Forum menu
I’m not sure there is a breaking point. Haven’t they had a few of those with Trump and just carried on?
Trump just didnt sell the war against Iran to the USA, and peoples dislike for Trump is resulting in sympathy towards Iran .. not something youd have expected before 2025.
Trump assumed Iran would cave as soon as they bombed/killed all Irans leaders in a similar way Venezuela did when they kidnapped Maduro. Whilst the MAGA base are apparently polling as 80% approving of the Iran war, the problem he has is that the MAGA base is gradually dissolving.
She said that they now all unquestioingly fall in behind Trump as they are in genuine fear for the lives of themselves and their families if they stand up against the emporer.
Helped by the removal of protective details.
Marjorie Taylor Greene listed it as a factor in her decision to retire. After years of attacking anyone who dared question the mango Mussolini it was only once she went against him that the threats really started piling up.
Odd that.
Another factor, although seems less effective now, is that if they dont do what he wants he finds someone more pliable to put forward in the primaries against him.
For example he has been busy campaigning in Kentucky to try and replace Massie (the republican sponsor of the release epstein documents and generally a loud voice about them) with someone who will hide them.
One of the things listed as a problem for Trump is the number of republicans retiring at the midterms. Already some are supposedly phoning it in and may not bother turning up to vote to support the god king.
He really has no filter, he just says whatever comes into his head.
Trump talking about the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, in front of a load of Saudi investors. "He didn't think he'd be kissing my ass".
yeah that 1/3rd of a billion dollar aircraft for which there is currently no replacement is not just 'damaged'
https://bsky.app/profile/alert5.com/post/3mi5xwilqss2h
I look forward to the pro AMERICA HELL YEAH YouTubers I watch completely ignoring that/pretending it's not important....
the US milbloggers on YT that I've been watching are crashing out. They were laughing at this sort of thing happening to the russians, and now years later the US military is all suprised that it can happen to them.
UK now retro fitting a ship with de-mining great so that it could, if they so decide, be sent to the Strait.
Yippee. Not.
Report
It’s laughable that Rubio is claiming the war will be over ‘in weeks’, while one-by-one more parties are dragged into the conflict.
Sorry, I know this comment was early yesterday, but I can well see Trump simply declaring victory, (again!) and ordering the whole force home leaving the region to sort it out between themselves.
Including the Israelis, I don't think Netanyahu will really factor in his decision making in the face of his own narcissism.
but I can well see Trump simply declaring victory, (again!) and ordering the whole force home leaving the region to sort it out between themselves.
I had exactly the same thought yesterday. It'd fit with his limited attention span and might involve a new squirrel in Cuba or Panama
I can well see Trump simply declaring victory, (again!) and ordering the whole force home leaving the region to sort it out between themselves.
Well, you know never know what he'll actually do but...as long as Iran keeps Hormuz shut, the Americans (and everyone else for that matter) will stay involved. This is over when the Iranians say it is.
A pretty comprehensive appraisal of this utter shitshow and how all Trumps multiple character flaws are going to ensure things are going to get far far worse, very, very quickly
You can bet Trump's sycophants won't be telling him this
Just watched a video of a stripper in the US based next to a military base explaining how she's making loads of money off all the young guys coming in and blowing their loads cash as they are being deployed and don't know if there'll be back.
Iranians currently attacking US bases in Saudi again and appear to have hit , or at least debris has fallen, near Aqaba in Jordan which the Americans are using as a logistics hub for their big troop build up.
https://bsky.app/profile/faredalmahlool.bsky.social/post/3mia7ficos22u
Houthis have been firing more drones at israel
The US have put out urgent requests for pre built bomb shelters for their bases, which reeks of desperation & lack of planning
An American troop mass casualty event would see a big backlash in the states
which reeks of desperation & lack of planning
It’s almost like you sacked all the people who would be responsible for stuff like planning and replaced them with an unhinged Fox News host who thinks that war is like a video game
which reeks of desperation & lack of planning
It’s almost like you sacked all the people who would be responsible for stuff like planning and replaced them with an unhinged Fox News host who thinks that war is like a video game
Institutionalised hubris seems like a better fit. Apart from rants at the press, has anyone heard a press briefing with probing Q&A?
The US didn't learn a single lesson from watching what was happening in Ukraine during the previous three years under a different administration. Shahed Aviation Industries was sanctioned by the US in 2022 for supplying Russia.
It isn't as though ballistic missiles are a new "wunderwaffe" either.
This is all such a wonderful way to start the working week.
Institutionalised hubris seems like a better fit.
it can be both
theres been a big layoff of civilian staff at the pentagon, including the department dedicated to preventing things like accidently killing a primary school full of children
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-defense-department-iran-hegseth-civilian-casualties
DOGE fired 60,000 civilians staff there, which at the time provoked warnings of critical gaps in intelligence
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/21/pentagon-layoffs-civilian-workers
The firings included the experts on Iran
https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/federal-employees-are-not-ok
The National Security Council’s director for Iran,Nate Swanson, laid out exactlyhow Iran would respondto a bombing attack — unfortunately he was fired last year at the direction of online nutjob Laura Loomer. That expertise might be useful right about now.
The guy they fired gave a very prescient prediction of how this would go
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/why-iran-will-escalate
including the department dedicated to preventing things like accidently killing a primary school full of children
I don't think Hesgeth gives a single shit about accidentally killing hundreds of kids, which is why he's not losing any sleep about laying off the people responsible for making sure it doesn't happen.
https://bsky.app/profile/simonmarksfsn.bsky.social/post/3mibllddfbs24
Combined with the assessment in this Pod, we're going to change from "fuel is expensive" to "shit there is no fuel" relatively quickly...
https://bsky.app/profile/snellarthur.bsky.social/post/3miayrjlsgk2f
Why does he put "thank you for your attention to this matter" at the end of his tweets? It reminds me of what was put at the end of the letter the local council sent to me when I was fined for driving in a bus lane.
If its a new and more reasonable regime, why does he need to threaten them with war crimes?
If he is going to conclude his "stay" in Iran by a load more bombing, is this just his way of saying "we're going to bomb the crap out of a load more stuff, call it a day, and then go home"?
I can't imagine what must be going through the minds of those thousands of soldiers being sent to the Gulf, so they can risk their lives for the ego of a demented lunatic and his followers.
I can't imagine what must be going through the minds of those thousands of soldiers being sent to the Gulf
I'm sure there are enough grunts ignorantly chanting USA-USA .. but the more intelligent ones will be questioning how well thought out any 'war' plans will be for them ..
Trump threatening blatant war crimes now. USA sink lower ever day.
Why does he put "thank you for your attention to this matter" at the end of his tweets? It reminds me of what was put at the end of
Because he’s a moron.
I think it's pretty clear what's happening now. He wants one of these outcomes (in order of his preference):
1) Iran gives up control over their own oil
2) USA takes control of Iran's oil by force
3) Iran's oil is put beyond use by Iran & Israel
Or we can pretend it's not about oil, but instead about getting a deal on weapons and trade like the one Trump tore up in season one...
I can't imagine what must be going through the minds of those thousands of soldiers being sent to the Gulf
Well Trump, that legendary military strategist, has said that the ‘Mericans could ‘easily’ invade and occupy Kharg Island and open up the Straits, so I’m sure there’s absolutely nothing to worry about at all.
It's odd to pre-announce war crimes on a Social Medium platform. These things are usually kept quiet.
That's what happens when no-one has the spine to ask a difficult question.
Can't Iran just turn off the pipes to Kharg island? So neither of them would have control of the oil and the straight would still be vulnerable to Iran.
what's the thinking/significance of this island?
There's a lot of talk of ground invasion. But iraq took months to accumulate 250k troops and armour etc. There's a fraction of that at present. If an invasion happens, it surely won't be soon...?
There's a lot of talk of ground invasion. But iraq took months to accumulate 250k troops and armour etc. There's a fraction of that at present. If an invasion happens, it surely won't be soon...?
Trump thinks he can follow Putin's invasion plan of Ukraine and terrorise civilians into demanding surrender. The similarities are quite obvious between Putin's Special Military Operation and Trumps less special Military Operation. Both lasting tad longer than initially thought too ..
There's a fraction of that at present. If an invasion happens, it surely won't be soon...?
Depends on the definition of invade. Currently its fairly light forces possibly for:
Kharg Island
This would stop the Iranians exporting oil. A naval blockade could do the same though and given the USA lifted sanctions on the Iranian oil its mixed messages to say the least.
Most likely reasons is back in the 80s during a previous crisis Trump did do an interview where he had decided capturing it would make the Iranians fold. Most of his thinking seems to have been formed then.
Coastline in general
- to try and prevent attacks on shipping. The fraction are unlikely to be enough.
Seize the nuclear materials
Assuming the materials are still in the bunkers which had the entrances blown up. So need to bring in and then protect the engineers for possibly several days whilst they dig it out.
Assuming the materials are still in the bunkers which had the entrances blown up. So need to bring in and then protect the engineers for possibly several days whilst they dig it out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Sapphire
took them 4 weeks to remove 600kg from kazakhstan
took them 4 weeks to remove 600kg from kazakhstan
...and that was with the cooperation of the Kazakh government.
and from a shed
Finding potentially damaged containers in a collapsed tunnel network whose layout and stability are unknown sounds rather trickier. Plus at 60% enrichment mixing leaked HEU with grounwater could end very badly indeed if you were close to it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklo
this thread here has some good info on the nature of the regime uranium
https://bsky.app/profile/gbrumfiel.bsky.social/post/3mibqopxflk2c
Iran has now hit a fully loaded oil tanker off Dubai a well as other oil infrastructure in the region. It's almost as if they've always had a carefully worked out plan to cause maximum carnage in the event of being attacked? The sneaky bastards! That's just not fair!
what's the thinking/significance of this island?
I don't know what the thinking is, but it is very significant. The Iranian coastline really isn't suitable for docking big ships, like oil tankers, there's very few places where that can be done, and Kharg Island is the main one. It's piped to the island, and then aboard the tankers from there, it accounts for well over 90% of Iran's oil exports.
It's about twenty miles offshore IRRC, I can't seem to Google whilst typing, so out of artillery range, but you can bet that if the Americans do take it it will be flattened by drones. The civilian population is about 8,000.
It's about twenty miles offshore IRRC,
I read 15 miles yesterday, so you're in the right ballpark. Resupplying any occupying force that far up the Arabian Gulf will surely prove a little 'challenging' - no chance with ships, and any aircraft doing parachute drops would be very vulnerable to ground-launched missiles from the mainland. Has Hegseth not spotted this?
WOW! 😳
Has Hegseth not spotted this?
Hegseth has watched too many war movies where only the good guys are able to shoot things accurately.
I've got news for Trump. Most of our oil is already bought from the US and as near as damn it bugger all from the Middle East.
Oh and our domestic production is roughly the same as our imports from Norway. So why would we want to join Trump's war?
Hegseth is doing another one of his war porn press conferences. He might as well be rubbing his thighs like Vic Reeves while he’s metaphorically thwapping himself off, spaffing on about missiles and bombs
He really is a truly pathetic excuse for a human being