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The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

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Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#91

I have to wonder how much of this is driven by Israel accounting for the risk of less favorable US relationship in the future. Pre-emptive violence; not even justified with a narrative of escalating threat. Bleak for anybody who knows their history.

[dead]

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#92
post #77

Feb 25: >White House officials believe ‘the politics are a lot better’ if Israel strikes Iran first >As the administration mulls military action in Iran, officials argue it’d be best if Israel makes the first move. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/25/white-house-politic...

Looks like the rumor was incorrect. Both jointly attacked (NYtimes - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/28/world/iran-strikes-t...)

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#93
post #53

I was discussing this with a friend today. It just feels like there's no point to these actions. Not in the sense of "I don't ideologically agree with our decision to do this," but in the sense of, "I do not see how this accomplishes any ideological or practical goal." What are they trying for? Regime change in Iran? No more Iranian nuclear program? There barely was one before. Keeping Israel safe? It's been an open…

The point is preventing another North Korea style nuclear blackmail state. Iran has negotiated like no one will ever attack it, and that was a correct assumption for decades However, due to Iran's overly aggressive use of questionably rational proxies, Hamas has dragged it into a regional conflict where it lost most of its proxies power. After the last war, it also is no longer a threshold state, so the only leverage…

I dont see how it is fair from USA to demand others dont have nukes. Ukraine made mistake of trusting ISA and giving them away and now USA basically support Russia in their invasion.

Iran is a bad guy state ... but the "fair" atgunent hwre dont apply.

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#94
Can any Iran simps explain why the regime couldn't just agree to zero enrichment and cease its weekly ritual of organized mobs chanting:

> DEATH TO AMERICA

in the streets like blood-thirsty lunatics, something for which there was no equivalent in the US even after 9/11 (mobs chanting "Death to Muslims/Islam"), let alone doing so with governmental encouragement as happens in Iran?

Do they not realize how many Americans aren't pro-Israel and aren't invested enough in the Middle East and its politics, proxy wars, and human rights abuses to want the US to support Israel in military action against Iran, except for their nuclear ambitions, and regularly professed eternal hatred for our country?

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#95
Are there any accurate sources on how many Iranian citizens the Iran regime has killed in the past couple of months? (some sources suggest tens of thousands, but I wonder if it could be a 'WMDs' situation [lie to get support for a war]).

Trump said in the State of the Union [0]:

> in just over the past couple of months with the protests they've killed at least 32000 protestors

And just moments ago Trump says 'tens of thousands' [1]

Is this confirmed or conjecture?

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l-iErpskb8&t=1h21m20s

[1] https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/2027651077865157033

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#96
post #53

I was discussing this with a friend today. It just feels like there's no point to these actions. Not in the sense of "I don't ideologically agree with our decision to do this," but in the sense of, "I do not see how this accomplishes any ideological or practical goal." What are they trying for? Regime change in Iran? No more Iranian nuclear program? There barely was one before. Keeping Israel safe? It's been an open…

The point is preventing another North Korea style nuclear blackmail state. Iran has negotiated like no one will ever attack it, and that was a correct assumption for decades However, due to Iran's overly aggressive use of questionably rational proxies, Hamas has dragged it into a regional conflict where it lost most of its proxies power. After the last war, it also is no longer a threshold state, so the only leverage…

The biggest blackmail rogue state right now is the US.

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#97
post #61

My previous comment: The most salient lesson of the post-Cold War era: Get nukes or die trying. A nation's relationship to other states, up to and especially including superpowers, is completely different once it's in the nuclear club. Pakistan can host bin Laden for years and still enjoy US military funding. North Korea can literally fire missiles over South Korea and Japan and get a strongly-worded letter of condem…

Anti-nuclear proliferation should now be treated as crime against humanity. Nuclear proliferation is only way to ensure world peace. Every single country should get nukes and capability to use them against each others. And be fully ready to do it.

Can't tell if sarcasm

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#98
post #75

This was doesn't benefit the US whatsoever. I am getting tired of our taxes going to another useless war, like the Iraq one, that only benefits a foreign entity, aka Israel. Iran could have been contained and Obama was right on his approach. We don't know the details of the strikes, but I hope it doesn't go into a full blown war, but this will be another Iraq like disaster, and american people are getting tired of do…

>We don't know the details of the strikes, but I hope it doesn't go into a full blown war

Well, if the Chinese are smart, they will capitalize on this opportunity. They can prop up the Iranian regime with intelligence, weapons, and financial support the same way US & EU prop up Ukraine. The purpose would be to bleed US munitions stocks even faster than they already are, as well as increase attritional losses in platforms and personnel. China's stranglehold on rare earths and their export restrictions are making it more difficult for the US to restore its weapons stockpile. I'm sure China can crunch some numbers to identify the point of maximum weakness if the US is forced to sustain an anti-Iran air and naval campaign 30/60/90+ days. Then Xi can try to overlap that window of weakness with one of the two invasion windows against Taiwan (mostly due to weather in the Taiwan Strait). I don't think the PLA is dumb enough to try a full amphibious assault, but they could definitely initiate their blockade then.

Re: The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran

#99

My previous comment: The most salient lesson of the post-Cold War era: Get nukes or die trying. A nation's relationship to other states, up to and especially including superpowers, is completely different once it's in the nuclear club. Pakistan can host bin Laden for years and still enjoy US military funding. North Korea can literally fire missiles over South Korea and Japan and get a strongly-worded letter of condem…

If nukes are so good why Israel isn't safe? Or in other words you overestimate how useful nukes are. On contrary for Iran them having nukes mean Israel have to guess if coming missiles contain nukes or not and whatever to strike back with their own nukes where as now they can freely sand missiles without escalation concerns.

Israel isn't safe? They are probably the most well defended country on the earth. A very capable domestic military and the full power of the US as an attack dog willing to do their bidding.
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