Tag: Iran

How To Mend A Broken War

Donny has been trying to get our attention away from his failed war that Israel conned him into fighting….but so far he has done a terrible job of doing so.

There have been many articles written about how the US could end this war and few are very pleasant…..but then I read an op-ed by Kristof…..

Nicholas Kristof sees the Iran war as a major miscalculation by President Trump, and he warns in a New York Times opinion piece that things could get far worse if Trump doubles down instead of finding a way out. What to do? “His least-bad option, I believe, is to do roughly what he did when he bungled policy toward China and Yemen last year,” writes Kristof. “In each case he boldly declared victory and then frantically negotiated. The United States ended up the loser, particularly vis-à-vis China, but at least the storms calmed.”

The same could happen here, he writes. After declaring that his war aims have been achieved, Trump should press Israel to stand down and quietly seek a negotiated pause in Iran’s nuclear work in exchange for some sanctions relief. “I don’t know if a deal is possible, and it would require immense finesse,” writes Kristof. “But Iran does need revenue and investment, and a reduction in sanctions would be very appealing.” Let everyone declare victory, he advises, because “intensifying and lengthening this war would leave everyone a loser.”

Read the full piece.

To me this idea has Donny written all over it.  He could declare himself the winner and start doing his ‘stable genius’ crap and negotiate.

Then what would Iran do?

After the violation by Israel and the US would they be willing to saddle up with the US?

Then there is Israel…..could Donny con them into stop their blood lust long enough to find a solution.

Like I said the idea sounds good but there are so many moving parts that Donny may have a hard time keeping up.

Any thoughts of this possibility?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego erego scribo”

They Always Want More Money

Have you ever noticed that every war in recent memory has always needed more money for it to continue?

Donny’s little war is no different…..

The Pentagon has drafted a funding request exceeding $200 billion for operations against Iran, setting up a clash with Congress over the scale and direction of the war, according to administration officials. The proposal, sent to the White House, would go well beyond paying for the air campaign to date and is aimed largely at ramping up production of precision weapons used by US and Israeli forces over the past three weeks, the Washington Post reports. The supplemental budget would be on top of President Trump’s push for the next defense budget to total $1.5 trillion.

White House officials have not decided how much to formally seek from Congress, and some doubt lawmakers would approve such a package, one senior administration official said. The Pentagon has circulated multiple versions of a supplemental request as the costs of the Iran attacks have mounted, surpassing $11 billion in the first week alone, according to officials. There could be other complications, per the Post. Former Pentagon budget official Elaine McCusker, now at the American Enterprise Institute, cautioned that industry limits on labor, facilities, and materials will constrain how fast production can rise. “Just throwing lots of money into the industrial base doesn’t necessarily get you things sooner,” she said.

There will be lots of banter from the Congress and in the end the cash will be forthcoming.

But when was the last time pressing needs of the people of this country demanded such loyalty?

Of course the Congress has to have it say….

“This should be an absolute nonstarter,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in response to the Post’s reporting. “The best way to end this war, protect our troops, save civilian lives, and rein in a lawless administration is to cut off funding. I’m a hell no.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote on social media that “at the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 billion per year.”

“If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war,” Gallego added. “The answer is a simple no.”

Any funding package would need 60 votes to get through the US Senate, requiring some Democratic support. As of this writing, neither Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) nor House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has responded to reports of the Pentagon’s request.

The Post reported Wednesday that “it remains unclear how much the White House will ultimately ask congressional lawmakers to approve,” and that “some White House officials do not think the Pentagon’s request has a realistic shot of being approved in Congress.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/hell-no-pentagon-wants-over-200-billion-to-fund-trump-s-illegal-iran-war

The rhetoric is wonderful but it is also a limp organ as it has been in the past.

Here is something to think about (if that capability is possible) the budget for the War Department is about $1.5 trillion and Pistol Pete recently spent $93 million on food baskets, seafood and furniture but yet they do not have enough money to carry out this dumbass war of Donny’s…..

Does anyone else see the stupidity and the waste yet?

We will see who caves and who stands by their guns (no pun intended).

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Very Disturbing Testimony

First I would like to point out that interest in the war that is claiming American lives seems to be boring to some here on IST….that is disturbing since it is effecting everyone and few seem to have an opinion on why.

There have been many questions for Donny and his merry band of imbeciles about just why he started this war….The DNI just gave her testimony and it is still unclear.

Tulsi Gabbard told senators Wednesday that Iran’s rulers are battered but still standing, and her own words quickly put her in the crosshairs. The director of national intelligence testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee that Tehran’s regime “appears to be intact but largely degraded” after nearly three weeks of war, and said Iran is “trying to recover” from heavy US strikes on its nuclear facilities. That description clashed with her pre-released written remarks, which had asserted Iran made “no efforts” to rebuild its enrichment capacity—a point that would have undercut one of President Trump’s stated reasons for launching the conflict, the Washington Post reports.

  • When pressed by Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, on the discrepancy, Gabbard said she skipped parts of the statement because “time was running long,” prompting Warner to accuse her of choosing to “omit the parts that contradict the president.”
  • In response to questions from Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, Gabbard acknowledged that “the assessment of the intelligence community is that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated by last summer’s air strikes” and there had been “no effort since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,” CBS News reports. Asked whether the intelligence community thought Iran was an imminent nuclear threat, Gabbard said only the president “can determine what is and is not an imminent threat.
  • Gabbard sidestepped the question when Warner asked if she had advised Trump that Iran would strike Gulf nations and shut down the Strait of Hormuz if it was attacked, the AP reports. “I have not and won’t divulge internal conversations,” she said. “I will say that those of us within the intelligence community continue to provide the president with all of the best objective intelligence available to inform his decisions.
  • The high-profile hearing, which also featured CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel, came a day after National Counterterrorism Center chief Joe Kent, one of Gabbard’s top aides, resigned in protest, arguing Iran posed “no imminent threat” and that Israel pushed Trump toward war.
  • Republicans, including Intelligence Committee chair Sen. Tom Cotton, rejected Kent’s view as “misguided.”
  • Warner used the session to question Gabbard’s past role in election-related investigations and warn of an alleged effort to politicize national security powers at home.
  • Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly asked Gabbard and Ratcliffe about a fundraising email from a pro-Trump political action committee that promised “private national security briefings,” for donors, CBS reports. “I assume these are briefings, Director Ratcliffe, that you provide to the president that is now going to be provided to somebody who makes a donation?” Kelly asked. Ratcliffe said no such briefings had happened and they would not be allowed under the Hatch Act. Gabbard said she wasn’t familiar with the email.

And still the question remains.

This is a paper written that could offer some clarification….

The second US war on Iran in less than a year has raised a burning question in popular media: What is the rationale for the war and why is it changing? Is it because negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program were not progressing? Is it because Iran was close to developing nuclear weapons? Is it because Iranian ballistic missiles were going to reach the US soon? Is it because Israel was going to attack Iran and the US took pre-emptive measures to ensure the safety of Americans? Is it because the Iranian government was violating human rights? Or is it something else? The press in the US has not been able to make sense of this changing justification. But this is curious. Was the media asleep over the past few decades?

A quarter of a century ago, I delivered a presentation on US foreign policy towards Iran at an economics conference. My presentation concluded by stating that US policy in the Persian Gulf region had been a series of “regrettably shortsighted policies,” borrowing a phrase from former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. I argued that these policies had served to prolong the life of the theocratic government in Iran. I believed that without the constant threat of foreign enemies, this government would have had no one to blame for its social and economic problems but itself.

In my paper, I outlined how Israel and its lobbying groups in the US were the primary architects of US policy. I explained how they had developed three justifications, or “sins” as I referred to them, to justify punishing Iran:

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/13/its-israel-stupid/

There is the most logical reason to explain why Donny felt the need to attack Iran….It’s Israel, Stupid!

And the beat goes on where it stops no one knows.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Nobody Wants To Play In Donny’s Game

In case no one has noticed gas prices are shooting up thanks to our Little Donny and his stupid war.

He has demanded that allies come help protect the oil tankers from being attacked and so far not many of the allies have jumped at the chance to engage in this senseless war.

The reluctance by allies has Donny with knotted panties…..

After being largely rebuffed in his request for allies’ help against Iran, President Trump issued an all-caps retort on Truth Social Tuesday: “WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!” Trump amplified remarks he made on Monday, asserting that the US is just fine working only with Israel, and that he’s not surprised by the reluctance. “I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street—We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump wrote. But he then added that the US-Israeli campaign has decimated Iran’s leadership and military, making any assistance unnecessary.

If we do not need help why ask in the first place?

Senseless war?

Yes even a person nominated by Donny thinks it is stupid and destructive….

President Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, announced his immediate resignation Tuesday, citing the decision to begin a war against Iran when “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.”

Kent, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate last year, posted his resignation letter on X Tuesday morning, saying he “cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives.”

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-trump-counterterrorism-official-resigns-over-iran/

There you have it….Israel is to blame for this stupidity.

This war is getting out of control and Donny thi8nks it is some big fun….

The president made the comments a day after the US military struck the Persian Gulf island, where most of Iran’s oil exports move through. So far, the US has spared the oil infrastructure on the island as it fears Iranian retaliatory attacks against oil infrastructure across the Gulf.

“We totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun,” Trump said. “We’ve totally decimated it. Except, as you know, I didn’t do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years.”

(antiwar.com)

Fun?  Is this some sort of entertainment for this d/bag?

WE were promised a short but decisive war with Iran….it is not looking so much like the scenario that Donny wants to project.

The notion of a short and decisive war has always been a temptation for politicians. This notion holds a promise of quick victories, low costs, and clear triumphs. However, the course of history over the last few decades has indicated that wars do not always follow this pattern. The current conflict between the United States and Iran seems to be a clear manifestation of this reality, as the early indications of a quick victory are not supported by the fundamental realities of the conflict.

The fundamental reason why a quick victory might not be possible in this conflict is not related to military capabilities. The military capabilities of the United States are overwhelming, as they are far ahead of Iran in terms of technology, logistics, and global reach. In the early phases of this conflict, the U.S. forces, along with the Israeli military, struck thousands of targets in Iran, targeting its missile capabilities, naval forces, and military installations. According to experts, the initial objective of this campaign was to destroy the Iranian naval capabilities, missile systems, and nuclear facilities, as well as weakening Iranian influence in the region.

However, military success does not automatically translate into a corresponding level of political achievement. As many a strategic analyst has noted, “destroying capabilities does not necessarily translate into regime collapse, political transformation, or stability.” While military instruments are effective at destroying capabilities, they are not as effective at creating alternatives.

https://original.antiwar.com/jenny_williams/2026/03/15/the-war-without-an-exit-why-quick-victories-in-iran-are-illusions/

There will be losers in this war…..

There may be no winner in the war on Iran. But, although it is Iran that is under attack, they will not be the only losers. This war, fought without legal reason or political or security justification, will have myriad losers. Here are five.

The first loser of the war on Iran is the Iranians. Iran has an “inalienable right to a civilian program that uses nuclear energy for peaceful purposes” as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. They signed the JCPOA nuclear agreement that closed all roads to a military nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) repeatedly verified that they were in full compliance. They were currently negotiating further voluntary limitations on their civilian nuclear program, which would have assured the world of the impossibility of diverting their civilian nuclear program to a military one. Nothing was illegal or unusual about Iran’s nuclear or missile programs.

But bombs fell on Iranians. The people of Iran live in daily terror. Their cities are being bombed, and their infrastructure and water desalination plants have been devastated. Nearly 20,000 civilian buildings have been damaged, including dozens of hospitals and schools. Their leader has been assassinated. Over 1,300 civilians, hundreds of them children, have been killed.

The second country that will pay a price for the war on Iran is Ukraine. Just as Russia is thought to be massing for a large late spring offensive, its war economy is being pumped full by the rising cost of oil; which was caused by the effective closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the resultant easing of sanctions on Russian oil, while Ukraine’s supply of weapons is being threatened. Russia will have the money to continue launching missiles and drones, and Ukraine will lack the missiles to defend against them.

https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2026/03/15/five-losers-in-the-war-on-iran/

Another problem is that Donny keeps extending tours of duty for the troops at some point this will come back a bite him in the ass….or he will make another fatal political decision.

But not to worry for Donny is not afraid of an extended war…..

Donald Trump is openly entertaining the possibility of putting boots on the ground in Iran.

Speaking with reporters at the White House Tuesday beside Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Trump sluggishly claimed that he wouldn’t be afraid to put the lives of American soldiers at risk in order to continue his nonsensical war.

“The Iranian regime has told Sky News that if you put boots on the ground in Iran, it would be another Vietnam. Are you afraid of that?” asked a journalist.

“No, I’m not afraid of—I’m really not afraid of anything,” Trump said.

https://newrepublic.com/post/207863/donald-trump-not-afraid-iran-vietnam-war

I love these idiots!  They are not afraid of Americans dying for stupid reasons because they do NOT care about your lives.

No more American deaths to appease that nation of goons, Israel, let the bastards fend for themselves….or die trying.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is This The Trigger?

Every time the US attacks some third world country the call goes out that we are starting WW3 and this Iranian thing is no different.

Here are some thoughts on the possibilities.

I am convinced that war will begin and Iran will be at the center of that war. The problem is that Iran is much stronger than Ukraine or Palestine, and therefore a proxy war against Iran will have unpredictable consequences. Among these, the least unpredictable is the generalization of the war when China concludes that, with the defeat of Iran (which is very likely), it will no longer have access to the energy resources essential for its expansion. It should be borne in mind that China has just suffered a huge defeat in Venezuela and that Latin American countries are to China what Middle Eastern countries are to the US. Their loyalty stems from convenience and, moreover, they are under increasing US pressure to reduce their relations with China.

It is therefore very likely that World War III will begin. As I said, the signs are evident, but that does not mean it will not come as a surprise. Just as Cuba is the same as Gaza, but without bombs, World War III could begin with any weak link in US-EU-Israel imperialism. I suspect that this weak link is the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The war begins with the loss of economic power on a global scale and escalates with the collapse of dollar-based financial capital. Bombs can be used as causes or as consequences. The only way this will not happen is if the gold reserves that countries have been frantically accumulating prevent it. I highly doubt it.

Is there nothing we can do to prevent World War III?

Yes, there is.

1- An international petition asking UN Secretary-General António Guterres to resign immediately in view of the high probability of war and the UN’s inability to prevent it.

2- Take to the streets in defense of Cuba and Iran as we did in defense of Palestine.

3- Organize protests in front of the US and Israeli embassies and EU representations.

4- Considering that the most repugnant (though not the weakest) link in the US-EU-Israel triad is Israel, boycott Israel through the BDS movement.

https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/world-war-iii-is-about-to-begin/

Keep in mind NATO Article 5…..

Turkey and Iran are at odds over a missile allegedly fired at the Incirlik Air Base, a joint Turkish-US airbase near the city of Adana. Ankara reported Wednesday that a projectile originating in Iran was tracked over Iraq and Syria and disabled by NATO air and missile defenses above the eastern Mediterranean before it reached Turkish airspace, per Al Jazeera. A senior US military official said it was aimed at Incirlik and was shot down by an interceptor missile on the USS Oscar Austin, per the New York Times. There were no injuries, but Turkey lodged a formal protest with Tehran and warned it retains the right to respond to any hostile move.

Since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran six days ago, Iran has fired missiles at US military facilities in neighboring countries, including the United Arab Emirates. However, Iran’s armed forces rejected the Turkish account on Thursday, insisting they had not launched any missile toward “friendly” Turkey and stressing their respect for its sovereignty, per Reuters. A deliberate attack on Turkey would “mark a major escalation and could activate NATO’s mutual defense clause,” the Times reports, though US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there was “no sense” in the interception triggering Article 5.

Speaking to Reuters, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said there were no plans to trigger Article 5, though he described the incident as “serious.” A NATO rep previously condemned Iran’s “indiscriminate attacks across the region” while touting NATO’s “strong” defenses. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has called the US and Israeli attacks on Iran “illegal,” said Turkey is coordinating with NATO allies and vowed to leave “absolutely nothing to chance” regarding border and airspace security.

Since this whole thing has been just a big bunch if lies….who do we believe?  Turkey or Iran.

Keep in mind that Turkey is a staunch supporter of Donny’s world view.

Are there triggers?

Has the predicted global collapse beginning?

A British historian has outlined three clues which he believes show that a global war has ‘already begun’.

After Donald Trump‘s decision to join forces with Israel and start a war with Iran last week (28 February) there has been growing concerns about the conflict spilling over in a wider war.

Iran has already launched military strikes against its neighbours in the Gulf states, Azerbaijan and Cyprus in response while Sir Richard Knighton, UK Chief of the Defence Staff, recently suggested we were living in ‘the most dangerous time of the last 30 years’ while speaking to the BBC.

British historian has outlined three clues which he believes show that a global war has ‘already begun’.

After Donald Trump‘s decision to join forces with Israel and start a war with Iran last week (28 February) there has been growing concerns about the conflict spilling over in a wider war.

Iran has already launched military strikes against its neighbours in the Gulf states, Azerbaijan and Cyprus in response while Sir Richard Knighton, UK Chief of the Defence Staff, recently suggested we were living in ‘the most dangerous time of the last 30 years’ while speaking to the BBC.

Now historian Professor Anthony Glees has outlined three clues which he believes are signs which suggest a third global conflict is already here.

Speaking in a new interview with The Mirror, Professor Glees pointed to three signs – a war of choice, the mindset of leaders of involved nations and Trump’s commitment to continuing the conflict – are all signs which he believes confirm that a third global war is already here.

https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/iran-us-conflict-global-war-signs-613873-20260307

Personally I do not think it is starting but rather already in full swing before all this war crap….this has been coming and we ignored it and now it may be too late.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Kurds To The Rescue?

The war with Iran is going well if you believe the words of Little Donny and there has been a bit of hinting going on that ground forces will be needed in the near future if we are to end this ill-conceived war is to end.

This is where the Israelis come in…..their air force has been softening up the western portions of Iran in advance of the possibilities of the Kurdish forces advance into the country.

To the rescue how?

The Kurds have been used in several of our  conflicts in the Middle East…..Iraq and Syria readily come to mind….and now into Iran they may go.

Each time they have ‘come to the rescue’ they have been betrayed by the US and its allies…promises were not kept and the calls keep coming…..

With this conflict we are now in the midst of will the Kurds take it on the chin again?

The Trump administration has enlisted the support of Kurdish activists in Syria, Iraq, and Iran to join the U.S.-led war to unseat Iran’s clerical regime.  CNN reports that the Central Intelligence Agency is already arming Iranian Kurds. CNN and other outlets also report that President Trump spoke with Kurdish leaders in Iraq on March 8, 2026, about having their forces join the fight.

Washington’s motives for this move are easy to discern. The Kurdish minority concentrated along Iran’s western border has long sought to break away from Tehran’s control.  U.S. and Israeli leaders understand that such disruptive secessionist efforts could further damage the incumbent government’s already weakened position.

There is a major problem with that strategy, however.  Secessionist-minded Iranian Kurds do not merely want to undermine their oppressors in Tehran; many of them want to join their equally restless ethnic brethren in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey to establish a new, independent Kurdish homeland.  The incumbent governments in those volatile countries feud about a wide array of issues.  One objective all these governments have in common, though, is a determination to prevent the emergence of an independent Kurdish nation state, since that development would threaten the internal unity – and perhaps the continued viability–of multiple neighbors.

Previous U.S. administrations have encouraged and even actively supported Kurdish clients when it advanced Washington’s short-term goals.  Such initiatives invariably have been followed by cynical betrayals of those clients when the U.S. government concluded that support for parochial Kurdish objectives endangered higher priority U.S. regional objectives.

This cycle of support and betrayal has occurred repeatedly.  Most recently, the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations used Syrian Kurds as armed proxies in a long campaign to seize oil-rich territory in northern Syria and help unseat Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad.  A small contingent of U.S. ground troops deployed in northern Syria aided that effort. The Kurdish fighters were remarkably successful despite strong opposition from both Assad and Turkey.

https://original.antiwar.com/ted_galen_carpenter/2026/03/11/will-washington-betray-the-kurds-yet-again/

Knowing that betrayal is on the table why would the Kurds do our bidding?

My guess is money and inventory.

They have been fighting for a homeland for generations and have gotten no closer than when they started the movement…..then why continue to allow the betrayals?

Plus they can come to the rescue by invading and saving American lives in doing so plus would keep Donny’s hands clean…..at least for now……his disapproval rating cannot stand too many hits.

Will the Kurds forget past betrayals and play along?

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

Regime Change From 30,000 Feet

For a week the US and the Israelis have been plummeting Iran with airstrikes…..and the idea of this is not something Americans think is a good idea.

Americans are mostly lukewarm—or outright opposed—to Washington’s latest show of force against Iran. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds just 27% back the US strikes that killed Iran’s leader, while 43% disapprove and 29% aren’t sure. The survey, conducted as US and Israeli strikes were underway and before US casualties were announced, also shows 56% of Americans think President Trump is too quick to use military force, a view held by 87% of Democrats, 60% of independents, and 23% of Republicans.

Republicans are more supportive of the strikes overall, with 55% in favor and 13% opposed, but that backing appears conditional. About 42% in the party say they’d be less likely to support the campaign if American troops are killed or injured. Another 45% of all respondents—including roughly a third of Republicans—say rising gas or oil prices would erode their support. The poll of 1,282 adults, with a margin of error of about three points, comes as crude oil prices surged more than 8% and Trump’s approval rating dipped to 39%.

With all the rockets, missiles, drones and bombs who will become the ‘new’ leader of Iran?

President Trump reportedly is weighing a limited deployment of ground troops to Iran, with the installation of a postwar government a potential goal. But US intelligence analysts have warned that even a broad military offensive is unlikely to dislodge Iran’s ruling system, according to a classified assessment described to the Washington Post. The National Intelligence Council report, completed about a week before the US and Israel began their strikes on Feb. 28, concludes that Iran’s clerical and security institutions are structured to survive the loss of top leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, three people familiar with the findings said.

The document examines possible outcomes of both limited strikes focused on senior figures and more extensive attacks on government and military infrastructure. In each case, the report says, Iran’s leadership would turn to established succession mechanisms aimed at preserving continuity of rule. The likelihood that Iran’s fractured opposition could take over was deemed unlikely, per the Post. “There’s no other force within Iran that can confront the remaining power that the regime has,” said Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution. The NIC report, according to those familiar with it, does not view the Iranian system’s grip on power as fragile. Outside experts said there is little evidence so far of large-scale unrest or serious fractures within Iran’s security apparatus.

One expert who has studied air power for three decades said airstrikes alone aren’t likely to remove Iran’s government, either, per CBS News. “The fact of the matter is, for over a century, states have been trying to topple regimes with air power alone and—I’m choosing my words carefully— it has never worked,” said Robert Pape, a University of Chicago professor. The White House did not say whether Trump has been briefed on the intelligence assessment.

In other words to effect a complete regime change it will take boots on the ground and all the downside that comes with troops actively taking part in this war.

What will Donny do?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Does Donny Want A Full Blown Invasion?

The initial strikes of the war have begun and this will continue until a sufficient amount of damage has been inflicted and then the second phase will be instigated.

Second phase?  Ground troops…..how long will this last?

The US military is preparing for the possibility that the US-Israeli war against Iran lasts until September of this year, according to a report from POLITICO, far beyond President Trump’s initial four-week timeline.

The report said that US Central Command is asking the Pentagon to send more intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days, but likely through September.

The news of the Pentagon preparing for a long war comes as US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said that the US is sending more forces to the Middle East and will be escalating its bombing campaign.

(antiwar.com)

But what about the ground troops?

Senate Democrats said after receiving a classified briefing from the Trump administration on Tuesday that they’re increasingly concerned about the US-Israeli war on Iran dragging on “forever”—and involving American troops in a ground invasion.

“I am more fearful than ever, after this briefing, that we may be putting boots on the ground,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters, criticizing the Trump administration for not providing the American public with information that was given to senators behind closed doors.

(commondreams.org)

But what about the prez….what does he want?

President Trump has been talking privately about putting a limited number of US troops on the ground in Iran, multiple current and former US officials tell NBC News. According to those sources, Trump has floated deploying a small, targeted contingent rather than launching a large-scale ground invasion. The discussions, said to have been held with aides and Republican allies outside the White House, reportedly have centered on scenarios such as securing Iran’s uranium stockpiles and helping to set up a post-war government friendly to US interests, including cooperation on oil production similar to the US-Venezuela relationship after Nicolas Maduro’s capture.

NBC’s sources say no decisions have been made and no orders issued. Publicly, Trump has kept the option open without endorsing it. “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” he told the New York Post earlier this week, saying he “probably” wouldn’t need them but could use them “if they were necessary.” The White House also said on Wednesday that ground troops in Iran are “not part of the plan … at this time,” per PBS. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC its report was based on “assumptions from anonymous sources” outside the president’s national security team and insisted that Trump “always, wisely keeps all options open.”

Is that a good sign?  No it is not…..

The Army just yanked the headquarters staff of elite paratrooper unit out of a major training drill, and it’s setting off alarms about what might come next in the widening conflict with Iran. The 82nd Airborne Division’s headquarters, which oversees rapid deployments of its 4,000- to 5,000-strong Immediate Response Force, was told to remain at Fort Bragg instead of heading to a planned exercise in Louisiana, officials tell the Washington Post reports. No orders have been issued, and the Pentagon insists it won’t discuss potential movements, but one official summed up the mood as “preparing for something—just in case.”

Analysts say any land operation could include seizing Kharg Island, a key oil hub. Michael Rubin at the conservative American Enterprise Institute tells the Post that securing the Persian Gulf island would be a “no-brainer.” Rubin says it appears that the administration is “coming around to the idea that Iran is a much greater problem set than perhaps they went in thinking.” Any such operation, however, would expose US forces and deepen political risks for Trump, who faces broad public opposition to a ground war.

Donny has seen that this is unpopular now that war dead are returning home and he has to have an out to prevent as mass opposition to this war…..and what would that be?

Donny and his band of idiots are trying to con the Kurds into being the spear tip on the ground…..

President Trump is leaning on the Kurds as he weighs whether to send US troops into Iran. Trump has phoned key Kurdish leaders in Iran and Iraq in recent days, offering “extensive US aircover” and other assistance if Iranian Kurdish opposition groups move to seize territory in western Iran, the Washington Post reports, citing US and Kurdish sources. Sources tell CNN that the CIA has been working to arm Kurdish groups in an effort that began months before the war.

  • In a Sunday call, Trump told Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Bafel Talabani that the Kurds must pick a side—”either with America and Israel or with Iran,” a senior PUK official said. Masoud Barzani of the Kurdish Democratic Party received a similar pitch, with US officials described as seeking Iraqi Kurds’ permission and logistical help, not their direct participation.
  • Trump also spoke with Mustafa Hijri, head of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, part of a new coalition of six Iranian Kurdish parties that has urged Iranian troops, especially in Kurdish regions, to stop backing Tehran’s security forces, the Post reports.
  • The outreach comes as Israel has been targeting police and Revolutionary Guard facilities in Iran’s Kurdish areas, in what analysts describe as a deliberate effort to weaken Tehran’s grip there while US strikes focus on military assets in other parts of the country.
  • The gambit carries substantial risks. Iraqi Kurds have long hosted Iranian Kurdish groups on the condition they do not launch attacks into Iran and have pledged not to let their territory be used as a staging ground. Kurdish leaders, wary of past US reversals and fearing Iranian retaliation if any uprising falters, are signaling caution. Ankara could also balk if Washington moves to arm Iranian Kurdish factions linked to the PKK, which is in a fragile peace process with Turkey.
  • “We are in a very delicate position,” a PUK official tells the Post. If a Kurdish offensive fails, “we do not know what Iran’s reaction against the Kurdistan region of Iraq would be,” the official says. “At the same time, we cannot simply reject Trump’s request—especially when he personally calls and asks for it.”
  • Asked Wednesday about reports of plans to arm Kurdish groups, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “None of our objectives are premised on the support or the arming of any particular force. So, what other entities may be doing, we’re aware of, but our objectives aren’t centered on that.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump spoke to Kurdish leaders “with respect to our base that we have in northern Iraq,” but denied that any specific plan was agreed to, the AP reports.

Will the Kurds fall for this con job?

My guess is yes they will.

I hope that if and when the ground forces start that the killed in action will get more respect from Donny than he showed those that just returned over the weekend.

But that is too much to ask I fear.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

It Will Be All Over Soon

So Donny tells us in his usual lying way.

Just recently Donny has stated that this operation is pretty much complete….a highest magnitude lie.

President Trump suggested Monday that the war in Iran could be nearing the finish line. “I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” he told CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang. “They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.” Trump previously said the war, now in its second week, could last four to five weeks. He said Monday, however, that it is “very far ahead of schedule.”

Asked about Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump said, “I have no message for him. None, whatsoever.” He said he had a person in mind to replace him, but declined to elaborate In a post on X, Jiang said Trump told her he was thinking about “taking over the Strait of Hormuz. She said he told her, “They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute or it’s going to be the end of that country.” Trump, who is scheduled to hold a press conference in Miami at 5:30pm Eastern, said wrapping up the war “is all in my mind, nobody else’s,” per the BBC.

It is all in his mind?  Perfect.

Everybody is looking for a good excuse for why this war has started…..of course mental midget Donny has a good one…..from his Monday press conference….

At a news conference Monday, President Trump was asked about his comments earlier in the day in which he told a reporter that the war was “very complete,” while the Pentagon said on social media: “We Have Only Just Begun to Fight.” Trump was asked whether it was the end or the beginning and said, “It’s the beginning of building a new country,” a comment that seemed to suggest the US might be engaged in the building of a new Iran, the AP reports. Trump suggested that the war was for the benefit of other nations, especially those dependent on oil that’s shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. “I mean, we’re doing this for the other parts of the world, including countries like China,” Trump said.

  • War over “pretty soon.” Trump said the war would be over “pretty soon,” but added: “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough.” He said the US was saving some of the “most important” targets, including Iran’s electrical grid, for later strikes, if necessary, France24 reports.
  • New nuclear site. Trump told reporters that the war with Iran began because that country was starting work on a new site for developing material for nuclear weapons. Trump said the new site was meant to replace facilities bombed last year by the US. “But they were starting work at another site, a different site, different kind of a site—and that was protected by granite,” Trump said. The president added that Iran wanted to use the “exponentially growing ballistic missile threat to make it virtually impossible to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” claiming that Iran would have otherwise been able to take over the Middle East.
  • Iran would have attacked “within a week.” The president dismissed criticism from some Democratic officials that there was no reason for the US and Israel to strike Iran. “Well, I’ll give you the best reason of all. Within a week they were going to attack us, 100%. They were ready,” Trump said. He did not offer any information to support that statement but said Iran had “all these missiles, far more than anyone thought.” However, Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings that US intelligence did not suggest Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against the US, the AP reports.

We wait to see what Donny will do as soon as he can pull himself away from worrying about NCAA sports.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Vlad Gives Intel

The story broke that Russia may be giving intel on US assets to Iran for retaliatory strikes….

Russia has allegedly provided Iran with information that could help it strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, two officials familiar with US intelligence said.

The officials, who were not authorised to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that US intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information as the US and Israel and Iran fires retaliatory salvos at American assets and allies in the Persian Gulf.

Still, it’s the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war that the US and Israel launched on Iran a week ago.

(euronews.com)

I have also read the concerns of some about this possibility.

Yes it is a dastardly move to help destruction to rain down on US assets….but think about it…..is not the US giving intel to Ukraine to be used in retaliatory strikes against Russia?

This is why I was not surprised by the news at all….for is that not what allies do in time of need?

But since Iran and Russia are trading partners this Donny war may be a windfall for Russia.

“For our budget, the attack on Iran is a big plus,” a Russian TV host proclaimed Monday. The Guardian digs into the potential truth of that statement. Russia’s oil and gas revenues are a linchpin of its war financing, and they hit a five-year low last year as sanctions squeezed the flow of exports and prices retreated. But disrupted Gulf supplies could push big buyers like India and China toward more Russian barrels, strengthening Moscow’s leverage after months of having to sell at deep discounts. “When a good fifth of global oil supply and roughly a quarter of seaborne trade is effectively locked up, that’s a boon for Russia,” energy expert Sergey Vakulenko tells the paper.

Some oil that had been languishing on tankers “will definitely find buyers” now, Vakulenko says, and likely at better prices. Al Jazeera reports the price of Russia’s Urals crude, battered by Western sanctions, hit a $40-per-barrel low in late February. On Monday, as the price of the international benchmark Brent crude jumped 13% to $82 per barrel, Urals was lifted to $57.

From a financial point of view this war makes good sense for Russia and the longer they can prolong the conflict the more profit can be made.

And is that not what war is all about….profits?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”