The New York Post editorial board called on President Trump to hit one of Iran’s most useful escape routes: Iraq. The May 23 opinion piece argues Tehran is using Iraq as a corridor for trade, cash flow, and sanctions evasion while its economy is already under heavy strain. The board wants Washington to target logistics routes, front companies, and cross-border commerce tied to the regime. The point is direct.

Partial sanctions enforcement lets Iran keep moving money, fuel, and goods through side doors while claiming pressure from Washington is failing.

This matters because Iran does not need a perfect economy to fund terror proxies. It needs reliable channels. If Iraq functions as Tehran’s back door, every weak inspection point, every fake company, and every tolerated border route becomes oxygen for the regime. The media treats sanctions like a policy press release.

They are not. Sanctions are only as strong as the follow-through, and Iran has spent years learning how to survive around them. Trump’s opportunity is timing. A strained regime can be forced into harder choices if its dependable revenue lines get cut at the same time.

Watch whether Treasury, State, and border enforcement partners move from warning letters to named targets, asset freezes, and shipment disruptions.

U.S. and Chinese officials used APEC events to show how far apart the two sides remain after President Trump’s Beijing summit with Xi Jinping. Washington kept tariffs on the table and focused on market access, supply chain security, and enforcement. Beijing attacked U.S. export controls and investment limits while defending its state-run industrial model. The media wants a handshake story, but businesses need the real one: tariffs and tech restrictions are now part of national security policy, not just trade theater.

A formal petition is asking the U.S. government to restrict Chinese seafood imports tied to shark finning and shark product trafficking. The filing targets China’s distant water fleet and the supply chains that can mix legal seafood with banned shark products. If agencies act, importers could face shipment holds, tougher paperwork, and higher compliance costs.

This is bigger than seafood. It is another test of whether America will punish China when Beijing profits from dirty supply chains.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered the 2026 commencement address at West Point in his first official visit to the U.S. Military Academy since taking office. The Department of War confirmed the visit in a Friday advisory, and the Washington Examiner streamed the speech live. This stage matters. West Point graduates are entering the Army’s leadership pipeline, and the message they hear from the War Secretary shapes standards, readiness, and the culture they carry into the force.

TechCrunch claims Elon Musk has cooled on Earth-based solar as xAI and SpaceX scale AI and space infrastructure. The report says xAI is leaning on natural gas to power AI training runs, while SpaceX is focused on orbital data centers. No public Musk statement in the summary confirms a formal end to solar plans.

Still, the bigger point is obvious. AI needs power now, and slogans do not keep data centers running when the grid is maxed out.

Rep. David Valadao is back in a toss-up fight for his Central Valley seat covering parts of Bakersfield. He is the last House Republican still serving who voted to impeach President Trump. Democrats see the district as a prime California pickup and are lining up money and messaging to flip it. House control can turn on races exactly like this, and Valadao’s vote still hangs over every campaign he runs.

I keep coming back to one theme today: pressure points. Iran has Iraq, China has supply chains, AI has electricity, and House Democrats have California targets. The side that identifies the pressure point first usually controls the next move.

You should watch where enforcement actually lands, not where politicians hold press conferences.

I’ll be watching the enforcement side, the money side, and the races that decide House control. Hit reply with what's on your radar. - full archive at projectlibertyus.com.

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