Just a passing reference to “…the saber-rattling near Iran…”? No less than a third of the US naval fleet is either en route to or surrounding Iran. The centerpiece of this deployment is a rare event: two huge carrier strike groups simultaneously, namely the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford (the latter being the world’s largest aircraft carrier). Why? Negotiating leverage? We know Iran can’t possibly accede to Trump’s newest redline: no ballistic missiles whatsoever. We also know that this was not Trump’s redline last June, when it was "no nuclear capabilities." We were assured that Operation Midnight Hammer was 100% successful. So the worry at the top of my list: Are we about to start a major war?
Fair questions to be sure! This area is out of my expertise so I don't have much to offer. I do tend to discount a lot of Trump's moves like this based on recent experience. But all I can really say is -- yup, fair questions.
These are Israel's redlines, not ours. It's obvious Israel would very much like to see Iran become as dysfunctional as Syria or Libya. If Trump balks but Israel strikes, we'll likely be drawn in to help defend our ally from those ballistic missiles. (We don't hear much about it but in the 12-day war last spring Israel sustained about $20 billion in damages, with 29 deaths, and over 3200 hospitalized.) Maybe some shock & awe air strikes, no US troops, a quick exit and a Trump declaration of victory. Leaving behind a hellhole of death, violence, civil war, etc. It's a very dangerous and bloody game, but what the heck, it's other countries' bodies.
Just a passing reference to “…the saber-rattling near Iran…”? No less than a third of the US naval fleet is either en route to or surrounding Iran. The centerpiece of this deployment is a rare event: two huge carrier strike groups simultaneously, namely the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford (the latter being the world’s largest aircraft carrier). Why? Negotiating leverage? We know Iran can’t possibly accede to Trump’s newest redline: no ballistic missiles whatsoever. We also know that this was not Trump’s redline last June, when it was "no nuclear capabilities." We were assured that Operation Midnight Hammer was 100% successful. So the worry at the top of my list: Are we about to start a major war?
Fair questions to be sure! This area is out of my expertise so I don't have much to offer. I do tend to discount a lot of Trump's moves like this based on recent experience. But all I can really say is -- yup, fair questions.
These are Israel's redlines, not ours. It's obvious Israel would very much like to see Iran become as dysfunctional as Syria or Libya. If Trump balks but Israel strikes, we'll likely be drawn in to help defend our ally from those ballistic missiles. (We don't hear much about it but in the 12-day war last spring Israel sustained about $20 billion in damages, with 29 deaths, and over 3200 hospitalized.) Maybe some shock & awe air strikes, no US troops, a quick exit and a Trump declaration of victory. Leaving behind a hellhole of death, violence, civil war, etc. It's a very dangerous and bloody game, but what the heck, it's other countries' bodies.