Author: Michael

After a brief lull in the war with Iran, the conflict has flared up once again after the United States and Iran traded blows with each other on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

Interestingly, two gas tankers located in the Egyptian port of Damietta were damaged in a drone attack, marking the first attack near the Suez Canal.

A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 is parked on the flight line at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, July 3, 2026.

A new flag.

The recent developments in the war in Iran, which appeared last month to be winding down but have now reignited, have led to rising gas prices. And this has led to big profits for oil companies.

According to Bloomberg News’ Energy Daily newsletter, both oil trading and refining are “booming,” and the latest example is a blockbuster earnings report from Shell, the largest energy company in Europe.

The 354th Fighter Wing conducts a 75-fighter jet formation at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Aug. 12, 2022, in honor of the U.S. Air Force’s 75th Anniversary.

Since the war with Iran began in February, U.S. forces in the Middle East have burned through their supply of ground-based air defense missiles to fend off Iranian attacks.
Now the U.S. military could need about three years — and possibly longer — to restock its inventory of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missiles to pre-war levels, experts told Task & Purpose.
The U.S.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is showing tentative signs of recovery after weeks of disruption, not because Tehran has opened the strait, but because more shipping companies and crews are using U.S. naval escorts.

More oil tankers and liquefied natural gas carriers are returning to the waterway as pressure on global oil markets increases, even as the United States and Iran continue to trade missile and drone fires on an almost nightly basis.

Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) transits the South China Sea, June 4, 2026.

According to a recent poll by the Associated Press, just one in three Americans support the war in Iran.

With the war now entering its fifth month, fatigue amongst the American population is starting to mount as the war continues and the Trump administration fails to make its goals for Iran concrete.

F/A-18 Hornets and an F-22 Raptor fly in formation during the HUGE 1 flyover practice over the National Mall as part of the America 250 celebration in Washington, D.C., July 3, 2026. The formation showcased current U.S. military airpower during the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Today’s air taxi.

The Russians have long been accused of war crimes, and this latest attack is especially heinous and is sure to create more calls for Vladimir Putin to be hauled in front of a criminal court for final justice.

The Russians have now bombed civilian targets so much that they have killed three children and six other adults.

Su-35 Fighter from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

What Transpired?
The awful attack happened in the Dnipropetrovsk region overnight on July 30. There were at least 70 missiles and 280 drones launched from Russia.

The Department of Defense recently updated its rules on “continuity of mental health care” for separating troops, a policy meant to connect departing service members to mental health resources as they leave service. But veteran mental health experts said the instruction makes the same mistakes — it focuses on service members already accessing treatment while in uniform, but does not implement new methods to include others as they enter a vulnerable year of transition.
And that first year out of the military, experts say, is where new veterans often need the most guidance.

On Thursday, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky returned from his visit to Washington, Russia launched airstrikes on Ukraine that killed more than a dozen people. And one of those missiles landed in Poland.

According to a joint report by Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters, the Russian attacks were widespread, including a strike on the city of Lviv, which led neighboring Poland to scramble fighter jets.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, flies over Phoenix during the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Nov.