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As discussed before, Trump the Conqueror appears to have bought off the President of Panama. Remember all the threats by Trump the Conqueror, because a Chinese company had the contracts to operate the ports at both ends of the Canal? Then the Panamanian government took the Chinese company into Panamanian court charging breech of contract. The Panamanian court found for the Panamanian government (cue Gomer Pyle "surprise, surprise, surprise") The government temporarily assigned operation of the ports to a European company.

The Trump regime's tentacles start to work, and presto:

Trump Sparks Crisis in the World’s Other Vital Strait

The fuel squeeze caused by “Operation Epic Fury,” now in its eighth week, means that the price for companies to use the busiest shipping lanes in the strait in Panama now averages $837,500, according to data compiled by Argus Media.

This has caused freight to divert to the Panama Canal, where most ships pass through the Panamax locks, and prices have increased because of the war. “About 70 percent of vessels that transit the Panama Canal use the original Panamax locks, which have seen auction prices jump almost 10-fold since the Iran war began and closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Ross Griffith, head of Americas freight pricing at Argus, said.

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/finance/markets/co...

I wonder how much of the take Trump the Conqueror has cut himself in for?

And, as we discussed, I suspect Trump the Conqueror's moves to establish a presence in Indonesia are intended to extort more loot from ships in the Malacca Strait.

Because Trump the Conqueror knows extortion.

Steve

Remember all the threats by Trump the Conqueror, because a Chinese company had the contracts to operate the ports at both ends of the Canal?

Here's something of a time line wrt the Canal.

February 27, 2026

Panama’s comptroller announced it was starting an audit of the Panama Ports Co. concession on Jan. 20, 2025 the day of Trump’s inauguration. Two weeks later, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived and made clear that a Chinese company operating the ports was unacceptable to Washington. He suggested that China could obstruct canal traffic if it wanted to.

On July 30, 2025, the comptroller said he was filing a complaint with the Supreme Court asking that the concession be found unconstitutional. The court announced its decision finding it was unconstitutional at the end of January 2026.

The government’s seizure of the ports this week set off another round of objections. Mulino said it was necessary to ensure their continuing operation and to determine their real value.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/2-panama-canal-p...

Recall, Maduro was snatched on January 3. The Panamanian President sees what happens to heads of state that don't "play ball" with the US regime. The Panamanian court rules on January 29.

The US State Department is pleased.

Nations Support Panamanian Rule of Law

The undersigned nations take note of Panama’s Supreme Court decision to declare CK Hutchison’s concession of the Balboa and Cristobal ports unconstitutional. We respect the ruling as residing squarely within the purview of Panama’s independent judicial system, which upholds the rule of law and demonstrates Panama’s status as a mature democracy.

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spoke...

Then, the Panamanian government ordered the seizure of the ports on February 23rd, handing over operations to Maersk and MSC.

With the head of the Venezuelan regime, and operations of the Canal, in his pocket, Trump the Conqueror started bombing Iran on Feb 28, drawing the inevitable closure of Hormuz, making the operations in Venezuela and Panama, quickly, and richly, pay off.

17D chess in operation.

Steve

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