanctions relief, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with the nuclear program addressed only in later stages. Nothing changed. In the background, a major strategic assessment dropped. Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, head of the Institute for National Security Studies, published the most revealing review yet of the 2025 war with Iran. His conclusion: Israel won tactically but did not break the two pillars that matter — the regime's survival and its nuclear program. Iran moved fast to recover. Fordow was repaired, work accelerated at the deeply buried "Pickaxe Mountain" facility, ballistic missile production hit roughly 125 missiles per month, and Iran amassed an estimated 2,500 ballistic missiles by the start of Operation Roaring Lion. Tehran doubled funding to Hezbollah and restored weapons supply routes through Syria despite the fall of Assad. Hayman also reveals Israel's leadership initially sought regime change via a planned Kurdish uprising, cancelled under pressure from Turkey and Arab allies. He warns Mojtaba Khamenei — elevated with IRGC backing — is more radical than his father and may no longer feel bound by the regime's previous religious restrictions on nuclear weapons. Israel, he says, should assume a covert military nuclear program is already underway. His bottom line, if diplomacy fails and war resumes: Iran's nuclear program must be the top target from day one. "Aerial strikes alone will not be enough." While the strike clock ticks, Israel moved hard on a separate front this morning. Shayetet 13 special forces boarded the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters near Cyprus, taking control of multiple vessels and transferring detainees to a naval landing craft without incident. Boarding started with the European ships before reaching the Turkish vessels. Netanyahu met with the IDF commanders who ran the takeover. Turkey's Foreign Ministry called it "another act of piracy." Israel's MFA framed the flotilla as a provocation designed to "serve Hamas, divert attention from Hamas's refusal to disarm and thwart progress in Trump's peace plan." |
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"For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" — President Donald Trump · Truth Social |
Drone Hits the UAE's Nuclear Plant
Three drones crossed into UAE airspace from the western border yesterday (May 17). The UAE Ministry of Defence said its air defences intercepted two. The third hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra. Qatar's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, saying brutal attacks on countries in the region "crossed all red lines." Saudi Arabia condemned the strike and pledged backing for measures to preserve the UAE's sovereignty. Pakistan's PM said Pakistan "strongly condemns the drone attack on the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant" and stood in full solidarity with the UAE. U.S. UN Ambassador Waltz called the strike an "unacceptable escalation." German Chancellor Merz said this morning (May 18) that Germany "strongly condemns" Iran's renewed strikes on the UAE. Saudi Arabia says it intercepted three drones that entered its airspace from Iraq hours after the Barakah strike. Riyadh said it reserves the right to respond. Two Iranian lawmakers responded with direct threats to Abu Dhabi. Esmaeil Kosari warned that if the UAE continues cooperating with the U.S. and Israel against Tehran, Iran will respond with "greater intensity." Ali Khezrian told Iranian state television the U.S. will eventually leave the region and Iran will "put them through hell." |
Cuba's 300 Drones and a Kansas City Rehearsal
Axios reported yesterday (May 17) that the U.S. is monitoring an attack-drone threat from Cuba. Havana has acquired more than 300 military drones, per the report. Cuba recently held discussions about using them to target the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, American naval vessels in the region, and potentially Key West, Florida. Observers recently spotted a Special Missions Unit, likely Delta Force or DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six), training with the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) in Kansas City. The training looked like urban operations. The post ended with one word: "Cuba?" |
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