Trump attacks Iran nuclear sites

[Essence Lumin]

This is as dark as news gets to me.

Donald Trump says US has attacked three Iranian nuclear sites and ‘totally obliterated’ them | The Guardian

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

So Seymour Hersh was right - damn. This will create a new wave of terror and will make the Irahis only want nuclear arms even more now.

 

[Mona Eberhardt]

Additionally to what you said about Iran ending up pursuing the development of nuclear weapons now is that Trump's attack might also trigger its exit from the NPT and the establishment of a policy of untransparency regarding their nuclear programme similar to Israel's.

 

[Cristiano]

This is nsfw but accurate. Bibi finally found someone dumb enough to do his bidding.

Spoiler

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

I'm a subscriber to the notion that if you lie or B.S. and by miracle of statistics, *guess* the right answer, you're still wrong. You may have gotten the right answer, but for the wrong reasons, therefore the rewards are undeserved.

I certainly don't believe that TACO, his cabinet or their advisers have a fucking clue. So whether this attack is actually strategically beneficial or not, it's still a total shitshow because it was done by an administration with a profoundly negative level of integrity, competence or comprehension.

It's the trolley problem all over again. Do something, and you have to own the damage that results... or do nothing and own the inevitable damage that action could have prevented.

With regards to the Middle East, I think everyone, particularly Israel, is inevitably going to get fucked. Bibi is gonna get his country nuked over what he's doing to Gaza. Iran may not complete their nuclear program, but the muslim theocracies are wealthy enough to get their hands on a few warheads that 'fell off a truck' when the USSR dissolved, if they haven't already.

It's only a matter of time before they figure out how implicate someone else when they decide to drive one up to the Golan Heights, etc, and set it off right on their border.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Lengthy interview in the Financial Times from earlier in the week with Philip Gordon, who was, until recently, Kamala Harris' national security advisor.

Evernote Link

Among other things, he makes the point that the US is at risk of entering a major war in the region at a time when the staff of the State Department and National Security Council with expertise in the Middle East have mostly been purged and replaced with inexperienced Trump loyalists who lack the knowledge and expertise to deal with the multiple practical challenges (e.g. mass evacuations of US citizens in the regions) they may have to face in the coming days and weeks.

 

[Soen Eber]

And now Hegseth says they are not pursuing regime change and are essentially "done".

I believe the Iranians may have some different ideas on that ... and the governments hosting U.S. spy bases (which, by the way, have absolutely zilch when it comes to air defense are are kind of left hanging).

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

Hadn't Israel already bombed the hell out of Iran's nuclear sites? So, there was absolutely no reason for us to do it. Trump had given Iran 2 weeks to get their shit together, and then attacked 2 days later. This tells the whole world 1) He is not a man of his word, which everyone with brains already knew 2) The US is dangerous and unpredictable. So, why shouldn't some other country (Russia and/or China) preemtively attack us? Then, Trump has alienated all of our allies, so when the attack comes they're all gonna be like, "LOL! FAFO! Have fun dumbasses!" At best, this is the beginning of the end of the United States. We cannot fight a war against the whole rest of the world. I forsee the US being carved up like a turkey to prevent us ever getting big and powerful again - sort of like what we did with Germany post WWII - except on a much larger scale. At worst, it's the beginning of the actual end of the world, since Nukes are totally on the table. Oh and did you guys hear: After US strike, Iran turns to Russia; Medvedev hints at nuclear warhead support: ‘Number of countries are ready to supply Iran' - Times of India

 

[Essence Lumin]

Iran's parliament votes to close Straits of Hormuz after US attacks

The vote took place Sunday after the U.S. on Saturday evening hit three Iranian nuclear sites and significantly damaged the country's capabilities.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

With regards to the Middle East, I think everyone, particularly Israel, is inevitably going to get fucked. Bibi is gonna get his country nuked over what he's doing to Gaza. Iran may not complete their nuclear program, but the muslim theocracies are wealthy enough to get their hands on a few warheads that 'fell off a truck' when the USSR dissolved, if they haven't already.

I beg to differ: yes, Israel might get attacked sooner or later at large scale, but not with nukes.

The 2 reasons which prevent that:

1. 20% of Israel's citizens are Arabic, and mostly muslims. Also all direct neighbors are muslimic countries, and Israel is really small.
2. Jerusalem is the 3rd most holy city to Islam after Mekkah and Madinah. Nuking Israel would mean destroying it or at least blocking access for decades.

 

[Beebo Brink]

At best, this is the beginning of the end of the United States.

Honestly, that was pretty much a forgone conclusion when Trump was elected a second time. It takes a MAJOR level of country-wide dysfunction to put such a blatantly inappropriate person in charge. It doesn't matter why it happened -- propaganda, racism, sexism, election interference, greed -- Trump is a symptom of institutional rot at such a deep level that it can't be solved by yet another election (assuming we ever have free and fair elections again). I'm out there at the protests, because I'll be damned if this country dies with a whimper, but what ails us isn't going away no matter how many of us are out on the streets.

The U.S. is a dead man walking. All this pundit hand-wringing over Trump acting unilaterally to start a war with Iran, as if we still had a functional Congress. lol.

 

[Mona Eberhardt]

This is nsfw but accurate. Bibi finally found someone dumb enough to do his bidding.

Spoiler

Every American President has done Bibi's bidding so far.

 

[Mona Eberhardt]

Honestly, that was pretty much a forgone conclusion when Trump was elected a second time. It takes a MAJOR level of country-wide dysfunction to put such a blatantly inappropriate person in charge. It doesn't matter why it happened -- propaganda, racism, sexism, election interference, greed -- Trump is a symptom of institutional rot at such a deep level that it can't be solved by yet another election (assuming we ever have free and fair elections again). I'm out there at the protests, because I'll be damned if this country dies with a whimper, but what ails us isn't going away no matter how many of us are out on the streets.

The U.S. is a dead man walking. All this pundit hand-wringing over Trump acting unilaterally to start a war with Iran, as if we still had a functional Congress. lol.

Re: election interference, maybe the US should start looking at Israeli interference (be it by AIPAC or dark money-funded think tanks and the like) with an eye as inquisitive as it should at Russian?

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Re: election interference, maybe the US should start looking at Israeli interference (be it by AIPAC or dark money-funded think tanks and the like) with an eye as inquisitive as it should at Russian?

One thing is for sure, we need a lot more restrictions on hour our elections are funded. If it was up to me, you could only donate to candidates you are eligible to vote for (so no out of state money in local elections) and there would be a relatively low ceiling on what one doner can give a candidate.

...this would of course never happen since it would require elected officials to agree to really slice deep into their coffers.

 

[Cristiano]

Every American President has done Bibi's bidding so far.

Not to the degree that Trump has, I do agree.

 

[Mona Eberhardt]

One thing is for sure, we need a lot more restrictions on hour our elections are funded. If it was up to me, you could only donate to candidates you are eligible to vote for (so no out of state money in local elections) and there would be a relatively low ceiling on what one doner can give a candidate.

...this would of course never happen since it would require elected officials to agree to really slice deep into their coffers.

And also overturn Citizens United and the decisions that led to it.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Re: election interference, maybe the US should start looking at Israeli interference (be it by AIPAC or dark money-funded think tanks and the like) with an eye as inquisitive as it should at Russian?

Though is it not the case that, whoever has been in the White House, US foreign policy in the Middle East has long been to have Israel as a rock-solid client state/ally, first against Arab nationalist proxies of the of USSR and later, along with Saudi Arabia, as a regional superpower to keep Iran under control?

Look at if from the US' point of view for the last 20 years -- on any self-interested consideration, ignoring what it might mean for Israelis or Palestinians, who do think US policy-makers saw as it being in the US' best interests to have running Israel and in charge of its nukes, Benjamin Netanyahu or an Iranian-aligned populist ethno-religious nationalist group like Hamas or Hezbollah?

 

[Cindy Claveau]

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Hadn't Israel already bombed the hell out of Iran's nuclear sites? So, there was absolutely no reason for us to do it.

According to the NYT there was a reason for it: at least one nuclear facility was built deep into a mountain.

Only the US Army has the bomb to destroy it, the GBU-57 or bunker buster, and as well the only bomber which can carry it, the B2.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/us/politics/iran-nuclear-site-israel.html

 

[Noodles]

Honestly, that was pretty much a forgone conclusion when Trump was elected a second time. It takes a MAJOR level of country-wide dysfunction to put such a blatantly inappropriate person in charge. It doesn't matter why it happened -- propaganda, racism, sexism, election interference, greed -- Trump is a symptom of institutional rot at such a deep level that it can't be solved by yet another election (assuming we ever have free and fair elections again). I'm out there at the protests, because I'll be damned if this country dies with a whimper, but what ails us isn't going away no matter how many of us are out on the streets.

The U.S. is a dead man walking. All this pundit hand-wringing over Trump acting unilaterally to start a war with Iran, as if we still had a functional Congress. lol.

Yeah, this is why this round I find it incredibly difficult to give a shit about even horrific news and shit coming out of the government.

I am pretty much just waiting for them to escalate something to nukes and wipe out the human race like we deserve.

We had a chance to make all these election reforms and prosecute all these criminal assholes, and we did not, and we will never ever get the chance again.