The US-Iran War Has Begun

[Noodles]

Wouldn't that just fry your butt? You piss away American lives, billions of dollars, and most of your country's stockpile of high-tech weapons blowing up Iran (and your country's economy) for your buddy, and the SOB doesn't have the common courtesy to stay alive long enough to repay the favor? IT'S NOT FAIR!

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

 

[Sid]

It is not our war. So Trump can go and... himself.
We did not start this massacre. Why should we jump in?

 

[Casey Pelous]

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

I had to google that one and was surprised when I got an answer!

In case anyone is in the same boat:

The (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ emoticon is a popular Japanese-style ASCII kaomoji representing someone flipping a table in intense anger, frustration, or exasperation, as noted by Fandom and Symbl. It is widely used in online discussions to humorously convey being "pissy" or overwhelmed.

It is not our war. So Trump can go and... himself.
We did not start this massacre. Why should we jump in?

I guess maybe Puddin' Brains Grandpa talkin' smack about y'all for years didn't help much. Gosh. Who'd have thought that badmouthing your friends would have consequences?

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Beebo Brink]

His career. As if any of them have to worry about that.

 

[Casey Pelous]

Plot twist: The President in question was Martin van Buren.

 

[Free]

Plot twist: The President in question was Martin van Buren.

* I'm a bit weak on Van Buren memes.

 

[Isabeau]

Was that after or before he spoke about the gold leaf paint and the marble?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Retroactive Reframing - The Narcissists Trait

I need you to picture this.

ifloz.substack.com

Let's walk through what just happened. And I mean really walk through it. Because this is a masterclass in how a broken brain processes rejection in real time.

48 hours ago, Dollcrump went to the Financial Times. The Financial Times. Not Truth Social. Not Fox. He went to the grey paper of record for global finance and he said, and I quote: "If there's no response or if it's a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO."

Read that again. That is a threat. That is a man who needs something and is leveraging the most powerful military alliance in human history to get it. You don't threaten consequences for inaction unless the action matters to you. That's not a suggestion. That's not a thought bubble. That is the President of the United States publicly telling the world: I need warships in the Strait of Hormuz and if you don't send them there will be consequences.

So what happened?

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Israel claims to have killed Ali Larijani, the head of the Basij militia.

IDF kills Iran's Ali Larijani, Basij commander in massive targeted strikes | The Jerusalem Post

Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani and deputy also killed in IDF strikes, officials say 'majority of the Basij leadership was eliminated overnight' • Netanyahu: Larijani was 'boss' of regime

www.jpost.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Top US counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Iran war

National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent says Trump "started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby".

www.bbc.co.uk

As I've suggested before, I worry about this framing, since post hoc does not necessarily mean propter hoc (before this != because of this) and because I don't think it's reasonable to assume that Trump's multiple stupid decisions over the years are the result of bad advice, external pressure or anything other than his own seriously disordered personality, any more than I believe the political and economic systems of the US or any other country are fundamentally innocent, and the only thing that stops them from acting in the interests of their citizens is some malign external force (Good tsar, bad boyars).

Having said that, it's hardly encouraging that the top US counter-terrorism official has jumped ship so early on.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Another interview with Abbas Aragchi on American TV, 2 days ago. Adressing that Iran will defend itself until Trump looses interest, and when Hegseth is saying "no quarter will be given" - so no mercy - this would be a war crime.

"There is no good experience talking to Americans, we were talking, then they decided to attack us."

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Actually, there IS a way for his claim to be true. Trump could very well have had an intense conversation with the 45th POTUS.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

His career. As if any of them have to worry about that.

Right? Like, George W. Bush sits at home now and paints pictures of frickin horses or something all day, what is going to interfere with that.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

He's painting mostly Army veterans.

 

[Sid]

Right? Like, George W. Bush sits at home now and paints pictures of frickin horses or something all day, what is going to interfere with that.

If the oil prices go up, the paint prices might become too expensive?
And how many tariffs has Trumpty Dumpty already slapped on that Bob Ross painting stuff made in China?

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

There's been a fire aboard the USS Gerald Ford, deployed at the moment in the Persian Gulf. It started in the laundry. The cause of fire is a maintenance problem according to the Navy.

More than 600 crew members lost their beds due to the fire. As result the Ford has been given order to move to Crete for repairs.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/18/onboard-fire-uss-gerald-ford-aircraft-carrier

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Why the strait of Hormuz is so hard to defend for the US Navy in a nutshell.

 

[Soen Eber]

The strait will be irrelevant eventually. At least two countries have built pipelines to ports that Iran can't attack, and no doubt several more are working on that as well.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

THE MAGA FRACTURE BEGINS: Joe Kent Just Detonated A Bomb Inside Trump’s War Machine

The head of America’s top counterterrorism agency quit rather than lie about a war he says Israel manufactured to sucker Trump into attacking Iran. He’s not the last.

deanblundell.substack.com

Yes, Kent is a complicated figure. Well, let’s be serious. He’s an anti-Semitic white supremacist who used to frequent NAZI padcasts. He has documented ties to far-right extremists and loves him some violent Christian Nationalist rhetoric.

He promoted Jan. 6 conspiracy theories. He is not a hero of the left and shouldn’t be lionized without asterisks. We can hold both truths: he’s been a bad actor/MAGA Moron in many arenas, AND he is telling the truth about this war. He can be a coward who doesn’t want to go to jail for his boss and the asshole’s hero at the same time.

But here’s what matters most: experts are now openly asking whether other senior officials holding Senate-confirmed roles will likewise resign over their disagreement with the Iran war — or whether Kent will be the only one.