Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
US, Iran Trade Missile Shots During Ceasefire
There is a lovely song by the old Red Army Choir called "The War is Not Yet Over," [Yesho Ne Konchilas Voina], and one recommends it to Secretary of State, National Security Advisor and Groom of the Presidential Stool Marco Rubio. In an exchange yesterday with New Jersey Senator Corey Booker, Mr. Rubio declared that the war with Iran is over. Senator Booker corrected him, but the exchange was telling. Mr. Rubio needs this war to end for his own political future and was never a huge fan of it. However, saying it is over does not mean much when, as happened last night, the US and Iran shoot at each other. Neither side wants the war to resume, but neither wants to be the first to concede anything. So, on it goes.
Exactly what happened last night merits examination. The BBC said:
US Central Command (Centcom) said that its overnight strikes on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, were "in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East" and targeted an Iranian military ground control station.
It also said that the US shot down three attack drones that had been launched by Iran toward "civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters".
Centcom added that Iran had fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted.
Iran said it had attacked US bases and helicopters in a "regional country" using missiles and drones in retaliation.
That is not a ceasefire, Mr. Rubio. That is not a war being over. That is low-level combat compared to the early days of the war, but it is combat nonetheless. The world is lucky the escalation has been limited so far.
The peace talks are not going well inasmuchas Iran is no longer participating in them. They have suspended talks because of the continuing Israeli attacks on Hezbollah (an Iranian proxy cum ally) in Lebanon. The Israelis and Americans say that is a different war, and Iran is not buying that bullshit. As Lenin said everything is connected to everything else (Sir Isaac Newton stated much the same thing a few centuries ago). The war between the US and Israel against Iran includes Iranian allies. The war against Nazi Germany and its ally Fascist Italy was one war, not two. The same applies here.
So, until there is a real ceasefire in Lebanon, there is not a real ceasefire in the Persian Gulf either, Mr. Rubio notwithstanding. As discussed previously here, Israel and the US have different objectives in the war. The Israelis want a failed state in Iran and a significant slice of Lebanon as a security buffer zone (and future area for settlement). That means they will continue their war. The US would like the war to end so it can try to restart oil markets on a global scale and make the economies of dozens of countries grow again.
The idea that the US will get Iran to agree to surrender the 450 kilos of 60% highly enriched uranium the Iranians have is laughable. The stuff is 500 meters under ground with a mountain sitting on top of it. If Iran does not want the U235 removed, there is no way for the US to remove it. The current negotiations (when they were happening) was wasting time trying to get a commitment from Iran on this point.
The Trump White House should offer the Iranians the exact Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] that President Obama negotiated. The two sides could agree on one change that would make Mr. Trump happy. His signature would be on it and not that of his predecessor.
Whatever the result of all this turns out to be, it will not be as good an agreement for both sides as the JCPOA was.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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