The first thing that we've got to talk about is we are now more than two weeks into the U.S. and Israel's war in Iran.

The death toll is rising, the fallout is growing, and Donald Trump? He is asking for help from allies that he has continuously insulted, bullied, and threatened. And as he continues to make threats, at least some are now refusing to get roped in, and the president, he might be considering another option. U.S. troops on the ground, and so let's start there. Because it's believed that any potential ground operation, it's likely to target a place called Card Island. And the military actually just attacked it for the first time during this war on Friday, with Trump announcing operation on social media and claiming, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East. And added, for reasons of decency, I had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on the island. However, should Iran or anyone else do anything to interfere with a free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision. And with that, the next day, sent com confirmed what was described as a large-scale precision strike, saying, U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets

while preserving the oil infrastructure.

Now, last part's key, because Kark Island, which is located roughly 15 miles off the coast of

Iran, it is home to facilities that export 90% of the country's oil.

So taking out that infrastructure, it would be a massive blow to the regime there.

But it would also very likely throw the markets into even more chaos.

It could cripple whatever hypothetical new government would take power if that's a thing that actually happens. And it would make it harder for the US to benefit from Iran's oil in a Venezuela-style scenario that Trump is reportedly pushed for. But with all that, you still had Trump telling NBC on Saturday that the strikes there had totally demolished most of the island and that the US may hit it a few more times just for fun times just for fun. But you then also had a senior White House official telling Axios, no one should read into anything more than what the president announced and that the president has made no decisions on Carg Island. But that official also said that could change if the effort to clear the straight drags on. Saying the president is not going to wait around and let the Iranians dictate the pace of the conflict. And so like that, we're now seeing reports that Trump is seriously considering trying to seize Karg Island. And he's reportedly drawn to this idea because it would constitute a, quote, economic knockout of the regime, essentially defunding the Iranian government without all the downsides of destroying the oil infrastructure there. But of course, there are still downsides. One, the move would require U.S. boots on the ground there. Two, we could still push Iran to launch even more aggressive strikes against oil facilities and pipelines across the region, especially in Saudi Arabia. Despite the risks, the U.S. is now deploying 25,000 more Marines to the Middle East, adding to the 50,000 already there. While officials declined to say what their mission actually is, they're reportedly equipped to join a potential operation to seize the island.

And notably, that's not the only boots-on-the-ground scenario being considered. The US and Israel have also reportedly discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. And two American officials told NBC News last week that Trump has privately expressed a serious interest in deploying troops inside Iran. an operation like that or one aimed at enabling the U.S. to benefit from Iran's oil production,

like what came out of the operation in Venezuela.

Trump also claimed in that NBC interview this weekend that Iran is ready to negotiate a ceasefire, but he's not ready to make a deal. But Iran's foreign minister then told CBS news that his country was ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes and denied Trump's claim that Iran wanted to make a deal, saying,

We never asked for a ceasefire and we have never asked even for negotiation. And with that, you know, despite Trump's threats, he insisted that Iran would continue to lock down the Strait of Hormuz as long as necessary, saying the Strait is open but closed to our enemies, to those who carried out this cowardly aggression against us and to their allies. And with that, you've now had several non-Iranian oil tankers, including from India, Pakistan, and Turkey, getting permission

to go through the street, which is actually very notable because until now, Iran had been fully

blocking Gulf countries from exporting their oil while only allowing tankers picking up Iranian oil

to pass freely. We're keeping its own supply flowing to American adversaries, including China,

which is the biggest buyer of

Iranian oil. And you have many experts saying that as long as the blockade holds, Trump may not be able to end the war even if he wanted to. Iran starting to pick and choose who they're letting through, it might actually give them more leverage. Especially if traditional U.S. allies decide that negotiating with Iran directly is the better move, rather than having to rely on Trump and actually on that note. You had Trump claiming on a social media post over the weekend that the U.S. and several other countries will send warships to the Gulf to reopen commercial shipping. And with that, he also called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others to send ships so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated in adding. In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water one way or the other, we will soon get the Hormu Strait open, safe, and free. With the men following up a few hours later, saying, the countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage and we will help a lot. The U.S. will also coordinate with those countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. They should have always been a team effort and now it will be. It will bring the world together toward harmony, security, and everlasting peace. But then you had Trump demanding that NATO countries help the US secure the straight while telling the financial times it will be very bad for the future of NATO if they refuse. Words that were seen by many is a threat. With that, while, you know, he claimed that he was getting a good response. So far, at least as of me recording this, no country is publicly committed. And in fact, some of outright rejected the idea. Right with Germany's defense minister, for example, saying, this is not our war. We did not start it. What does Donald Trump expect from, say, a handful or two of European frigates

in the Strait of Hormuz? He needs them to achieve what the mighty U.S. Navy cannot manage on its own there. Is that it? That's the question I'm asking myself. You also had a spokesperson for the government confirming that there would be no German involvement and pointing out that Trump started this war without them, saying, I would also like to remind you that the U.S. and Israel did not consult us before the war and that Washington explicitly stated at the start of the war that

European assistance was neither necessary saying, I would also like to remind you that the U.S. and Israel did not consult us before the war

and that Washington explicitly stated at the start of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired. Now, with all that said, the U.K. is apparently considering sending ships and mine hunting drones to help out. We also had Prime Minister Kier-Starmer saying that he urged a swift resolution to the conflict and insisted that his country would not be drawn into wider war. And while France has previously said that it would be willing to escort once the security situation stabilizes, that just doesn't seem to be the case yet. And you've actually had the country along with Italy asking to talk with Iran about allowing their ships to pass through the strait. Which shows that, you know, some countries are looking for ways to protect their shipping and their energy without Trump. But also, of course, in the meantime, the war just continues.

Overall, more than 2,100 people have reportedly been killed so far, including 1,300 Iranian civilians, 850 people in Lebanon, 13 American service members, and at least 12 people in Israel. And today, U.S. and Israeli forces have continued to bombard Iran while Iranian counterattacks across the region have kept up as well. And notably, with all this, you had an Israeli spokesperson and telling reporters there are detailed operational plans for the war with Iran for the next three weeks, along with additional plans extending further. Although what the timeline is actually going to be, that still remains unknown right now. Or with Trump saying that the war will end when he feels it in his bones, as experts also warn that he's risking getting trapped in a cycle of escalation that might not end anytime soon. And then also, regardless of what happens with Iran, Israel's war in Lebanon,

that might not end anytime soon. And then also, regardless of what happens with Iran, Israel's war in Lebanon, that might continue independently. Right today, officials said they were yet again expanding their offensive against Hezbollah there, saying that the military was moving into new areas without giving new details. Although there are also fears that it's really just laying the groundwork for occupying large parts of the country. And then also, as we've talked about before, the near perpetual violence in Palestinian territories, that's not let up during all of this either. In fact, just over the past few days, Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians between the West Bank and Gaza. At first, you had troops shooting and killing four members of the same family, including two young children in the West Bank, with Israeli authorities claiming the vehicle had accelerated toward the troops who feared for their safety and opened fire. And then in Gaza, an airstrike killed eight police officers affiliated with the Hamas-controlled government, according to the Gaza Interior Ministry. And then, while the growing fallout with Trump's war in Iran, it continues to take lives, the war inside of his own party is growing as well. And when I say that it's got messier. It even involves Trump weighing in on micro penis allegations. The two main players there being Megan Kelly and Mark Levin. Right. And you know, Megan Kelly is a former Fox News host or an independent conservative commentator who really wanted to share that she cares about the nuance in the definition of pedophile. And then Mark Levin, he's a conservative radio host and Fox News host, and Trump actually appointed him to Homeland Security Advisory Council last year. But Mark and Megan, they have very different ideas about this war. Megan's been very critical of it, saying that we are fighting this war for Israel, that U.S. troops are dying for foreign interests. Right, Mark on the first day of the war, he praised Trump and our, quote, wonderful Israeli allies for fighting a righteous and monumentally important battle for freedom, security, and humanity.

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