❗️Hegseth forces out US Army Chief of Staff

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and retire immediately, according to CBS News, as part of a broader push to install leadership aligned with President Donald Trump’s so-called military "vision."

Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve is expected to assume the role in an acting capacity, as Hegseth continues a wider shake-up within the Pentagon that has already seen multiple senior military officials dismissed in recent weeks.

❗️New intel assessment says Iran retains roughly half its launch capability, contradicting earlier US-Israeli claims of near-total destruction

A new US intelligence assessment cited by CNN claims that Iran still retains around half of its missile launcher capacity and thousands of attack drones, despite weeks of relentless US and Israeli strikes.

The findings directly contradict repeated public claims by Israeli and US officials, including President Donald Trump, who asserted that more than 80 percent of Iran’s capabilities had been destroyed and that “very few” systems remained operational.

According to the assessment, many launchers have not been eliminated but instead rendered temporarily inaccessible, often buried underground in extensive tunnel and cave networks that Iran has developed over decades. These hardened and mobile systems have allowed Iran to continue launching attacks while evading detection, undermining assertions that its launch infrastructure had been largely neutralized. Intelligence sources also noted that Iran retains a significant stockpile of missiles and that key capabilities, including coastal defense cruise missiles used to carry out operations in the Strait of Hormuz, remain largely intact.

The report further exposes discrepancies in how damage has been measured, with Israeli estimates counting only fully destroyed launchers, while US intelligence includes those hidden or trapped underground.

At the same time, although Iran’s conventional navy is alleged to have been largely destroyed, as repeated dozens of times by Trump, the report states that the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps still retains roughly half of its capabilities, including hundreds or potentially thousands of small vessels and unmanned surface systems.

While US officials continue to claim that Iran’s military capacity has been decisively degraded, the intelligence assessment presents a starkly different picture, suggesting Tehran retains substantial offensive capabilities and the ability to sustain operations, calling into question the accuracy and credibility of statements made over the past month.

Iran Sets Up ‘Tollbooth’ System In Strait Of Hormuz

Economists project revenues from the system could exceed $60 billion annually for Tehran

Iran has formally started enforcing a controlled transit system in the Strait of Hormuz, requiring ships to undergo vetting and pay fees for safe passage, according to a report by Bloomberg on 1 April.

The report describes a system managed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), where vessels must submit their detailed information, including ownership, cargo, and crew, to an intermediary for review.

Ships are then screened for links to the US, Israel, or other states Tehran considers hostile, with only those cleared permitted to proceed under escort through a coastal corridor dubbed the “Iranian tollbooth.”

Once terms of passage are agreed, ships receive a permit code and designated route, which they must broadcast to Iranian patrol boats upon approach.

Iran’s parliament has already approved a draft law introducing transit fees and restrictions on vessels linked to the US, Israel, and sanctioning states, pending final ratification.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle

Related: 4/3 — UAE Pushes Washington To ‘Force Open’ Strait Of Hormuz: Report

4/3 — Persian Gulf States To Build New Pipelines To Bypass Strait Of Hormuz: Report

4/3 — ❗️Gulf states move to bypass Strait of Hormuz with new oil routes to Mediterranean

4/2 — ❗️Malaysia says its ships will not have to pay toll to transit Strait of Hormuz

4/2 — JUST IN: Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will continue to remain closed long-term for the US and Israel.

4/2 — JUST IN: 🇮🇷 IRGC warns any enemy movement in the Strait of Hormuz will face a decisive response from its naval forces.

4/2 — 🚨🇸🇾 While Iran defends the Strait of Hormuz, Al-Qaeda-ruled Syria builds a bypass

Follow us on Minds / X / Substack

Boost This Channel

Follow ➡️ @PsyopDaily

❗️US oil producers hesitant to boost production

Dallas Federal Reserve President Lorie Logan said on Thursday that US oil producers are unlikely to ramp up production in the near term or protect consumers from rising gasoline prices.

She noted during a conference at her regional Fed bank that the price US producers say is needed to justify increased drilling is just under $70 per barrel, compared with current levels of about $110 per barrel. Logan added that prices would need to remain at or above that breakeven threshold for a sustained period before companies commit to the investments that could eventually ease prices for consumers.

US oil firms "need to have a sense that those higher prices are going to stay around for a while, and so I am not hearing that we're going to see a dramatic increase in production here in the short run," she said.

"Casualty Cover-up”: The Pentagon Is Hiding U.S. Losses Under Trump In The Middle East

Almost 750 U.S. troops have been wounded or killed in the Middle East since October 2023, an analysis by The Intercept has found. But the Pentagon won’t acknowledge it.

U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, appears to be engaged in what a defense official called a “casualty cover-up,” offering The Intercept low-ball and outdated figures and failing to provide clarifications on military deaths and injuries.

At least 15 U.S. troops were wounded Friday in an Iranian attack on a Saudi air base that hosts American troops, according to two government officials who spoke with The Intercept. Hundreds of U.S. personnel have been killed or injured in the region since the U.S. launched a war on Iran just over a month ago.

President Donald Trump — who wore a blue suit, red tie, and a ball cap to the dignified transfer of the first Americans killed in the war — said casualties were inevitable. “When you have conflicts like this, you always have death,” he said afterward. “I met the parents and they were unbelievable people. They were unbelievable people, but they all had one thing in common. They said to me, one thing, every single one: Finish the job, sir. Please finish the job.”

On Tuesday, Trump teased that he would wind down the war with Iran in as little as two weeks despite not achieving many of his stated aims, such as “freedom for the people” of Iran, “tak[ing] the oil in Iran,” and forcing Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” At one point, the president even declared that the war would last “as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”

CENTCOM has sent outdated statements on casualty numbers, meanwhile, resulting in undercounts, including a statement sent Monday from spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins noting that “Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 303 U.S. service members have been wounded.” The comment was three days old and excluded at least 15 wounded in the Friday attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The command did not reply to repeated requests for updated figures.

CENTCOM also would not provide a count of troops who have died in the region since the start of the war. An Intercept analysis puts the number at no less than 15.

“This is, quite obviously, a subject that [War Secretary Pete] Hegseth and the White House want to keep under major wraps,” said the defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak frankly.

In 2024, during the Biden administration, the Pentagon provided The Intercept with detailed chronologies of attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East that listed the specific outpost that was attacked, the type of strike, and whether — or how many — casualties resulted, along with an aggregate count of attacks by country.

The Trump administration’s numbers, by comparison, lack detail and clarity. The current CENTCOM casualty figures do not appear to include more than 200 sailors treated for smoke inhalation or otherwise injured due to a fire that raged aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford before it limped off to Souda Bay, Greece, for repairs. CENTCOM did not reply to close to a dozen requests for clarification on the casualty count and related information sent this week.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ Theintercept

Related: 4/3 — 🚨🇺🇸 WHITE HOUSE SPLIT: Iran war tears Trump’s team apart

▪️Leaks from the Pentagon suggest real US casualties may already exceed 750, with attempts to cover up losses.

3/30 — Report: Pentagon Prepares For ‘Weeks’ Of Ground Operations In Iran

3/4 — All Of Our Bases Have Been Destroyed, Says Former U.S. Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor

3/2 — —❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 BREAKING: U.S. CENTCOM announces the death toll of American soldiers has risen to 6

3/1 — Live Updates: Trump Admits 'We Expect Casualties' In Iran Attacks, Argues It Will Be 'a Great Deal' Despite Losses

Follow us on Minds / X / Substack

Boost This Channel

Follow ➡️ @PsyopDaily

❗️Israel openly abandons initial goal of 'disarming Hezbollah,' shifts strategy to containment and 'buffer zones'

Based on reports by Ynet, The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, and Israel National News, among others, Israel has effectively abandoned its initial objective of fully disarming Hezbollah, now describing the goal as unrealistic under current conditions.

Israeli army officials acknowledge that dismantling Hezbollah would require a full-scale occupation of Lebanon and the ability to reach every village, an undertaking they are neither prepared nor willing to pursue. Instead, the stated aim has now shifted toward weakening the resistance movement's capabilities and establishing a "defensive" reality along the border, reflecting a recalibration after weeks of sustained rocket fire and ongoing ground confrontations in southern Lebanon.

In place of disarmament, the Israeli army is now reportedly advancing a strategy centered on creating so-called "buffer zones" and degrading Hezbollah’s operational infrastructure. Plans include seizing and holding terrain up to the Litani River, demolishing structures in frontline villages suspected of hosting resistance activity, and establishing layered "security zones" extending several kilometers into Lebanese territory. Military officials have emphasized a transition toward “mobile defense” rather than long term static occupation, while continuing attacks on infrastructure, weapons depots, and senior operatives.

At the same time, Israeli forces report ongoing incursions involving multiple divisions in southern Lebanon, with efforts allegedly focused on pushing Hezbollah fighters northward, disrupting rocket and anti tank launch capabilities, and attempts at consolidating control over key terrain. The broader objective, according to officials, is to reduce threats to the north while avoiding deeper entanglement, even as cross border fire and clashes persist.

Greek Shipping Firms Secretly Transporting Oil, Weapons To Israel: Report

At least 57 deliveries were routed through Ceyhan, with ships going dark mid-voyage to evade restrictions

Greek shipping companies have secretly transported oil, coal, and military cargo to Israel using deceptive maritime tactics, according to a report by the No Harbour for Genocide campaign reviewed exclusively by Middle East Eye (MEE) and published on 2 April.

The investigation found that at least 57 covert crude oil shipments reached Israeli ports between May 2024 and December 2025, during Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

These deliveries, totaling roughly 47 million barrels, were routed via Turkiye with vessels disabling tracking systems and listing false destinations to bypass Ankara’s embargo.

Ships departing from the Turkish port of Ceyhan often reported destinations such as Port Said or Damietta in Egypt, before switching off their automatic identification systems, going dark in the Mediterranean, and later reappearing after docking in Israel, primarily in Ashkelon.

Satellite imagery reviewed by MEE confirmed their presence during these blackout periods.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle

Related: 3/18 — USS Ford Heads To Greek Port Days After Fire That Raged For Over 30 Hours: Report — Greece Authorities Investigating Possibility US Sailors On Board Aircraft Carrier Intentionally Caused Fire [To Avoid Dying For Israel and Epstein's Handlers]

10/21 — A new front is taking shape in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Greece–Cyprus–Israel alliance is emerging as a cornerstone of Washington’s strategy to box in Turkiye and contain China’s influence.

5/8/24 — Israel’s West Asian Allies Turn to Iraq for ‘New Silk Road’ Toward Europe

IMEC got complete support from US President Joe Biden during a G20 summit last September. The project aims to connect Asia and Europe via a system of railways and ports passing through India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Greece.

Follow us on Minds / X / Substack

Boost This Channel

Follow ➡️ @PsyopDaily