by Tyler Durden

he Iran conflict is currently in an all too familiar stalemate, and many of the same statements are being regurgitated from each side - but this does indicate that negotiations have not yet entirely collapsed.

Tehran is still apparently reviewing a Trump administration counterproposal to last week's Iranian seven day ceasefire pitch (which Trump had promptly rejected). Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had confirmed Wednesday the reception of an official US response through mediators.

President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday proclaimed Iran "has never avoided" dialogue with the United States despite being attacked three times when negotiations were happening. Still, the Iranians have frequently emphasized they do not trust President Trump.

As for the US President, Trump has just reiterated to TIME that he may be escalating attacks on Iran after the November midterms if an acceptable deal can't be reached.

"Because by annihilating Iran, we’ve created peace in the world," he said. "With Iran, I don’t think you could ever have peace."

At this point it is hard to keep track of just how many times he has proclaimed 'annihilating' Iran. Of course, if Iran has been annihilated, one wonders why Washington still sees it as a threat. The TIME interview has some interesting lines:

Claire's Observations:  It is very hard right now, to fault the Iranian government for its absence of trust in Trump and this administration.

Bombing WHILE negotiations are being held, which Trump did?!?  One big, tacky, hairy no-no, not to mention the bombing of a school full of little girls at the beginning for the campaign.

And folks, I hope I am absolutely dead wrong; but were I a betting person (which I am absolutely not) I would bet on something very big happening this month regarding Iran.  Here's why.

First, Polls on Israel's elections, to be held on the 27th of this month, indicate that Benjamin Netanyahu's party , Likud, is in trouble in attempting to achieve a majority for the Knesset, their Parliament, which determines who the next Prime Minister will be.

Please remember:  this war has not at all achieved Israel's two main "justifications" for starting it with the US;  regime change in Tehran, and the destruction of Iran's nuclear program.

What Netanyahu may be willing to do to accomplish this, including nuking Tehran, (where many Iranian Jews still live, BTW),  I don't know; but he's not beyond doing this, that's for certain. 

And we have absolutely zero idea if Israel, like the US, has a "two person rule" for deciding that a nuclear bomb will be used, because of Israel's policy of "nuclear ambiguity".  

Then, we have the US government, where those who foresaw just how well prepared Iran was to fight intelligently; cheaply; and for a very, very long time, got sidelined and shut out, in favour of cheer-leaders for the war (lead, of course, by Benyamin Netanyahu himself).  President Trump was assured that this was going to be "a cakewalk", with the Iranian government and military folding.

They didn't fold, and in terms of skirmishes with USrael forces, absolutely "punched above their weight" consistently.

Because of this, the US military has had to scramble to reposition a lot of its resources into more protected spaces, to make them far less vulnerable to Iranian attack, than they were before the war began.

As to where this is all headed,  I cannot tell you. 

But right now, you've got two world leaders with elections coming up who are desperate to change the conversation about what is happening in Iran, but are unable to do so courtesy of the realities both on the ground, and in the Strait of Hormuz.

And right now, I wouldn't put it past either of them, or their teams, to look at creating a "false flag" which, for whatever reason, would have the ability to postpone or cancel elections in both countries.

Again, please;  stock up; make sure  you have the ability to filter water; and have food stored.  This is good advice generally, but right now, it may well be critical. 

And if prices  look , as my late maternal grandma was fond of saying, "Higher than a cat's back in the moonlight", go ahead and buy.  

The prices you are paying now, if  you can still get these products, will be escalating like crazy in the next couple of months.