By Simplicius - March 16, 2026

The ‘Special Combat Operation’ continues accumulating unbridled triumphs with Trump’s announcement that he had visited upon Iran’s Kharg island a most biblical of retributions:

The very next day, it was reported by multiple MSM outlets that Iran was shipping oil from the island as normal. Radio Liberty writes:

Following the initial strike, Trump said US forces had “totally obliterated” Iranian military targets on the island but left oil infrastructure untouched. He warned those facilities could also be targeted if Iran disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian officials claimed crude exports were flowing uninterrupted from the Kharg Island terminal after what Trump described as “one of the most powerful bombing raids” in Middle East history.

In the meantime, an American KC-135 refueling craft went down, with another being struck, for which six American crewmen paid with their lives. Apparently the two craft collided, although there’s speculation it could have happened after one of them veered to dodge incoming fire. Fueling this theory is the fact that flight trackers now show American refueling craft apparently avoiding Iraq, which is where the earlier crash took place:

That’s not to mention that five more such planes were said to be hit on the ground:

https://www.reuters.com/world/five-us-air-force-refueling-planes-hit-iranian-strike-saudi-arabia-wsj-reports-2026-03-13/

Now the high-noon Hormuz standoff has escalated. The biggest story has been Iran’s vindication over its claims that US naval forces had retreated under the growing threat of strikes.

Recall last time we spoke about the ~300km range of Iran’s anti-ship assets, but that Iranian Brigadier General Fadavi stated no US ship was operating within 700km of Iran’s shores.

It seems he was telling the truth, because latest Chinese satellite intel indicates that the USS Lincoln has now retreated to roughly 1,000km from Iranian shores. The Lincoln carrier group is said to be quivering in the lee of Port Salalah in Oman, in the north Arabian Sea:

The supporting evidence comes by way of flight tracking which appears to indicate . . .

[SNIP]