The US-Iran War Has Begun

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Get the money, girl.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

John Bolton had an interview with my local newspaper in Germany. He's talking about Trump and Iran.

He gave some arguments why he thinks Europe should be more engaged:

1. Europe is way nearer to Iran than the US is. And as the attack on Diego Garcia shows Iran has probably ballistic missiles in his arsenal with far longer range than expected, which can reach Europe.
2. US military bases in Europe make Europe a target for Iran as well. Also the Iranian sponsored terrorist attacks should be reason enough to not treat Iran too nicely.
3. By telling Trump now "that's not Europe's war" gives Trump the lever to say the same about the war in Ukraine "that's not America's war," which in reality it is though IMHO because America actively meddled in the interior of Ukraine for a long time now.
4. The global economy suffers, so Europe's as well.

 

[Casey Pelous]

John Bolton had an interview with my local newspaper in Germany. He's talking about Trump and Iran.

He gave some arguments why he thinks Europe should be more engaged:

1. Europe is way nearer to Iran than the US is. And as the attack on Diego Garcia shows Iran has probably ballistic missiles in his arsenal with far longer range than expected, which can reach Europe.
2. US military bases in Europe make Europe a target for Iran as well. Also the Iranian sponsored terrorist attacks should be reason enough to not treat Iran too nicely.
3. By telling Trump now "that's not Europe's war" gives Trump the lever to say the same about the war in Ukraine "that's not America's war," which in reality it is though IMHO because America actively meddled in the interior of Ukraine for a long time now.
4. The global economy suffers, so Europe's as well.

Bolton talks as though 47 is sane, competent, and not Putin's puppet.

1, 2, and 4 could be good arguments to stay as far as possible from this cluster....erm....mess.

3? He's already said that multiple times.

 

[Sid]

John Bolton had an interview with my local newspaper in Germany. He's talking about Trump and Iran.

He gave some arguments why he thinks Europe should be more engaged:

1. Europe is way nearer to Iran than the US is. And as the attack on Diego Garcia shows Iran has probably ballistic missiles in his arsenal with far longer range than expected, which can reach Europe.
2. US military bases in Europe make Europe a target for Iran as well. Also the Iranian sponsored terrorist attacks should be reason enough to not treat Iran too nicely.
3. By telling Trump now "that's not Europe's war" gives Trump the lever to say the same about the war in Ukraine "that's not America's war," which in reality it is though IMHO because America actively meddled in the interior of Ukraine for a long time now.
4. The global economy suffers, so Europe's as well.

The older the better isn't always true. But we knew that already because of His Royal Shittyness in the White house, right?

 

[Noodles]

I might have felt bad for these kids if it were the first term but I would bet most voted for this fucker a second time despite ALL THE PEOPLE DEMONSTRSTING IT WAS THE STUPIDEST IDEA and so I have no fucks to give. Oh no, stupid narcicist is sending you off to war, sorry not sorry.

 

[Casey Pelous]

I might have felt bad for these kids if it were the first term but I would bet most voted for this fucker a second time despite ALL THE PEOPLE DEMONSTRSTING IT WAS THE STUPIDEST IDEA and so I have no fucks to give. Oh no, stupid narcicist is sending you off to war, sorry not sorry.

Folks don't generally join the service because they got a full-ride scholarship to a big university, but they want the boot camp experience before they go off to Sarah Lawrence.

The younger ones are pretty naive, to put it politely. (During Iraq, the armed forces were losing more members to high-power motorcycle accidents stateside than they were to enemy fire. They finally put a stop to it, but it tells you something about the minds of those young folks.) I'm pretty sure they never thought it would come to this, or that "coming to this" looked more like Call of Duty in their heads than the god-awful reality of real combat.

If they're sent into battle against the Iranians, odds are grimly high that it will be a slaughter. If you and I know that, they know that, too. It requires me stopping and taking a deep breath, but I can muster up a little compassion, even though I realize they helped to cook their own goose.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

John Bolton had an interview with my local newspaper in Germany. He's talking about Trump and Iran.

He gave some arguments why he thinks Europe should be more engaged:

1. Europe is way nearer to Iran than the US is. And as the attack on Diego Garcia shows Iran has probably ballistic missiles in his arsenal with far longer range than expected, which can reach Europe.
2. US military bases in Europe make Europe a target for Iran as well. Also the Iranian sponsored terrorist attacks should be reason enough to not treat Iran too nicely.
3. By telling Trump now "that's not Europe's war" gives Trump the lever to say the same about the war in Ukraine "that's not America's war," which in reality it is though IMHO because America actively meddled in the interior of Ukraine for a long time now.
4. The global economy suffers, so Europe's as well.

In response:

1) Iran doesn't lob missiles about for the fun of it. Why give them reasons to lob tham at targets in Europe other than US air bases?

2) If they do lob them at targets in Europe (US air bases or anything else) then NATO air defence systems will take them out. That's what they're there for.

3) It's not in Europe's interest to attack Iraq. It is in the interests of the US to help defend Ukraine against Russia because otherwise the US is likely to find itself called upon to honour its NATO treaty commitments to defend a NATO member against Russia, and the US breaks those commitments then that will potentially get very dangerous indeed for everyone, since it makes it so much more likely Britain and France will end up using their nuclear arsenals. Plus if Trump feels like saying "that's not America's war," then that's what he's going to say.

The idea he's going to be shamed into honouring NATO treaty commitments because European countries joined in his pointless war in the ME is fanciful.

4)The global economy will suffer because of Trump's war against Iran whether or not Europe joins in. The best thing Europe can do for everyone's sake hope the US abandons this foolishness sooner rather than later, not to join in.

 

[Free]

As US weighs putting troops in Iran, realities on ground keep Israeli boots closer to home

Some Americans question bearing the burden of war, but experts say Jerusalem's role in setting the stage for US troops on Iranian soil has been pivotal, even if soldiers aren't deploying there as well

www.timesofisrael.com

With the US preparing options for a potential ground operation in Iran, Israel is unlikely to take part — a prospect that has drawn criticism among the American public but, experts say, reflects strategic calculations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at the need for a ground operation earlier this month, saying, “There has to be a ground component as well,” in order to bring about regime change — an unofficial goal of the war shared by both Israel and the US — while declining to elaborate on what that might entail.

till, despite his remarks, there has been no indication in recent reporting that Israel would take part in such an operation — fueling criticism in the US that American troops could be put at risk in a war seen by some as primarily serving Israeli interests.

I think we could see this coming. I don't know if Trump and his cohorts did, though.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Midweek Update #4: Trump Would Love To Leave: Iran Might Not Let Him

1000 bombs versus 1: Which Is Strategically More Effective?; Victory Conditions, We Don't Need No Stinking Victory Conditions; What Are The Gulf States And Saudi Arabia Thinking?

phillipspobrien.substack.com

 

[Cristiano]

Iran threatens imminent attacks on US tech companies in the Middle East - Engadget

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it's targeting Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA and Tesla, among others.

www.engadget.com

 

[detrius]

Random video suggestion:

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

This is not an April Fool's Joke: the Iranian President wrote an open letter to the American public about the war.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/world/middleeast/iran-president-pezeshkian-letter-diplomacy.html

 

[Beebo Brink]

Iran threatens imminent attacks on US tech companies in the Middle East - Engadget

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it's targeting Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA and Tesla, among others.

www.engadget.com

All these tech companies groveled at Trump's feet and funded his proposed ballroom. They're learning the hard way that sycophancy isn't a good investment.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Imagine If America Spent Money on Its People: The Most Delusional 30 Seconds in Television History

Marco Rubio just went on Good Morning America and said, with a straight face, no fucking hint of irony, not even a twitch, not even a smirk, nothing:

ifloz.substack.com

Marco Rubio just went on Good Morning America and said, with a straight face, no fucking hint of irony, not even a twitch, not even a smirk, nothing:

"Imagine if instead of spending billions on weapons, Iran spent that money on its people. They'd have a much different country."

I've read it six times. I've checked if it's satire. I've checked if The fucking Onion hacked the State Department website. It's real. The actual United States Secretary of State said this shit. On national television. While his country is currently spending A BILLION DOLLARS A DAY bombing the living shit out of the country he's talking about.

While Rubio was delivering this Dr Phil bullshit on GMA, Republican lawmakers back in Washington were proposing cuts to HEALTHCARE to pay for the war. Let that sink the fuck in. They are literally taking medicine out of the mouths of sick Americans so they can keep feeding billion-dollar missiles into Iranian airspace. Elizabeth Warren fucking nailed it: "While there is no money for 15 million Americans who lost their health care, there's a billion dollars a day to spend on bombing Iran."

Fifteen million people just lost their goddamn health coverage. But sure, Marco, let's talk about how IRAN needs to invest in its citizens. What a great fucking idea.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

How China hopes to win from the war Evernote Link because Economist paywall

GOING TO WAR against Iran promised to change the Middle East by weakening a villainous regime and thwarting its nuclear ambitions. To its most bullish supporters, the war would also change the world by cowing an ascendant China. It would show how America’s control over the flow of oil leaves China vulnerable. And it would boost deterrence by contrasting America’s military supremacy with China’s reluctance or inability to save its friends.

A month into the fighting, this logic still seems misguided and hubristic. Certainly, that is the way it looks from Beijing. The Economist has been speaking to diplomats, advisers, scholars, experts and current and former officials in China. Almost all of them see the war as a grave American error. China has stood aside, they say, because its leaders understand the maxim attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, supposedly uttered as his foes were abandoning high ground at Austerlitz: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

 

[Innula Zenovka]

‘You have to be serious’: Macron criticises Trump’s mixed messages about Nato and Iran

Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s inconsistent and often contradictory pronouncements on the Iran war and Nato, saying if “you want to be serious” it was better not to come out with a something different every day.

“There is too much talk … and it’s all over the place,” the French president said on Thursday during a state visit to South Korea. “We all need stability, calm, a return to peace – this isn’t a show!”

Macron added: “You have to be serious. When you want to be serious, you don’t go around saying say the opposite every day of what you just said the day before. And perhaps you shouldn’t talk every day.”

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

CNN is telling based on non-disclosed American intelligence contacts that Iran has still about 50% of its missile launchers intact and operational.

 

[Free]

AFP News Agency (@en.afp.com)

In a leafy Tehran park on Thursday, Iranians gathered for picnics on the final day of the Persian new year holidays, shrugging off US President Donald Trump's threats to punish Iran with massive bombing. Tradition calls for spending the day outdoors to ward off bad luck. u.afp.com/SbBC

bsky.app

 

[Free]

2 US aircraft shot down as war in Iran escalates. At least 1 crew member is missing

Two U.S. military planes were shot down in separate incidents on Friday, escalating tensions in the ongoing conflict. One fighter jet was shot down in Iran.

apnews.com

A channel affiliated with Iranian state television claimed Friday that a U.S. fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran. The U.S. did not respond immediately to requests for comment on the claim.

It was not clear what may have happened to the plane, including whether Iran was claiming it was shot down or had another issue. If the claim is confirmed, it could lead to yet another dramatic escalation in the war, nearing the end of its fifth week.

Interesting an Iranian news channel "claims," rather than reports. Anyways, the U.S. has confirmed the...news.

US F-15E jet confirmed shot down over Iran as Tehran releases wreckage images