Before my blog on earthquakes, two newsworthy items: The lull in the Iran War is over.  Iran lobbed missiles at American bases in the Middle East. Here is the backdrop: Way back in February, Netanyahu and Trump felt that, if they could surprise Iran with a serious series of bombardments, they could assassinate the Supreme Leader, plus many dozens of top government leaders, stimulating the people to rebel and overcome.  Israel and the USA could then swoop in, establish a new government, and totally demolish any nuclear ambitions. The USA/Israel did succeed in killing Ali Khamenei and 53 leaders.   Here is the complete list . However, Iran knew someday this would happen, and they organized a plan to take control of the Strait of Hormuz, and if necessary, also the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Here is the current situation. The people did not rebel, a new government formed and Iran has been able to maintain control over the two oil flow choke points. They also are not idiots....

Ah, the War with Iran: For the ninth night in a row, the USA bombed Iran. Iran continues to essentially close the Strait of Hormuz, plus, Houthi allies again have indicated that they might block Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the other main oil route .  Combine, 27% of world petroleum passes through these straits. I asked Google AI:  Will the U.S. invade Kharg Island? As of July 2026, there is no official date or definitive plan announced for a U.S. invasion of Kharg Island . President Donald Trump has publicly floated the idea of seizing the island—which handles about 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports—but military planners and officials are still weighing the logistical risks and strategic fallout of such an operation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] Current Status: Trump has hosted Situation Room meetings to discuss potential ground troop deployments and the possible seizure of energy infrastructure. While no timeline has been set, Trump stated in mid-June that the U.S. will be taking the isl...

But first, about that war with Iran.  Revenge pledges for the assassination of its Supreme Leader are emanating during this six-day funeral period, while causing more mischief in the Strait of Hormuz.  Also too, President Donald Trump keeps changing his mind about what to do in retaliation .  All those acts resulted in a drop in the stock market today and a 5% jump in the price of petroleum. Trump has also been conversing a lot with Vladimir Putin on the phone, and showed unusual warmth towards Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Turkey.  He also called Putin a difficult character , and the same about Zelenskyy.  Watch this video showing Zelenskyy and Trump in Ankara . Today will be the first day of rest for the FIFA World Cup.  There will be other pauses until the championship game on Sunday, July 19 at 3PM EDT in MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.   Tomorrow, France against Morocco in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with lowest ticket price at $1081....