Holy Smokes! Did We Just Reboot the Middle East? (U.S. Enters Iran-Israel Fray)

Houston We Have Ignition (and Possibly a Problem)

Well folks it seems things have gotten a tad spicy in the Middle East. Over the weekend the U.S. decided to join the Israel Iran tango with a bang – or rather several bangs targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. B 2 Spirits and submarines oh my! As I always say 'Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning,' and boy are we learning a lot right now. This direct action is a game changer and not necessarily in a way that makes me want to break out the Windows 95 victory dance.

Trump's Truth Bomb: Peace or Regime Change?

Former President Trump never one to mince words (or tweets or Truth Social posts) announced a "very successful attack" and then pondered a bit of regime change. Now I'm no geopolitical strategist but even I know that throwing around the 'R' word – regime change – is like debugging code at 3 AM: it rarely goes as planned. As I always say 'Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.' Let's hope this doesn't prove to be one of those times.

Netanyahu Says 'Thanks!'

Netanyahu expressed his gratitude. The IAEA is holding emergency meetings trying to figure out how to put this genie back in the bottle. The UN Security Council is having…well let’s just call it a lively discussion. Russia China and Pakistan want a ceasefire while the U.S. is playing it cool. It's like trying to get Windows to cooperate with Apple back in the day – a monumental task to say the least.

Black Gold Rush 2.0

Of course no international kerfuffle is complete without a surge in oil prices. News of Iran potentially closing the Strait of Hormuz sent prices skyrocketing. Now I'm not one to give investment advice (except maybe telling you to invest in malaria nets) but keep an eye on those barrels. If the Strait closes and Western forces try to reopen it we could be looking at $100 oil. Suddenly that electric car I've been eyeing seems a lot more appealing. Even for me...

Iran's Response: All Options on the Table (Including Closing the Tap)

Iran is not amused unsurprisingly. They're talking about 'everlasting consequences' and keeping their uranium enrichment program humming along. I just hope they're not using Windows ME to manage their nuclear facilities; that would be a disaster. As I always say 'We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.' Let's hope the next few years don't involve any more explosions.

The China Factor: Can They Play Peacemaker?

China being Iran's biggest oil customer is in a tricky spot. Secretary of State Rubio is practically begging them to talk Iran out of closing the Strait. But will they? It's like asking Clippy to write your doctoral thesis – technically possible but highly unlikely to produce the desired result. Here's hoping cooler heads prevail and we can all get back to focusing on more important things like eradicating polio and perfecting the art of the perfectly brewed cup of tea.