Will the War in Gaza Ignite the Middle East?..Israel and Iran On a Collision Course

Kim doesn't want to die. The mullahs do... as long as it sends them to Paradise.

 

Iran stopped chanting "death to America" by the late 1990's? Strange! Here's a story from Aljazeera on November 4, 2023, less than a month ago which makes that statement a flat-out lie: https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2...r-gaza-on-the-us-embassy-takeover-anniversary . I know we Americans have become pathetically 'dumbed-down' during the last thirty years or so, but do those in the pro-Iranian faction really think we are THAT stupid?

In that Aljazeera story you'll find this paragraph:
"In Tehran, demonstrators marched from Palestine Square in the heart of the Iranian capital to the former US embassy a few kilometres away. Chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” rang out throughout the marches."

As far as Iran having a "few serious punches of its own to throw", the delusional theocratic leaders of Iran should think long and hard before throwing any of those "serious punches". And they would do well to consider just how far Putin would go to rescue them if Israel (or the United States) were to decide that the time had come to completely remove them from power.

 

What I wrote was clear. It was about the period between Khatami's election in 1997 and Bush's axis of evil speech in 2002 (followed by hostile US policies). Otherwise, Iran's government is definitely chanting death to America now and has been doing so depending on the state of relations between the two sides.

 

Why do you deny the existence of watermelons?

 

I will connect the dots for some of you here later.

These first show the voyages by one of Iran's forward base ships, the Makran, in 2023, where it went ultimately to Brazil. And in 2021, where it went through another long voyage, including through the English Channel, before heading to St. Petersburg in Russia.




Below from 2023 voyage...


IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena in port in Cape Town, South Africa on April 4, 2023 Satellite image
https://navyrecognition.com/index.p...akran-dock-in-brazil-despite-us-pressure.html
Iranian IRIS Dena & IRIS Makran dock in Brazil despite US pressure

 

Here are some videos, pictures and reports touching on the kind of weapons and equipment Iran's naval forward bases and landing craft carry.

An Iranian tank is deployed to a beach from an amphibious Iranian Navy ship
Iranian tank is deployed to a beach from an amphibious Iranian Navy ship

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/iranian-frigate-hypersonic-missiles
Iran make waves with news of hypersonic missile-armed frigate
According to statements from Iranian Navy officials, its latest Moudge-class frigate, the Damavand-2, will come complete with hypersonic missiles.

 

Now, before I do my "connect-the-dots" for some here who really have no clue, I should also address Iran's submarine fleet. As the education level here on this forum regarding Iran is incredibly low, I have to begin with simple facts.

https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/iran-submarine-capabilities/
Iran Submarine Capabilities

I should clarify that Iran has 2 distinct naval forces. Besides the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN), there is also the revolutionary guards (IRGC) navy. The latter, more famous for its swarming tactics and small speedboats, has in the past decade developed naval projection capabilities and possesses a large submarine force that is no longer confined to midget subs and small automated submersibles.
https://navyrecognition.com/index.p...eceive-two-new-submarines-into-its-fleet.html
Iran Navy IRGC to receive two new submarines into its fleet







more recently, new generation of fateh submarines equipped also with drones

A drone is launched from an Iranian submarine during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on August 25, 2022.

 

Unless you are referring to weapons being delivered to Israel, you are not just clueless. But an intentionally lying bigoted polemist.

 

The maps below relating the resumed hostilities from a site @Jack Hays seems to favor. The "Critical Threats" site, despite its neocon bias, is at least (somewhat) a "facts based" website.
https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-december-1-2023

 

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveb...illed-in-syria-after-strike-blamed-on-israel/
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say two officers killed in Syria after strike blamed on Israel

While Israel regularly conducts air strikes against so-called "pro Iranian" targets in Syria, attacks which lead to the death of actual IRGC personnel are rare. Last time in it happened a couple of years ago, in response Iran fired ballistic missiles at what it called a Mossad base in Iraqi Kurdistan. It will be both revealing and important to see how Iran retaliates this time.

 

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  Israel assaults southern Gaza as death toll tops 15,000

 

Their departure makes the world a better place.

 

I guess the departure of watermelons made the world a better place too.

Or do you believe watermelons never existed in the first place?

 

I'm not here to make you or anyone else shed tears for Iranian lives lost in the wars and conflicts in the region. But I certainly consider it the responsibility of Iran's government to make sure any foreign force that harms Iranians ends up paying for it. When they are derelict in that duty, and Iran's government has at times been derelict in its duties in this regard, they lose some of their legitimacy in my eyes.

More broadly, I think Iran's cautious and timid approach to the war in Gaza is ill-advised. I think Iran has enough leverage to act more boldly. It also could have pushed for more doable and practical measures among regional countries (e.g. Turkiye) than it has. Instead of asking Turkiye and others to cut their political and commercial ties to Israel (wouldn't accomplish much for Gaza), Iran should IMO have pushed for a joint humanitarian task force to Gaza escorted by both the Turkish and Iranian (and Pakistani) navies. In fact, unless there was something going on beyond the usual issues, I was very disappointed at Iran's president abruptly not showing up at a summit announced by president Edrogan.

https://news.yahoo.com/irans-raisi-turkey-forge-joint-065656767.html
Iran's Raisi a no-show at summit announced by Erdogan

 

Do you have anything more to offer here than... KILL!!! KILL!!! KILL!!!.... ???

 

Are you being serious? At all? I oppose those who are doing the killings, not those who are getting killed.

 

Iranians are a cause of "the wars and conflicts in the region."

 

Ridiculous on its face. But I'll let historians decide that. I'm sure they will come to the same conclusions as they have about which side started what ended up being 750 years of warfare between Rome and Iran. Personally, I just prefer this episode doesn't last nearly that long, nor leave either side with some unintended winners to claim the spoils.

 

Without Iran, neither Hamas nor Hezbollah is viable.

 

I agree heartily! In the overall pursuit of a lasting peace, with prosperity, and freedom for all people of intelligence and goodwill in the Middle East, it would be beneficial for Iran's ruling theocracy to "flex its military muscles" and boldly project power, both indirectly through its well-known 'proxy' armies, and directly as well!

This would lead, in fairly short order, to the utter annihilation of Iran's military, along with its 'proxy' armies, and the permanent removal of Iran's dictatorial Islamic 'priests' from power within the government.

Indeed, if the almost constant state of rebellion and anger among ordrinary Iranian citizens since 2016 is anything to judge by, they would be happier than anyone else to have this overbearing, tyrannical infestation gone forever -- allowing the ordinary people, finally, to be free and happy!

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_protests

 

I don't understand why we're so hands-off and stand-offish with Iran, given all the trouble they are causing in the region. They should be blockaded to prevent all of the arms shipments and other **** they're up to in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere.

 

The Houthis will now receive. The only question is whether Iran will too.


Pentagon announces attack on U.S. warship in Red Sea
The attack marks a major escalation in a series of maritime aggressions in the Middle East linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

'We're aware of reports' »

 

The US will be prepared for a war against Iran when it takes its bases and vessels out of Iran's reach. Until then, they are mere targets. The American military knows. Iran knows it too. Even then, the US will have to worry about:

1. Iran closing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as well as through the Suez Canal; and the dumpster fire that would cause for the global economy;
2. Israel being turned into rubble.

 

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/midd...ne-and-missile-attack-hit-israeli-ship-report
Houthis carry out combined drone and missile attack, hit Israeli ship - report

 

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