The Iran War (was Nuclear Program) thread

[Axtremus]

Getting harder to tell if that should have been in the memes thread.

[jon-nyc]

@89th Right but even the war powers act has been violated here.

[taiwan_girl]

https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-underground-missiles-59b3492c

Iran spent decades constructing underground bunkers to shield its vast missile arsenal from destruction. Less than a week into the war with its two most powerful adversaries, the strategy is beginning to look like a blunder.

U.S. and Israeli war planes and armed drones are circling over the dozens of cavernous bases, striking missile-carrying launchers when they emerge to fire. Meanwhile, waves of heavy bombers have dropped munitions on the sites, apparently entombing the Iranian weapons below ground in some locations.

Satellite imagery taken in recent days shows the smoldering remains of several Iranian missiles and launchers destroyed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes near entrances to the “missile cities,” as Iranian officials call the subterranean sites.

Tehran managed to shoot more than 500 missiles at Israel, at U.S. bases and at other targets in the Persian Gulf region since the conflict began this past Saturday, although many have been intercepted, according to governments in the region. There have been fewer large salvos since the first days of the conflict, a sign that the U.S.-Israeli attacks are degrading Tehran’s ability to strike back.

[Renauda]

[kluurs]

Speaker Johnson seems to have forgotten that we no longer have a "Department of Defense". We now have a "Department of War". War Departments make war.

[Mik]

Yeah, I don't know how one could torture the words otherwise.

[Renauda]

@Mik said in The Iran War (was Nuclear Program) thread:

Yeah, I don't know how one could torture the words otherwise.

They could try to sell it as a Special Military Operation.

Doubt if anyone with half a brain would buy it.

[jon-nyc]

@kluurs said in The Iran War (was Nuclear Program) thread:

Speaker Johnson seems to have forgotten that we no longer have a "Department of Defense". We now have a "Department of War". War Departments make war.

According to Secretary of Limited Operations Hegseth it’s not a war.

[89th]

[Mik]

One thing is really interesting to me, and that is the difference in military effectiveness of the US in Iran versus Russia in Ukraine. They're quite backward. Aside from missiles and drones it is still WWII style warfare.

[jon-nyc]

Yeah lots of operational successes so far.

[jon-nyc]

Seems like anything she says should be in the meme thread but there are people. Who take her seriously apparently.

[jon-nyc]

Interesting

[89th]

Big mistake if we even consider a ground game. Sure assassinate their leaders, and bomb the crap out of their revolutionary guard and missile sites, all opinions about that aside, you could leave the operation relatively quickly and see how the Persian dust settles?

My guess of what will happen? The story in a few years will be written like this:

---

Following Khamenei’s death in 2026, Iran descended into a prolonged, violent power struggle, transforming from a centralized state into a fractured country with rival governments, armed militias, and deep instability. A decade of civil war ensued, characterized by foreign intervention, economic collapse, and a humanitarian crisis, leaving it split between eastern and western factions.

Political Division: The country is divided between the UN-supported government and forces loyal to Khamenei's people, specifically their revolutionary guard. Attempts to form a unified government have largely failed to end the conflict.

Failed State Conditions: Iran has experienced severe instability, with armed militias controlling various regions, leading to a rise in human trafficking, unlawful detention, and, for a period, control by extremist groups like ISIS.

Economic Collapse: Despite having the largest oil reserves in Asia, Iran’s oil production has been frequently halted by blockades, causing extreme economic damage and infrastructure failure.

Humanitarian Crisis: The chaos has led to the displacement of citizens, a lack of basic services, and, in some cases, the discovery of mass graves.

While open conflict has reduced in recent years, the nation remains fragile, with a stalled political process and ongoing struggles over control of resources, particularly oil, in the eastern "oil crescent".

[89th]

Full transparency... that's just what happened in the decade since we took out Gaddafi in Libya. I just swapped in a different leader and country

[Renauda]

@Mik said in The Iran War (was Nuclear Program) thread:

One thing is really interesting to me, and that is the difference in military effectiveness of the US in Iran versus Russia in Ukraine. They're quite backward. Aside from missiles and drones it is still WWII style warfare.

The first few months of the Russo-Ukraine war resembled WWII a war in of manoeuvre. Since then it has been more like WWI trench warfare characterized by artillery barrages and occasional infantry advances against fortified defensive positions that result in very limited territorial gains and heavy casualties on the battlefield.

The only real manoeuvres appear to be in the sky with the attack drones and missiles.

[Axtremus]

@Renauda said in The Iran War (was Nuclear Program) thread:

@Mik said in The Iran War (was Nuclear Program) thread:

Yeah, I don't know how one could torture the words otherwise.

They could try to sell it as a Special Military Operation.

Doubt if anyone with half a brain would buy it.

Well ... we are talking about the MAGA folks after all.

[AndyD]

Putin is helping Iran, giving the Clerics information from Russian satellites e.g. for targeting.
Perhaps that fact will change Trumps attitude towards the war in Ukraine and he will wish to give greater aid.

[Mik]

Andy, from your lips to God's ear.