U.S. about to declare war with Iran?

[Free]

At least this doesn't appear to be a prelude to our war with Canada.

US military prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend, but Trump has yet to make a final call, sources say

The US military is prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend, though President Donald Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether he’ll authorize such actions, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

The White House has been briefed that the military could be ready for an attack by the weekend, after a significant buildup in recent days of air and naval assets in the Middle East, the sources said. But one source cautioned that Trump has privately argued both for and against military action and polled advisers and allies on what the best course of action is.

Top administration national security officials met Wednesday in the White House Situation Room to discuss the situation in Iran, a person familiar with the meeting said. Trump was also briefed Wednesday by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, about their indirect talks with Iran that occurred a day earlier. It was not clear if Trump would make a decision by the weekend.

“He is spending a lot of time thinking about this,” one source said.

Oh sure. For example, I'm sure he's quite conflicted over whether to interrupt his weekend golf plans.

And why the effing fuck is Kushner involved in these talks? I guess his involvement in the Warner Bros. Discovery hostile takeover bid does provide him some experience for these sort of confrontations. Eh...

 

[Free]

As we get closer, let's remember Trump's prophetic tweets.

 

[Sid]

So if I have to do my taxes next month, I best can prepare an attack on Iran, to distract the tax people?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Financial Times (Evernote link because paywall): Why Iran is betting on war

The US appears poised to launch a major military attack on Iran. The last round of talks between the two countries was an opportunity for Iran to avert war but Tehran offered little to Washington. That is not because Iran’s rulers are too obdurate and caught up in their old ways of thinking. Rather they are putting little stock in diplomacy and increasingly see war as inevitable. They see talks more as a trap than a solution and seem to view an unavoidable war as more cathartic than a weak deal. They are focused on how to manage it — and even use it to their advantage.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

The current crackdown on dissent in Iran is easier to justify internally and externally when there is a direct attack.

 

[Casey Pelous]

Boy, tearing up that nuke treaty with Iran sure solved the problem, didn't it? Showed them who's The Boss! I bet they can't wait to make another deal with us.

Right?



Right??