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Trump's Blockade Is Breaking Iran... And European Elites Are Angry

Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us

In March I published an article titled “Global Energy Crisis Or Iranian Surrender In Five Weeks?” in which I outlined the “worst case” and “best case” scenarios for the war in Iran. In my best case scenario I argued in favor of a specific plan to end the conflict quickly: A US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, flipping the tables on Iran by blocking or seizing any oil tankers or gas tankers which exit Iranian ports.

Two weeks later, the Trump Administration has implemented this exact strategy.

The effectiveness of the blockade is already apparent; the propaganda bots on social media are scrambling to find a narrative to counter it, but they are failing. Why? Because Iran already tried to lock down the strait (which is an international waterway), and any government cheering (or secretly cheering) for Iran’s actions is now unable to make a rational argument against the US doing the same thing to Iran. As I noted in March:

“We constantly hear about international exposure to the Hormuz shutdown, but the media rarely mentions that Iran is the MOST exposed economy of all. For now, Iranian oil ships continue to pass through the strait and these vessels are Iran’s economic lifeline. Strategic estimates suggest that without the steady passage of these oil tankers, the Iranian economy would completely collapse within five weeks…”

I then summarized what I believed was the simplest solution to end the war:

“Iranian cargo ships can be targeted for seizure by a US blockade of the Persian Gulf well away from the narrow waters of the Hormuz. The ships could be destroyed, but I suspect the Department of Defense will try to avoid oil spills and ecological disasters. Instead, the best option is to capture Iran’s tankers and then redirect the oil to countries in danger of shortages.

Iran has the option of shutting off GPS tracking for their vessels (shadow fleet), but this would not help them maneuver past a comprehensive US blockade. In other words, I argue that the US could turn the tables on Iran and use their reliance on the Hormuz against them.

With Iran’s economy in shambles, they will no longer be able to purchase missiles or drones for resupply from Russia and China. They won’t be able to pay for logistic resources for their military and they won’t be able to contain public unrest. The Iranians would be forced to negotiate and the war would be over quickly with minimal risk to US troops.”

For now, the US is not seizing Iran’s tankers and is merely sending them back to where they came from. However, it would seem that the Trump Administration and their military advisers have come to the same basic conclusions I did.

For years I have expressed my concerns about a potential conflict in Iran, largely because of the precarious global economic risks associated with mass energy shortages caused by a closure of the Hormuz, which transits around 25% of the world’s energy exports. That said, I do not care about “picking sides” when it comes to Israel or Iran.

This debate is irrelevant and designed, I think, to divide US conservatives over ancient tribal vendettas that do not involve us. I don’t care about the Israeli government or “Zionism” and I certainly don’t care what happens to the theocratic and tyrannical Muslim regime in Iran. We have much more important things to think about.

What matters to me is how the US and the American people are affected by geopolitical events. There has been endless debate on what the war is really about, whether it be Iranian nukes, Israeli schemes, Saudi schemes, control of global oil markets, etc. (I think every action the Trump Administration has take so far from Venezuela to Iran has largely been designed to contain China). In any case, a long term closure of the Hormuz will eventually result in market cascades and a stagflationary crisis.

What matters now is ending the war as quickly and decisively as possible without leaving the Homuz and 25% of global energy exports under Iran’s control. After that, people can wrestle over the “moral and constitutional” quandary to their heart’s content.

First, I think it’s vitally important to address some lies and disinformation being spread by propagandists and foreign agents online about the US blockade, so let’s quickly go down the list…

Lie #1: The US Is Blocking All Ships Traveling Through The Strait

This is false. The US is only blocking ships coming from Iranian ports. All other ships have been allowed to pass without incident. This lie is being spread by disinfo agents all over social media and it is also being spread by foreign governments from the UK to France to China. This, to me, says A LOT about the true agenda of these countries, given that they said little or nothing about Iran locking down the strait.

Lie #2: Chinese Vessels Have Broken The Blockade And The US Is Afraid

Nope. All Chinese vessels coming from Iranian ports have been turned away and any vessels coming from alternative ports have been allowed to pass. At the time this article is being published, only one ship from an Iranian port has allegedly slipped through the blockade, though the story on this ship might be fabricated. All other Iranian ships have been repelled.

Lie #3: The Blockade Puts US Naval Ships At Serious Risk

No, it does the opposite. US ships have no need to traverse the narrow Hormuz to blockade it. All they have to do is wait outside of it and turn back Iranian tankers that approach. No mines, no missiles, no drones, no tiny attack boats, nothing Iran has the ability to deploy has much of a chance of harming the US Navy. In fact, reports indicate ships like the USS Abraham Lincoln (an aircraft carrier) have already been targeted hundreds of times by Iran with no damage taken.

There is nothing Iran can do about a comprehensive blockade.

Lie #4: Iran Is Used To Sanctions And Can Hold Out Longer Than The US

No, they can’t. Only 7% of energy exports going to the US travel through the Hormuz. Iran’s entire economy hangs by a thin thread and that thread is oil exports to countries like China or Vietnam.

Iran is reportedly losing around $430 million each day that their ships remain stuck in the strait, and they have already taken around $270 billion in infrastructure damages. Iran pays for new weapons and military logistics with oil revenues. Their soldiers are paid in part with oil revenues. They mitigate civil unrest with oil revenues.

I suspect that the blockade will force Iran back into negotiations within a couple weeks. That’s how little time they have left.

Lie #5: Iran Has Alternative Ways To Bypass The Blockade

No, they don’t. Overland routes without ample pipelines are no substitute for the ease of oil tanker shipments. Even if they did have such pipelines, those lines could be easily destroyed.

By extension, as Iran’s oil exports stack up they will quickly run out of storage space, which means they will have to shut down drilling. This would cause significant damage to their oil infrastructure within weeks due to pressure differentials.

Recent news indicates that Iran has already halted all petrochemical exports until further notice. If true, this proves that the blockade is highly effective.

Lie #6: The Chinese Will Intervene And Force The Strait To Reopen

As noted, the strait is not closed. Only Iranian ports are closed. Furthermore, China has stayed away from direct intervention in the Hormuz because they simply don’t have the naval capacity to square off with the US even if they wanted to.

Keep in mind, only a week ago the Chinese government vetoed a UN resolution to reopen the strait when they thought Iran was going to control it. The CCP is impotent and they can do nothing.

Lie #7: The US Is Losing All Its Allies Over The Blockade

Wrong. What the blockade (and the war in general) is doing is exposing the countries which were pretending to be our allies when it was convenient. I examined this problem in my last article “The US Separation From Europe And NATO Is Long Overdue”, and this brings me to my final point on the war.

The fact that the European elites are suddenly so concerned with the US blockade, enough to call for a “coalition” to reopen the strait and “circumvent” the US, tells us all we need to know. I continue to believe that the globalists in these nations have been feeding off the US while at the same time organizing a “multicultural alliance” behind the scenes – A socialist new world order to supplant western civilization and leave the US behind as a husk.

Part of this agenda clearly involves a partnership with Islamic fundamentalists as a goon squad to oppress native western populations. This is why the elites have flooded Europe with third world migrants – Ignoring the concerns of citizens and even arresting people who speak out.

This is also why the Pope is so adamant to call for a Muslim/Christian pact (while he blatantly ignores the fact that Europeans have been terrorized by Muslim immigrants for over a decade). Let’s not forget that during the pandemic lockdowns, the Vatican joined with the globalists to form the Council for Inclusive Capitalism (run by Lynn Forester de Rothschild). Modern-era Popes are not friends to conservatives or Christians, but I plan to go into that problem in my next article.

The blockade, I believe, is so effective that it has struck fear in Iran, fear in China, and fear in the liberal order in Europe which was counting on the war to drag on for months or years. Look at how angry they all are that Trump flipped the script on the Hormuz? Why all the emotion and irrational hand wringing after the strait has been opened to MORE ships and oil traffic? Why all the panic when oil prices are falling? It doesn’t make sense unless they WANT the US to fail.

Regardless of how you might feel personally about the Iran war, it is undeniable that the situation has revealed many of our supposed allies as enemies. In reality, they were always enemies. The only thing that has changed is that the truth is finally out in the open.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 07:25

The Barstool Sports creator weighed in on the feud after Cooper blasted Chickenfry via Instagram Stories -- and exposed their private DMs.

The Barstool Sports creator weighed in on the feud after Cooper blasted Chickenfry via Instagram Stories -- and exposed their private DMs.

Goldman Sachs To Use Options Strategy For Planned Bitcoin Income ETF

Authored by Nate Kostar via CoinTelegraph.com,

Goldman Sachs has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a Bitcoin-linked exchange-traded fund designed to generate income while limiting exposure to the cryptocurrency’s volatility, according to a preliminary prospectus dated April 14.

The proposed Goldman Sachs Bitcoin Premium Income ETF would aim to deliver current income alongside capital appreciation by investing primarily in spot Bitcoin exchange-traded products (ETPs) and related options, rather than holding Bitcoin directly.

The fund would generate yield by selling call options on Bitcoin-linked ETPs, a strategy that can produce premium income but may cap upside in rising markets.

According to the filing, the actively managed fund would maintain at least 80% exposure to Bitcoin-linked assets and could allocate as much as 25% of its holdings through a Cayman Islands subsidiary, a structure commonly used to gain commodities exposure under the US Investment Company Act.

The fund expects to vary its options “overwrite” strategy — that is, selling call options against its holdings — between roughly 40% and 100% of its Bitcoin exposure depending on market conditions, and may distribute a significant portion of returns as income or return of capital.

It would gain exposure through a mix of spot Bitcoin ETPs and derivatives, combining direct holdings with options-based positions. The strategy may perform better in flat or moderately rising markets but could underperform during strong rallies as upside is capped.

Eric Balchunas, ETF analyst at Bloomberg, described the product as “Boomer Candy” in a post on X, suggesting the structure may appeal to investors seeking income and lower volatility over full upside exposure.

Source: Eric Balchunas

Separately, Goldman Chair and CEO David Solomon told analysts on Monday that the company last week closed on its acquisition of Innovator Capital Management, an issuer of defined outcome exchange-traded funds. The addition of Innovator’s 170 ETFs puts Goldman in the top 10 of global active ETF providers, Solomon said on the first-quarter earnings call.

Active crypto ETFs gain traction as strategies evolve beyond price tracking

The filing from Goldman Sachs comes as asset managers move beyond basic price-tracking crypto funds, with more complex and actively managed strategies gaining traction across the ETF market.

In January, Bitwise Asset Management launched an actively managed ETF designed to hedge against currency debasement.

The fund allocates across assets including Bitcoin, precious metals and mining equities, reflecting a broader push to integrate digital assets into diversified, macro-focused portfolios.

In March, T. Rowe Price amended its filing with the SEC for a proposed actively managed crypto ETF that would invest directly in digital assets.

The updated prospectus outlines a portfolio that may include assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana.

Fund issuer 21Shares is also expanding into more sophisticated strategies. In February, the company launched a Europe-listed ETP tied to Strategy’s preferred stock (STRC), offering exposure to a yield-generating instrument linked to the company’s Bitcoin-focused capital strategy.

Speaking to Cointelegraph, 21Shares President Duncan Moir said the shift reflects broader demand for more advanced products, noting that crypto is “particularly well-suited to active management.”

“Why Active ETFs Are Gaining Momentum as Investors Seek New Solutions.” Source: Goldmansachs.com

According to a March report compiled by Morningstar and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, active ETFs held nearly $1.8 trillion in assets globally at the end of 2025, with flows significantly outpacing passive products.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 07:20

Boston's woke Mayor Michelle Wu is funding a new  program that doles out up to $500 to "LGBTQ+ migrants" for massages, yoga classes and creative healing -- despite the city facing a nearly $50 million deficit.

By the time most Park Avenue residents wake up and reach for their coffee, Charles Vega is already there. He has been there, at the same white-glove building on the same stretch of Manhattan’s most storied corridor, for nearly 15 years.  He started at 19. He will turn 34 in December. In that time, he...

Still riding the Masters hype? You can sign up with the bet365 bonus code to bet $10, and get $200 in bonus bets win or lose on the RBC Heritage.

The self-professed "party of decency” has zero intention of reining in or challenging Hasan Piker and his fellows' grotesque leftist fanaticism.

Why pay full scent?

“Love Is Blind” alum Giannina Gibelli chatted with “Virtual Reali-Tea” co-hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real all about wedding planning — including designing Adore Me for David’s, a bridal lingerie collection with tons of options for any girl getting ready to walk down the aisle. Giannina also shared more details leading up to her big...

“Love Is Blind” alum Giannina Gibelli chatted with “Virtual Reali-Tea” co-hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real all about wedding planning — including designing Adore Me for David’s, a bridal lingerie collection with tons of options for any girl getting ready to walk down the aisle. Giannina also shared more details leading up to her big...

"It's the one thing that actually gets better over time," she raved.

"It's the one thing that actually gets better over time," she raved.

New Hungarian Prime Minister Says Borders Will Remain Shut To Immigrants

In the wake of Viktor Orbán's election defeat, one of the greatest fears among conservatives in the region is an unconstrained EU able to take action on foreign policy, health, and immigration without the threat of a veto.  It is widely assumed that the incoming prime minister of Hungary, Péter Magyar, will seek a fast resolution of Brussels’ key issues with Hungary in order to unlock some €35 billion in funding. 

His election win was heralded as a substantial victory for the global left wing, from EU globalists to Democrats in the US.  Their assumption is that with Orbán's veto power out of play, they will be able to do they want in Ukraine and in Hungary.  However, the new Prime Minster may not be as cooperative as they initially believed.  

Magyar has stated that he will not try to block a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine which Orbán originally vetoed, but he also stated that Hungary will not be contributing to such loans and that the government will not support any attempt to induct Ukraine into the EU.  He also announced this week that he will not allow Hungary to join in the EU's "Migration Pact" and that he plans to further strengthen Hungary's borders. 

This includes a continued rejection of the EU's asylum rules, which are widely abused by third world migrants to freely enter Europe and gain access to welfare subsidies.      

Beyond the Ukraine funding veto, it was Orbán's refusal to submit to open borders and mass immigration that caused constant conflict with the EU.  He was frequently referred to by the political left as a "dictator" and a "fascist" in part because of his strict border policies (even though he is voluntarily leaving office after losing the election, which is not the behavior of a dictator).    

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, attacked Orbán regularly for his border controls, stating that Hungary's program to reinforce their borders with walls and barbed wire was in violation of EU immigration standards.  

It appears that this will not stop under Magyar.

🇭🇺 HUGE! Magyar Péter REJECTS the EU Migration Pact:

"Hungary will not accept any pact. In fact, I'm going to reinforce the border fence even more."

Ursula's European Union cheered for nothing! pic.twitter.com/qndVbTRkIf

— Based Hungary 🇭🇺 (@HungaryBased) April 15, 2026

The purpose of the EU Commission is to subjugate member countries through centralized monetary dependency and a series of financial sanctions if they step out of line.  Financial leverage has been used on a number of occasions by the Commission to force nations to accept ever expanding mass immigration, largely from Muslim fundamentalist populations in countries like Algeria, Morocco, Syria and Afghanistan.  Hungary is one of the few European nations to resist this multicultural agenda.

Without any further comment.🇭🇺🤝🇺🇸

From President Donald Trump about Peter Magyar:
"He’s a good man. I think he’s going to do a good job."

— Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) (@magyarpeterMP) April 15, 2026

While it is a member state, Hungary is not currently in the eurozone, using its own currency, the Hungarian forint, rather than the euro.  

It may be that the EU sees Magyar as an acceptable trade, as long as they get their funding package for Ukraine.  They probably also intend to play the long game, hoping that once Hungary joins the eurozone they can be manipulated over time using monetary leverage.  That said, their intentions have long focused on using Hungary as a fresh sponge to absorb migrants, and this is simply not going to happen according to Magyar's post-election declarations.      

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 06:55

The drink known as egg coffee, which originates from Vietnam, is made by blending egg yolks with sugar and condensed milk.

President Trump announced the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak to one another — for the first time in decades — on Thursday. “Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34...

Speculation Explodes Following Disappearance Of 10th Expert With UFO And Nuclear Secrets

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Following the revelation that yet another government contractor with links to nuclear secrets and suspected dark project UAP information has vanished, speculation as to what exactly is going on has massively intensified.

The case of Steven Garcia, a 48-year-old property custodian at the Kansas City National Security Campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, marks the latest entry in a disturbing sequence of deaths and vanishings among individuals connected to NASA, nuclear weapons components, and sensitive aerospace research.

Los Angeles Magazine contributor Lauren Conlin joined “Jesse Weber Live” to discuss the case, noting its eerie parallels to prior incidents.

Garcia’s disappearance is being framed as the 10th missing person case in the UFO mystery.

The disturbing pattern of deaths continues to baffle.

Garcia was last seen leaving his Albuquerque home on foot on August 28, 2025, carrying only a handgun. He left behind his phone, keys, wallet, and car. Officials have described him as potentially a danger to himself, but no trace has been found in the remote area where he lived.

Conlin emphasized the chilling similarities during the NewsNation segment. “This one is chilling to me because, as you said it echoes Neal McCasland’s disappearance. It was like the same thing in the state of New Mexico,” she stated. McCasland, a retired Air Force major general with deep UFO community ties, vanished from the same region earlier in 2026.

Garcia held top security clearance at the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), which manufactures over 80 percent of the non-nuclear components for U.S. military nuclear weapons.

“So Stephen Garcia, I mean he had a top security clearance at KCNSC,” Conlin explained. “They manufacture 80% of non-nuclear components that go into building military nuclear weapons and I mean he oversaw tens of millions dollars of assets, equipment some classified.”

She added that Garcia’s role involved handling “some classified, some not,” leaving open questions about his knowledge base. “We don’t know what was going on in this guy’s head right, the officials had said that he may have been a danger to himself.”

Neighbors noted he lived in a very remote area and worked in aerospace research. Conlin even raised a provocative possibility on air: “I have to wonder, again I know this sounds crazy but it could be an option here is the government doing this? Are they taking out their own people because of XYZ.”

The timing adds to the intrigue. Garcia’s disappearance occurred amid heightened congressional scrutiny of UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena) videos and related programs, including a deadline set by Rep. Anna Luna for the release of specific footage.

Multiple individuals on the list of those who have vanished or died worked at or with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Los Alamos National Laboratory, or Air Force Research Laboratory projects involving asteroid defense, rocket engines, and classified aerospace systems.

No official connections have been publicly confirmed by law enforcement between the cases, yet the geographic clustering in New Mexico and California, combined with shared professional networks in nuclear and space tech, continues to fuel speculation.

Online discussions on X and Reddit’s r/UFOs and related communities have exploded with theories attempting to explain the pattern. Many users point to foreign intelligence operations, suggesting adversaries like China or Russia may be targeting U.S. experts to steal or neutralize knowledge of advanced technologies, including those potentially linked to UAP reverse-engineering programs. Ex-FBI officials have been cited in reports noting that foreign services have long pursued Americans with critical tech secrets.

Others speculate a domestic cover-up angle: that insiders with knowledge of classified UAP programs or non-human technology are being silenced to delay or control disclosure efforts, especially as Congress pushes for more transparency on UAP videos and related footage. Some tie the cases to specific projects like advanced alloys (e.g., Mondaloy) or propulsion systems funded through overlapping NASA, DoE, and Air Force channels.

A smaller but vocal group questions whether personal factors—extreme stress from high-clearance work or mental health crises—could explain the cluster, though critics argue the sheer number and similarities make coincidence unlikely.

Calls for an independent task force or deeper FBI probe appear frequently in threads, with users linking the pattern to historical UFO lore around sites like Roswell and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Whatever the explanation, the cases underscore ongoing questions about transparency in America’s most sensitive scientific and defense programs. As more details emerge on Garcia and the others, the public demand for answers only intensifies. The full picture may yet reveal connections that challenge assumptions about how these secrets are guarded—and at what cost.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 06:30

Credit Gov. Kathy Hochul with recognizing that New York needs to drastically up its game when it comes to teaching kids to read — but mock her for paying the state teachers' union to produce a better curriculum.

Your mom called. She wants hyaluronic acid, not tulips.