Trump says he bombed Iran

[Oldcarpy2]

I said what I had to say. We both know it wasn't bait.

Yawn.  I remember you from ATS.  Same old MO.

Sling your bait elsewhere.

[BeyondKnowledge]

What has Iran done directly to America?

They didn’t say nice things after we overthrew their government and helped Iraq fight them in the 80’s (we funded both sides).

Here’s an idea. We completely leave the Middle East. We’ve lost thousands of soldiers and trillions of dollars, and it’s quite clear that anytime we “fix” something, it costs us even more a decade or two later.

What do we need there? Oil? We get maybe 10% from the Middle East. So someone please tell me why my interest is there. Why every ten years or less we get dragged into a war there when my cost of living constantly goes up, and my nations debt continues at an exponential curve.

What part of them wanting to nuke America did you miss? Didn't get the memo?

They have been at war over there off and on for well over a thousand years. But now they threaten to get weapons that can destroy any part of the world. How can they be left alone to sort it out over there if their toys could possible reach anyone?

[Maxmars]

As with any conflict within the modern era... there are terrorists on both sides... governments use them to hurt the enemy.  The winner gets to write history.

There are extreme elements that governments will find 'expedient' to support... whenever it offers 'value' to their interest.

Not perhaps desirable, but many says it's almost a prerequisite in 'global diplomacy.'

We're so dang adversarial and distrusting of each other because...
in their own mental gymnastics ... "I wouldn't trust me."

[CriticalStinker]

What part of them wanting to nuke America did you miss? Didn't get the memo?

Must not have, I got this one:

[BeyondKnowledge]

Must not have, I got this one:

[Image: https://i.imgur.com/DQre9SN.jpeg]

About that one, you did not get the one about them building back better ether apparently. All under sheds so satellites can't see them build.

[CriticalStinker]

About that one, you did not get the one about them building back better ether apparently. All under sheds so satellites can't see them build.

Yea? Who said that? 

I’m supposed to believe they were on the cusp after not being able to do it for 28 years of Bibi telling me we had to attack Iran for them to save ourselves from mushroom clouds? But all of a sudden they are doing it in under a year while in financial ruins and political uprising?

[BeyondKnowledge]

Yea? Who said that? 

I’m supposed to believe they were on the cusp after not being able to do it for 28 years of Bibi telling me we had to attack Iran for them to save ourselves from mushroom clouds? But all of a sudden they are doing it in under a year while in financial ruins and political uprising?

Well, they did start the peace negotiations with an interesting and bold statement. They said they had enough material ready on hand for eleven atomic bombs. You did not get that memo ether I guess?

[putnam6]

There’s a lot of countries like that.

I don’t feel the need to go to a vast majority of Africa, parts of South America, parts of Asia. But we’re not bombing them.

Also, I don’t think it’s semantics when you tried to counter my questioning of being at war with Iran when your rebuttal said we weren’t right at the beginning. Nor have I ever pretended Iran is a friend in the slightest. Nor have they been for close to 100 years. Because installing a friendly government somewhere isn’t friendly, it’s putting a thumb on a population for your interests, something that can foment hostilities. That’s a lesson we struggle to learn.

Yeah, the Iranian population seems rather distraught at the chance for another form of government

The region was destabilized since the 80s and its been Iran stirring the pot since before 10/7

[Sky727]

Kurd ground forces on the move to join the fight

[CriticalStinker]

Well, they did start the peace negotiations with an interesting and bold statement. They said they had enough material ready on hand for eleven atomic bombs. You did not get that memo ether I guess?

[Video: https://youtu.be/Tq7n3QTOrZA]

Witkoff is the only source on that, and seeing as he has financial interests in the Middle East, I take what he says with a grain of salt.

But let's pretend for a second they did say that, it wouldn't make it true that they could. 

There were reports that 300kg of 60% enriched uranium was hidden before the strikes in the summer. You can go back on this thread, it was a huge point of contention. People were saying fake news, the White House said fake news. So either they were wrong or lying. Kind of hard to trust them too. You see, you can distrust a foreign enemy/adversary at the same time as your own government.

So lets say they did have that 60% uranium. You can't make bombs with that, and one place I wouldn't disagree with the admin is that they did do a number on the facilities. B2 bombers with multiple of the biggest bunker busters on the planet landing on the same spot is going to set you back. In reality, it probably destroyed the facilities. If it didn't, it would have been years for them to even be able to access them, much less enrich further.

The reason it's harder now for countries to make nukes isn't because of science. We made nukes in a few years when we were the first to do it in the 40's. Many nations followed suit in no time. MIT graduates can make one in theory for a thesis.

What makes it hard is there isn't the same access to plutonium as there used to be. Uranium is much harder to make weapons grade. You have to have a far bigger enrichment operation, and get it to 90% enriched.

People are welcome to believe the same government that has lied to them every couple of years for Middle East conflicts. That's your right. But at some point you have to ask yourself if we're approaching the point of insanity trying the same thing over and over expecting different results. You can only go in and topple governments which results in deaths of millions for so long before you get a healthy population of people that hate you. You have to wonder, is it because of their extremist religion (could be, I'm not being sarcastic here), or the fact that we make our presence known every generation of humans there.