Iran Last Stand or 20260915

Iran’s Last Stand or a Humbled Saudi Arabia?

by with No Comment AssetsCommoditiesEconomyExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsInvestingIra SlomowitzRisk ManagementUncategorizedWorld

Either bin-Salman or the Islamic Republic will Survive

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 15th of September via The Angry Demagogue.

The Houthis have not only pushed back and regained ground lost in the Saudi offensive against them in Yemen, they have taken Saudi backed ground and are moving forward. They seem to be moving at will and are now in total control of the Bab al Mandab Straits and are looking to surround and then capture the port of Aden. According to Or ben Yehezkel of the Telegram site 301 Ha’Olam Ha’aravi, which consists of a group who are fluent in Arabic and Farsi, the Houthis are moving quickly and if they take the port of Aden, the main port of Saudi backed Yemen, they will organize, along with the Shiite militia’s in Iraq to invade Saudi Arabia.

Although they don’t have an air force, the Houthis have managed to gain ground against an air force with over 220 advanced fighters, 8 AWACS for air coordination and over 20 refueling aircraft. With their missiles and drones, the Houthis have managed to cause severe damage to Saudi Air Force bases and have all but neutralized Saudi air superiority.

Iran Last Stand or 20260915

Iran’s Last Stand or a Humbled Saudi Arabia?

It seems that the Islamic Republic has given up on getting Israel out of Lebanon and saving Hezbollah and instead is concentrating on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States with the goal of forcing the U.S out of the region. If they do in fact take Aden, the Houthis can go up the coast to Mecca and Madinah and meet Iraqi-Shiite militias there as they attack across northern Saudi Arabia. This will force the Saudis to defend what is as important for them, reputation-wise, as oil – and that is the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah. For the Houthis the coastal route is do-able. From Iraq it is a 20 hour drive from Iraq to Mecca (a bit shorter to Madinah) through harsh dessert terrain – although there are paved roads. Alternatively, the Iraqi militias could attack in the Gulf area (either going through or avoiding Kuwait) while the Houthis rush to Mecca, forcing the Saudis to split forces.

For the U.S, ground attacks in Saudi Arabia proper, putting American bases and troops at risk, will force them to intervene so as to save U.S bases as well as Saudi honor. It is not that the Iranian Islamists think they can take over Saudi Arabia, only that they can embarrass it into submission. In the Arab and Moslem world, pride is more important than fact and a near defeat might embarrass the ibn-Saud kingdom enough to rattle its self confidence. The Mecca Accords between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have shown their impotence as neither the Turkish nor the Pakistani Air Forces have been seen over the Saudi desert (although it seems that bin-Salman asked CENTCOM to ask Israel to help them).

However, the real goal of the Houthi-Iranian offensive is to force the United States out of the Gulf. No matter what people are saying the blockade and other economic measures are having a strong effect on Iran and its regime. This does not mean it is close to falling, but they obviously feel a need to change the conversation and to use outside pressure to bring some relief to the country and eventually to remove the American “menace”.

An article in The Free Press (whose headline is more optimistic than the article itself) correctly states that the Houthis are trying to lessen their dependence on Iran, but that does not mean that most of the orders are not still coming from Iran. It is not the Houthi’s themselves that are a threat but the Houthis as an Iranian proxy that is the danger. A Houthi semi-state in western Yemen is a thorn in the side of the world, but it is very different than an Iranian controlled western Yemen. Currently, there is no reason to believe that Iran is not controlling events in Yemen just like they controlled events in Lebanon. Israel’s “ceasefire offensive” against Hezbollah, taking their major command centers and all but pushing them out of their strongholds in southern Lebanese Shiite villages has shaken the Iranian leadership and weakened their hold on events in the Middle East. They only have Yemen, the Persian Gulf itself (the Straits of Hormuz) and some Iraqi militias left to take the pressure off them.

Alternatively, if the Houthis attack fails, could this be Iran’s last stand? A defeat at the hands of the Saudis, coming right after the Hezbollah defeat at the hands of Israel will leave Iran with only one pressure point – one that the U.S Navy has blocked. While they are causing some discomfort in the West via rising oil prices, they are causing more discomfort in their ally China and even more in their own country.

Last week we indicated that there are four things that need to happen in order to put in place the possibility, let’s upgrade that to the probability of regime change. The Islamic Republic understands this better than the Western press. The first is nearly complete and that is the destruction of Hezbollah. The second is the American blockade and economic D-day which are in full force but need time to work. The third is the defeat of the Houthis and the last one is an intensive U.S (or U.S and Israeli) bombing campaign combined, possibly, with the taking of Persian Gulf islands.

If the Saudi’s lose, this will endanger the entire U.S plan and may even bring down the bin-Salman rule in Saudi Arabia as he can be replaced by more conservative Princes if his plans fail and he embarrasses the Kingdom in front of the Moslem world. This is a best-case scenario for the suffocating Islamic Republic and could lead to their resurgence in the region.

Iran knows this well and the Houthi-Saudi war will either lead to the downfall of the Islamic Republic or a very humbled and maybe changed Saudi kingdom. A fight to a standstill with the Houthis remaining an Iranian proxy means that the other three legs of the plan – the destruction of Hezbollah, economic D-day and U.S bombing effort will need to be pursued quickly and violently. As Israel has painfully learned, fighting to a standstill just gives your terrorist enemies time to regroup. Without a Houthi defeat we will be where we are today and the U.S goal of ridding the region of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be much more difficult. Much more is at stake in the Houthi-Saudi war than people believe.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

Follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/

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Economic Dday 20260909

Can An Economic D-Day Win the War?

by with No Comment AssetsBehavioral SentimentEconomyExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsFinancial InstitutionsIra SlomowitzRisk ManagementUncategorizedWorld

Only Along with Military Might in Order to Avoid Stalemate

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 9th of September via The Angry Demagogue.

The main tool that the West has used against tyrants has been that of economic sanctions since they have not been willing to commit military assets to the fight. This has been going on with Iran for decades and with Russia in various forms for over ten years and yet both countries have managed to launch wars (on their own or via proxies) during times of minimum and maximum sanctions.

The signing of the MoU by the Trump administration was seen as a naïve undertaking at best and a surrender at worst. But like the Palestinians who never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity, so too have their friends the Iranian Islamists. Rather than “taking the win” as President Biden would have advised, the Islamist Republic decided to double down on their treachery, hitting shipping in the Straits of Hormuz as well as American allies in the Gulf and Jordan, with impunity. The tit for tat response that the U.S has been using, copying Israel’s pre-October 7 failures in Gaza and Lebanon, has brought no real gains.

Economic Dday 20260909

Can An Economic D-Day Win the War? 

President Trump’s turn to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his economic D-Day against Iran is supposed to change the nature of economic warfare in general and the war against Iran in particular. If the goal is getting them back to the negotiating table then there is a good chance it will work. However, if one thinks that once at the table the negotiations will go differently than it did before, one would be foolish. If the goal is, as it ought to be, to bring down the regime, that is a more difficult end.

However, we are seeing a few things taking place that are accompanying this economic D-Day. It is not clear if these actions are part of the U.S plan to bring down the Islamic Republic or if they are just coincidences but if the latter, they are the luckiest coincidences in U.S foreign policy in quite some time.

Hezbollah and the Houthis are two of the three main Iranian proxies left, the third being in Iraq. And while Hamas still lives, their military capabilities have been degraded enough as to make them a minor protector of Iran and an even less minor projector of Iranian power. People tend to downplay the importance of the “proxies” to the Islamic regime and what their collapse could mean to it. For nearly half a century the Islamic Republic has been concentrating on extending its power and prestige in the Middle East (and globally) at the expense of its own people. These proxies are a core part of the Islamic Republic. Hezbollah and the Houthis for example mean more to the Islamic Republic than do most of their own citizens. If their citizens revolt, they just kill them, if their proxies fall or leave their orbit, the regime itself is in danger

In Iraq the U.S government has been working diligently with the Iraqi government ot neutralize the Shiite militias. But the Iraqi militias are more a thorn in the side than a real power. The Saudis, however, have begun a major offensive against the Houthis and are closing in on the Houthi capital of Sanaa. True enough the Houthis are fighting back and hitting Saudi oil infrastructure (one wonders why Turkey and Pakistan are not living up to their obligations in the “Mecca Accords” – but that is for another day) but it seems that Saudi Arabia is finally taking the Iranian threat seriously and hundreds of Houthi fighters have surrendered to Saudi and other Sunni forces. There were reports that the U.S turned down a Saudi request to fight the Houthis, but that doesn’t mean they have not coordinated the fighting together. The civil war has been going on in Yemen since the early 1960’s or before and while this probably won’t end the war it might force whomever is the Shiite replacement for the Houthis to concentrate on internal fighting and to leave the Bab-el-Mandeb Straits untouched. This is a key Saudi goal as it needs multiple routes for its oil exports.

UAE Saudi 20260909

Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

In Lebanon, Israel has captured the main forward base of Hezbollah in the tunnels under the Al-Tahar ridge. This is a major tunnel system, cut into the mountains that contains full command and control centers as well as rocket and drone launching capabilities hidden from the Israeli air force. The Al-Tahar complex was unknown to Israel until rather recently with Reuters claiming that Iranian officers were or still are held up inside the tunnel network. Israel has followed this up with attacks on the town of Nabatiyeh which the al-Tahir ridge overlooks as well as other Shiite towns that are centers of Hezbollah activity. Nabatiyeh is not just another Shiite village but the largest city in the eastern part of southern Lebanon and serves as the administrative center of the area. It is, of course, a Hezbollah stronghold. While the MoU gave Iran a veto over what would happen in Lebanon, its disintegration has given Israel free reign to finally take care of the Hezbollah presence in the country.

Lebanon 20260909

Towns Along Lebanon and Israel Border

In a more surprising move, taking a page from Trump’s own playbook, Pakistan has issued exorbitant tariffs on commercial traffic going to and from Iran threatening a land route to China and what was a safe way to bring in needed goods from abroad.

According to reports, Iran has just two months of fuel left in the country. The currency has tumbled even more and, much like Weimar Germany, stores are changing their prices multiple times a day in order to keep up with the inflation.

Pakistan 20260909

Pakistan and Iranian Border Areas

Does this all mean that Iran can fall in the coming months? The people who could lead such a regime change are those who witnessed the January massacre of over 40,000 of their fellow citizens and who continue to witness daily executions of the protesters the regime has jailed. It is difficult to predict these things but hard to believe that they will put themselves in a position for another massacre so soon after the last one and to succeed. On the other hand, the economy is in such a shambles that at some point the army might get involved if they are getting paid after the Revolutionary Guards.

One thing we need to take into consideration is if the Gulf States will now be stricter in their dealings with Iran. The UAE, as much as it is one of the more Western oriented of the Gulf States still has been allowing Iranian funds to flow through that country (as it seems, it allows Russian funds to flow) and Qatar is always playing a double game. Will at least the UAE shut down all Iranian pipelines. As for Europe, they seem to be falling in behind the American effort and China is getting impatient with having to pay market prices for their oil. None of this means that in practice they will follow Scott Bessent’s D-Day, but at least in public they are supportive.

Much as the Israeli hostages were only released after massive military pressure led to Hamas seeing them as liabilities rather than assets, the military destruction of the main Iranian proxies, a total blockade of Iran itself combined with real sanctions that denies the IRGC the money and material it needs to continue its internal and external terror could lead to the regime’s downfall. Or, it could require more American military power – either an occupation of Kharg and other Iranian islands or, more likely, some massive B2 strikes on key IRGC and nuclear installations.

There are two other forces that might interdict an American victory in the Gulf and that is the Turkey-Qatar alliance and Saudi cowardice. Erdogan’s Turkey has no interest in a collapse of an already weakened Iran as they look to be hegemon over the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean and need some residual threat from Iran to Israel. If they press the United States to stop the Israeli destruction of Hezbollah or if they further their military presence in Syria, forcing Israel’s hand, America will lose. Qatar too, needs friction so that its money (it has nothing else) is still of value.

A non-Islamist Iran could surprise the world and grow into a regional economic, industrial and military power that, in alliance with the UAE and Israel would challenge the Turkish-Qatari-Moslem Brotherhood alliance. Tukey-Qatar need a weakened Iran.

These are the four steps that could lead to an American victory:

– The destruction of Iran’s economy via the economic D-Day

– The destruction of the Hezbollah in Lebanon.

– The end of the Houthis regime in Yemen.

– A renewed American air campaign against key IRGC targets.

Taking any of these four off the table or taking advice from Turkey or Qatar will lead either to an American defeat or, in a best case scenario, a stalemate.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

Follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/

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Wars Against America 20260903a

The Wars Against America

by with No Comment EconomyExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsInvestingIra SlomowitzRisk ManagementUncategorizedWorld

Kicking the Can Down the Road is a Public Policy Alternative

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 2nd of September via The Angry Demagogue.

We recently met a young Russian citizen and when asked when the war with Ukraine will end, the response was “Ukraine is just a place, the war is against America”. This Russian citizen was from a city in Siberia, a “regular” Russian with no official contacts that we know of but who, it seems is a proud Russian who “understands” that her leader, Vladimir Putin, is at war with America, who wants to harm and destroy Russia and Russian religion and culture. This war of the West, now the United States, against Russia goes back centuries in the Russian mind.

Wars Against America 20260903a

The Wars Against America: Kicking the Can Down the Road is a Public Policy Alternative

For nearly five decades the Islamic Republic of Iran has planned and prepared to fight the Great Satan, the United States, with the Little Satan, Israel, just a place, a small one bomb country to destroy en-route to the greater, the greatest enemy. This is not speculation but is written into the DNA of the Islamic Republic of Iran in all their announcements and policies over the last, nearly, 50 years.

Way back in my college years in the late 1970’s in one of my first political science courses we learned of China’s desire for “hegemony” in their neighborhood. It was the first time I heard the word hegemony and have always associated it with the Chinese Communist Party and their desire to control the land masses and sea lanes that are near it – what we now call the Indo-Pacific. China to this day not only claims Taiwan as part of its rightful territory but of course Tibet, border areas with India and the entirety of the South China Sea including major U.S allies like Philippines. The CCP has also never given up its desire for revenge against Japanese atrocities of WWII and control of the Korean peninsula – or eastern Russia, for that matter.

And yet, irrespective of all the evidence gathered over the centuries and especially over the last decades since the cold war ended, there are still those in the American establishment, left and right, who feel that the United States can avoid what are naively called “foreign entanglements”. However, if America does not go “there”, the world will come to its shores. Even the Monroe Doctrine at its height did not keep non-Western hemisphere militaries away from the United States.

With the advent of drone warfare, hypersonic missiles, hacking of infrastructure and the battle over AI, there is no avoiding American involvement in global affairs unless it wants to be a nation subservient to China, Russia and Iran – and even then, subservient states rarely live in peace. Another lesson we learned in Political Science 101 was that “power abhors a vacuum”. An American retrenchment will not mean a world at peace. Much as Israel learned it cannot just “separate” from the Gazans, America will learn it can’t just ignore the world around it.

American governments have decided on a “kick the can down the road” organizing principle for nearly all domestic and foreign policy. There seems to be an assumption amongst American politicians and policy makers that American ingenuity can always solve the problem, no matter how late it gets. Social Security is in trouble, the deficit has reached a point where just the interest is $1 trillion, North Korea has multiple nuclear weapons, Iran is as close as it could get, Russia is waging (indirect) war in western Europe and the United States (see: Russian hacking), China is waging a propaganda campaign against American AI that AI executives seem overeager to support by their sci-fi fear mongering and there is no sense of urgency amongst American politicians.

The Vice President wonders aloud about the “harm” to America that the US Dollar as the reserve currency recieves, not thinking beyond the simplistic price of exports. The lower cost of energy and minerals due to their being priced in Dollars does not seem to be a net gain for the US in his eyes. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) of course wants to bankrupt America and the Democratic party does not have the will to oppose them. The Michigan AG wants Jews to sacrifice themselves because otherwise the planet will be uninhabitable and the State of California can’t seem to build houses anymore.

The Vance-Kushner-Qatar cabal control American policy in the Persian Gulf up to the point where President Trump gets too annoyed at Iranian duplicity and he sicks American airpower on them. Then it returns as the deals that this group want to do with Qatar (and Turkey) are too much for them to resist as they lead American deeper into subservient status. They don’t seem to realize that the Qatari-Turkish attempt to break the American-Israeli relationship is being done to weaken the American presence in the Middle East by making it dependent upon Qatar. 

Syria’s Islamist leader is still building his Islamist army while Turkey presents him to the world as the moderate who just wants to build a nice country. What is happening though, is that Qatar and Turkey are having America sponsor the Moslem Brotherhood. It is not the American war against Iran that has caused strategic overreach but the potential deals that have left the world’s greatest free power at the behest of a dessert kingdom with no people but lots of ready cash. Deals for pipelines and railways through the Middle Eastern desert are apparently more important for American success than the technology coming out of Israel.

America cannot avoid the world since the world will not avoid America. America is the main target of all revisionist States, whether it likes it or not.

Everyone is waiting until after the mid-terms for something to happen, but then the 2028 presidential campaign starts. The waiting needs to stop regarding Iran, Russia, China, defense manufacturing and the fiscal situation. As Yogi Berra brilliantly stated – “it gets late early out there”.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

Follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/

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Western Leaders 20260814

Standing on the Precipice: Western Leaders Continue to Fiddle

by with No Comment Behavioral SentimentExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsIra SlomowitzUncategorizedWorld

Will The West Stay Awake and Become Alert?

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 14th of August via The Angry Demagogue.

In February 2022 the Russian member of the Axis invaded Ukraine. In October 2023, less than two years later, the Iranian proxy Hamas invaded Israel and their proxy Hezbollah joined the fight the next day. North Korea and China the other members of the axis did not, probably, coordinate either attack, but nor did they discourage it or help to end it. In the period of less than two years, the free countries of the world were given a wake-up call to what historians may end up writing was the start of a new world war.

Sweden and Finland were spooked enough to take a bold move and join NATO and the existing European members of NATO seem to realize that they need to start worrying about their own defense – at least against Russia, if not the rest of the Axis. In Ukraine, they put together a bold defense and created a drone force that is, if not winning, at least is not losing the war of attrition that the conflict has “settled” into. Ukraine may have convinced itself that it can win this war on the battlefield and Russia is counting on its Axis allies to help it overcome their own military incompetence. North Korean troops are dying in Ukraine and there are rumors that 50,000 more North Korean troops are on the way. Iran and China are supplying weapons. The Axis is not only keeping the war going for Russia, it is arguably, along with its nuclear weapons, a path to victory.

Western Leaders 20260814

Standing on the Precipice: Western Leaders Continue to Fiddle

Europe and parts of the United States did not take the hint that in October 2023 that the Putin’s Russia is not the only country threatening their security. The Iranian piece of the Axis also aims to dismantle Western freedoms and religion via direct military threats, terrorism and unchecked immigration.

Has the Middle East changed after the Ukraine invasion and more specifically, October 7? Asking different people will get you different answers. For Israeli PM Netanyahu it has been a strategic victory for Israel as both Hezbollah and Hamas are on their heals and Iran’s nuclear and missile forces have been severely damaged. For Israel’s opposition, the last three years have brought no positive change for Israel in the Middle East since Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran still exist.

For Iranian Islamists it has changed by showing that they can stand up to their own people and to the United States so that any attempt to topple them will end in failure. For the Islamic Republic, a non-total-defeat shows the world that they can continue their quest for regional and global control despite the hiccups caused by Israel and the United States. The same holds for Hamas and Hezbollah who believe that Israel has been isolated in the world and that the UN, the Hague and the EU – along with America’s DSA – will make being Jewish and Israeli so illegitimate that they will soon be able to chose their apartments in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

According to Erdogan’s Turkey, the Middle East is their playground as they have managed to maintain positive relations with both Hamas and the United States. They have troops in Qatar, a new alignment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and have so many forces in northern and sub-Saharan Africa that an expanded Ottoman Empire lies in the not too distant future. Greece will be overcome and where Iran failed to destroy Israel, they will succeed.

President Trump believes, or states, that the United States has scored a decisive victory over Iran, is bringing peace to Lebanon and Gaza via Israeli concessions and the disarmament of Hamas and Hezbollah and the future in the middle east goes through Washington. The President also states that the Abraham Accords will be expanded and that Israel, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia are all strong and reliable allies of the United States and that all these countries are moving towards a more peaceful and economically vibrant Middle East.

Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s when there were two regional Moslem states that were friendly to Israel, Turkey and Iran. During that cold war period, the only Gulf state that counted was Saudi Arabia. Syria and Egypt were Israel’s existential enemies and the Hashemites of Jordan were more concerned with survival than fighting (at least after 1967). Lebanon was a non-threat to Israel (as a matter of fact Israel supplied arms to the Shiite villagers in the south during the civil war of the late 1970’s at the request of the Shah of Iran).

Currently Iran is Israel’s main enemy, although Turkey is pushing to move ahead of them as the main existential threat to Israel. Israel faces a “Sunni Vise” that includes Turkey and Syria in the north and Egypt in the South. We can add to that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan although that alliance (which now includes Turkey) seems to be more a showpiece than a defense treaty. Or, in the words of Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, “In the Middle East, the vocabulary of collective defense is often detached from the activity of defending. The announcement is the whole of the content”.

Regarding the United States presence in the Middle East, only the details have changed. The Cold War is over but the U.S still has the challenge of controlling oil flow out of the region as its new main enemy, China, depends on it. As for the United States and Israel, that relationship has moved from dependent to almost partner on defense and technology but Israel is still the same steady, reliable, democratic presence it has been for the past few decades. The U.S is certainly closer to the other Gulf states, notably Qatar, but their money has simply replaced (or actually supplemented) Saudi money, although they are much more cynical and effective with it.

The Arab world has barely changed even though the UAE and others have jointed the Abaraham Accords and have a relatively strong relationship with Israel. However, the real issue in the middle east has never been Israel-Palestine but has been and still is the intra-Arab and intra-Moslem rivalry and mistrust. Even when ostensibly on the same side, like the Saudis and UAE are in Yemen, there are separate armies fighting and last month the Saudis bombed the UAE forces – even though both were fighting the Houthis.

Egypt and Turkey, the two largest Sunni states in the region by population and military force are at opposite ends of the Moslem Brotherhood fight. Egypt is more suspicious of Turkey’s support for the Brotherhood, arch enemies of the Al-Sisi government, than they are of Israel’s moves in Gaza. Syria too, while pretending to act as a unified country is at war with the Kurd citizens in the north, Druze in the south and Alawites in the northwest. Their inclusion of ISIS and al-Qaeda fighters in their army – even foreign fighters – means that even within the Sunni majority, there is distrust and fighting.

And Libya is a proxy war if there ever was one with Turkey, Egypt, Iran and Russia involved.

So where do we stand in Europe and the Middle East today?

On the one hand, everyone is correct – Israel is in a better spot strategically, yet has not finished the job. The United States has, with Israel, set back Iran’s plans for regional domination but that gain is one “agreement” away from being overturned. Turkey is extending its influence but does not have the wherewithal to create a new Ottoman Empire as not only Israel stands in the way but so too does Egypt and the rest of the Sunni-Arab world as they do not have fond memories of Ottoman control of Arab lands. The Arab countries, large and small, are fighting the same tribal wars they have fought for the past decades and even centuries. Israel has strong internal unity and morale while its leaders re-arrange their parliamentary chairs.

In Europe, Ukraine has stopped an army three times its size while Russia, against most predictions is able to absorb massive casualties and economic sanctions due to the help of its allies .

Before the invasions of Ukraine and Israel by members of the Axis in 2022 and 2023 the geopolitical situation consisted of four revisionist powers united only in their opposition to the international status quo and the free countries united in their wish to maintain the status quo and to concentrate on comfort to the neglect of all else -including freedom. The Western European powers had no real military power to speak of (with the possible exception of France) as even the UK’s glorious navy was reduced to the minimum number of ships necessary to still call it an ocean going Navy. Ukraine ignored Russian threats and Israel was convinced it could outsmart, deter and bribe its sworn enemies to give up all for a life of comfort.

In the United States, the military was organized as a Walmart or Target warehouse with “just in time inventory”, no long term armaments contracts and with nothing much done to create what won WWII and the Cold War – a strong economic and industrial base. Looking for cheap labor and products and piling debt upon debt, the America;s industrial and fiscal situations mirrored its military un-readiness into a game of catch up – which it is doing neither fiscally nor militarily. Although the current administration is pushing to increase its manufacturing might, the fact that the American shipbuilding industry is able to produce only 3 military ships a year means, one, two or three administrations won’t be enough to complete the task. It requires a seriousness of purpose lacking in a Democratic party fearful of the DSA and a Republican party not serious enough to create a national consensus that will require some sacrifice from citizens.

Although there is a lot of talk, the current leadership in all free countries are the same leaders that led us down this path where they are not ready to meet and defeat middling powers let alone powerful ones.

Just four years ago the late Henry Kissinger published a book called “Leadership” which focused on six leaders he thought were consequential to their countries and the world. You might disagree with his choice but one thing running through each of these leaders (Germany’s Adenauer, France’s de Gaulle, Sadat of Egypt, UK’s Thatcher, Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew and Richard Nixon) is that they were patriots and they were willing to take risks to push their countries forward. We don’t seem to see Western leaders who are dedicated first and foremost to their country and its citizens and who recognize the ongoing (the never ending!) threat from tyrants.

Putin, Xi, Khamenei (or whomever is in charge) and Kim are tyrants who don’t need to concern themselves with their citizens and that is the one thing our uncreative and cowardly leaders do not seem to understand. The obsession of today’s western leaders with negotiations and deals and false human rights claims just feeds the tyrannical rule of its enemies and pushes their defeat further and further away. Eisenhauer famously refused to shake hands with the Nazi general who surrendered to him in spite of military custom because he realized that this was not a war of one country against another but a war by his country and their allies against evil.

This is not a call for war against all evil or perpetual conflict of power against power but rather a recognition that if one is not ready to face what tyrants want – your destruction – eventually they will defeat you. America was not prepared to fight WWII but it had an industrial and managerial base that could be transformed into a wartime asset no one has ever had. It also had the luxury of two oceans protecting their manufacturing plants from enemy attack. Finally, it had, admittedly only after Pearl Harbor, the understanding that the moral imperative was defeating the evil that was Nazism as well as Japanese militaristic barbarism and not in coming to some rapprochement with it.

The geopolitical situation has not changed even if there are small tactical advantages that one side has over the other in localized theatres. We are still in the same position where the Axis of revisionist states is using all its force and all the weaknesses of the western world to its advantage and a western world that is continuing to ignore that reality. The internal and external threats in free countries are now at crisis levels.

When it comes down to it, as much as we like to blame our leaders (and we certainly do), it is up to the citizens to demand and to choose brave, creative leaders who are not locked into what has brought us to the precipice of defeat. The leadership since the end of the Cold War has been lacking any sense of urgency no matter what happens. The disaster that was Afghanistan should have been a wake up call – instead it was ignored. The invasion of Ukraine should have put free countries on a war footing for the manufacture and supply of military hardware but instead of was treated as if no other wars would be fought until this one was over. October 7 and the subsequent fighting in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Syria, the entire Persian Gulf should have told the west that terrorism and the immigration of real and potential terrorists into its borders will destroy what it loves best.

So far, the Axis leaders have not waited for the west to wake up, re-arm, control its borders and stop shooting itself in the foot and there is no reason to think it will wait before its next adventure.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

Follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/

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AMT Top 10

AMT Top Ten Miscellaneous Interjections on the 3rd of August

by with No Comment AMT Top TenArtificial IntelligenceBehavioral SentimentCentral BanksCommoditiesCryptocurrenciesEconomyEquitiesFeatured HighlightsFinancial InstitutionsForexRisk ManagementUncategorizedWorld

Narrative Storms, Complaints and Observations

10. Mo’ Money: The Los Angeles Dodgers surprised nobody when they acquired Detroit Tiger’s pitcher Tarik Skubol in an effort to solidify their chances of a World Series three-peat. Don’t blame the LA Dodgers for playing by the rules, even if many don’t like the results. Expect a MLB strike in the coming year when owners try to change the salary structure in baseball.

9. Staggered: SpaceX is below $110.00 as trading gets set to begin today. Financial institutions are likely bracing for the open window that begins the 6th of August via a large amount of unblocked initial equity from pre-IPO shareholding that will soon be given freedom to sell. 

AMT Top 10

AMT Top 10 Miscellaneous Interjections on the 3rd of August 2026

8. Fidel Castro: Mayor Mamdani and a gang of other U.S utopian (and sometimes bigoted) politicians continue to make headway. Authoritarian failures like Venezuela and Cuba are prime examples of the paradise offered to U.S voters who lean left for the coming mid-term elections.

7. Takeover: Citadel’s takeover of Situational Awareness – which seems to have proven it had none – this past week in the wake of multi-billion dollars of losses has put Leopold Aschenbrenner’s smirk on hold for the moment. Have no fear fans, Aschenbrenner is likely to land on his feet and extol his methods once again to those who love leveraged speculative ventures while embracing unproven hedge fund saints.

6. Fragile: The VIX Index appears asleep as it remains a hair under 16 as it measures the volatility of  the S&P 500 Index’s options. 10-Year U.S Treasury yields are around 4.68% and within sight of apex highs. The Nasdaq 100 futures are higher as of this writing as the cash market and a full week of trading awaits, having finished Friday’s session at 28,274. 

5. Anthony Fauci: Takes the Fifth and now hopes his pardon covers contempt.

4. Bitcoin: BTC/USD is near $62,850 in the wake of confirmed cold storage hacks via a generated random prediction onslaught using AI against Coldcard hardware. In other bad news Strategy’s MSTR value is around $93.35. And, yes, Michael Saylor has reportedly whispered he is thinking about buying more BTC soon. The ship appears to be sinking folks.

3. $80.00: WTI Crude Oil has shown price velocity lower today again, this after another flip-flop in behavioral sentiment was sparked by the announcement this weekend of a ‘rough framework’ agreed upon by Iran and the U.S. The Strait of Hormuz is seemingly quiet for the moment. At this point WTI Crude Oil price reversals are beginning to look like a well practiced dance routine. What will the next steps look like?

2. Forex Freakout: USD/JPY traders are listening to a myriad of narratives regarding the BoJ’s intervention. All experienced large players in the USD/JPY had to know an intervention was coming. While folks are pointing to the N.Y Fed and U.S Treasury selling of positions to bolster the JPY last week, they apparently need to be reminded the Treasury had the N.Y Fed start preparing the groundwork for such maneuvers earlier this year with steps including the ability to check on and counter USD/JPY Forex rates in January. 

While folks are accusing the Fed/Treasury of hurting the USD, they should note the move is to counter weaker JPY which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent likely had been pressed by ‘higher ups’ to manage in order to make sure Japanese products didn’t become too cheap in the States. There had been at least two other interventions in the past handful of months from the BoJ, as of this writing the USD/JPY is near 156.600.

1. Unilateral: President Trump’s decision making has become bewildering entertainment as he practices a comedic like opera trying to convince people about his opinions which he seems to change relentlessly. President Trump should learn the Art of Sparse Talking. Will the Republicans harness the President after the mid-term elections?

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AMT Top 10

AMT Top Ten Miscellaneous Meditations for the 16th of June

by with No Comment AMT Top TenAssetsBasketballBehavioral SentimentCommoditiesEconomyEquitiesFeatured HighlightsMajor Global Equity IndicesRisk ManagementSpeculatorsUncategorizedWorld

Memorandum of Misunderstanding, the SPCX Rocket, the Knicks and Brazil as Jazz Plays in the Background

10. Legacy: Sonny Rollins passed away on the 25th of May at the age of 95. Rollins was a master jazz musician and saxophonist who will be listened to forever. His sound, cadence and imaginative ability to create while playing with bands, and often lead via his unique style make him an everlasting legend. If you haven’t listened to Sonny Rollins start out with his song St. Thomas via Saxophone Colossus.

AMT Top 10

AMT Top 10 Miscellaneous Meditations for the 16th of June, 2026

9. Surreal: The New York Knicks won their first NBA Championship in 53 years. Some Brazilian football fans returning to their hotels after their team’s 1-1 draw versus Morocco in their Group Stage World Cup match in New Jersey had to walk through throngs of Knick fans celebrating on the streets of Manhattan in bizarre looking circumstances as they worried about their national team. Walt Frazier and Pele both wore Puma and met in the 70’s.

8. Strategy: Michael Saylor continues to claim the wet and cold Bitcoin wind blowing back in investors’ faces is a refreshing mist that will invigorate the HODL crowd eventually. In the meantime MSTR is near $131.00 and BTC/USD around $66,300.00. Saylor sees Bitcoin above 1 million eventually and beyond, while some others see headwinds and more losses developing.

7. Bleeding Money: Political mismanagement shadows Chicago which appears ready to lose the Bears football team via a new stadium across state lines in Hammond, Indiana, this as team officials and ill-equipped Illinois leaders argue about property taxes and other business considerations (and maybe kickbacks). NYC is hurting for funds too, this as important companies make plans to place their corporate headquarters and employees elsewhere and avoid Mayor Mamdani’s nonsense. Apollo Global Management is the latest to decide to venture forth into Texas and make its New York presence less important. 

6. Commodities: Gold is near $4,330.00 this morning, Silver around $70.00 and WTI Crude Oil close to $78.00 via futures pricing.

5. Nasdaq 100: The index finished 3.06% higher yesterday and at a value of 30,543.92 per last night’s close. The Nasdaq 100 has been delivering a wild ride for speculators and investors. The index saw all-time highs in early June when it went above the 30,700.00 level. The S&P 500 concluded Monday’s trading at 7,554.28 and up by 1.65%, the index’s high was also in early June when it went above 7,600.00. For all the talk of doom and gloom over the past week and a half with fears about a sustained run downwards in the U.S indices, they are showing upwards momentum for now. 

4. BoJ: The USD/JPY remains within sight of the 160.000+ mark consistently. While other major currencies have gained a bit the past few days against the USD, the Japanese Yen remains sticky near its highs as the Bank of Japan is likely watching speculators wager on the higher realm. FX traders need to remember that the BoJ may act when it feels it has enough clarity regarding the Iran saga and inflation concerns. In other words, a warning shot may come soon threatening an intervention. Buyers beware.

3. SpaceX: Is it a bird or a plane? No, its a 2.1 trillion market cap valuation via a rocket like IPO on the Nasdaq 100. While some may want to bet against Elon Musk early, those type of decisions have proven costly mistakes for some short sellers in the past when dealing with Musk and Tesla. Some may argue for value of $115.00 and less per each SPCX share, but it might prove unwise to step in front of the upward trend for the moment. Case in point, Tesla is near $411.00 per share and causing chagrin within certain crowds as they point to weakening sales, but only see the company do better in value. Oh, and SpaceX ended Monday’s trading at $192.50.

2. Fed: Kevin Warsh leads the FOMC Committee as the Chairman for the first time as the Federal Funds Rate decision awaits this Wednesday. Some think the Fed will increase the interest rate by 0.25%, AMT does not based on the opinion Chairman Warsh likely wants to start off his job on friendly terms with the White House and Treasury, while also counting (hoping) on cheaper energy prices.

1. MoU: The Iran conflict awaits a signed agreement. The terms of the Memorandum of Understanding are being whispered, but transparency has not been delivered and won’t be until Friday supposedly when the U.S and Iran attend a ceremony in Switzerland. While financial institutions and global markets are ready to turn the page and engage in optimistic outlooks, it remains to be seen if negotiations will lead to tangible results as multiple questions and concerns linger. In the meantime a sizeable part of Iran’s population still lives under tyranny. Who won? Did President Trump make a quiet deal with China to guarantee oil flows from the Strait of Hormuz and receive something in return during his visit to Beijing from the 13th to the 15th of May? There appears to be room for plenty of misunderstanding.

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Celtics and the Middle East 20260609

Falling into the Middle Eastern Trap

by with No Comment Behavioral SentimentCommoditiesExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsIra SlomowitzRisk ManagementUncategorizedWorld

When Talking Becomes an Obsession

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 9th of June via The Angry Demagogue.

The United States is falling into the Middle Eastern trap that Israel fell into thirty years ago. This trap fits nicely with the post cold-war progressive Western way of diplomacy in that its goal is “talking”. Perpetual talking rather than deal making is the key to understanding the Middle Eastern way of things and Israel has become a practitioner in the “way” that led directly to October 7. The idea of perpetual talking is to reach a situation where you can defeat your opponent without making concessions. In the Middle East, they suck you in to a point where just “talking” becomes an obsession. The United States is heading into the same where results are less important than the act of discussion itself.

Celtics and the Middle East 20260609

Falling into the Middle Eastern Trap – When Talking Becomes an Obsession 9th of June 2026

This obsession, this being sucked into something against your best interests reminds me of a wonderful episode of Cheers, the sitcom that takes place in a Boston bar – a bar in which pints of beer plus inane discussions over anything that leads to nowhere is its reason for being. The episode that I am thinking of has Boston Celtics great Kevin McHale as a guest and the two main instigators of irrelevant and purposeless conversation, Norm and Cliff, (not so) innocently ask McHale how may bolts are in the famous parquet floor at the Boston Garden.

The waitress Carla, Boston working class par excellence, begs the basketball star to ignore them, knowing he will become obsessed and sucked into something that clearly will lead to a disaster for him and her beloved Celtics. Sure enough, the episode ends with McHale driving towards the basket with what ought to be the winning shot only to get distracted by trying to figure out how many bolts are in the floor of the Boston Garden.

That is exactly what is happening now in in the Middle East where President Trump is the basketball star being distracted by Iran and their attempt to suck him into endless discussions that are meant to lead to nothing productive. We don’t know if McHale ever figured out the number of bolts, but besides going back to Cheers with the answer, it is a useless endeavor that can only lead to defeat. So too, with the Trump Administration and the sacred talks with Iran where the end game might be something he can bring back to a press conference in DC or a rally in Pennsylvania but will be worth as much as knowing the number of bolts in the Boston Garden floor.

Israel fell into this trap with the Palestinian Authority of Yasser Arafat and when talks ended, the only goal was to start them up again. Just return to talking. The result didn’t matter. This trap picked up again after October 7 when the goal seemed to be to always be talking with Hamas via Qatar or Egypt even if everyone knew it would lead to nowhere. Ironically, it was President Trump who realized this and was able to do his dealmaking magic to free the hostages – but only after the IDF put Hamas in an untenable situation and Qatar wanted a “great deal” with the Trump administration. Talks never led anywhere.

So here we are, the Trump Administration is hell bent on continuing discussions for the sake of discussions no matter how many times Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Israel, or even the U.S military get shot at by Iran. When the goal is talking – when the obsession becomes talking – you have fallen into the Middle Eastern trap much as Keven McHale fell into the trap of inane bar talk for the sake of inane bar talk.

While the American President is a deal maker par-excellence, the Middle Eastern leaders, this time Iran’s, are the experts at making you think that talking is always the best outcome – because it is, for them. Eventually, their experience tells them, you will make a mistake. The Administration has allowed Iran to attack allies at will in the Gulf and in Israel, as Iran gains concession after concession due to the trap that is “talks at all costs”. The first concession was linking Lebanon to the talks and the next, done just yesterday was in putting Iran and Israel on the same level.

This is the mistake one would expect from the Obama-Biden crowd where they always believed that talks were the purpose – they didn’t have to fall into any trap as they were there already. However, the Trump Administration understood the fallacy of forever talks which is what makes it so painful to see them fall into the same Middle-Eastern and Western, progressive trap. Obsession to make a deal is good because results oriented; but an obsession that is just to “get back to talking” will lead only to results that you never wanted in the first place.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

Follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/

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Perception Over Fact 20260603

Perception Over Fact: Iran as the Savior of Beirut

by with No Comment Behavioral SentimentCommoditiesExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsIndiaIra SlomowitzRisk ManagementUncategorizedWorld

Trump Policy and The Art of a Middle Eastern Deal: Israel, Iran and Lebanon

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 2nd of June via The Angry Demagogue.

Although it is difficult to see where the negotiations between Iran and the United States are going – if anywhere – over the last 24 hours the United States has made Iran the “savior” of Beirut. Against American policy of creating a civil and unified Lebanon at peace with its neighbors, the Trump Administration has told the Lebanese government and people that Iran still controls what happens in Lebanon.

Perception Over Fact 20260603

Perception over Fact: Iran as the Savior of Beirut

Even if this was not the case, in the art of the Middle Eastern deal, perception is more important than fact. Whether the Trump Administration actually twisted Israel’s arm due to Iran’s demands or not, the fact that Israel has agreed not to bomb the Dahiya section of Beirut after announcing that they would gives a message to the Lebanese people and government that Iran still calls the shots in Lebanon and not to rush to support those who wish to disarm or dismantle Hezbollah since you will be on the losing side.

Lebanon has been embroiled in civil wars since its inception. Beirut, the “Paris of the Middle East” has never known quiet times although that did not stop the partying (sort of like Paris itself today) and Iran’s involvement, much like Syria’s and the PLO’s before has not helped. Before the PLO inspired civil war in the mid 1970’s, after King Hussein threw them out of Jordan, the civil wars were about Lebanon itself. The French thought they created a formula for the creation of a semi-western state by dividing up the power centers amongst the religious and ethnic groups – Maronite-Christians got the Presidency, the Sunnis the Prime Minister-ship, the Shiites the speaker of the Parliament. The Druze historically were appointed Chief of the General Staff of the army.

This formula was, as can be imagined, not one for the free exchange of ideas but caused a rush to create power centers and led to conflict, civil and military. But it was all internal. Once the PLO and Yassir Arafat came, Israel became a factor in the civil war since Israel had to cross the border to stop the PLO from its numerous cross border terrorist attacks. After the First Lebanon War and the forced exit of the PLO, Iran created Hezbollah with the sole aim of using it, in the future, to destroy Israel. Therefore, from the late 1970’s until today, the Lebanese state has been embroiled, often against its will, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The goal of the Trump Administration’s negotiations in Washington between Israel and the Lebanese government is to break Iran’s stranglehold over Lebanese internal and external policy and allow it to either establish diplomatic relations with Israel or at least to put the two countries in the situation they were in before the late 1970’s – and that was a quiet, irrelevant border for both countries.

The real or even perceived notion that Beirut was “saved” from Israeli bombing by Iran’s demands has set back that goal and given Hezbollah and hence Iran, veto power over Lebanese government policy. The correct answer to Iran after their demands were made tying Lebanon to the cease fire was that Lebanon is none of your business and if your proxy decided to join your war then they will have to take responsibility for it. The time for “protecting” Lebanon was when you ordered Hezbollah to come to your aid and attack Israel’s north. The result of that – the administration needs to tell both Iran and the Lebanese government and people, is the loss of Lebanese sovereign territory to Israel and the destruction of Shiite villages in the south of the country. A further price is the destruction of the Beirut neighborhood in which Hezbollah has command and control facilities as well as underground arms depots.

Iran cannot be seen to be the savior of Beirut and Lebanon but the cause of its troubles. No amount of rhetoric to the contrary will prove to the Lebanese government and people what they see on the ground now – only Iran has the power to stop Israel’s bombing of their country. The Administration has set back its goals in Lebanon without aiding its war effort in Iran. The constant Iranian threat to make the war regional is coming true since the Administration is not taking seriously Iranian deal-making methods.

As we wrote two months ago in The Art of the (Middle Eastern) Deal” – “Each ‘concession’ by Iran will have to be paid for twice or three times – once upon agreement and then again before numerous times before implementation”. Iran agreed to open the Straits and then reneged and the US is negotiation for that again – AFTER Iran received the much needed cease fire.

Now, after the administration denied linkage to Lebanon, Iran is again demanding that linkage – not in order to open the Straits, but just to continue negotiations. This pushes both American interests to the back burner – the opening of the Straits of Hormuz and the normalization of Lebanon as a country free from Iranian influence. And the “concession” that Iran is giving for this is just a continuation of the negotiations that have been going on for over two months. In other words, like most negotiations in the middle east that are supposed to lead to “peace” – this too is moving backwards.

President Trump has asked for patience and has insisted that the United States will never accept a bad deal – and I am willing to be patient and believe that. But what if the goal of the Iranian government is not a deal at all but the ability to re-set their genocidal triad or missiles, proxies and nuclear weapons? These negotiations have given them time to dig out their underground missile cities, to keep their enriched uranium hidden and now to revive their flailing major proxy – Hezbollah. In the end, as the President said, it will be good, but by allowing Iran to take the initiative he is making it harder to get to that “good”.

What we have now is a continuation of American-Iranian negotiations where a concession was given to Iran and they are no closer to reaching an agreement. Iran is now perceived as the power to be reckoned with in Lebanon and Israel is put on a level with Hezbollah. Iran and the United States are now equals in this negotiation, something that was not the case when they started. While it might in fact end well, the journey is now a longer and more difficult one. The perception given by the last 24 hours that Iran controls Lebanon, is now the “fact” that the Middle East “knows”.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

Follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/

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Negotiation 20260415

Checkmate: Who is Afraid of Negotiations?

by with No Comment AssetsBehavioral SentimentBusinessCommoditiesExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsIra SlomowitzRisk ManagementWorld

President Trump has Laid a Trap for Iran and China

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 15th of April via The Angry Demagogue.

Both the defeatist camp and the “victory now” group see the advent of negotiations between the United States and Iran as a defeat for the United States and Israel. The argument by the defeatists is that victory was supposed to be quick and now we are stuck and looking for a way out since no one saw Iranian use of the Straits of Hormuz coming. The defeatists claim that only negotiations can end the conflict and anyway, Iran never should have been considered an enemy so the United States and Israel have overemphasized Iranian danger. The defeatists do not want a military victory and assume defeat as the moral choice.

Negotiation 20260415

For the victory now group, negotiations are seen as a weakness by the United States and Israel since a further pummeling of Iranian military and civil assets is the only thing that will guarantee a non-nuclear Iran incapable of threatening their neighbors – and the Straits of Hormuz. If there is no regime change, this group says, then there is nothing left to do except continue fighting until the regime falls or until there is nothing left for them to fight with.

A third group sees tactical victory and strategic defeat – or at least strategic stalemate which has forced both sides to the negotiating table meaning for the United States and Israel it is at least a temporary defeat since a stalemate is not victory.

Which if any of these assessments are correct? Or is there a third explanation that says that the negotiations themselves are a victory even if the absolute goals of the war, removing Iran from the Chinese-Russian axis has yet to be accomplished. We won’t retread the arguments about how much punishment the Islamic Republic has endured nor will we agree that as long as they have one missile launcher and enough Kalashnikov’s to stay in power there is no victory.

However, we do agree as we argued in The Art of the (Middle Eastern) Deal, that negotiations done incorrectly will be a precursor to defeat. Each time there is a rumor of continued negotiations there is panic from the victory now crowd, assuming that this time, President Trump will cave into Iranian demands. The defeatists on the other hand assume that the fact of negotiations is a good thing since military defeat is assured. The Macron-Starmer wing of the defeatists are trying to pretend to be the grownups in the room, as they want to be part of the opening of Hormuz but not be on “either side”. Their attempt to insert themselves into the situation but not on “either side” puts them a step or two below Pakistan but maybe one level above Sanchez’s Spain in influence.

Back to the real world. While the negotiations are between two countries and hosted or mediated by a third, there are two other countries involved on the Iranian side – China and Russia, and four on the American side – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Israel. Each has its own interests and in general most of those mesh with the main participants in the talks. American allies need a non-nuclear Iran that is weak enough that it can’t threaten those countries and America has the same interests. Although a non-Islamist regime would be the best guarantor of that, it is not something that can be done only from the outside.

Russia and China need an American defeat more than anything especially after the world has witnessed the poor performance of their weaponry. They will try to re-arm Iran in order to create a war of attrition with the United States that America will be forced to end. This is where the interests of Russia and China clash. Russia would love the damage if not the destruction of Persian Gulf oil fields and refineries but the subsequent rise in oil prices would further damage China’s increasingly fragile economy. If Putin’s Russia has a goal of survival, self-enrichment and embarrassing the west (one seems to go with the other for Putin) and China’s goal is to dominate the Indo-Pacific, then the survival of Iran is a nice to have for Russia but a need to have for China.

China does not have the will and/or ability to do what is necessary to defend their Iranian ally, so they are really in a no win situation without a nuclear Iran. The American insistence on a complete end to the Iranian nuclear program is a shot right at the Chinese global strategy. Without the Iranian nuclear umbrella, China will depend on the United States for the flow of oil to their country.

As for Iran, they have one goal in this war and that is to survive with enough firepower intact to continue their quest to destroy Israel, rid the middle east of the United States and eventually to bring the Sunni Arab states in the Gulf under their thumb. As opposed to a dictatorship that is “only” corrupt and can be bought, they also need their theological goals met – and that starts with the destruction of Israel and genocide of the Jews. That, like Hitler’s Germany is an aim greater than the goal of winning the war.

They have come to the negotiating table because they felt that a continued bombing attack by the U.S and Israel and possibly the Gulf states risks their goals more than negotiating. This is the same reason that Hamas agreed to release the hostages as they saw the needed respite from the IDF in order to retain control of at least part of Gaza. This could be seen as Iran’s last ditch effort to survive and are using the cease fire to reconstitute their industry, re-arm and most important – to dig out and reach their underground missile cities

So why has the United States come to the negotiating table? Is it a show of weakness? An attempt to re-arm and bring more troops to the region? Is there a regime change plan that needs time to take share?

As for the last of these, over that last two days there have been car bombs and shootings at Basij checkpoints and the commander of Basij forces of Teheran has been assassinated. There is clearly something going on inside of Teheran and the head of the Mossad, David Barnea stated yesterday that the Iran mission will not end until there is regime change. Not only are the IRGC using the cease fire to regroup, so, it seems, is the opposition.

In addition to continued operations in Iran, the blockade of the Straits of Hormuz, an act of war in itself, tells Iran not to see negotiations as a sign of weakness by the United States, but rather as an opportunity for the US to widen their attacks beyond bombs and missiles.

The move from bombing to negotiations have trapped both Iran and China in a place where neither can win unless the U.S, against all statements by the President, VP, Secretary of State and Secretary of War, decides to fold.

Iran is trapped in a place where if they starts to shoot they will have their economy in worse shape than it is now and they no longer are lords of the Straits of Hormuz – THE trump card (no pun intended) that the defeatists have been gloating about.

China is trapped in a place where they need the United States to guarantee their flow of oil and their ally is no longer able to sell it to them on the cheap.

Negotiations have taken away the two things that were pressuring America and its allies – Iran’s daily missile attacks and their veto over the Straits of Hormuz. While they are using the time to try and rebuild what has been destroyed, that will take so long that, assuming no surrender by the United States, will be irrelevant to this war and the next -if there is one.

President Trump and the United States have set a trap for Iran and China and there does not seem to be a good way out. That doesn’t mean Iran will recognize it and end their genocidal quests, but it does mean that their path to victory has been shut down.

Checkmate?

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

You can follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/

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WTI Crude Oil 20260309

Fear Factor High in Oil Markets and Outlook is King

by with No Comment AMT MarketsAssetsBehavioral SentimentBusinessCommoditiesIndiaWorld

WTI Crude Oil Trading in a Storm (War)

Writing from within the storm, it would be easy to feel a strong sense of nervousness as the newest Middle East War rages. However, this is unlikely the beginning of World War 3. Traders looking at WTI Crude Oil this morning have seen the commodity launch over $110.00. But the price has seen a slight dip and is now hovering above $105.00 in albeit fast conditions.

WTI Crude Oil 20260309

WTI Crude Oil Three Month Chart on 9th March 2026

Behavioral sentiment is nervous, there is no disregarding that notion and taking it seriously. Iran has been firing missiles and drones at neighbors and Saudi Arabia has been effected via some of their oil production. The Strait of Hormuz is certainly seeing an escalation in tension and is threatening to become a sea battle.

However, while the price of WTI Crude Oil rocks higher and day traders either make or lose money fast, speculators wager on short and near-term notions, there is likely a group of folks taking another approach and watching cash prices compared to options.

Yes, the intra-day price of WTI Crude Oil and all other energy sources will remain volatile near-term, but those with a mid and long-term outlook may be betting on optimism and the belief an end game will produce calmer prices. 

WTI Crude Oil is up close to 40% percent when a mid-term perspective is used. Will the commodity remain above 100.00 USD six months from now? Will WTI Crude Oil be above $100.00 three months from now or even one?

This thinking may deliver some type of price resistance in WTI Crude Oil. Certainly, there is a chance of greater escalation. But even though it was widely reported that oil facilities in Iran were bombed this weekend by Israel, the terminals hit were on the outskirts of Teheran, not on the island of Kharg. As dangerous as the war has become and the potential of worse damage occurring, those who are striking Iran do not want to damage Kharg terminals – at least not yet.

As for endgame, Russian oil is being allowed to be sold more easily, sanctions have been relaxed. Thus, it can be said there are international efforts to fight against price spikes. There are concerns about higher oil prices causing bedlam via inflation for the global economy rightfully. However, at some juncture things will eventually calm down. And that is what day traders need to keep in mind as WTI Crude Oil has raced higher, the notion that tactically the Iranian war will reach a de-escalation period is reasonable. 

Yes, there is a threat that Iran plays the an ‘Armageddon’ card and tries to destroy all vital energy resources in the Middle East, but we have likely passed that stage. Iran in many respects, respectfully, has been declawed. Iran can threaten, but can it really bite at this point? The island of Kharg is a key barometer, its facilities remain mostly kept out of the destruction zone, WTI Crude Oil may not spike too much higher.

As for highs, this morning’s jump occurred on fear, however the price has started to calm. We could certainly still see higher values in WTI Crude Oil this week or next, but thoughts about the potential of an end game resolving the current dangers, whatever that may be and no matter how long it will take – may prove to be an important ointment.  Time shall tell.

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Confused Markets 20260217

Market Volatility: Structure, Geo-Politics and Culture

by with No Comment Behavioral SentimentExclusive ContentFeatured HighlightsFinancial InstitutionsInvestingIra SlomowitzMajor Global Equity IndicesRisk ManagementSpeculatorsWorld

Why the (Free) World is so Confused and Depressed

Opinion: The following article is commentary and its views are solely those of the author. This article was first published the 16th of February via The Angry Demagogue.

Having been involved in the capital markets for the better part of the last four decades, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I have not seen this amount of volatility and uncertainty in the markets, but I will say that this uncertainty and this volatility is different. The differences are important and have to do with the current structure of the markets as well as the geopolitical goals of the various powers and would-be powers. The trading world has changed radically over the last two decades with the advent of algorithmic trading and how they respond to global events as well as the type of money that is coming to dominate the markets.

Confused Markets 20260217

The “type” of money has changed from those who invest in “things” – be they long term value investors like Warren Buffet and Peter Lynch, to those who chase income and dividends and to those who like to follow trends and industries. These investors, different in their own methods and goals had one thing in common – they invested in companies they felt had a future, or in the case of short-sellers (as legitimate as buyers) who thought it didn’t. The few hedge funds that were around four or five decades ago did what the name of the type of fund said – it “hedged” positions and gave up some potential upside in order to cushion losses when markets went south. That changed sometime at the end of the last century when George Soros nearly ended the United Kingdom by mercilessly shorting the Pound.

We are being very general of course and have not spoken about those who invested in bonds of “fixed income” products, corporate, federal or municipal as well as the basic speculator in all sorts of investment products. Nor have we spoken of the crooks who populate any era. We don’t want to give the impression that all was wonderful “then” – this is not a nostalgic look at the recent past but an attempt to understand what people were doing and how they did it, and how things have changed.

We are seeing now a sea change in the way the markets are responding to news and the way money is being invested. We still have the value and income investors; we have the large and small investors doing their best to pick the right stocks and bonds, and some of these investors also use options and futures to enhance and hedge their investments. Investing has become more sophisticated- read more mathematical – and the “basic” investor, large or small has been able to use this sophistication. However, the current hedge fund environment is based on much more than picking the right stocks or bonds and all that goes with it. The current hedge fund system is a group of funds, many of multiple hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars that don’t make investments per se as they try to beat their competitors by the microsecond in order to profit a very small amount on a a large but extremely short term investment (we will speak of the money of unfree countries, below).

As an example, there are dozens of hedge funds who work their “algos” to respond to market news and announcements only to get out of the position within minutes or even seconds. Each algo basically says the same thing – if X happens then buy and if Y happens, sell. The only difference is who will buy or sell quicker and then reverse what they have done. There have always been those with fingers on the button ready to buy or sell but the amounts were smaller and the effect less. Today, the reaction time is so quick that the large firms have their servers in the stock exchange buildings, close to the exchange computers so that they will get their orders in first. Remember, these are electronic so they are going at the speed of light. The difference between 100 feet way and 100 miles should not matter – but it does. We are talking the difference between 0.0000001 seconds for 100 feet and 0.000537 seconds for 100 miles – a time difference that people cannot discern.

This of course is not necessarily a bad thing if the algos themselves were correct for the long or even medium term (or what used to be called the short term – a quarter of a year). But they are programmed for the shortest of short term – what will happen over the next 30 or 40 seconds or maybe a day or two or a week. We see incredible volatility and panic where we should find none. A good or bad jobs report, inflation release or even a Federal Reserve rate cut or hike might have long term consequences but these trades that cause this radical volatility are not concerned with that. The market dropping two or three percent in a matter of minutes does not provide the comfort that investors usually seek. People jump on the bandwagon fearing the worst –when it was just the algos responses to the news rather than intelligent judgement on the news that drove the prices.

We will stop with the details and summarize – a large part of the uncertainty of the markets is structural as technology and the sheer amount of money being traded has surpassed what the markets, as currently structured can stand. As an example, as an employee of the Nasdaq Stock Market in the early 1990’s we were told to prepare for a 1 billion share day. During those days, there were very few shares that traded above $100 as the companies wanted more investors and there were many stock splits (more rare these days). The 1 billion share day in 1995 would have totaled around $40 billion. Today, daily trading activity has passed 15 billion shares and the total money is above $1 trillion.

It is not clear what structural changes need to be made in order to take all of this into consideration, but we do have some ideas (which we won’t bore you with now).

The second major issue that is the cause of the volatility and uncertainty in the markets has to do with what news is “good” and what news is “bad”. Not in the moral sense but in the economic and geo-political sense. What we mean by this is that there does not seem to be a unified view in the Western world where it should be going and because of this, it is not clear what news is in fact good and what is not. Economically it might be easier to figure out but even that has been hard since so many major American cities and so many young people are voting socialist and so much foreign money from non-free countries is flooding the market. News may say one thing for a free market economy and something entirely else for a planned socialist economy. It might mean one thing for investors in New York or Cleveland and something entirely different in China or Qatar.

Therefore, geo-politically the uncertainty is confusing. During the cold war of course we basically understood what moves were positive and which were negative. That is not to say there were no policy arguments but for the most part, the ends were agreed upon. Selling grain to the Soviets may or may not have bettered the Western world but both those like Henry Kissinger who supported it and Senator Scoop Jackson who opposed it argued based on the same goal – what was better for the free world.

This goes beyond who is considered the “enemies of the West” to what is considered the West – or even if it exists! We have always tried to write here from the perspective of what is good for free countries even if many free countries seem to think that Israel, for example, is not a member of that community. The same goes for those who doubt the cause that Ukraine is fighting for, as they support the Putin tyranny in the name of balance or alleged Christian values or whatnot. Interestingly, both sides – the right in the Russia-Ukraine war (and the Tuckeronian Right regarding Israel, too) and the left in the Israel-Islamist war – are willing to forgo freedom for some amorphous, form of justice or truth.

Iran is the perfect example. In every measure of Western values since WWII the Islamic Republic of Iran is an evil country. It denies freedom to its citizens, massacres them, executes women for immodesty and homosexuals for being homosexual. We don’t have to go on regarding the evils of the Islamic Republic of Iran but even with that, there are those in the West who support it. We are not talking about the legitimate policy debate regarding a war with Iran – morally as well as politically – but rather the fact that many just don’t consider that Iran is on the wrong side. Israel as we said is another example, but we can go on and on. Venezuela, Cuba and even China come to mind.

True enough, there were always people in the West that thought the Soviet Union or Maoist China was morally “better” than the United States or Europe, but never did they influence the politics, culture and businesses as the current naysayers do. The markets “understood’ that the Soviet Union was bad and reacted accordingly. The geo-political goals were mostly in sync.

The global markets reflect the geo-politics of the day and “vote” on it in a daily basis. The fact that there is a vast sum of money that influences the markets that are actively opposed to the freedom project – China, Qatar and Russia come to mind – does not help the situation. It is not the “foreign” money that disturbs the markets but rather which foreign money. There is a difference between an investor who is looking for the good company or the safe bond, and one who is looking to use their investment to further a radical Islamist or Chinese Communist agenda. President Trump’s trillion dollars of investments from Qatar and Saudi Arabia and others comes with a price tag he does not usually deal with – the price tag of undermining the market economy that has made him so successful. The proof of “goodwill” in the investments in the United States ought to be shown before that money flows into the economy. They have already contributed to ruining the universities (not that they needed the help) – there is no reason to permit them to ruin America’s great corporations, too.

The markets are crazy due to its structural issues and due to the “uncertainty” that is today’s world. Sadly, that uncertainty is not just uncertainty about what will happen, but uncertainty about what is good or bad (news). This goes beyond unity and “can’t we just get along?” and gets to the heart of why we are living today in the same culture. We say culture instead of country or city since that culture is the one that “got us here” as basketball or football coaches like to say.

The lack of agreement as to what matters most has affected the markets more than we think, and it all has contributed to the depression that so many in the free world are feeling at the moment.

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily the opinions reflected by angrymetatraders.com or its associated parties.

You can follow Ira Slomowitz via The Angry Demagogue on Substack https://iraslomowitz.substack.com/ 

 

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