Take a pot Rach, you will feel better
Nah, waiting for the tariff effects to take hold, something like 90K Canadian jobs on the line already. Carney thinks he can wait, then make a deal, then claim how he stood up to America for political clout. By Thanksgiving Day there will be much sadness in Ottawa
aka "Friday Night"
The race is on to see which economy collapses completely first, Iran or Canada
I also want to see how the Alberta Independence thing goes through in October
Iran Urges Countries Not to Implement New U.S. Sanctions as Mediators Focus on Reopening Strait
By Yasmine Ghania and Ahmed Tolba Reuters August 28, 2026
DUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Iran condemned the United States’ new economic sanctions on Friday as “state terrorism,” while its supreme leader said he was banning acts that could harm “social cohesion” amid concern that more financial pain could spark unrest at home.
With the war now at the six-month mark, and negotiations at an impasse, President Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up efforts to cripple Iran financially, with what it has billed an “economic D-Day.”
The sanctions drive compounds the toll of the war on Iran’s economy, where annual inflation hit 66% last month. The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz remains the conflict’s biggest unresolved flashpoint.
Washington has warned countries to cut their business ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions, though the Treasury Department stopped short of actually imposing penalties.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that all countries were obligated under international law to refrain from implementing U.S. sanctions against Tehran, adding that participation in them amounted to complicity in imposing one state’s unlawful will on independent states.
It branded the new U.S. measures a “crime against humanity” that put the health and livelihood of millions of civilians at serious risk, and called on other nations and United Nations bodies to uphold the rule of law.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured and has not been seen publicly since the February 28 attack that killed his father, said in a written statement on Friday that he had banned officials from “committing anything that harms social cohesion.”
He urged authorities to avoid any “discouraging statements that weaken national and public motivation,” amid concern among Iran’s leaders that more financial pressure on its war-battered economy could trigger protests.
Khamenei urged the government to seriously address economic and livelihood challenges, including inflation, unemployment, prices and the management of markets for goods and services.
NEW MEASURES TARGET EGYPTIAN BANK
Later on Friday, a U.S. official told Reuters the Trump administration plans to impose limits on Egypt’s Banque Misr United Arab Emirates branches for doing business with Tehran.
The official said the proposed rule, if finalized, would withdraw Banque Misr UAE’s ability to process transactions through U.S. financial institutions.
Treasury officials separately issued sanctions targeting one entity based in Hong Kong and one person linked to Iran’s Bank Melli, according to a notice posted on the department’s website.
With the U.S. focused on its economic pressure campaign, others have sought to revive diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Mediators have pushed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which handled 20% of world oil supplies before the war began six months ago and whose status remains the biggest obstacle to a peace deal.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he had stressed during talks with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Thursday the importance of returning to the pre-war status of open shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
‘PRESSURE DOESN’T WORK,’ IRAN TELLS US
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Friday described the talks with Al Thani as “creative,” and he renewed his appeal to the U.S. to stop putting military and economic pressure on his country and to resume negotiations.
“Putting diplomacy back on track isn’t impossible. It hinges on U.S. understanding of one simple fact: pressure doesn’t work,” Araqchi said on X.
Qatar, a U.S. ally, and Pakistan helped broker a memorandum of understanding in June that led to a ceasefire but that quickly unraveled due to disagreements between Iran and the U.S. over the Strait of Hormuz.
IRANIAN LEVERAGE
After the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28, Iran threatened to strike any vessel transiting the strait without its authorisation, driving down traffic and sending up the price of oil.
The U.S. insists that the strait remain an open international waterway.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Thursday Iran was preparing a list of conditions for reopening the strait. In the past Iran’s conditions have included an end to the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, compensation and removal of sanctions.
U.S. military commanders say American forces have cleared sea mines from the strait that had been laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Trump has repeatedly said the strait is open, but many vessels have opted against sailing through it because of Iranian threats, and ship tracking services have estimated activity at roughly 5% to 15% of normal volumes.
Preliminary shipping data released on Friday showed that only seven commodity vessels had transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, down from 17 a day earlier and below the 10-day average of 15.
However, oil prices fell on Friday and were on track for a weekly drop, amid what analysts said were signs that more oil was flowing through the strait despite the diplomatic stalemate and that producers were increasingly adapting to the new realities in the Gulf region.
https://gcaptain.com/iran-urges-countries-not-to-implement-new-u-s-sanctions-as-mediators-focus-on-reopening-strait/
MARAD Activates SUNY Maritime Training Ship Empire State VII for Undisclosed National Mission
Mike Schuler August 28, 2026
The U.S. Maritime Administration is preparing to activate SUNY Maritime College’s training ship Empire State VII for a federal mission expected to last approximately 170 days, potentially taking the vessel away from the academy for much of the coming academic year.
SUNY Maritime President Rear Admiral John A. Okon announced Friday that he had received a decision memorandum from Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel outlining plans to terminate the ship’s current assignment to the college and prepare it for federal service beginning around September 1.
The nature and destination of the mission have not been officially disclosed.
The activation comes amid heightened U.S. military logistics requirements connected to operations in the Middle East, including the ongoing conflict with Iran. Unconfirmed reports have suggested Empire State VII could be used to support logistics operations involving Diego Garcia, the strategically important U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean.
gCaptain has not independently confirmed those details.
“There is still much that we do not know, but over the next week our obligation is to prepare the vessel for federal use and remain focused on our efforts on what we do every day: educate and develop the next generation of maritime leaders,” Okon wrote.
The move would mark the first activation of a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, which were specifically designed to give the federal government a modern fleet capable of serving both as maritime academy training ships and national response assets.
Empire State VII was delivered to MARAD in September 2023 and assigned to SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx as the first of five new NSMVs built for the nation’s state maritime academies.
The ships are owned by the federal government rather than the academies.
While their primary mission is training future U.S. Merchant Marine officers, the vessels were designed with extensive capabilities for humanitarian assistance, disaster response and other national emergencies.
Each NSMV can accommodate up to 600 cadets during training missions and as many as 1,000 people during emergency operations. They are equipped with hospital facilities, a helicopter landing pad, roll-on/roll-off ramps and container capacity, allowing them to transport personnel, vehicles and relief supplies without relying on fully developed port infrastructure.
The approximately 170-day activation would represent a considerably longer federal deployment than the short-term disaster response missions historically performed by maritime academy training ships.
It would also leave SUNY Maritime without its primary training vessel for an extended period.
Okon acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the deployment while saying the college would work to minimize its impact on students.
“What we do know is that we will face whatever comes next together, with our students first and our mission always at the forefront,” he wrote.
“I know this message is likely to cause anxiety and stress,” Okon added, pointing students toward Student Affairs and reminding faculty and staff of available employee assistance resources.
SUNY Maritime has previously supported federal emergency operations with its training ships, including responses to Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey and Sandy.
The NSMV program was conceived in part because the aging vessels previously assigned to the state maritime academies were increasingly difficult to maintain and lacked many of the capabilities needed for modern emergency response.
Philly Shipyard was selected to build all five vessels under a vessel construction management program overseen by TOTE Services.
The first ship, Empire State VII, arrived at SUNY Maritime in September 2023. Subsequent NSMVs have been assigned to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Maine Maritime Academy and Texas A&M Maritime Academy, with the fifth vessel intended for California’s maritime academy.
If Empire State VII enters federal service around September 1 as indicated, a 170-day mission would extend into approximately February 2027.
Neither MARAD nor SUNY Maritime has publicly disclosed where the ship will operate or what specific federal mission it will perform.
https://gcaptain.com/marad-activates-suny-maritime-training-ship-empire-state-vii-for-undisclosed-national-mission/