In today’s Middle East updates…
** The Wall Street Journal reports **that several Gulf Arab allies have been warned by Washington to prepare for a brief, intense military campaign against Iran after the US elections.
President Trump said Monday that thanks to the US military blockade on Iranian ports, not one Iranian ship has gotten through in months, other than during the ceasefire, which he considers “a waste of time.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded by claiming that “Washington’s contempt for diplomacy is once again laid bare” and this “exposes the hollowness of their diplomatic commitments...For Iran, this is nothing new. Washington has a long record of reneging on its commitments and treating international obligations as disposable whenever they become inconvenient.”
Fun Fact: It was Iran that broke the ceasefire, and its surrogates in Yemen are now using missiles and drones to attack airports in Saudi Arabia and kill innocent civilians. In short, listening to the Iranian Foreign Ministry is also a waste of time.
The vote count in Israel is still going on at this writing, but ** the latest results suggest that early exit polls showing a loss for PM Benjamin Netanyahu have been reversed**, and his party could reach a tie for legislative seats or even a majority. President Trump said his endorsement turned the tide, but Netanyahu had also taken to social media to warn Israelis that Arab voting groups were swamping the polls in an attempt to take control, and that likely boosted turnout as well.
