Hopefully, it wasn't premature obsequious groveling and congratulations to D. Trump for achieving something so extraordinary that no one else before him could – settling the war conflict between Iran and Israel....

If only it were true!

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Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary-General, congratulated Donald Trump for his "decisive action" in Iran, which contributed to a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

Recent reports indicate that Trump publicly shared a private message from Rutte, in which Rutte praised Trump's decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites, stating it was "truly extraordinary" and made everyone safer. This message was sent as Trump was en route to the Netherlands for a NATO summit.

It's important to note that while the ceasefire was announced, there have been reports of violations by both sides, and Trump himself has expressed dissatisfaction with both Israel and Iran regarding the truce.

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This strikes me as purposeful praise and preparation for the NATO summit – to instruct EU states to contribute 5% of their GDP to defense, while the US wouldn't have to contribute 5%. It also seems to be about taxing the EU, which is already happening. Essentially, it's about squeezing them dry and ultimately leaving defense to Europe, interpreting Article 5 of the NATO treaty in Trump's own way (which he's already hinted at). This would save on collective defense, sell more US-made weapons to Europe, allow the US to be safe across the ocean, focus solely on its own well-being, and engage only in conflicts from which the US stands to gain without it costing too much.

This is precisely in the spirit of the Republican philosophy: dismantle everything and extract money from every possible source, ideally for themselves, with nothing else around being important – MAGA, "America first!"

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15:20 CEST – Iran fired a ballistic missile towards northern Israel. The missile was intercepted by Israeli air defenses near the city of Afula. Iran denied responsibility.

16:05 CEST – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the launch of a cyber operation against Iranian communication networks. Shortly thereafter, power and internet outages began in Tehran.

16:30 CEST – Widespread mobile network and internet outages were reported in Tehran. Iranian media attributed this to "technical problems," but Western sources ascribed it to an Israeli cyberattack.

17:10 CEST – Sirens were activated in the Golan Heights due to a suspected drone attack. The Israeli army later stated it was a false alarm.

17:45 CEST – Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that "the situation is stabilizing" and urged both sides to exercise "maximum restraint."

The situation has not yet escalated into another direct confrontation, but the ceasefire remains very fragile.