đ¨ THE US NAVAL BLOCKADE OF IRAN BEGINS AT DAWN; OIL PRICES SURGE
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đ˘ US NAVAL BLOCKADE OF IRAN BEGINS AT 10 AM
The United States and Iran failed to reach a truce deal after high-stakes talks in the Pakistani capital, with Vice President JD Vance saying Tehran refused to accept Washingtonâs terms after 21 hours of negotiations.
The key points on which Iran would not concede include ending all uranium enrichment, dismantling all major nuclear enrichment facilities, accepting a broader peace and de-escalation framework, ending funding for proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and fully opening the Strait of Hormuz without charging tolls for passage.
U.S. Central Command announced it will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 AM ET, in accordance with the Presidentâs proclamation.
Iranâs IRGC said Sunday that any military vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz âwill be considered a violation of the ceasefire and will be met with severe force.â
U.S. crude oil futures jumped nearly 8% to $104.20 per barrel, while international benchmark Brent advanced 7% to $101.86.
Trump is now considering limited strikes on Iran to break the stalemate in peace talks, officials and people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
đđş ORBĂN FALLS - HUNGARY ELECTS PRO-EU LEADER
Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor OrbĂĄn after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement he embodied in favour of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions.
With 97.35 percent of precincts counted, Magyarâs centre-right party secured 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament on 53.6 percent of the vote, while OrbĂĄnâs Fidesz took just 55 seats with 37.8 percent.
OrbĂĄnâs exit deprives Russian President Vladimir Putin of his main ally in the EU and sends shockwaves through Western right-wing circles, including U.S. President Donald Trumpâs MAGA followers.
Vice President JD Vance flew to Budapest ahead of election day in an attempt to reverse his ailing allyâs poor poll ratings
â the visit changed nothing. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media: âHungary has chosen Europe.â
WATCH OUR LIVE COVERAGE WITH Olga Lautman
đ¨đş CUBA NEXT
âCubaâs going to be next,â Trump told reporters Sunday on Air Force One.
Cubaâs president answered directly: in a wide-ranging interview with NBCâs Meet the Press â his first American broadcast interview â DĂaz-Canel said thereâs no âjustification for the United States to launch a military aggression against Cuba,â adding that âif that happens, there will be fighting, and there will be a struggle, and we will defend ourselves, and if we need to die, weâll die.â
Cuba is a nation with a 60-year regime that pays very close attention to history â and analysts on Meet the Press noted it is watching a pattern where Trump left deals brokered by his predecessor and has been unable to make new deals, even while ramping up pressure on both Iran and Cuba.
đ MARKETS PLUNGE
as markets digested the blockade announcement Sunday night. The weekâs critical data comes on Friday with the March CPI report â the first major piece of economic data to pick up impacts from the US-Iran war, which has sent oil prices surging â with economists expecting headline inflation rose 1% last month, up from 0.3% in February.
đŁ SWALWELL SUSPENDS GOVERNOR BID
Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his bid for California governor on Sunday as he faced growing pressure to end his campaign amid allegations of sexual assault, with the Manhattan District Attorneyâs Office confirming it was looking into the allegations and a House expulsion vote potentially coming as early as midweek.
đŻ THE PATTERN
An isolated and aggrieved emperor who refuses to read the room and doubles down on disastrous policies. OrbĂĄn just fell, NATO is fractured, the Pope wonât bless him, and the Iranians have set a trap for him. But the emperor with no clothes keeps on empiring. No less than two blockades, an economic crisis, and prosecution of political opponents. A page from the Roy Cohn playbook: Donât ever let them see you sweat. Cohn would be cheering on as his stark naked protege, along with the GOP faithful, admiring the fine threads heâs wearing that no-one else can see.
Letâs see - aside from the old âblocking the Strait to free the Straitâ plan, orange man is also planning some military action to get peace talksâŚ..yep đ
A blockade of all traffic attempting to enter or leave through the Strait of Hormuz? How? What if ships refuse to comply? What does our navy do then? What about all the oil and other goods needed by multiple countries around the world? Where does he expect the ships to go? Did trump not notice that blockading ships on the open sea of the Indian Ocean is international piracy? trump has the planning and insight of a two year old... maybe a one year old.