Iran…Trump…Conflict/War…Evening…5/13/2026…More ships pass thru the Strait Paying Iran ‘Toll’….

This IS NOT New News…..

Iran HAS a system in place to allow ships safe passage thru the Strait or Hormuz after paying them ‘Protection Toll’s’…’This in defiance of Trump’s efforts ….

(Hegseth continues to increase US military assets in the Middle East though…)

This IS Iran’s main goal now….

Trump digressed back to talking about something experts say is all but impossible…

Getting Iran’s uranium ….

There are now reports that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been doing attacks against Iran….

Which seems to be saying that some of theses countries HAVE moved to strengthen ties with Israel and the US….

With Trump in China it seems the major news oufits have scant coverage of the Iran conflict….

The American Congress keeps turning down efforts to vote to have Trump stop the Conflict/War unless he HAS their approval….

 

ISW….Iran Update Special Report, May 13, 2026

1. Iran’s efforts to reconstitute its military capabilities during the ceasefire period are consistent with the behavior of any military organization when given time and space to reconstitute itself after combat. These tactical and operational reconstitution efforts, however, do not necessarily offset the strategic effects achieved during the war against ballistic missile production facilities.
2. Iran’s growing emphasis on the Strait of Hormuz reflects a broader, emerging consensus around the idea that the Strait of Hormuz must be central to Iranian strategy and deterrence in the future. Iranian strategy before October 7 and the events thereafter, including the Spring 2026 war, revolved primarily around ballistic missiles, drones, and its proxy and partner network as deterrents and force projection tools. Naval assets around the Strait of Hormuz featured only secondarily and as part of this wider three-pillar system.
3. Some regime officials and outlets have floated new ideas about how the regime could use the Strait of Hormuz to discourage behavior that the regime believes is contrary to its interests. Many of these proposals, if accepted and operationalized, would also provide Iran with new revenues that would enable it to reconstitute its military forces.
4. Some regional states appear to be complying with Iranian-imposed transit procedures in the Strait of Hormuz, which normalizes Iran’s claim that vessels need Iranian permission to transit the waterway. Five unspecified sources told Reuters on May 12 that Iraq and Pakistan reached agreements with Iran to move crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the strait….

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The Top US General walks a tightrope

In nearly 14 hours of congressional testimony in recent weeks, Gen. Dan Caine was repeatedly asked versions of the same two questions: How had the world’s most powerful military allowed the Iranians to cut off the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and what could it do to get ships moving again?

The answers General Caine delivered highlighted the tightrope he walks. As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he is obliged to stay out of the political fray inflamed by the war in Iran. But he works for a president who demands absolute loyalty.

In public, General Caine has defined the military’s mission in narrow terms, an approach he took on Tuesday as frustrated Democratic and Republican lawmakers pressed him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to explain their plans to open the strait and end the war.

“Our military objectives have been clear the whole time,” General Caine said. He talked about “targeting Iran’s ballistic missile systems,” destroying its Navy and defense industrial base and stopping Iranian forces from threatening the U.S. military and allies in the region. He repeatedly praised the dedication of U.S. troops over the course of the war.

But he avoided any discussions of the broader U.S. military strategy.

“Did you anticipate the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting impact on oil supplies for many countries, including here in the United States?” asked Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine.

“We have an incredible staff over at the Pentagon,” he said, “and we always look at the range of military branches and sequels. I won’t comment on any particular one because that gets to whatever advice I may or may not have given to the president.”….

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General Caine declined to define for Mr. Peters the center of gravity in the Iran war, saying that the decision should be made by U.S. political leaders….

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