Doc Robinson
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The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s side of the developing story –
MoU Being Finalized, Iranian Spokesman Says about Talks on Ending Imposed War“Within a period of 30 to 60 days, the details of the issues should be discussed and finally an agreement should be reached.”
He emphasized, “We are in the stage of finalizing this memorandum of understanding. The issues that are being discussed at this stage are focused on ending the war. The issue of ending the US naval aggression and issues related to the release of blocked Iranian assets will be addressed in this memorandum of understanding.”
Regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Baqaei said the Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with the US.
“A mechanism should be defined between us and Oman as coastal countries. We are in talks with the relevant organizations. We are aware of the importance of this waterway for the international community. The international community knows that the insecurity is caused by the aggressive actions of the United States and the Zionist regime. They understand that the responsible action of Iran and Oman to create a mechanism for the safe passage of ships through this waterway is in the interest of the international community.”
He added, “What we are doing is in line with protecting the national interests of Iran and Oman as coastal countries and is also aimed at ensuring safe shipping. From this perspective, we expect all countries that attach importance to free trade and maritime safety to understand this situation.”
Regarding the nuclear issue, Baqaei said, “We are not talking about the details of the nuclear issue at this stage. We know that our nuclear issue was a pretext for two aggressive wars against the Iranian nation. At the same time, we were subjected to illegal attacks during the nuclear negotiations. Therefore, we wisely decided to give priority at this stage to the issue that is urgent, which is ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
A congressional report about Operation Epic Fury says that so far, the US military has reported “42 fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, including uncrewed aircraft (i.e., drones), reportedly lost or damaged in OEF,” but this number is “according to news reports and statements by DOD and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)” and may be a different number due to the information being classified. “The number of aircraft damaged or destroyed may remain subject to revision due to multiple factors, which may include classification…”
Moderna Began Developing a Bundibugyo Ebola mRNA “Vaccine” Just 4 Months Before WHO Declared a Global Emergency
Bill Gates-backed CEPI awarded Moderna and Oxford $26.7 million to develop multivalent Ebola mRNA and viral vector shots in January 2026.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-198168875Today’s news has many articles about the aircraft carrier USS Ford (of clogged toilets and laundry fire fame) finally returning home after an extra-long 11 month deployment.
Also in recent news, with far less coverage, is the submarine USS Florida completing a 727-day deployment, which is around 24 months in a windowless ship.
“The USS Florida Ohio-Class SSGN Completed a 727-Day Deployment Covering 60,000 Nautical Miles”
https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/the-uss-florida-ohio-class-ssgn-completed-a-727-day-deployment-covering-60000-nautical-miles/RIM’s take on the 2014 outbreak of Ebola –
“George W. Bushmeat and the Economics of Ebola”
https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2014/10/george-w-bushmeat-and-the-economics-of-ebola/“Bundibugyo ebolavirus was less fatal (case-fatality rate 34%) than Ebola viruses that had caused previous outbreaks in the region, and most transmission was associated with handling of dead persons without appropriate protection (adjusted odds ratio 3.83, 95% confidence interval 1.78-8.23).”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20587179/During the time of that “largest Ebola outbreak in history”, there was one “outbreak” in the USA in 2014, with 4 cases and one fatality, for the Zaire strain of Ebola which is considered to be more deadly than the current outbreak’s Bundibugyo strain.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034123003581
Here we go again?
A new Ebola outbreak has already killed 87 people in Democratic Republic of CongoBetween 2014 and 2016, 28,600 people were infected and 11,325 people died during the largest Ebola outbreak in history, according to the World Health Organization. That started in the West African nation of Guinea then spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia and several other countries outside the region.
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/16/g-s1-122494/a-new-ebola-outbreak-has-already-killed-87-peopleToday I learned that a submerged nuclear ballistic missile submarine can receive launch orders from a special aircraft (such as a Boeing E-6A) using very low frequency communications.
Yesterday, one of those E-6A aircraft flew to Europe from the US, and today a US ballistic missile submarine was reported to have embarked on a “Mediterranean Patrol.”
“USS Alaska Leaves Gibraltar for Mediterranean Patrol as US Navy E-6A Arrival Raises Strategic Questions”
The ballistic missile submarine believed to be USS Alaska (SSBN-732) departed Gibraltar today heading east into the Mediterranean after arriving on Saturday, in a movement that comes just one day after the arrival in Europe of a US Navy E-6A Mercury aircraft.
Unlike attack submarines, SSBNs represent one of the core components of the American nuclear triad, designed to provide survivable second-strike capability. For that reason alone, deployments of this kind are always strategically sensitive, even when conducted routinely.
What makes the movement particularly interesting is the near-simultaneous presence in Europe of a US Navy E-6A Mercury tracked yesterday. The aircraft serves as an airborne nuclear command post capable of relaying launch orders to US ballistic missile submarines through very low frequency communications.
Greek tanker carrying oil from Iraq (not Iran) to Vietnam reportedly forced to turn back near Oman (at the US Navy’s blockade line) after getting through the Hormuz Strait.
According to multiple shipping and media reports, the vessel had been transporting Iraqi crude oil bound for Vietnam after departing Iraq’s Al Basrah terminal.
The tanker had successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz using a route authorised by Iranian authorities and travelled via officially declared shipping lanes, Iranian media reported.
However, ship-tracking data later showed the vessel abruptly changing course near the Gulf of Oman before eventually turning back, amid heightened naval tensions involving the United States and Iran. Reports linking the manoeuvre directly to intervention by the U.S. Navy have circulated online, although no official confirmation has been issued by U.S. authorities at this stage.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2026/05/12/agios-fanourios-i-tanker-oman-hormuz/?amp
For Dr. D –
FWIW, Wikipedia says the SSBN ballistic missile submarine USS Alaska is not the same configuration as cruise missile submarines, aka “SSGNs capable of conducting conventional land attack and special operations.”
SSGNs capable of conducting conventional land attack and special operations… payload possibilities include new generations of supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles, and Submarine Launched Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles,[citation needed] unmanned aerial vehicles, the ADM-160 MALD, sensors for antisubmarine warfare or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, counter mine warfare payloads such as the AN/BLQ-11 Long-Term Mine Reconnaissance System, and the broaching universal buoyant launcher and stealthy affordable capsule system specialized payload canisters.
The missile tubes also have room for stowage canisters that can extend the forward deployment time for special forces. The other two Trident tubes are converted to swimmer lockout chambers. For special operations, the Dry Combat Submersible (which replaced the Advanced SEAL Delivery System), as well as the dry deck shelter, can be mounted on the lockout chamber and the boat will be able to host up to 66 special-operations sailors or Marines, such as Navy SEALs, or USMC MARSOC teams. Improved communications equipment installed during the upgrade allows the SSGNs to serve as a forward-deployed, clandestine Small Combatant Joint Command Center.
Just flexing? Or for turning up the insanity dial to 11?
US ballistic missile submarine appears in Mediterranean as tensions rise in Middle East
Appearances of Navy submarines are rare and often designed to send a strategic deterrence message. One of 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, Alaska carries Trident missiles armed with nuclear warheads.
The vessel’s visit is a demonstration of U.S. capability, flexibility and commitment to NATO allies, NAVEUR-AF/6th Fleet said in the statement. The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines offer the U.S. its “most survivable leg of the nuclear triad,” the Navy said.
FWIW the USS Alaska, a ballistic missile submarine that can carry 20 Trident II missiles, with each missile carrying up to 12 nuclear warheads -according to Wikipedia- has arrived at the Gibraltar naval base today. With a length of 170 m (560 ft), it’s the largest type of submarine in the US navy.
https://www.gbc.gi/news/uss-ohio-class-nuclear-powered-submarine-in-gibraltar-amidst-tight-securityToday an Iranian admiral talks about their small submarines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Commander of the Iranian Army Navy Rear Admiral Shahram Irani has talked about the mission of small-sized submarines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Laying on the seabed in the depths of the waters of the Strait of Hormuz for a long time and intercepting and destroying different kinds of hostile vessels are among the capabilities of the Army Navy’s light submarines.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/244388/Army-submarines-monitor-intercept-vessels-in-Hormuz-StraitI forgot to include this source link with my comment last night about the US Special Operations speedboat-packing Mothership being spotted in the Indian Ocean.
https://xcancel.com/MT_Anderson
The MV Ocean Trader, a ship that’s referred to as “U.S. Special Operations Command’s Elusive Mothership,” has been spotted at the Diego Garcia naval facility in the Indian Ocean, after being seen near Venezuela late last year.
MV Ocean Trader is a converted roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel outfitted for clandestine maritime special operations under U.S. Military Sealift Command authority. The ship is designed to accommodate over 150 SOF personnel, rotary-wing aircraft, RHIBs, and ISR systems. Capable of remaining underway for extended periods without external support, Ocean Trader operates as a low-signature floating base for insertion, interdiction, and surveillance operations. (article at Army Recognition)
The four launch and recovery bays visible in the photo are said to be used for “stealthy Combat Craft-Assault (CCA)” speedboats.
We have wondered what types of craft would fill the now ironically named M/V Ocean Trader’s four launch and recovery bays located on the ship’s starboard side. The most likely option seemed to be rigid-hull inflatable boats, like the 11 meter Naval Special Warfare RHIB. But it turns out the ship totes around far more advanced vessels in the form of the stealthy Combat Craft-Assault (CCA).
Some claims from Iran’s military and foreign minister –
Iran’s attacks on the three USN destroyers caused “significant damage” and the ships “changed course and left the area.”
The CIA’s estimate that Iran’s missile inventory and launcher capacity is now at 70-75% compared to Feb. 28 is incorrect. The correct figure is claimed to be 120%, due to assembly of “new missiles that were nearly complete when the war began.”
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that Iranian forces had “launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats” at three destroyers — the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason.
Iran’s Army announced that the strikes were in response to the US violation of the April 8 ceasefire that had initially paused the joint US-Israel war against Iran. It said following the response, “the aggressor American destroyers changed course and left the area.”
A spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates military operations between Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said the Iranian counterattacks were immediate and decisive, causing “significant damage” to US warships.
According to a US official, Iran retains about 75 percent of its prewar inventory of mobile launchers and roughly 70 percent of its prewar missile stockpiles. The official added that there is evidence Iran has been able to recover and reopen almost all of its underground storage facilities, repair some damaged missiles, and even assemble new missiles that were nearly complete when the war began.
In a message on X on Friday, Iran’s foreign minister reacted to the CIA analysis, saying Iran has boosted its missile power compared to the period before the war and is more prepared than ever to defend the country.
“The CIA is wrong. Our missile inventory and launcher capacity are not at 75% compared to Feb. 28. The correct figure is 120%.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/526202/Iran-teaches-Yankees-a-lessonRashomon, he said she said, news/propaganda?
US military says –
According to a CENTCOM statement, Iranian forces launched a coordinated assault involving “multiple missiles, drones and small boats” while the USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) were navigating the international sea passage. Officials confirmed that “no US assets were struck” during the engagement. In response to the “aggression”, US Central Command said it “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking US forces.”
Iran military says –
Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya: Terrorist U.S. military breached ceasefire by attacking an Iranian oil tanker departing from Iran’s coastal waters near Jask towards Strait of Hormuz, along with another vessel entering Strait of Hormuz near Fujairah.
At the same time, they launched airstrikes on civilian regions in collaboration with several neighboring nations near the shores of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces swiftly responded by striking U.S. military ships east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Chabahar port, causing considerable damage to them.
The hostile and aggressive United States along with its allied nations must understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran will, as it has before, respond decisively and without hesitation to any acts of aggression or invasion.
Satellite image from today shows the US Navy’s “approximate blockade line” which is about 650 km from the Strait of Hormuz, in the Northern Arabian Sea near the entrance to the Gulf of Oman. The line goes from the Pakistan/Iran border to the shoulder of Oman.
https://xcancel.com/MT_Anderson/status/2052132241393033651#m
More conflicting stories today.
CENTCOM chief says Iran fired at U.S. warships, and “U.S. destroyed six Iranian small boats“
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency rejected the assertion by Cooper, saying none of its so-called “fast boats” were destroyed Monday.
Iranian state media said earlier that forces fired “warning” shots, including missiles and drones, at a U.S. destroyer as it neared the Strait of Hormuz in the Sea of Oman.
Iranian authorities insist the strait is closed and only vessels with explicit permission from its military will be permitted to pass, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisted Monday that the U.S. has full control over the waterway.
Axios
Two U.S. merchant ships cross Strait of Hormuz under Trump’s new operation
1 hour agovs.
Tehran Times
#BREAKING
IRGC: No commercial vessels or oil tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past few hours.Map with regularly updated ship locations in the Strait of Hormuz.
“VesselFinder is a FREE AIS vessel tracking web site. VesselFinder displays real time ship positions and marine traffic detected by global AIS network.”
A bunch of ships of “Unknown Type” (US Navy?) are beyond the imaginary line connecting the Iran/Pakistan border with the shoulder of Oman.
For comparison of front page news/propaganda
Tehran Times –
New York Times and others –
https://www.frontpages.com/the-new-york-times/
Scroll down to see others, including UK newspapers.Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
March 1 to April 29
As reported by Lloyd’s List Intelligence and graphed by the nonprofit USNI News.This graph shows civilian traffic through the strait (the total number of ships for each day, with breakdown for each type of ship.)
For example, starting at the high end of the daily count –
27 ships on 18 April
27 ships on 01 March
22 ships on 12 April
16 ships on 07 April
15 ships on 02 April
15 ships on 14 April
14 ships on 04 April
etc…Transits are also majorly members of the “shadow fleet” – internationally sanctioned ships that use deceptive measures to avoid detection, Meade said. While they accounted for about 10-15 percent of transits before the war, “shadow fleet” ships now constitute about 80 percent.
Trump’s Dreams for a Battleship Led to His Navy Secretary’s Ouster (NYT)President Trump wanted one thing, more than anything else, from his secretary of the Navy, John Phelan: a new class of battleships.
“They’ll be the fastest, the biggest and by far — 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Mr. Trump boasted at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate and resort in Florida a few days before Christmas. Mr. Phelan, a billionaire investor who has a home near the club, stood next to the president as he made the announcement.
Mr. Phelan’s job was to deliver the first of Mr. Trump’s battleships by 2028.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump fired Mr. Phelan, who had struggled to come up with a plan to deliver the ships on the nearly impossible timeline that Mr. Trump has demanded, senior defense and administration officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.
Presidents rarely pay close attention to military procurement, but Mr. Trump has spoken repeatedly about his plans for a new “Trump-class” battleship. In a February speech to soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C., Mr. Trump insisted that he had helped design the new class of ships that bear his name.“I put a little more spirit in the hull,” Mr. Trump told the troops. “I want that ship to look gorgeous, you know.”
In the days after Mr. Trump announced his plans for the new battleships, defense experts raised questions about whether they would ever be built.
“The ship’s purported characteristics are so extraordinary that the announcement will surely spark immense discussion,” wrote Mark F. Cancian, an expert on military budgeting with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “However, there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”
The ship would take “years to design,” Mr. Cancian noted. “A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water.”
In Mr. Trump’s imagination the new warship would be massive, weighing as much as 40,000 tons, and would be packed with new high-tech weapons, like lasers, hypersonic missiles and electric rail guns, most of which are still in development and years from being deployed.
In recent weeks, it had become clear to Mr. Phelan that the Navy and the U.S. shipbuilding industry did not have the ability to deliver on Mr. Trump’s vision. Mr. Phelan recently suggested to Mr. Trump that the Navy might have to rely on European shipyards to deliver the battleships on the ambitious timeline Mr. Trump was demanding, senior military and administration officials said.
Mr. Trump rejected the suggestion.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/us/politics/trump-navy-secretary.html
From Craig Murray today –
Israel now occupies a higher percentage of Lebanon than Russia does of Ukraine.
All of Russian occupied Ukraine was majority Russian speaking before the war.
Zero of Israeli occupied Lebanon was ever Hebrew speaking.
The US has 12 aircraft carriers.
5 of these are in maintenance.
Only 3 are currently deployed, all in the Middle East area.
Article in The Hill says that during the past 7 weeks, the US military used up almost half of its Patriot missiles, and more than half of its THAADs, and almost half of its Precision Strike Missiles.
To rebuild the stockpiles to former levels, it will take 1 to 4 years, if no more of the remaining missiles are fired.
“The U.S. fired almost 50 percent of its Patriot missile stockpile; more than half of Terminal High Altitude Area Defenses (THAADs), which are used to protect against short, medium and intermediate-range missiles; and over 45 percent of its Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) stockpiles during the air and missile campaign in Iran”
The U.S. military has used up nearly half of its stockpile of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles and heavily expended six other key missile stockpiles during its seven-week strike campaign against Iran, according to a new analysis from the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The U.S. fired almost 50 percent of its Patriot missile stockpile; more than half of Terminal High Altitude Area Defenses (THAADs), which are used to protect against short, medium and intermediate-range missiles; and over 45 percent of its Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) stockpiles during the air and missile campaign in Iran, CSIS said in its Tuesday report.
Rebuilding the stockpiles of the missiles, including Tomahawks and JASSMs, precision-guided cruise missiles, to pre-Operation Epic Fury levels will take one to four years and these munitions will be critical for a potential conflict in the Western Pacific, according to CSIS.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5842118-patriot-thaad-prsm-expenditure-iran/
The US Navy’s next two new Ford-class aircraft carriers that are planned (but not yet contracted) are to be named after Slick Willie and Dubya.
Following the naming of the next two Gerald R Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers by the US Navy as the future USS William J Clinton (CVN 82) and USS George W Bush (CVN 83), a path has opened for the eighth vessel in class (CVN 85) to be named after the incoming President-elect, Donald J Trump.
https://www.naval-technology.com/news/could-cvn-85-be-named-uss-donald-j-trump/
From AP News –
The Navy has three other Ford-class carriers under construction: the USS John F. Kennedy, the USS Enterprise and the USS Dorie Millier.
Headlines from Iran –
Fire all your guns at once?
And then explode into space?
I like smoke and lightnin’
Heavy metal thunder
Racing with the wind
And the feeling that I’m underYeah, darlin’ gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into spaceTHE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to buy the first Trump-class battleship in next year’s budget submission, a schedule that would allow the service to make the purchase before President Donald Trump leaves office.
In the FY 2028 budget submission the Defense Department will unveil next year when it buys the first ship, the Navy projects asking for $17 billion in procurement funding. The service currently projects buying the second ship in FY 2030, when it will seek $13 billion, and the third ship in FY 2031, when it will ask Congress for $11.5 billion
Trump and Navy Secretary John Phelan announced in December that the service would pursue a new battleship, which anchors the Trump administration’s pursuit of the Golden Fleet concept.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/21/navy-wants-to-buy-trump-class-battleship-in-fy-2028
Article from Tasnim News Agency in Iran –
(translated from Persian)The Lloyd’s List data show that at least 26 of the ships of Iran’s shadow fleet have crossed the U.S. blockade line.
These statistics show that, contrary to the Pentagon’s claim, there is a continuous flow of the movement of the shadow fleet into and out of the Persian Gulf
The Iranian container ship Shoja 2 (formerly the Hanne Christine of Norway) has a length of 90 meters and is passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It can be tracked here –
Iranian news source announced that “Another Iranian ship is passing through the Strait of Hormuz“, on its way to India. It’s a container ship named “Shoja 2”.
I wonder if it could be bait, for somehow targeting a USN ship which tries to seize it?
(translated from Persian)
According to Tasnim news agency, a cargo ship with the flag of Iran and the name Shoja 2 is passing through the Strait of Hormuz despite the siege announced by the US terrorist army.
The ship leaves the port of Shahid Rajaee near Bandar Abbas and continues its route to the port of Candella in India
Map showing where the Iranian container ship TOUSKA was disabled and seized by the US Navy.
Official pushback against US Navy food shortages and substandard meals.
The chief of naval operations pushed back Monday against reports that sailors were experiencing food shortages and substandard meals aboard several vessels stationed in the Middle East.
Adm. Daryl Caudle told reporters during a media roundtable at Sea-Air-Space 2026 in Maryland that food quantity and quality were meeting Navy standards.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2026/04/20/cno-denies-reports-
US Navy fleet tracker updated today.
The USS Bush carrier group is taking the long way around Africa towards Iran, now near Madagascar.
The burnt-out USS Ford carrier group went back through the Suez canal and is now is the northern Red Sea, away from Yemen.
No US ships are listed in the Persian Gulf.
A couple comments from below the update, about the unlikeliness of a Marine Expeditionary brigade forming (they’ll stick with boardings), and how “If the USN is too unwilling or afraid of convoy escort duty, Iran wins.”
With neither the Boxer ARG nor the Iwo Jima ARG advancing toward the Middle East, I no longer foresee a Marine Expeditionary Brigade forming up. The Tripoli ARG will continue to prosecute smaller missions such as boardings.
Until the USN provides real escorts for non-Iranian tankers or the Iranian regime is changed out, nothing will really change. As along as the non-Iranian tankers are too afraid to cross the Strait, Iran “wins.” It doesn’t matter if we deploy 10 carrier groups there. If the USN is too unwilling or afraid of convoy escort duty, Iran wins.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/20/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-april-20-2026
Some headlines from Iran
Attack sub USS Boise scuttled after only one patrol — 10 years ago
It’s been docked for repairs for a decade, costing the taxpayer $800 million — a poster child for the Navy’s procurement issues
The Navy inactivated the USS Boise attack submarine earlier this month, canceling its overhaul after spending $800 million to complete less than 25% of the vessel’s needed repairs. The cost of the full overhaul had ballooned from $1.2 billion to roughly $3 billion — nearly the cost of a new submarine altogether.
That pricey, nail-in-coffin decision capped off maintenance delays that had sidelined the Boise for over a decade — more than one-third of its career.
