The Iran War (was Nuclear Program) thread
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The money quote:
“One of the limits of madman theory is that you always have to be the craziest man,” Miller told Stein. “And right now, he's in a game of chicken with ... the craziest sons of b—— in the world. And so it's like, 'okay. So now... now what?' And you can see what happens, which is he says, ‘Oh, I'm gonna end their civilization,’ or, ‘Oh, I'm not gonna extend the ceasefire,’ or, ‘We're gonna go back at their power plants.’ And then when push comes to shove, it's like he doesn't want to do it.”
While the “madman theory” was popularized by another controversial Republican president, Richard Nixon, Trump’s predecessor used this approach only sporadically, only after deliberately plotting his implementation — and could point to achievements like ending the Vietnam War, preventing nuclear war in the Middle East and opening up relations with China. By contrast, as Stein and Miller noted, Trump seems to act impulsively.
The difference being that Nixon understood foreign policy, diplomacy and with whom he was dealing. Trump has no clue of any of any of the three.
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So Donald Trump is threatening NATO allies for not helping enough in a war they weren’t even consulted on, while Russia helps Iran target U.S. forces and gets waivers on oil sanctions.
Make that make sense
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/22/trump-nato-allies-consequences-list-00883619
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Iran refuses to come to more talks in Pakistan. President Trump cancels US personnel (Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner).
Was a bit surprised that VP Vance was not scheduled to go this time. Should I read more into that than I should?
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Vance wasnt on the agenda because Ghalibaf wasnt going. Steve and Jared are at the Aragchi level.
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Vance wasnt on the agenda because Ghalibaf wasnt going. Steve and Jared are at the Aragchi level.
@bachophile Ah okay. Thanks!!!
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Vance wasnt on the agenda because Ghalibaf wasnt going. Steve and Jared are at the Aragchi level.
Steve and Jared are at the Aragchi level.
More like Rubio is on the Aragchi level. Putin has demonstrated that at most, Witkoff is on the Dmitriev level- that of a favoured nobody. Witkoff has yet to meet Lavrov outside of being seated at the table during the fleeting Alaska Love-in.
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Interesting.
"A Chinese businessman puts Trump’s blunders in perspective. 'Trump’s attack on Iran is less consequential than his threat to attack Greenland. When he did that, to America’s oldest allies, I knew Europe would not follow America’s approach to China.'”
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Here's an interesting analysis by Ryan McBeth explaining why America may just be doing the right thing in taking out Iran's nuclear capability. The real reason is more religious than political.
Link to videoEgo similis habere bonum et non curat nunquam accipere malum.
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Interesting to see what happens. Will the republicans do something or just do nothing?
The Trump administration is on course to blow past an initial deadline for congressional approval for the Iran war on the grounds that the ongoing cease-fire stopped the clock on a 60-day deadline—an assertion met with outrage from Democrats and skepticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Under a 1973 law called the War Powers Resolution, the president is required to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action and withdraw U.S. troops 60 days later, unless lawmakers declare war or authorize the use of force. The expectation on Capitol Hill was that the 60-day deadline expires on Friday.
In testimony Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the current cease-fire with Iran, which began April 8, stopped the countdown.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-iran-congress-approval-deadline-ff546611
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Interesting to see what happens. Will the republicans do something or just do nothing?
The Trump administration is on course to blow past an initial deadline for congressional approval for the Iran war on the grounds that the ongoing cease-fire stopped the clock on a 60-day deadline—an assertion met with outrage from Democrats and skepticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Under a 1973 law called the War Powers Resolution, the president is required to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action and withdraw U.S. troops 60 days later, unless lawmakers declare war or authorize the use of force. The expectation on Capitol Hill was that the 60-day deadline expires on Friday.
In testimony Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the current cease-fire with Iran, which began April 8, stopped the countdown.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-iran-congress-approval-deadline-ff546611
-
Here's an interesting analysis by Ryan McBeth explaining why America may just be doing the right thing in taking out Iran's nuclear capability. The real reason is more religious than political.
Link to video -
Interesting to see what happens. Will the republicans do something or just do nothing?
The Trump administration is on course to blow past an initial deadline for congressional approval for the Iran war on the grounds that the ongoing cease-fire stopped the clock on a 60-day deadline—an assertion met with outrage from Democrats and skepticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Under a 1973 law called the War Powers Resolution, the president is required to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action and withdraw U.S. troops 60 days later, unless lawmakers declare war or authorize the use of force. The expectation on Capitol Hill was that the 60-day deadline expires on Friday.
In testimony Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the current cease-fire with Iran, which began April 8, stopped the countdown.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-iran-congress-approval-deadline-ff546611
Interesting to see what happens. Will the republicans do something or just do nothing?
Republicans say they will defer to Trump on Iran war despite arrival of 60-day deadline
... Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town for a week on Thursday ...
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I think there’s much more of a case for regime change in Iran than there was for Iraq in 2003. And it comes down to its jihadist nature and ambitions. I don’t think we (the civilized world) can coexist long term with that regime.
So yeah, regime change must be the goal.
My fear is that Trump will leave them intact but wounded and very pissed off and all the more determined, in the fullness of time, to take over the world for Shia Islam in which case it would have been better to not have attempted it at all.
I was cautiously hopeful on March 1st. Now I’m more pessimistic.
Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.
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That’s not to say I think they’d ever be successful in taking over the world, but their strategy of creating armed proxies in many neighboring states can be globalized, and there’s evidence they are trying or have tried to do it in Europe and Latin America.
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I think there’s much more of a case for regime change in Iran than there was for Iraq in 2003. And it comes down to its jihadist nature and ambitions. I don’t think we (the civilized world) can coexist long term with that regime.
So yeah, regime change must be the goal.
My fear is that Trump will leave them intact but wounded and very pissed off and all the more determined, in the fullness of time, to take over the world for Shia Islam in which case it would have been better to not have attempted it at all.
I was cautiously hopeful on March 1st. Now I’m more pessimistic.
Agree. Unless there is regime change in Iran, I do not see any of the stated objectives being realized in the long term. As I have already stated back in March, the Israelis understand that regime change is fundamental to achieving any of the short term military and long term political objectives. Likewise, I would think, in the US but that realisation is subordinated to other factors related to personalities and limited competencies at the very top of its civilian chain of command.
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the fear is that may come bcak to bite them in the ass, and then there will be breast beating saying how did we not see it
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In the US, the general population also does not support regime change as the ultimate goal, regardless of who sits in the White House or which party controls Congress.
I suspect that is true also for most EU and NATO countries.
In the US, the general population also does not support regime change as the ultimate goal, regardless of who sits in the White House or which party controls Congress.
I suspect that is true also for most EU and NATO countries.
Don’t get me wrong, the ultimate goal is to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons and wage war abroad through proxies. Regime change is fundamental to achieving both those objectives. If the general population of Western democracies can’t wrap their head around that, their respective governments aren’t doing their job effectively.
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