Skip to main content
Live
THE GUARDIANSpain to introduce temporary border checks on visitors from ItalyTHE DIPLOMATThe Mecca Pact and America’s Reduced Leverage in West AsiaTHE DIPLOMATWhy the Pacific Islands Forum Should Watch Taiwan’s East CoastTHE GUARDIANJudge approves Trump effort to end South Sudan TPS protectionsTHE GUARDIANTop Ugandan footballer killed by robbers armed with paving stonesMAIL & GUARDIANIdac investigated Masemola without a complaint referralBRASIL WIREGenerals Convicted: Inside Brazil’s Historic Bolsonaro Coup Trial VerdictTHE DIPLOMATIndonesia’s President Nominates Central Bank Deputy as New GovernorTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Tehran hits back at Trump’s claim of ‘complete control’ over Hormuz and says it will stay closedTHE INDEPENDENTHuman rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUECan capitalism save Cuba's revolution?MAIL & GUARDIANThe making of Mazhar AkhterBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREIn Offering Brazil’s Future to the US, Flávio Bolsonaro Endangers our Sovereignty and DemocracyLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEDonald Trump's Latin American proconsulsMAIL & GUARDIANANC mayoral hopefuls sent back to school before 2026 electionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhat France's far right has learned from Israel's apartheid systemTHE DIPLOMATSymbolic Concessions, No Implementation: Myanmar’s Promises of Rohingya RepatriationTHE INDEPENDENTBipartisan group looks to overhaul Social Security and help save it from financial ruinMAIL & GUARDIANOur greatest brand threat wears our coloursBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhite Australia's ‘unprecedented act of racism'?THE GUARDIANEbola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials sayTHE GUARDIANUS to shut five consulates as critics fear China could fill diplomatic vacuumBRASIL WIREBolsoMaster: Bolsonaro Ties to Brazil’s Biggest Banking Fraud in History ExposedTHE DIPLOMATReclaiming the Backyard: ASEAN’s Realpolitik Push on MyanmarTHE INDEPENDENTCBS delivers update on Tony Romo after his OWI arrestLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhen the world took Ethiopia's sideMAIL & GUARDIANThe tender that gobbled up Rand West CityTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv sends new proposals to Trump’s negotiators for plan to end conflict, says ZelenskyTHE GUARDIANSpain to introduce temporary border checks on visitors from ItalyTHE DIPLOMATThe Mecca Pact and America’s Reduced Leverage in West AsiaTHE DIPLOMATWhy the Pacific Islands Forum Should Watch Taiwan’s East CoastTHE GUARDIANJudge approves Trump effort to end South Sudan TPS protectionsTHE GUARDIANTop Ugandan footballer killed by robbers armed with paving stonesMAIL & GUARDIANIdac investigated Masemola without a complaint referralBRASIL WIREGenerals Convicted: Inside Brazil’s Historic Bolsonaro Coup Trial VerdictTHE DIPLOMATIndonesia’s President Nominates Central Bank Deputy as New GovernorTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Tehran hits back at Trump’s claim of ‘complete control’ over Hormuz and says it will stay closedTHE INDEPENDENTHuman rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUECan capitalism save Cuba's revolution?MAIL & GUARDIANThe making of Mazhar AkhterBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREIn Offering Brazil’s Future to the US, Flávio Bolsonaro Endangers our Sovereignty and DemocracyLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEDonald Trump's Latin American proconsulsMAIL & GUARDIANANC mayoral hopefuls sent back to school before 2026 electionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhat France's far right has learned from Israel's apartheid systemTHE DIPLOMATSymbolic Concessions, No Implementation: Myanmar’s Promises of Rohingya RepatriationTHE INDEPENDENTBipartisan group looks to overhaul Social Security and help save it from financial ruinMAIL & GUARDIANOur greatest brand threat wears our coloursBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhite Australia's ‘unprecedented act of racism'?THE GUARDIANEbola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials sayTHE GUARDIANUS to shut five consulates as critics fear China could fill diplomatic vacuumBRASIL WIREBolsoMaster: Bolsonaro Ties to Brazil’s Biggest Banking Fraud in History ExposedTHE DIPLOMATReclaiming the Backyard: ASEAN’s Realpolitik Push on MyanmarTHE INDEPENDENTCBS delivers update on Tony Romo after his OWI arrestLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhen the world took Ethiopia's sideMAIL & GUARDIANThe tender that gobbled up Rand West CityTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv sends new proposals to Trump’s negotiators for plan to end conflict, says ZelenskyTHE GUARDIANSpain to introduce temporary border checks on visitors from ItalyTHE DIPLOMATThe Mecca Pact and America’s Reduced Leverage in West AsiaTHE DIPLOMATWhy the Pacific Islands Forum Should Watch Taiwan’s East CoastTHE GUARDIANJudge approves Trump effort to end South Sudan TPS protectionsTHE GUARDIANTop Ugandan footballer killed by robbers armed with paving stonesMAIL & GUARDIANIdac investigated Masemola without a complaint referralBRASIL WIREGenerals Convicted: Inside Brazil’s Historic Bolsonaro Coup Trial VerdictTHE DIPLOMATIndonesia’s President Nominates Central Bank Deputy as New GovernorTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Tehran hits back at Trump’s claim of ‘complete control’ over Hormuz and says it will stay closedTHE INDEPENDENTHuman rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUECan capitalism save Cuba's revolution?MAIL & GUARDIANThe making of Mazhar AkhterBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREIn Offering Brazil’s Future to the US, Flávio Bolsonaro Endangers our Sovereignty and DemocracyLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEDonald Trump's Latin American proconsulsMAIL & GUARDIANANC mayoral hopefuls sent back to school before 2026 electionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhat France's far right has learned from Israel's apartheid systemTHE DIPLOMATSymbolic Concessions, No Implementation: Myanmar’s Promises of Rohingya RepatriationTHE INDEPENDENTBipartisan group looks to overhaul Social Security and help save it from financial ruinMAIL & GUARDIANOur greatest brand threat wears our coloursBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhite Australia's ‘unprecedented act of racism'?THE GUARDIANEbola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials sayTHE GUARDIANUS to shut five consulates as critics fear China could fill diplomatic vacuumBRASIL WIREBolsoMaster: Bolsonaro Ties to Brazil’s Biggest Banking Fraud in History ExposedTHE DIPLOMATReclaiming the Backyard: ASEAN’s Realpolitik Push on MyanmarTHE INDEPENDENTCBS delivers update on Tony Romo after his OWI arrestLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhen the world took Ethiopia's sideMAIL & GUARDIANThe tender that gobbled up Rand West CityTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv sends new proposals to Trump’s negotiators for plan to end conflict, says ZelenskyTHE GUARDIANSpain to introduce temporary border checks on visitors from ItalyTHE DIPLOMATThe Mecca Pact and America’s Reduced Leverage in West AsiaTHE DIPLOMATWhy the Pacific Islands Forum Should Watch Taiwan’s East CoastTHE GUARDIANJudge approves Trump effort to end South Sudan TPS protectionsTHE GUARDIANTop Ugandan footballer killed by robbers armed with paving stonesMAIL & GUARDIANIdac investigated Masemola without a complaint referralBRASIL WIREGenerals Convicted: Inside Brazil’s Historic Bolsonaro Coup Trial VerdictTHE DIPLOMATIndonesia’s President Nominates Central Bank Deputy as New GovernorTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Tehran hits back at Trump’s claim of ‘complete control’ over Hormuz and says it will stay closedTHE INDEPENDENTHuman rights groups sue Trump administration over ICC sanctionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUECan capitalism save Cuba's revolution?MAIL & GUARDIANThe making of Mazhar AkhterBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREIn Offering Brazil’s Future to the US, Flávio Bolsonaro Endangers our Sovereignty and DemocracyLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEDonald Trump's Latin American proconsulsMAIL & GUARDIANANC mayoral hopefuls sent back to school before 2026 electionsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhat France's far right has learned from Israel's apartheid systemTHE DIPLOMATSymbolic Concessions, No Implementation: Myanmar’s Promises of Rohingya RepatriationTHE INDEPENDENTBipartisan group looks to overhaul Social Security and help save it from financial ruinMAIL & GUARDIANOur greatest brand threat wears our coloursBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhite Australia's ‘unprecedented act of racism'?THE GUARDIANEbola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials sayTHE GUARDIANUS to shut five consulates as critics fear China could fill diplomatic vacuumBRASIL WIREBolsoMaster: Bolsonaro Ties to Brazil’s Biggest Banking Fraud in History ExposedTHE DIPLOMATReclaiming the Backyard: ASEAN’s Realpolitik Push on MyanmarTHE INDEPENDENTCBS delivers update on Tony Romo after his OWI arrestLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWhen the world took Ethiopia's sideMAIL & GUARDIANThe tender that gobbled up Rand West CityTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv sends new proposals to Trump’s negotiators for plan to end conflict, says Zelensky
MilitaryMar 211
IranRussiaUSA

Imperial Bankruptcy: The Failed Ledger of "Operation Epic Fury"

Imperial Bankruptcy: The Failed Ledger of "Operation Epic Fury"

The Development

As of March 21, 2026—Day 21 of the U.S.-led "Operation Epic Fury"—Washington’s strategic objectives have collapsed into a cycle of self-inflicted economic and military crises. Reports confirm that the U.S. has been forced to "unsanction" Russian and Iranian oil to prevent a global energy meltdown. Simultaneously, the Strait of Hormuz has transformed into a toll zone where vessels are reportedly paying $2 million per passage to Iranian authorities. The financial fallout is staggering: over $1 trillion has been wiped from the U.S. stock market in three weeks, while American bases across the region remain under incessant drone and missile fire.

Strategic Analysis

The failure of the "Epic Fury" doctrine marks the definitive end of the "Carrier Diplomacy" era.

• The Technological Mirage: The vaunted F-35 Lightning II has proven largely ineffective against the layered, mobile A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area-Denial) systems of the Axis, suffering from high maintenance downtime in a high-intensity theater.

• The Failure of Regime Change: Despite Western propaganda surrounding the succession in Tehran, the seamless transition to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has maintained the ideological and strategic continuity of the Islamic Republic, frustrating hopes for internal collapse.

• Economic Backfire: By weaponizing the dollar and energy sanctions, Washington has forced itself into a retreat. The "Emergency Waiver" on Iranian oil (140M barrels at sea) is a survival mechanism for the U.S. economy, not a diplomatic olive branch.

The observer’s Position

The current data proves that the U.S. is no longer a "security provider" but a source of regional and global volatility. The payment of passage fees in Hormuz is a de facto recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the waterway. Washington's military "fury" has achieved nothing but the evaporation of Western wealth and the exposure of its military-industrial limitations.

Axis of Resistance Perspective

• Iran: Views the U.S. "unsanctioning" as a surrender to market realities. Tehran continues to collect transit fees, funding its "Forward Defense" while Western economies bleed.

• Resistance Factions (Iraq & Yemen): These actors see the "constant attack" on U.S. bases as a successful attritional strategy that forces Washington to choose between a humiliating withdrawal or an unsustainable, multi-trillion dollar total war.

#EpicFury #Hormuz #OilCrisis2026 #Geopolitics #TheObserver #AxisOfResistance #F35 #MojtabaKhamenei

#al-muraqeb

Imperial Bankruptcy: The Failed Ledger of "Operation Epic Fury" | The Observer