BLOOD RED MOON

The War with Iran is expanding.

• According to Time magazine:

Early public messaging has underlined this shift. The man who addressed Iran and the world on television after the death of the Ayatollah was Ali Larijani, the head of the national security council. A former IRGC commander and an experienced politician with a reputation for pragmatism, Larijani has been overseeing nuclear negotiations, regional relations, and suppression of recent protests. 

In his televised address, Larijani struck a tone that was at once defiant and carefully calibrated. He spoke of national unity, warned against those who would seek to “fragment the country,” and framed the confrontation not as a crisis of leadership but as an existential struggle for Iran itself. The message projected resolve and defiance toward the U.S. and Israel, while directing an unmistakable warning inward, toward any faction tempted to exploit the moment.

• From NBC News:

A last chance to avert war with Iran played out Thursday in Geneva. Trump administration officials told Iranian counterparts they must not take certain steps needed to build a nuclear bomb. Iran balked, a senior U.S. official said. By Saturday morning, “Operation Epic Fury” was underway.  The U.S. deployed an arsenal of weapons — B-2 stealth bombers, fighter jets, rockets — to target Iran’s navy, missile sites, command and control headquarters and air defense systems. The timing was no accident. Both the U.S. and Israeli spy agencies had been tracking Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s whereabouts. The intelligence showed that he would be meeting with senior deputies that morning, according to two people briefed on the matter. Rather than launch the operation at night, leaders moved the assault to daylight in hope of killing him and his cohorts, the people said. President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran and kill off its leadership followed prolonged negotiations that left him frustrated and convinced that a diplomatic off-ramp wasn’t within his reach.  In an interview with NBC News, the president boiled down the call to one “very simple” thing: “They weren’t willing to say they will not have a nuclear weapon.”

• 
  Iran's strategy apparently includes sending drones into other Arabian countries to cripple petroleum production.
• Today, the Ras Tanura oil refinery and sites near Riyadh were struck.

• 
  Saudi Aramco temporarily shut down the refinery, which has a capacity of 555,000 barrels/day.
• Saudi defense systems did intercept multiple drones, but some went through.
• Similar attacks also were made in other Middle East countries.
• Oil prices, stable at $65/barrel recently, jumped to $71.64/barrel after Day One, and this morning hit $73/barrel
• This reaction at revenge has now alienated Iran from its surrounding neighbors.

• 
  The U.S. has struck 1250 targets in Iran.  Israel used over 200 aircraft to hit 500 targets.  There is now total dominance of air space over Iran. Three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles were downed during Operation Epic Fury, but these were mistakes from friendly fire over Kuwait.  All six crew members ejected safely and were easily rescued.
• The war is expanding.  Are the people rebelling?  Future?  Stay tuned.

Ever seen a Blood Red Moon?  Well, soon after midnight tonight you will be able view the beginning of a total lunar eclipse, where at peak (from 6:04AM to 7:02AM ET....or 1:04AM to 2:02AM Hawaii Time), the moon will become Blood Red.  It is sometimes called a Blue Moon because this  does not occur at every full moon.

• Roughly every one to two years.
• However, there were three in 2028.
• Look for a partial (96%) lunar eclipse the night of August 27.
• Much of the USA will be in great shape to see both this year, but not Hawaii.  
•  However, Hawaii is perfectly positioned for the lunar eclipse tonight.
• The penumbral phase will begin at 10:44PM.
• Partial eclipse: 11:50 p.m. to 1:04 a.m.
• Total eclipse: 1:04 to 2:02 a.m.
• Maximum eclipse: 1:33 a.m.
• Partial eclipse: 2:02 to 3:17 a.m.
• 
  Unlike a solar eclipse, you don't need any special viewing equipment
• But should you live in Honolulu and want a professional viewing, both the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy and Bishop Museum will hosting watching parties.  FREE.  If you miss this one, the next total lunar eclipse over Hawaii will occur on New Year's Eve, 2028.
• And, by the way, we have booked a cruise from Iceland to watch the total eclipse of the Sun on 12August2026.  The path passes just east of Iceland and down through Spain, Europe's first total solar eclipse in 27 years., and only Spain will see it.

Of course, there are songs and films of the Blood Red Moon. From Google AI:

• Songs:
  • "Blood Red Moon" by The Hives: A 2015 track featured in the Swedish film Cirkeln.
  • "Blood Red Moon" by Dave Van Ronk: A song featured in his repertoire.
  • "Under The Blood Red Moon" by Shadowspawn: A metal song from their 2021 album The Biology Of Disbelief.
• 

  Films:
  • "Blood Red Moon" (The Blood Moon): A 2023 horror/romance film directed by Connor Noble. No Rotten Tomatoes rating.
  • "Luna di sangue" (1989): An Italian thriller/horror film.
  • "Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon" (2021): A fantasy thriller starring Kate Hudson about a girl with unusual powers who escapes from a mental asylum.  Rotten Tomatoes, 73/67.
  • "Blood Moon" (2021): A thriller available on Hulu/Disney+, No Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Chances are that you never knew the above existed, or care.  But Blue Moon is also a long popular song.

• Written in 1934 by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, was most recently popular in April 1961 when The Marcels' doo-wop version hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Other notable peaks included: 

• 
  1935: Early popularity with recordings by Connie Boswell and Al Bowlly.
• 1949: Hits by Billy Eckstine and Mel Tormé.
• 1956: Elvis Presley's rockabilly version.

Blue Moon is also a well-rated 2025 film, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley and Bobby Cannavale.  Rotten Tomatoes:  90/75.  Recently became available on Netflix.

To close, Saturday Night Live's cold opening featured their version of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defending their half-baked attack of Iran.

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