Can Iran finally throw out the Zealots?
Discussion
Blue62 said:
Granadier said:
The other ironic thing is that only a few days ago Ghalibaf was touted by some in the White House as a potential sympathetic puppet leader, apparently https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/23/hes-a-hot...
It only serves to emphasise how rudderless the US is at the moment, that s what happens when you discard intelligent, skilled advisers and replace them with sycophants. Johnson did it to the Tory cabinet and they re still paying the price for the brain drain, there s nobody left to challenge Trump, just hope a disastrous result in the mid terms will stop him and MAGA in their tracks. Elysium said:
Blue62 said:
Granadier said:
The other ironic thing is that only a few days ago Ghalibaf was touted by some in the White House as a potential sympathetic puppet leader, apparently https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/23/hes-a-hot...
It only serves to emphasise how rudderless the US is at the moment, that s what happens when you discard intelligent, skilled advisers and replace them with sycophants. Johnson did it to the Tory cabinet and they re still paying the price for the brain drain, there s nobody left to challenge Trump, just hope a disastrous result in the mid terms will stop him and MAGA in their tracks. 
k. Prolex-UK said:
Spot on.
Iran was and is a horrible regime.
However what trump has been suckered into by netyahooooooo is an illegal attack . He is guilty of at least 1 war crime.
His public humiliation is good to watch
Obviously not good for all those people who have lost lives and homes on ALL sides.
I must be remembered who started this fiasco
Can't recall Iran attacking America, Israel or saudia etc.
This.Iran was and is a horrible regime.
However what trump has been suckered into by netyahooooooo is an illegal attack . He is guilty of at least 1 war crime.
His public humiliation is good to watch
Obviously not good for all those people who have lost lives and homes on ALL sides.
I must be remembered who started this fiasco
Can't recall Iran attacking America, Israel or saudia etc.
I shed no tears for the Iranian regime at all and would have raised a beer if they had been toppled.
But, as I keep saying, they haven't been and aren't going to be and, if anything, are playing their limited hand very well indeed and pretty much running rings around the sentient pot plants that form the US war cabinet.
Meanwhile the rest of the world is going to pay a long and expensive price for the Israeli and US hare brained folly.
p1stonhead said:
Iraq and Afghanistan look like they were planned 100 moves ahead by a group of chess grandmasters compared to this clusterfk.
Absolutely, in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan the president engaged with congress and their allies, those conflicts were legitimate and the reasons were made clear. This ‘special operation’ has no basis in law and no clear aims, how anyone with a functioning brain could conflate these conflicts is beyond me. k. p1stonhead said:
Leithen said:
It would be very satisfying if the US Airman was extracted by the SAS.
However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
lol you think British special forces could be operating abroad in Iran without the PM knowing about it?!However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
Blue62 said:
Absolutely, in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan the president engaged with congress and their allies, those conflicts were legitimate and the reasons were made clear. This special operation has no basis in law and no clear aims, how anyone with a functioning brain could conflate these conflicts is beyond me.
The Afghanistan one was as they were harbouring an organisation that had just carried out an act of war. Hence why the US was able to involve NATO.Iraq seems to have had even less pretext than this one. At least everyone agrees that Iran was refining uranium beyond the levels needed for civilian use. Iraq had abandoned its WMD programme.
BigMon said:
Prolex-UK said:
Spot on.
Iran was and is a horrible regime.
However what trump has been suckered into by netyahooooooo is an illegal attack . He is guilty of at least 1 war crime.
His public humiliation is good to watch
Obviously not good for all those people who have lost lives and homes on ALL sides.
I must be remembered who started this fiasco
Can't recall Iran attacking America, Israel or saudia etc.
This.Iran was and is a horrible regime.
However what trump has been suckered into by netyahooooooo is an illegal attack . He is guilty of at least 1 war crime.
His public humiliation is good to watch
Obviously not good for all those people who have lost lives and homes on ALL sides.
I must be remembered who started this fiasco
Can't recall Iran attacking America, Israel or saudia etc.
I shed no tears for the Iranian regime at all and would have raised a beer if they had been toppled.
But, as I keep saying, they haven't been and aren't going to be and, if anything, are playing their limited hand very well indeed and pretty much running rings around the sentient pot plants that form the US war cabinet.
Meanwhile the rest of the world is going to pay a long and expensive price for the Israeli and US hare brained folly.
There are some pretty reasonable questions to ask about why the US and Israel decided to start this war. But they did it anyway and that is the hand we have all been dealt.
It is now in the interest of the rest of the world that this conflict is resolved swiftly and, ideally, that the regime change is effected. Thats why Starmers “this isnt our war” position rings so hollow. Like it or not, it is our problem now.
Leithen said:
p1stonhead said:
Leithen said:
It would be very satisfying if the US Airman was extracted by the SAS.
However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
lol you think British special forces could be operating abroad in Iran without the PM knowing about it?!However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
Do you think it’s possible we have special forces in Iran without the PM knowing?
p1stonhead said:
Leithen said:
p1stonhead said:
Leithen said:
It would be very satisfying if the US Airman was extracted by the SAS.
However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
lol you think British special forces could be operating abroad in Iran without the PM knowing about it?!However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
Do you think it s possible we have special forces in Iran without the PM knowing?
I fully expect they are operating across the arena (Iran/Iraq/Saudi etc) and that Starmer knows this.
Where Starmer would come down on an exfiltration that required engagement is an entirely different matter.
Leithen said:
p1stonhead said:
Leithen said:
p1stonhead said:
Leithen said:
It would be very satisfying if the US Airman was extracted by the SAS.
However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
lol you think British special forces could be operating abroad in Iran without the PM knowing about it?!However I suspect it would have to been done without Starmer's direct knowledge.
Do you think it s possible we have special forces in Iran without the PM knowing?
I fully expect they are operating across the arena (Iran/Iraq/Saudi etc) and that Starmer knows this.
Where Starmer would come down on an exfiltration that required engagement is an entirely different matter.
What an absurd suggestion.
Prolex-UK said:
Spot on.
Iran was and is a horrible regime.
However what trump has been suckered into by netyahooooooo is an illegal attack . He is guilty of at least 1 war crime.
His public humiliation is good to watch
Obviously not good for all those people who have lost lives and homes on ALL sides.
I must be remembered who started this fiasco
Can't recall Iran attacking America, Israel or saudia etc.
Probably because they did it via their proxies - Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis etc. Iran was and is a horrible regime.
However what trump has been suckered into by netyahooooooo is an illegal attack . He is guilty of at least 1 war crime.
His public humiliation is good to watch
Obviously not good for all those people who have lost lives and homes on ALL sides.
I must be remembered who started this fiasco
Can't recall Iran attacking America, Israel or saudia etc.
They also did attack Saudi - they weren't involved in the initial attacks, but Iran decided to attack them and the UAE, so they can't really complain when those two nations take exception to it and join in with the US and Israel.
Nice pithy comment from the Iranians tho, and nicely distracted from video going round social media last night of them launching a rocket, it misfiring and hitting one of their own suburbs.
Definitely the kind of regime who's jokes I'd be laughing at....
Elysium said:
I think it depends how you define the regime. It may not have been fully dismantled but it isn t exactly intact either.
There are some pretty reasonable questions to ask about why the US and Israel decided to start this war. But they did it anyway and that is the hand we have all been dealt.
It is now in the interest of the rest of the world that this conflict is resolved swiftly and, ideally, that the regime change is effected. Thats why Starmers this isnt our war position rings so hollow. Like it or not, it is our problem now.
Being serious - how do you actually suggest this is done? Realistically speaking. There are some pretty reasonable questions to ask about why the US and Israel decided to start this war. But they did it anyway and that is the hand we have all been dealt.
It is now in the interest of the rest of the world that this conflict is resolved swiftly and, ideally, that the regime change is effected. Thats why Starmers this isnt our war position rings so hollow. Like it or not, it is our problem now.
JagLover said:
Blue62 said:
Absolutely, in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan the president engaged with congress and their allies, those conflicts were legitimate and the reasons were made clear. This special operation has no basis in law and no clear aims, how anyone with a functioning brain could conflate these conflicts is beyond me.
The Afghanistan one was as they were harbouring an organisation that had just carried out an act of war. Hence why the US was able to involve NATO.Iraq seems to have had even less pretext than this one. At least everyone agrees that Iran was refining uranium beyond the levels needed for civilian use. Iraq had abandoned its WMD programme.
bodhi said:
Probably because they did it via their proxies - Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis etc.
They also did attack Saudi - they weren't involved in the initial attacks, but Iran decided to attack them and the UAE, so they can't really complain when those two nations take exception to it and join in with the US and Israel.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq are all hosting US military assets that are being used to carry out the bombings and strikes on Iran. Iran made it clear that if they attacked, they would respond with attacks on the yapping chihuahuas as well as all American proxies facilitating in the strikes. A large amount of US tankers, fighters and recon assets are stationed at Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia, and the same at Al Dhafra air base in the UAE. They also did attack Saudi - they weren't involved in the initial attacks, but Iran decided to attack them and the UAE, so they can't really complain when those two nations take exception to it and join in with the US and Israel.
Iran gave numerous warnings about what would happen. Orange Julius no doubt assured them all it would be fine and all wrapped up in a couple of days. That didn't happen as it turned out Iran aren't the sandal-wearing goat-herders that they thought they were and as a consequence much of their critical infrastructure is now destroyed.
Iran was well within their rights to retaliate. It is a perfect example of "FAFO".
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff