Two points of interest today on April reported by the NYT and others.  “Iran War Live Updates: Two Ships Are Fired On As Iran Says the Strait of Hormuz is Closed,” NYT, 4-18-26.  “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Saturday declared it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, the nation’s state media said, shortly after two Indian-flagged ships reported coming under fire while they were trying to pass through. Just a day before, the Iranian foreign minister said it was reopened, according to state media.  President Trump also said the strait was open but left in place an American blockade on ships from Iranian ports. That seemed to raise the ire of the Guards, who said Saturday the strait would remain closed until the U.S. lifted its blockade.”  Also, “Naim Qassem also said Hezbollah was “fully open to cooperation with the Lebanese authorities in a new chapter built on achieving Lebanon’s sovereignty.” Lebanon has long struggled to curb Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group, which is thought to be stronger than the country’s own military. In a statement announcing the cease-fire deal between Israel and and Lebanon, the U.S. State Department said that the two countries had agreed that Hezbollah should be completely disarmed.”  Terrorists don’t like giving up their weapons.  What Hezbollah and the Regime simply don’t get is that they are being asked to be shopkeepers and accountants and professors and mechanics and bakers and merchants and bureaucrats and ….  Not terrorists.  They need to find a new line of work.

Good overview.  “How Iran’s Cheap, Low-Tech Drones Have Cost the U.S.,” NYT, 4-18-26.