Hands off Iran!

Iran substitute 'The US'.

when are "we" going after the saudis anyway? i mean, that really actually is where al-quaeda is from, and it's a dictatorship with a bad human rights record, what am i missing here?

And they did such a good job when they tried that with the EU.
Hey, Brain! What are we going to do today? - The same thing we do every day, Pinky.

1. 'Iran's... government... poses a big problem for the United States and should be replaced, lawmakers said Sunday.'

2. South Korea's government poses a big problem for North Korea and should be replaced, Kim Jong-il said Sunday.

3. Britain is a 'failed state' living in the shadow of the US and would be better administered from Berlin, said Chancellor Schroeder yesterday.

4. The government of Greenland is out of touch with the wishes of the people and will be replaced at the next general election, said the people of Greenland.

That's right, it's 4 which is hopelessly idealistic and out of touch with present realities.

if anything the white house line in that slate article is MORE muted and LESS firebreathing, esp.given the scale of the victory being claimed in iraq (ie it actually — slightly — reflects acknowledgment of the difficulties ahead) (ok perhaps that's reading a lot into "that's hard", but the fact that they've stepped back from "we can now do anything" is a step AWAY from yr worst case, isn't it?)

What's so disheartening is that even the Democratic position is so far right:

'Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., a Democratic presidential hopeful who strongly backed the Iraq war, said "regime change" is the answer in Iran. He said he was not suggesting U.S. military action because of the pro-American attitudes of many Iranians.'

Which seems to imply that the fact that Iranians are not 100% anti-American is the only thing keeping the tanks from rolling into Teheran.

? I'm not spotting your connection, especially since that involved a sitting Democratic president.

The U.S. tiptoes around the Saudis because they have oil.

(Insert Louie Armstrong song chorus here, with extreme sarcasm.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35772-2003May24.html

"It worked so well in Latin America":

In an interview in February with the Los Angeles Times, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage drew a distinction between the confrontational approach the administration had taken with Iraq and North Korea and the approach it had adopted with Iran. "The axis of evil was a valid comment, [but] I would note there's one dramatic difference between Iran and the other two axes of evil, and that would be its democracy. [And] you approach a democracy differently," Armitage said.

At one of the meetings, in early January, the United States signaled that it would target the Iraq-based camps of the Mujaheddin-e Khalq (MEK), or People's Mujaheddin, a major group opposing the Iranian government.

The MEK soon became caught up in the policy struggle between the State Department and the Pentagon.

After the camps were bombed, the U.S. military arranged a cease-fire with the group, infuriating the Iranians. Some Pentagon officials, impressed by the military discipline and equipment of the thousands of MEK troops, began to envision them as a potential military force for use against Tehran, much like the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.

But the MEK is also listed as a terrorist organization by the State Department. Under pressure from State, the White House earlier this month ordered the Pentagon to disarm the MEK troops -- a decision that was secretly conveyed by U.S. officials to Iranian representatives at a meeting in Geneva on May 3.

The MEK is considered a terrorist organisation by the (merely conservative) State department and a group of Northern-Alliance-like freedom fighters by the (ultra-hawk) Pentagon. Their camps are bombed during the Iraq war, but then a truce is made with them. But this infuriates the Iran government and pushes the Iranian state ever-faster towards nuclear armament (because it's clear that's the only way not to be invaded, see N. Korea).

Meanwhile the White House orders the Pentagon to disarm the MEK (perhaps to start their make-over into legitimate democracy campaigners in Iran), effectively splitting the group into two factions: 'politicians' who seek legitimacy and 'guerillas' with a bloody agenda. (Like the IRA, and like the GOP.) Nine days later the Saudi Arabian suicide bombings happen -- and the implication is that it's a splinter group involving the MEK guerillas who didn't believe in becoming a tool for US overt/covert operations against Tehran.

there's some complicated conspiracy theory that somehow involves Bush I and Reagan in some ploy to prevent the release of the hostages before the 1980 election. I cannot remember how credible it is.

Momus - the statement that Joe Lieberman represents the "Democratic position" is either ignorant or disingenuous.

Iran has made its doctrine very clear during this war. If the U.S. and Israel hit Iranian power plants and refineries, Iran will hit similar targets across the region. That will be devastating for regional economies and will create major new disruptions for the global economy. The White House and CENTCOM know this—it would be genuinely insane to escalate the war in this manner.

Consequently, if the U.S. proceeds with these strikes over the weekend, it will be because they expect they can hit Iran without triggering a commensurate response. The only way that happens is if they make clear to the Iranians that this will be the last strike of the war. Trump might need to repeat Midnight Hammer—one big operation that allows him to bring the war to an end while declaring himself the victor.

If that's what it takes for Trump to walk away from the conflict, Iran might be willing to absorb a limited strike on some carefully chosen energy sector targets before undertaking a proportional response. We then get Trump declaring he is done and diplomacy resumes, with the U.S. fully subcontracting the negotiations to regional countries, who will set the agenda with Iran.

It's time for Trump to cut his losses and walk away.

Commentary on reports the US is planning to hit civilian energy infrastructure this weekend, before markets open on Monday.

Of course Iran could hit civilian infrastructure in the middle east. If so, this could be a major escalation.

If the past is any guide Trump won't meekly chicken out until the bond market gives him a stern rebuke. /lookingforawayoutofthis

The Iran war is a redistribution machine: Big oil profits have shot up to historic highs. Our research shows that 50% of fossil fuel profits go to the richest 1% in the U.S. The rich are the ultimate beneficiaries of the war windfalls. The bottom 50% claim a mere 1% of profits… pic.twitter.com/lh1XJVtEY4

— Isabella M Weber (@IsabellaMWeber) August 1, 2026

In like any other time in history governments would be reaping enormous windfall taxes out of these motherfuckers

I like to think about the time in the 2016 campaign Trump told a group of oil executives that he would give them everything they ever wanted

The Trump Administration did this Thursday night July 30

Visuals Suggest U.S. Dropped 2,000-Pound Bomb on Home in Iran, Killing 3
The weapon, one of the largest in the U.S.’s arsenal, struck a house in a heavily populated area, according to a Times analysis.

...The strike hit a densely populated neighborhood on the island, which sits in the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran, and appears to have been part of a flurry of attacks the United States said it had launched to retaliate against earlier strikes by Iran on a base used by American forces in Jordan....The Times found no indication of a military site near the family’s home or any reports of military casualties from the strike, which the Iranian authorities typically announce.

...U.S. Central Command, which announced it had struck targets in southern Iran on Thursday morning, said it was looking into the reports of civilian casualties but did not respond to questions about the intended target, the munition used or what precautions had been taken to protect civilians...

...Weapons of this size are typically used for “buildings, rail yards and lines of communication,” according to a U.S. Army office that manages ammunition for the Pentagon. Experts say they can cause serious harm to civilians when used in heavily populated areas.

Though it remains unclear who or what the intended target in the strike may have been, international humanitarian law requires combatants to weigh the expected harm to civilians against the military advantage of a strike.

...a semiofficial Iranian news agency, identified the dead as Zahra Jafari; her husband, Qeysar Jafari, a taxi driver; and their son Sina...The Jafaris’ two surviving children, Mohammad Reza and Mehdi, remained hospitalized but were in stable condition, Iranian officials said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/world/middleeast/us-iran-bomb-mk84-qeshm-island.html

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-iran-war-crimes?utm_source=Common+Dreams&utm_campaign=9680482d83-Top+News+%7C+Thur.+6%2F11%2F26_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-998917937b-601577217&mc_cid=9680482d83&mc_eid=8360fcf6bb

Human rights experts condemning the US 2,000 pound bomb attack on an Iranian taxi driver and his family in their home at 3:20 am mentioned above

Air attacks are great for committing war crimes winning wars!!.

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, July 30, 2026

The Trump Administration did this Thursday night July 30

No comment.

Iran denies Trump's assertion that talks for a deal are restarting

you don't say

lol

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vf32tdeunh3ra6nvclxhmeuo/bafkreia6ij2qgnvofpl3zzhxutpwpxixiwixov3h7jfmdsyq7whfnge5u4

hegseth getting tired of listening to all those international relations phds he employs telling him he lost

oh my God this is gonna be hilarious to see what some of the brain trust come up with

AI videos of Iran's leaders dancing to ABBA!

Creative Idea #1: go back in time and do not start war.

the only winning move is not to play iirc

Destroy the enemy by issuing witty statements from truth social

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/6/trump-vows-to-find-leakers-after-reports-of-depleted-iran-war-munitions

More reports of US munitions being depleted

its unbelievable that we dont have infinite missiles what exactly is all this more money than the rest of the world combined being spent on, crazy to even say it but im beginning to think this whole thing might be some sort of grift, a bigtime flimflam

This sidebar caught my eye:

Recommended Stories:

Why are US Republicans losing faith in War Secretary Pete Hegseth?

This raises the important question, why did US Republicans ever have any faith in Hegseth they could subsequently lose?

they like his poetry:
maximum lethality, not tepid legality

can’t imagine republican lawmakers really thought Hegseth could be good but what a world! especially when every other cabinet appointee is specifically there to wreck things and steal

looks like Iran and Oman are working out a Hormuz deal without any U.S. negotiators attending... this is probably the ultimate diss to Trump, he's just yammering at the cameras while they're actually doing the 'deal'

its unbelievable that we dont have infinite missiles what exactly is all this more money than the rest of the world combined being spent on, crazy to even say it but im beginning to think this whole thing might be some sort of grift, a bigtime flimflam

the problem is that we should have devoted more of the federal budget to the military

Trump vows to find ‘leakers’

ignore the message, destroy the messengers

tbf, in a more normal regime, publicly disclosing weaknesses in our military capabilities would be a bad idea. tbrr, trump burbles every thought that passes through his head and then claims that any classified information he happened to blab about has been "instantly declassified" by his all-wise presidential judgment.

Then fellas just ripping out the copper wiring now.

was reminded today about the 'Trump Class' battleships he's ordered built

The Trump administration’s plan for the US Navy to build its largest battleships since World War II comes with a whopping price tag of $275 billion, and US shipyards may not have the capacity to build them, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office says.

Each of the 15 nuclear-powered surface combatants will cost more than $18 billion, putting them in the range of the Navy’s Ford-class supercarriers, to date the most expensive naval vessels ever built.

As we've seen with Ukraine's chicken shoot in the Black & Azov Seas, an 1890's flotilla may not be the best use of those funds ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Them

Hey Don, the leaks are in the reflecting pool

remember Trump’s obsession with steam?

So Trump is saying we have tons of munitions and there's nothing to worry about and also he's going to punish the people who leaked the information that we don't have tons of munitions and people are worried. Got it.

remember Trump’s obsession with steam low-flow showers an 6-liter flush toilets?

I remember mama

https://media.mycomicshop.com/n_iv/600/2105228.jpg

everything going very normal and according to plan

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Joint Defense Pact

The agreement treats an attack on any of the three countries as an attack on all. Saudi Arabia has recently faced drone and missile strikes that it has blamed on Iran’s allies in Yemen and Iraq.

https://archive.ph/04cdu#selection-8053.0-8057.194

there goes Israel’s “Turkey is next” ambitions

The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States met certain conditions.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a statement carried by state media laying out multiple requirements for reopening the strait. He called for the United States to lift its naval blockade and sanctions on Iran, withdraw the U.S. military from around Iran, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets, as well as end attacks on Iran’s allies in the region and threats against the country.

From NY Times

I'm seeing folks saying they hope the stalemate can drag on through US election times in November so as to keep Trump failures here in mind for voters

Iran plots to deal Trump a blow in midterms by keeping him entangled in war

Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis.

just wait til he angrily demands that they not do that though

its unbelievable that we dont have infinite missiles what exactly is all this more money than the rest of the world combined being spent on, crazy to even say it but im beginning to think this whole thing might be some sort of grift, a bigtime flimflam

I read one of these stories this morning and came to the thread to make this very point. I get that Trump and Hegseth are incompetent. But there’s an entire pentagon under them and oodles of contractors eager to make more missiles on a bottomless budget. How could this possibly happen?!?!?

It's because of wokeness

Yep . The defense companies say these types of missiles and anti-missile defense ones take a year or more to build.

Hegseth knew or should have known how many they had when he first came into office and when he helped start this illegal war. Oh well.

shd be noted that they have plenty of ordnance they just used up the ones that you can launch from a nice distance, thinking they could win a war from away, a thing that has never worked

they didn’t think so much about ammunition because we all knew that as soon as the top leadership was all murdered in one big strike, there would be millions of jubilant iranians taking to the streets to establish the new people’s kingdom of the united iran states and ready to make trade deals and rewrite diplomacy in the middle east

missing piece wouldve been an active resistance army ready to swoop in, like they were able to do a light weight war with just some special forces guys on the ground in afghanistan cause there were all these active fighters ready to wreck the taliban, absent that if you want to win a war you actually have to fight a war

IRGC Major General Mohsen Rezaee has been appointed the Supreme Leader's rep. to the Supreme National Security Council.

Rezaee had backed striking Israel in April as soon as they broke the ceasefire in Lebanon, and has publicly spoken of the need to abandon "strategic patience." https://t.co/aIE2aQ3asH

— Séamus Malekafzali (@Seamus_Malek) August 9, 2026

xp pete may have genuinely thought jesus was gonna help

These dudes think you can just go in and get loot boxes

Trump thought it was gonna be just like seizing the Prez of Venezuela