I first picked up Toni Morrison’s novels when I was entering college, and her voice fundamentally changed my perspective on the world. This Black History Month, I reflected on the impact that her writing has had on my life.

Inside the US military playbook to cripple Iran if nuclear talks collapse If negotiations with Iran collapse, the U.S. likely is to move quickly to degrade Tehran’s military capabilities — a campaign analysts say would begin with missile systems, naval assets and command networks before escalating to more controversial targets. Negotiators are still working toward what officials describe as a preliminary framework agreement — effectively a one-page starting point for broader talks centered on Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions relief. But deep mistrust on both sides has left the process fragile, raising the stakes if diplomacy fails. "We’re not starting at zero," retired Army Lt. Col. Seth Krummrich, a former Joint Staff planner and current global risk analyst, told Fox News Digital. "We’re both starting at minus 1,000 because neither side trusts each other at all. This is going to be a pretty hard process going forward." That tension was on display Thursday, when a senior U.S. official confirmed American forces struck Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas — key locations near the Strait of Hormuz — while insisting the operation did not mark a restart of the war or the end of the ceasefire. The strike on one of Iran’s oil ports came two days after Iran launched 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at the UAE’s Fujairah Port, drawing anger from Gulf allies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said earlier this week the attack did not rise to the level of breaking the ceasefire, describing it as a low-level strike. President Donald Trump repeatedly has warned that if negotiations collapse, the U.S. could resume bombing Iran — even signaling before the recent ceasefire was implemented that Washington could target the country’s energy infrastructure and key economic assets. But any escalation would likely unfold in phases, beginning with efforts to dismantle Iran’s ability to project force across the region before expanding to more controversial targets.

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Open-source and U.S. intelligence reporting indicate Iran retains sufficient asymmetric assets (mines, drones, fast attack craft) to disrupt commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz despite recent degradation of larger naval and missile platforms. CIA assessments assess Tehran can sustain a naval blockade for 90-120 days using stockpiles and smuggling networks. Current incidents show continued IRGC capacity of harassment of U.S. warships.

CIA SAYS IRAN CAN OUTLAST HORMUZ BLOCKADE FOR MONTHS – WAPO A confidential U.S. intelligence assessment says Iran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for 90–120 days, and possibly longer, according to multiple officials cited by The Washington Post. The report also finds Iran still retains much of its missile and drone arsenal despite sustained U.S. and Israeli strikes, suggesting its military capacity remains significant. While the White House claims the blockade is causing severe economic damage, the assessment concludes Tehran has enough resilience and workarounds—such as oil stockpiles and alternative smuggling routes—to avoid immediate collapse.

JUST NOW: In a stunning move, U.S. forces disabled the Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it ignored warnings and tried to breach the naval blockade. An F/A-18 from the USS Abraham Lincoln used 20mm cannon fire to disable its rudder.