“14 Acres of Sovereign U.S. Territory”

I thought I would get an update on US assets in the Persian Gulf. Mostly just so I could embed this tweet. 

Combined, the three flattops represent roughly 14 acres of sovereign U.S. territory that can be positioned anywhere around the world within weeks, and embark 27 squadrons of more than 200 aircraft. The nine guided-missile destroyers are equipped with 846 VLS tubes and loaded with… https://t.co/ELX1Yjcha7

— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) April 26, 2026

If you can’t read the whole thing, here it is:

“Combined, the three flattops represent roughly 14 acres of sovereign U.S. territory that can be positioned anywhere around the world within weeks, and embark 27 squadrons of more than 200 aircraft. The nine guided-missile destroyers are equipped with 846 VLS tubes and loaded with a mix of offensive and defensive missiles. The undersea escorts – at least three, if not more, fast-attack subs – provide additional VLS capacity, among many other capabilities.“

That is a lot fire power. If you are not following Ian Ellis on X, you are doing it wrong.

And for one more update, I thought I would share the latest episode of What’s Going on With Shipping, where Sal discusses how effective the US embargo on Iran has been. In short, yes, it has been effective. They are not necessarily boarding every ship, more like herding them into specific locations. What really strikes me is how many vessels there are that are ‘false-flagged’ or stateless. The dark fleet is way larger than anything I had imagined. 

How Effective is the US Blockade Against Iran?

1⃣Intercepting Foreign Tankers
2⃣The Storage Crisis: Iran’s Oil Well Pressure
3⃣The Blockade Biting Hard
4⃣Kettled & Drifting: Tankers Under Surveillance
5⃣The Impact on the Iranian Economy pic.twitter.com/1bPngdBnH4

— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴‍☠️ (@mercoglianos) April 26, 2026

Just in case you can’t watch the video in the Tweet, here is the YouTube channel that you should definitely follow.

So what’s next? I don’t know, but there is this.

🚨 I THINK WE’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE… SO WE PROBABLY KNOW WHAT’S COMING NEXT

The U.S. Air Force airbridge into the Middle East ran at full intensity overnight, with increased traffic flowing into bases across the UAE and Qatar.

This isn’t routine logistics. This is… pic.twitter.com/m7mlkZoN5y

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) April 27, 2026