Tag Archives: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

Who Is In Charge?

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On June 19th, The New York Post posted an article with some concerning news about Iran.

The article reports:

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was flowing Friday — under Iran’s monitoring — after a radio message to vessels in the region suggested the waterway had been closed over tensions with Israel and the US.

“The armed forces of Iran, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding [MOU] to end the war dated June 18, 2026, have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, and shipping in this route is currently underway,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Friday, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.

Earlier, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) statement read over maritime radio channels warned vessels from entering the strait because the US was in violation of the MOU between Washington and Tehran, which President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed Wednesday.

I suspect that this is only the beginning of the problem of knowing who is in charge in Iran. We took out the first two tiers of leadership, and now the Iranian elites are fighting among themselves for control. That is a good thing for America and a bad thing for Iran.

The article concludes:

Meanwhile, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) — which Tehran recently formed so it could control the strait and, critics say, charge fees — released a set of new “terms and conditions” for ships passing through the vital waterway.

While the MOU requires Iran to hold off demanding payment from shipping firms for the next 60 days, the document explicitly states Tehran “reserves the right to introduce” new fees in the future.

The document also requires all ships to get a permit from the PGSA to pass through the strait, which was not required before the war began Feb. 28, as the strait is considered international waters.

The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Frankly, I will be surprised if the Iran deal lasts for two weeks. I am not sure it was meant to last. I believe it was meant to illustrate the character of those currently in charge in Iran.

Taking Action In The Strait of Hormuz

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On Saturday, The Epoch Times posted an article about clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

The article reports:

Two U.S. missile destroyers started clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz on April 11 as peace talks kicked off between Washington and the Iranian regime, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.
“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement on Saturday.

The American ships included the USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112).

…Saturday’s confirmation about the mine clearing came hours after a United States government vessel was spotted entering the Strait of Hormuz, according to the ship-tracking intelligence platform Marinetraffic.com.

It’s not clear if this was related to CENTCOM’s mine-clearing mission.

As part of a series of posts on Saturday morning, Trump said countries are sending ships to the United States to “load up” with oil as the Iran War has heavily slowed down oil and gas operations in the Persian Gulf.

“We have more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined—and higher quality. We are waiting for you,” Trump wrote in a separate post on Saturday.
The updates from Trump came hours after Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, to attend in-person negotiations with Iranian leadership amid a fragile two-week ceasefire.

The article concludes:

The talks, moderated by Pakistani leadership, were set to begin at around 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, a senior White House official confirmed to The Epoch Times.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X in Persian that the country’s delegation will guard its interests “with all its might” and “engage in negotiations with courage.”

Iranian state media, Press TV, reported that Iranian negotiating teams will only extend their stay in Islamabad if they think progress can be made.

I have stated before–I am not optimistic. Any peace agreement that takes away Iran’s nuclear program or forces Iran to stop funding terrorism is not going to be agreed on. As long as whatever ruling forces in Iran that are left can hold on to power and fund terrorism, they will.