Alastair Crooke
A market downturn in the U.S. - exacerbated by an energy crisis - could spell disaster for Trump's midterm hopes.
When the U.S. Navy, in co-ordination with Qatar and Oman, tried to slip a convoy of four vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, via Omani waters, on Tuesday night - rather than pass via Iran's officially approved route - Trump may have imagined (or been told) that with the massive funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei under way, that Iran would not react as the U.S.