The Pentagon's top brass walked into the White House on Thursday to pitch President Trump on military options for Iran — conveniently timed for after the November 3 midterm elections, when voters can no longer hold anyone accountable for the escalation they're paying for at the pump.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Middle East commander Admiral Brad Cooper, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine delivered the briefing in person, a rare move that HotAir reported could signal the U.S. is moving closer to significant military operations. Trump has already telegraphed the pitch. "We may do another little Epic Fury," he told a rally crowd last week, referring to the heavy U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign from the spring. "Or they'll agree."
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Trump officials told Arab Gulf states to prepare for a "short, intense campaign" after the midterms. So the plan exists. The only question is whether the public gets a say before the bombs fall — and the answer, per the timeline, is no.
Meanwhile, Brent crude hit $117.62 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate climbed to $113.58 on Friday, marking roughly 14-15% monthly increases. "The oil market is getting increasingly spooked as we approach the midterms," Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, told Reuters. Fox News framed the price spike as a reaction to instability around the Strait of Hormuz, where a Panama-flagged tanker, the Louise 1, caught fire Thursday after a small boat attached limpet mines to its hull — the first successful limpet mine attack since the war began in February. HotAir, by contrast, emphasized that Middle East oil flows have actually surpassed prewar levels, averaging over 24 million barrels a day. Both things are true: oil is moving, and it's costing Americans dramatically more to buy it.
The briefing happened the same day Hegseth fired three-star Gen. Brett Sylvia for leaking classified information on U.S. policy toward Iran and Ukraine to reporters. An internal Pentagon investigation found Sylvia admitted to the leaks on video after failing four polygraph tests. He used encrypted Signal messages and met a reporter at an Arlington diner, according to Axios. The case has been referred to the Justice Department. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X: "Classified information is not personal property. Leaking it for personal, political or professional gain is a betrayal of the trust placed in those responsible for keeping it."
Sen. Chris Murphy ran to the cameras claiming the plan would "deliberately target civilians and use the harm of civilians as leverage in war." HotAir dismissed that as a free shot from a senator who can't be rebutted by anyone who actually knows the plan. The White House would only say Trump "keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."
What no one at the Pentagon or the White House is answering: what does another campaign cost, who profits from it, and how does it serve the American worker already squeezed by $117 oil? The defense contractors who build the munitions for "Epic Fury" and the revolving-door generals who retire to their boards never have to answer that question. They just schedule the briefing after the ballot box closes.
