Middle East conflict

[onetrack]

The news about the U.S. bases damage, is largely correct. The U.S. military themselves have admitted damage has been incurred at 13 U.S. bases in the Middle East, with DoW damage estimations of around US$800M.

There are other reports saying the number of bases seriously damaged is actually 17, and the total repair bill for all the Iranian damage is likely to exceed US$3B - and more importantly, take years to rebuild, simply because of the complexity of the equipment in the bases, and the requirement for a lot of electronic replacements, that are still in short supply from COVID-era restrictions. 

 

Even many car manufacturers are taking shortcuts in vehicle manufacturing, and leaving out optional equipment that is electronics-heavy, due to the ongoing chip shortage.

 

What our dopey Tangerine Toddler doesn't understand, is that Taiwan may now even make overtures to China to form an alliance, to prevent a Taiwan-China war. This is because Taiwan is starting to realise that their major ally is no longer a reliable ally - and is likely incapable of protecting/supporting Taiwan in the event of a Chinese aggressive military move on them.

If that alliance happens, China will then control the majority of the worlds cutting-edge chip manufacturing, and give Trump and his sycophants another dose of heartburn, because America still hasn't got any local chip manufacturing sorted yet.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddq7j48p35o

 

https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/us-bases-uninhabitable-iran-missile-strikes-centcom-force-posture-2026-war/

[nomadpete]

[red750]

The Strait of Tears (Bab el-Mandab) is currently under severe threat and effectively at risk of closure, though it has not been fully blocked as of late March 2026.  The Houthi rebels, who control parts of Yemen and are part of Iran's "Axis of Resistance," have vowed to close the strait as a strategic option to escalate the ongoing conflict, following the effective closure of the nearby Strait of Hormuz by Iran. 

 

[nomadpete]

16 hours ago, red750 said:

The Strait of Tears (Bab el-Mandab) is currently under severe threat and effectively at risk of closure, though it has not been fully blocked as of late March 2026.

That post is relevent to the EV thread. If they close both pinch points, I'll be buying an EV.