XPost: alt.current-events.russia, alt.current-events.ukraine, al   
   .current-events.usa   
   XPost: sac.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: leroysoetoro@americans-first.com   
      
   https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/02/28/what-epic-fury-means-for-   
   putin-n4950098   
      
   The confirmation that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was   
   killed during joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes was a cause for celebration   
   inside the country.   
      
   U.S. military officials announced that the operation targeted Iranian   
   leadership compounds, missile facilities, and nuclear infrastructure   
   across Tehran and other strategic sites.   
      
   U.S. and partner forces began striking targets at 1:15 a.m. ET to   
   dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations   
   that posed an imminent threat. Targets included Islamic Revolutionary   
   Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense   
   capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.   
      
   “The President ordered bold action, and our brave Soldiers, Sailors,   
   Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen are answering the call,”   
   said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM.   
      
   Following the initial wave of U.S. and partner strikes, CENTCOM forces   
   successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone   
   attacks. There have been no reports of U.S. casualties or combat-related   
   injuries. Damage to U.S. installations was minimal and has not impacted   
   operations.   
      
   The first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched   
   from air, land, and sea. Additionally, CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion   
   Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in   
   combat.   
      
   Operation Epic Fury involves the largest regional concentration of   
   American military firepower in a generation.   
      
   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the strikes aimed to   
   eliminate immediate threats that Iran's regime posed.   
      
   Now, will this affect the war between Ukraine and Russia?   
      
   Iran has long supported Russia's war effort in Ukraine. Under President   
   Vladimir Putin, Moscow relied on Iranian Shahed drones to strike Ukrainian   
   infrastructure and cities, which became central to Russia's strategy of   
   targeting energy grids during the winter months.   
      
   Iran also supplies oil to Russia during periods when sanctions squeezed   
   global markets. Disruption within Iran is now pitting two competing forces   
   against each other.   
      
   On the one hand, direct Iranian support to Moscow weakens amid disruptions   
   to oil production and drone exports.   
      
   On the other hand, instability in the Persian Gulf pushes oil prices   
   upward, and Russia remains one of the world's energy exporters.   
      
   Global energy markets face one of their gravest shocks in decades as joint   
   U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks   
   across the Gulf disrupt oil exports from the world’s most important   
   producing region.   
      
   The duration of the conflict will likely determine the scale of the   
   disruption, but for now, the threat and uncertainty are already enough to   
   severely impact flows from the region, which accounts for 20% of global   
   oil supplies.   
      
   Barring a swift resolution, oil prices will likely rise sharply when   
   trading opens on Monday morning. Benchmark Brent crude oil prices rose in   
   recent weeks to around $70 a barrel, their highest since August 2025, as   
   investors braced for military confrontation in the Middle East.   
      
   With 20% of global oil shipments passing through the Straits of Hormuz and   
   tanker traffic slowing amid heightened security risks, Iran's temporary   
   closure of maritime routes sent oil prices sharply higher. A 10-12% spike   
   in global crude prices strengthens Russia's revenue stream, at least in   
   the short term.   
      
   That creates a paradox in the Ukraine conflict: Higher oil prices give   
   Putin breathing room, while every dollar increase in crude prices   
   translates into billions of additional revenue for the Kremlin. China,   
   facing reduced Iranian supply, may turn more heavily toward Russian   
   exports; that shift could deepen Moscow's economic relationship with   
   Beijing.   
      
   Iran is the fourth-largest oil producer in OPEC at just over 3 million   
   barrels per day in January. The Islamic Republic shares a coastline with   
   the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important waterway for the global   
   oil trade.   
      
   The oil market has long shrugged off the risk of a Middle Eastern oil   
   supply disruption. Traders are underestimating the threat that Iranian   
   retaliation to the U.S. attack poses to the market, said Bob McNally, a   
   former White House energy advisor to former President George W. Bush.   
      
   “This is the real deal,” said McNally, founder and president of Rapidan   
   Energy. Crude oil futures will likely rise by $5 to $7 per barrel when   
   trading opens at 6 p.m. ET Sunday, as the market prices in some risk, he   
   said.   
      
   Yet the loss of Iranian drone support could weaken Russia's operational   
   capacity. Ukrainian cities have endured repeated waves of Iranian-made   
   unmanned aerial attacks. If internal Iranian chaos disrupts production or   
   supply chains, and it would be a surprise if things continue, Moscow must   
   either accelerate domestic drone manufacturing ot look for new partners.   
   It's a transition that takes time and money.   
      
   Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) praised the strikes, arguing that degrading   
   Iran's regime would weaken hostile networks aligned with Western   
   interests. Netanyahu said that the goal was to neutralize threats, not   
   escalate indefinitely.   
      
   Putin now faces a mixed strategic landscape. Short-term oil gains   
   strengthen the treasury, while long-term supply disruptions weaken one of   
   his battlefield advantages. Europe, still navigating energy   
   vulnerabilities, must reassess its exposure to global shocks. Ukraine may   
   gain temporary relief from drone saturation while Russia adjusts.   
      
   The broader questions concern sustainability. Russia's war machine runs on   
   revenue and supply chains. If Epic Fury reduces Iranian military exports   
   over time, Moscow's ability to maintain pressure could narrow. If oil   
   remains elevated for months, the Kremlin gains leverage to prolong   
   operations.   
      
   Operation Epic Fury is reshaping more than Tehran's skyline; it's altering   
   calculations inside the Kremlin. Whether Putin benefits or suffers depends   
   on which factor dominates: higher oil income or diminished Iranian   
   military backing.   
      
   That answer will shape the next phase of the Ukraine war.   
      
      
   --   
   November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump.  We look   
   forward to America being great again.   
      
   We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that   
   stupid people won't be offended.   
      
   Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.   
      
   Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama   
   / Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.   
      
   Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the   
   The World According To Garp.  Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)