It has never happened before in history—the American military and the American establishment suffering a humiliation of such magnitude... While the US Army is more organized and possesses greater striking power, Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps proved better prepared, surprising the Americans by striking all 18 bases they maintain in the wider region... The paradox remains that the Americans are requesting a truce extension beyond the April 21 deadline, while Iran rejects it, marking a humiliation of historic proportions... At the same time, the plan for a naval blockade of Hormuz literally failed; the Chinese warned Trump, and the Iranians had taken their measures, having already exported oil via tankers to the sea, maintaining an 80-day reserve.
However, both Major General Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of the IRGC, and US Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis agree that the ceasefire... is the calm before the great storm.
Mohsen Rezaei (Iranian Major General): Truce extension does not benefit Iran – We are ready to sink ships
The extension of the ceasefire is not in the interest of Iran, emphasized Major General Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of the IRGC. "I am proud of a nation with 25 million dedicated volunteers. Iran is in a significant historical position today, having achieved so many victories."
Trump is the embodiment of instability
He strongly criticized the contradictory statements and behaviors of the US President, stating: "The international situation shows who adheres to principles and who does not. Trump claimed: 'The Iranians are unstable,' while Trumphimself is the embodiment of instability." Iran presented 10 terms that the Americans initially rejected and later conceded to. "Trump says: 'The Iranians are tough'—it is true," emphasized Mohsen Rezaei. "The era of your pillaging during the Pahlavi and Qajar periods is over."
Trump mixes politics with gambling
"The reason for Trump's contradictory statements and mental imbalance is that he has mixed politics with gambling. His morality is one of gambling and deception to confuse his opponent. The main reason for these behaviors are the two commanders behind the scenes, Netanyahu and the Zionist shareholders who control the financial markets and industries. On stage we see Trump, but he is under their influence," Mohsen Rezaei stated, noting that Trump "has lost his mental and emotional control."
America's military humiliation... from F-35 destruction to strikes on 18 bases
Referring to the defeats of the United States in the field, the former IRGC commander stated: "Even American generals tell the truth about Iran's victory and America's defeat. The Americans faced 'firsts' for the first time. The prestige of the American F-35 was destroyed, AWACS were damaged, and 17 to 18 American bases, some 50 years old, were hit. They could not even cross the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran caused all of this."
Criticism of the military illiteracy of American officials – The war will end when Iran decides
Regarding recent appointments in the US government, Mohsen Rezaei stated: "Pete Hegseth is a military illiterate who has now taken charge of the entire US military and conveys his unprofessional views to Trump, saying: 'We destroyed the entire army, the IRGC, and Iran's infrastructure!' Meanwhile, the Iranian nation and its armed forces were all on the battlefield. The war is by no means over. How can we overcome a government that has been an obstacle to our progress for 47 years? Therefore, our war is serious and we will continue; the nation must not be influenced by these words."
Iran sets the terms... the US accepted them
Mohsen Rezaei emphasized that "we must also support diplomacy. This negotiation has a fundamental difference from the previous two. In the past, they set conditions for us, but this time we announced 10 terms for the first time." The Pakistani Prime Minister said that Trump told him over the phone that he had accepted all terms, but came to negotiate and reduce them. He cannot end the war with war, but we can do that.
The current ceasefire is a "military respite" and not a cessation of war...
Explaining the concept of the ceasefire in the current situation, Major General Mohsen Rezaei stated: "Now, there are certainly interests for both the ceasefire and the negotiations. This is a 'military silence' and not a final ceasefire. We have three types of wars: border, regional, and global, whose laws are the same but rules are different. Now we must build coalitions. Our relations with Pakistan, Oman, Iraq, Qatar, Turkey, China, and Russia are good. We are members of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and should use these capabilities and seek political assistance. China and Russia did a very good job exercising their veto."
The US fantasy of a ground landing in Iran
Mohsen Rezaei, warning about the movements of the US Navy, stated: "Trump wants to police the Strait of Hormuz, but he will not compromise on the 10 terms in negotiations by imposing a naval blockade. If the American forces come to the shore and disembark, that would be great for us. Then we would take thousands of prisoners and receive a billion dollars for each captive."
The Americans hide in the shadow of war
The Americans greatly fear a continuous war, which is why they prefer the "shadow of war" over the war itself, so they can find the opportunity to prepare and carry out an attack and then declare a ceasefire. A ceasefire means stopping military movements, so why are they bringing new military forces into the region?
The Americans will not reach Tehran – The truce does not favor Iran
A land war on the coasts, or even in the heart of Iran, will achieve no objective for them. If they start, they must be able to reach Tehran, and if they cannot and stop, they have failed. Major General Mohsen Rezaei emphasized that "the extension of the truce is not at all in our interest... this is my personal view. The pressure must be serious. Our launchersare now locked onto the ships and we will sink everyone. Only when all agreements and our rights are fulfilled and a statement is sent to the Security Council will the ceasefire make sense."
The naval blockade failed – What happened in Isfahan?
Major General Mohsen Rezaei emphasized: "Just as America suffered a historic failure in the Strait of Hormuz, it is also doomed to fail in a naval blockade. The Iranian armed forces will not allow this and have large, untouched levers to counter it. The Americans have no plan for ending the war. In their last plan, they wanted to drop paratroopers in Isfahan and take our uranium to create their own narratives."
Hitler had courage
Major General Mohsen Rezaei predicted future developments: "Either they will give up and accept our 10 terms (which I consider unlikely because they lack the courage of Hitler), or America will continue its desperate efforts."
Daniel Davis (USA): "Something big is coming" - The US-Iran ceasefire is the calm before a terrible storm...
The United States will seek a truce extension with Iran as they prepare a new major operation against the Islamic Republic, warned former US Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis. "A ceasefire may just be the calm before a great storm. The US is preparing for a large-scale and concentrated bombing campaign. Despite talks of a peaceful settlement, physical evidence shows we are reinforcing forces in the region. Something really big is coming, suggesting a shift in US strategy toward a major escalation in the hope that a dangerous major strike will force Iran to do what it failed to do in the first six weeks of the war: surrender and accept Trump's demands." According to Daniel Davis, the buildup of American forces in the Middle East, contrary to information broadcast by Western media, suggests a "much more urgent situation." The Washington Post, citing US officials, reported that the United States will deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East in the coming days to maintain the option of further attacks against Iran in case the ceasefire collapses. Current and former US officials told the newspaper that about 6,000 troops are heading to the region led by a strike group centered on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Bush, and about 4,200 additional rapid reaction troops and US Marines are expected to reach the Middle East by the end of the month.
CENTCOM: US repelled 10 ships trying to bypass the Iran naval blockade
Since the start of the naval blockade of Iran, the US military has repelled 10 ships trying to bypass it, but no ship has been able to break the blockade, emphasized US Central Command (CENTCOM). "To date, ten ships have been diverted and none have breached the US blockade since it was imposed on Monday," a command statement reads.
Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs: US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to truce termination
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States could lead to a termination of the truce between the US and Iran, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated. "The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is a provocative step, illegal under international law, and could lead to a break in the ceasefire. In such a case, our armed forces are ready to take necessary measures." The previous day, the Associated Press reported that Iran and the US agreed to continue the ceasefire. The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied this, noting that negotiations are ongoing.
Bloomberg: Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping threatened due to Hormuz blockade
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States threatens a confrontation between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their meeting in Beijing, Bloomberg reports. "Trump's attempt to block Iranfrom using the Straits of Hormuz disrupts key energy supplies to China and threatens a conflict with Xi Jinping a month before the scheduled meeting of the two leaders in Beijing," Bloomberg notes. Any US threat to intercept, divert, or seize ships violating the blockade carries the risk of confrontation with China, Bloomberg warns. Trump had previously announced that he was opening the Strait of Hormuz "permanently" to China and the rest of the world. He added that such a situation would never happen again. Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that it continues to block ships entering and leaving Iranian ports.
Trump: Allies dislike the idea of naming the Strait of Hormuz…. "Trump Strait"
US President Trump stated that Washington's allies dislike the idea of naming the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by the US Navy, the "Trump Strait." During an interview on Fox Business, the President noted that Washington's relations with allies who refused to help during Operation Epic Fury and the blockade of the Straits of Hormuz will not be the same. "Can you call it the Strait of Hormuz? You can call it any way. The only thing you can't call it is Trump Strait. They don't like that idea," he said. On April 13, the US Navy began blocking all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on both sides of the Strait, which represents about 20% of global supplies of oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas.
US Navy confirms "accident" with MQ-4C Triton spy drone was more significant than F-35
The US Navy confirmed that an MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone crashed in the Persian Gulf region, with the incident now being characterized as an accident, though little has been revealed regarding the circumstances under which it was lost. After the aircraft unexpectedly disappeared from online flight tracking sites while flying over the Persian Gulf, many sources reported it had been shot down by Iranian air defense. The MQ-4C is a significantly rarer and higher-value aircraft than the F-15E strike fighter, the MQ-9 drone, and other aircraft shot down by Iranian forces, with only the US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia being more valuable. While the E-3 Sentry AWACS is an aging aircraft scheduled to retire within the next 15 years, the MQ-4C Triton is a cutting-edge platform still in production for the Navy. Each MQ-4C Triton is estimated to have a value of 235-250 million dollars, with its extreme cost meaning only 20 have been put into operation. The destruction of one of the aircraft by Iranian air defensewould not be entirely unprecedented, as the closely linked RQ-4A Global Hawk developed for the US Air Force was shot down by the IRGC on June 20, 2019. The MQ-4C Triton aircraft "conducted a flight over the Strait of Hormuz in complete secrecy, having deactivated its identification equipment and participating in a clear espionage operation. When the American aircraft was returning to the western parts of the region near the Strait of Hormuz, despite repeated warnings via radio, it entered Iranian airspace." More recently, Iranian forces shot down approximately 17 MQ-9 drones and many drones of other types, such as the Israeli Heron. The Triton is a derivative of the MQ-4 Global Hawkand specializes in maritime surveillance. The aircraft have a range of over 13,000 kilometers, necessary for continuous wide-area surveillance, and feature reinforced airframes for adverse ocean weather conditions, allowing them to remain on station over the oceans in all conditions. Each incorporates the AN/ZPY-3 multi-function active sensor radar, designed for 360° maritime surveillance and capable of tracking ships across vast areas. They also incorporate electro-optical/infrared sensors, as well as electronic support measures for signal detection.
The MQ-4C Triton let out a scream
Before its sudden disappearance from flight tracking systems, the MQ-4C Triton shot down by Iran reportedly experienced a dramatic loss of altitude, plunging from its typical cruising height of about 50,000 feet to below 10,000 feet. At that time, the drone appeared to be returning to its base at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy, after completing a surveillance mission in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy reported. At the time of its descent, the drone's transponder was transmitting a distress signal, commonly known as a "scream." Initially, it transmitted code 7400, indicating loss of communication with ground controllers, and later changed to emergency code 7700. In 2019, Iran successfully shot down a Navy RQ-4 Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator (BAMS-D) drone over the Sea of Oman and presented the remains of the unmanned aircraft. Another MQ-4C Triton was spotted conducting a routine mission over the Persian Gulf recently. Last week, the defense publication TWZ noted that MQ-4C Tritons are likely to be critical for monitoring the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, especially during the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
www.bankingnews.gr
Readers’ Comments