Baghdad Gets Hit with Rockets Again — Liepāja Hasn't Had Such Problems Since the Grobiņa War

The US embassy in Baghdad received an unexpected visit from Iranian friends on Tuesday, who decided to remind everyone of their presence with the help of rockets. This is already the second such incident since late February, which is about as regular as winter storms in Liepāja.

Black smoke rose above the diplomatic mission, which, unlike the smoke from Liepāja port, wasn't from ship fuel. "We never have such problems here," says Aina, a Liepāja museum employee. "Our history is really interesting, but it's at a safe distance in the past, not falling from the sky."

The situation in the Middle East is like a bad movie — everyone's throwing stuff at each other, oil prices jump up like a thermometer in summer heat, but the result is zero. Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, the US promises to escort tankers, but in reality everyone's just trying to figure out who's actually to blame here.

While they're fighting over who controls oil flows, life in Liepāja continues peacefully. Our biggest problem is whether the tram runs on time, not whether someone will throw rockets at the city center. And that's already a great achievement.