Summary

We have reached the point where the Democrats and the media are trying to convince the public that the military and Trump were unaware that the Strait of Hormuz was a strategic chokepoint, vulnerable to Iranian attack. Newsflash: the US military can read maps, and Trump has spoken about the importance of the Strait since the turn of the century. The media and Democrats are desperate to portray what is, legitimately, the most successful military operation in modern history as a chaotic, strategy-free, and failing war that Iran is winning. 🚨BREAKING: Mossad’s Farsi account just confirmed that all Basij terrorists are now potential targets in Iran, whether on the street or in their homes.— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) March 13, 2026 The Basij terrorists are now being HUNTED DOWN. pic.twitter.com/p5bWJPUzjY Tactically, the operation has gone almost flawlessly. Strategically? We won't know for weeks or months when the dust settles. Compared to prior military operations, perhaps the only one that has excelled the metrics of success is the capture of Maduro, which was executed flawlessly and achieved strategic success. Venezuela was fundamentally transformed in a night, and is now bending over backward to please us. Not to mention that it has triggered the imminent collapse of the Cuban regime. 🚨 Basij checkpoint in Tehran struck— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 14, 2026 A Basij regime checkpoint in Tehran was hit in an aerial strike. The Basij militia is used by the Iranian regime to control neighborhoods and suppress protests. Reports suggest local intelligence helped pinpoint the target. Stay connected,… pic.twitter.com/EiIAHZs5DR The military strikes taking place now have all been preparation for a new phase in the war that is unfolding as we speak, and the one intended to achieve the strategic objective of the war. Nobody at the top levels of the government here or in Israel expected that bombing of the military sites alone would achieve the political objective. Those attacks are vital to achieving the mission, but not the mission itself. https://t.co/Crav9n1uMP— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) March 13, 2026 🚨 BASIJ MILITIAS UNDER HEAVY ATTACK ACROSS IRAN Reports are emerging of multiple new attacks targeting Basij militia units, the street-level enforcers used by Iran’s Islamic regime to police neighbourhoods and suppress dissent. Several checkpoints and… pic.twitter.com/ipO6neEuno 🚨 BASIJ MILITIAS UNDER HEAVY ATTACK ACROSS IRAN Reports are emerging of multiple new attacks targeting Basij militia units, the street-level enforcers used by Iran’s Islamic regime to police neighbourhoods and suppress dissent. Several checkpoints and militia positions are said to have been hit overnight, continuing a pattern of strikes against the regime’s internal security network. The Basij have long served as the front line of the dictatorship’s control on the streets — running checkpoints, monitoring civilians, and crushing protests. Now those same units appear to be coming under sustained and systematic attack. If the reports continue to mount, it could signal a serious weakening of the regime’s ability to control the streets inside Iran. The mission is regime change, but not necessarily in the sense of eliminating Iran's government. In fact, I suspect that the hope is to keep much of the government structure in Iran intact to speed economic recovery. What does that mean? How can a regime change but the government remain largely intact? 🚨 An IRGC forces station has been obliterated - all that remains are the regime’s notorious helmets scattered in the rubble.— The Iran Watcher 🇮🇷 (@TheIranWatcher) March 14, 2026 The base was located in Abdanan, a city that witnessed some of the most intense and tragic clashes during the January protests, when IRGC forces brutally… pic.twitter.com/uVVQpbDtpa To understand that, you have to understand that Iran's government is a tool of the regime, but not the regime itself. In some cases, that is obvious: the IRGC and the Basij are parallel institutions to the army and the police. The former exist to enforce regime preservation, while the latter are organs of power little different from those in any other state. Message from an Iranian— أحمد خليفة (@_A_khalifa) March 14, 2026 regime officer: They’re cursing everything now. Salaries slashed, guy’s actually considering selling his kidney just to survive !! This is the reality for the mullahs’ security forces! The regime is collapsing soon!! pic.twitter.com/tJxJ0XC4oT The Iranian police exist to deal with crime; the Basij to keep people under control. Tehran. March 12.— 🇮🇷Decado🇮🇷 (@ItsDecado) March 14, 2026 Watch this video. These are the regime's heavily armed thugs manning a street checkpoint, absolutely scattering the second an Israeli precision drone locks onto them. For decades, these terrorists have sold themselves to the world as the fearless 'lovers of… pic.twitter.com/sYBERvWYzc The biggest targets in this new phase of the war will be Iran's organs of internal control—the people who shoot protesters when they mass in the streets—and its financial and economic lifelines. BREAKING NEWS: #morningjoe has learned that the UAE has frozen billions of dollars in Iranian assets. The move will likely have crippling effects on an already weakened Iranian economy. https://t.co/Da41RisQqY— Joe Scarborough (@ScarboroughNow) March 6, 2026 Both are now being executed. Iran's financial lifeline in the UAE and Qatar is being severed, and the destruction of Iran's ability to defend Kharg Island is, as Duane argued, a checkmate. Oil is the lifeblood of the Iranian regime, and the United States now has a knife directly at the jugular. NEW: Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah, urges Iran’s youth and members of the “Eternal Guard” to target the Islamic Republic’s repressive apparatus with “smart, effective strikes,” calling it a path toward the regime’s ultimate collapse, while stressing he is not calling for street… https://t.co/PyjO4zhVPY— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) March 14, 2026 Iranians are being encouraged to wait before they revolt, not to take to the streets yet. The decapitation of the Basij is vital to the success of a revolt. Failure to do so would just be throwing Iranians into a meat grinder. Do these guys really look like they don’t have a plan for the Straits of Hormuz? https://t.co/UcRQvelMvf— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) March 14, 2026 We may be a good number of moves on the chessboard before the King is toppled, but it's hard to see how that result can be avoided. The bigger question is what comes next for Iran; strategic victory will only be achieved if we can replace the regime without destroying the governmental functions necessary for society to rebuild. Let me explain why this bogus report is bogus.— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) March 14, 2026 1. Go look at a map of the Persian Gulf region. 2. See that tiny sea chokepoint on the map that could easily stop sea traffic if controlled by a hostile force? 3. The guys fighting the war know how to read maps too. Yes, I know… https://t.co/oqnkaj9HVM Let me explain why this bogus report is bogus. 1. Go look at a map of the Persian Gulf region. 2. See that tiny sea chokepoint on the map that could easily stop sea traffic if controlled by a hostile force? 3. The guys fighting the war know how to read maps too. Yes, I know that sounds like a grossly simplified explanation. But it's not. It's the actual truth. Military planners have understood the challenge of the Strait of Hormuz since Portugal seized the strait in 1507. Nobody wants another Libya. But all the doom and gloom from the media and Democrats is not that they misunderstand the strategy—they may or may not—but because they are rooting for American defeat. That's not an idle accusation; it is glaringly obvious. Even as Iran has been "pummeled" by Israeli and American air strikes, with its military capabilities greatly diminished, Tehran continues to demonstrate resolve, both in adapting and expanding its military tactics, observers told ABC News. https://t.co/0eeSNNdBss— ABC News (@ABC) March 13, 2026 We are bombarded by criticism and negative takes. Now obviously the media should report bad news, but it should also report good news, and its analyses should not be solely focused on proving that Donald Trump is a madman, Hegseth is an idiot, and Dan Caine is a moron who can't read a map, or, for that matter, review 50 years of war plans for the Gulf. None of those things is true. And, more importantly, the coverage leaves most Americans anti-informed about the war. Most of the U.S. media, as exemplified here by ABC News, has a rooting interest in the war with Iran, and it’s not on the side of their own country.— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) March 14, 2026 This isn’t even neutral reporting. They actively pull for Iran like it’s a plucky, lovable underdog. https://t.co/WYs9qHVFIn It has been two weeks, with the war plan being executed ahead of schedule. Yet the media is pretending that the failure to have completed the war by now is proof of failure. We bombed Iraqi troops three times as long in the first Gulf War before the first tanks moved into Iraq, and that was one of the most successful wars in human history. The Democrats and Pravda want Trump to fail, even if it means that America fails. That is their sole interest as far as I can tell. They will fight against feeding our troops, for God's sake. Hegseth's DOD needed to spend the money to keep their current funding moving forward ... and he signed off on $6.9 million for lobster tail, $2 million for Alaskan king crab, $15.1 million for ribeye steak, $1 million for salmon, almost $140K for donuts, and $124K for ice cream… pic.twitter.com/RamwZ1tTYl— TMZ (@TMZ) March 10, 2026 I can't say that the war will end as we want, but I can confidently say that it is going far better than we have a right to expect, and that there is a brilliant strategy behind it. Brilliant strategies don't guarantee success, of course. But it's clear that the media wants to force an end to the war before we can find out if the goal is achieved. Enemies of the people. UPDATE: Iran opens Strait of Hormuz to all traffic from countries other than US or Israel, which is basically all traffic. Less than 2.5% of that traffic comes to the US.— US Oil & Gas Association (@US_OGA) March 14, 2026 So basically everyone. That was fast. But you not getting your island back just yet. https://t.co/oKbPC2x0rv Editor's note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you want to join the conversation in the comments -- and support independent platforms -- why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!