How many civilians die every year at the hands of the Iranian theocracy ?? BTW if that theocracy wants the sanctions lifted all they have to do is renegotiate the treaty eliminating missile testing, allowing unlimited inspections to whatever installations the inspectors specify, and buying nuclear fuel for their nuclear power stations from the west. And yet they refuse and continue to enrich toward weapons grade material which has nothing to do with nuclear energy.
The truth of the matter is that trump wants to build a hotel in Iran's capital plus he's a wimp who is nothing but a big fat ball of BS..
The incident really does underline and make crystal clear that, by virtue of Brexit, the UK will basically need to become an even greater poodle acting based on America's whims and instructions. Interestingly, though, Trumps comments following the incident (despite sounding rhetorically strong) if anything suggest that he was going out of his way to distance any legal responsibility for the US to help the Brits, noting there is no "written agreement" that requires the US to help the Brits, saying that once Britain has another PM ties between the US and UK will improve even more, and mentioning that the US doesn't have too many tankers of its own to protect (but instead has a lot of warships in the area). Trump isn't always that coherent, but behind the bravado, I heard him basically lay out excuses why the Brits will be one their own. Which is all the more ironic given that the Brits took this action (not to enforce any alleged EU sanction when they are leaving the EU and haven't acted on this issue before) at the behest of the US and based on US information aimed at stifling Iran's attempts to sell its oil despite US efforts to make sure no one would buy Iranian oil for fear of US sanctions and reprisals.
Of course that idea requires the unshakable belief that sucking up to despots and accepting the unacceptable is fine as long as the USA does the appeasing and the rest of the world does the abusing.
We're not responsible for every fight the Brits pick. See: Falkland Islands. I'm with the Trump libertarian view on this. As always, we'll provide support for our cousins, but not blood.
Iran is the problem to Israel and Saudi Arabia. By the same token we could say Israel and Saudi Arabia is the problem to Iran. The solution is very simple. Netanyahu wants Iran out of Syria, and Assad says if the US leaves, since they were never invited into Syria in the first place, then they will ask Iran to leave. Until then they need the Iranians to help them fight the terrorists that the US is supposedly fighting but is not really. The US has established bases in the oil and gas rich areas of Syria so it can create an Israeli friendly Kurdistan and at the same time deny Assad's secular and tolerant government of the funds needed to rebuild war torn Syria. The US has though an equally callous and formidable opponent and that is Turkey. Erdogan not only wants the wealth for Turkey's own expansionist ambitions, but also fears that a future Kurdish state will bring about Turkey's own dissolution - which it will since the real homeland of the Kurds is Turkey and Iran. It is not Syria. The area the US wants for Kurdistan is a fake political structure set up to benefit Israel at the expense of the predominantly Shia Arab population. A change in demographics is also a threat to Iran since it has it's own large Kurdish population, so they are helping the locals fight the US and the Kurds.
Britain said it will not go to war with Iran. At least they have some brains. A war with Iran would set the whole world on fire. I wonder if the Iranians set up the tanker into hitting the fishing vessel so they would have an excuse to seize it? Could be! I mean isn't that what we've been doing in Syria - with the false flag chemical attacks and the help of the MI6? Iran says that Israel needs a regime change to get rid of the Netanyahu gangsters and free the people. Same thing!
When the Brits seized the Iranian ship on the high seas "an act of war" - striking the first blow so to speak - I stated this this was both an illegal and precedent setting action. We then had the Bolton clown praise this irresponsible action on the world stage - doubling down on irresponsible actions. I then stated that we should expect a tit for tat response. One person then said "we should blow the Iranian ships trying to take the British vessels out of the water with anti ship cruise missiles" - as if doing this in the Straits of Hormuz would not garner a similar tit for tat response. This whole thing is an exercise in stupidity - one that will likely not spiral out of hand but, it could - dragging the us into yet another stupid war. The Brits need to give the ship back immediately - and the International Maritime Organization - should be issuing statements condemning such actions as illegal violations of the code of the seas. Can you imagine the havoc if nations started doing this when ever they were pissed off with another nation. What happens if China stars seizing Taiwanese merchant vessels and Russia starts seizing Ukrainian merchant vessels. The action by the Brits - and Bolton applauding this action - was dumb and dumber.
While that may be true - this is for the Iranian people to decide - not by another disastrous and expensive regime change war.
No, it isn't the same thing. Israel is a democracy and free society. Iran is a gangster dictatorship and sponsor of terrorism.
They were for about a thousand years Then they skipped a couple of generations after WWII for obvious reasons But now? I get the impression they are ready to goose step back on the world stage
Did is address that post to you by mistake? If so I didnt mean to The post was intended for an American
If that's what you're told, then so be it. I know that Pat Buchanan said once that there were only 2 real democracys in the Middle East, Syria and Iran. He didn't mention Israel. I believe there were massive protests against Netanyahu a year ago, but I don't know if they continued. All I know is that he is under some indictment or other. He is now the longest reigning president in Israel? I wonder if he's been there longer than Merkel in Germany? This of course bodes the question, if Vladimir Putin is called a dictator for serving more than 2 terms, then wouldn't that make Merkel and Netanyahu dictators as well?