The United States is building up its military presence near Iran as tensions with Israel continue to rise, with multiple carrier strike groups and a growing array of supporting assets converging in the region.
The USS Nimitz, one of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, is now en route from the South China Sea to the Arabian Sea. Accompanied by its full complement of aircraft and escorted by five guided-missile destroyers, the Nimitz is joining the USS Carl Vinson strike group, which is already deployed near the Middle East.
This dual-carrier deployment marks a significant show of force as Washington seeks to deter further escalation amid fears of a broader regional conflict between Iran and Israel. The redeployment of the Nimitz, confirmed by multiple U.S. media reports, comes alongside an unprecedented surge in aerial refuelling activity across the Atlantic.
In the past 48 hours, at least two dozen U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tankers—KC-135s and KC-46s—have flown eastward from the continental United States. While the exact purpose of the tanker surge remains unconfirmed, the scale and timing of the movement are highly unusual and appear linked to preparations for sustained air operations in the Middle East.
The mobilisation follows the earlier repositioning of two U.S. Navy destroyers from the Mediterranean to waters closer to Israel and the deployment of U.S. Army THAAD air defence systems. Together, these moves reflect a coordinated buildup of American firepower in response to growing concerns that Israel and Iran could soon enter open conflict, drawing in regional and global actors.
While the Pentagon has not confirmed intentions for direct intervention, the deployment of multiple carrier strike groups and tanker support assets gives the U.S. considerable flexibility to project air power, conduct long-range strikes, or support allied operations if required.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are among the largest warships in the world, with a full-load displacement of over 100,000 tons. Measuring approximately 332.8 metres in length with a beam of 76.8 metres at the flight deck, these nuclear-powered vessels are designed to operate for over 20 years without refuelling. Each ship is propelled by two nuclear reactors driving four propeller shafts, enabling speeds in excess of 30 knots and virtually unlimited range. The class includes a complement of more than 5,000 personnel, including ship’s company and embarked air wing.
The carriers are equipped with four catapults and four arresting gear cables, allowing them to launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft at a high sortie rate. The flight deck supports simultaneous take-off and landing operations, typically handling over 80 aircraft during full operations. Defensive systems include the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System, Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM), and Phalanx CIWS for close-in threats. Upgrades to command and control, electronic warfare, and radar systems have kept the class relevant through successive refits.
Embarked air wings aboard Nimitz-class carriers are composed of a range of aircraft, primarily centred around the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet multi-role fighters. These aircraft perform strike, air superiority, close air support, and suppression of enemy air defences. Other aircraft typically include the E-2D Hawkeye for airborne early warning, EA-18G Growler for electronic warfare, and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters for anti-submarine warfare and utility tasks.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the primary strike aircraft aboard the Nimitz-class, has a combat radius of over 390 nautical miles and can carry up to 17,750 pounds of ordnance. It is powered by two General Electric F414-GE-400 engines, providing a maximum speed of Mach 1.6. The aircraft features advanced avionics, radar, and targeting systems, with capabilities to employ precision-guided munitions, air-to-air missiles, and anti-ship weapons, making it a versatile platform in both offensive and defensive roles.
Wasn’t Taco supposed to end all wars under his tenure and sign a ukrainian peace in the first 24 hours? All going according to plan i see
That will be the same TACO who just signed a trade agreement with Kier Starmer head of the European Union 😀
I know the founding fathers wanted an experiment in democracy but you would think after 250 years they would be done with trying crazy shit.
Presidential systems just don’t work, single human beings are always going to be prone to sicknesses, ill judgment and mental impairment. Any kind of popularity contest with the public will inevitably see the oldest most famous person elected. Giving such a person power for 4 years is always going to lead to outcomes like this.
Time for America to give up this Republican system and return to he commonwealth under King Charles 😀
Kier Starmer is Prime Minister of the UK. The UK left the EU years ago.
Yep but Jim is actually quoting Trump 🤭
😂
It was Donald trump who said he was head of the EU.
In Starmers heart he remains part of the EU and one day dreams of heading it.
Good!
You’ve promoted Starmer then.🤣 He is a right wet lettuce. He just signs whatever they give him. As for Trump, he loves chaos. If he does attack Iran, chaos will follow. The BBC carried that story, Trump might be offered membership of the commonwealth. Nuts!
That Wet lettuce managed to get trade deals with Indian, EU, USA, Canada all in the space of two months giving very little away we cared about.
Thousands of British jobs saved in steel and cars
Cut foreign aid and raised defence spending
If that’s wet lettuce sign me up for salad
“These are our Salad Days”.
“It’s just the tip of the Iceberg (lettuce)”
“I know my Onions”.
Erm. I think you ll find all those deals were in
Progress and would have closed who ever won the election.
Actually, Sir Keir Starmer appears to be performing credibly as PM, especially for an attorney by training. Certainly not of the stature of W.S. Churchill, or more recently M. Thatcher, but that caliber of leader is typically operating behind metaphorical political glass, w/ a notice to break said glass only in the case of war. From the viewpoint of a reasonably objective observer from across the Pond, trust me, you could be doing worse. Potentially, much worse. 🤔😉
I mean, look how old and famous Barack Obama was…
I reckon if the US Founding Fathers could look 250 years into the future and see Trump they’d abandon any thoughts of revolution and just grumble & pay the extra tax on the tea!
😂
They were rioting because the tea tax had been *reduced*, making it cheaper than smuggling. They wanted high tariffs back then too, to protect local smuggling businesses run by the likes of Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The Donald is in good company.
I did not know that- every day is a school day on here. Interesting (but not surprising) that some of their ‘founding fathers ‘ were criminals and nice to see they’ve continued that trend.
Well you learn something new everyday. Thanks Jon.
Hopefully Trump will follow Israel’s lead and use a few of those bunker busting bombs. But keep the oil flowing, we don’t want Russia to benefit from another spike in oil prices. I wonder if our carrier group will pop over to say hello.
Not sure if CSG 25 should get involved. What could be a better idea is if CSG 25 replaces Nimitz strike group in the South China Seas, hopefully with some extra AAW Destroyers either from Japan or the US.
Nah, we should stay out of it and the Americans don’t need our help.
If America gets involved we are going to suffer badly from it. Prices will sky rocket as trade is blocked from the region, both oil/gas from the region and other goods transiting it. There will be massive influx of migrants from an already unstable region and unfortunately some of them will be pro Iranians willing to undertake terrorist acts against the UK as a perceived proxy of the US.
The world needs the US to calm the tensions but trump seems to want the reverse and doesn’t appear to have any interest in trying to talk them into peace.
Mess sums it up.
Just for the record UK gets most of its oil from Norway these days, and the remainder from West Africa.
Doesn’t matter, we pay the international rate, prices go up our supply goes up.
Same as any from the north sea, as it’s all owned by private companies the international rate applies.
It’s why our prices went through the roof when Russia invaded Ukraine even though we didn’t use much russian oil/gas.
Plus we do use some of it, which will need to be sourced elsewhere at a period everyone is trying to do the same.
Joy of living in an international supply train driven world.
I’m driving and EV in Scotland, all my oil comes from wind turbines, for some reason Nigel does not like this.
I use Octopus energy and my over night electric rate is often zero. I literally drive around for free.
Doesn’t need to replace them, the US has loads of stuff out there
The Americans said they don’t want our help! Holiday prices for Florida are nose-diving by the way…
Concur, CSG 25 should avoid sailing in harm’s way. CSG 29, and/or CSG 33, may not have the same constraints. Second tranche of F-35B may be on order w/ confirmed delivery dates, possible delivery of a subset of Block 4 F-35B software 🤞, NSM deployed across the surface fleet, T-45 PIP completed and SVE in progress, first deliveries of both T-26 and T-31 completed, seven Astute class SSNs operational, significant increase in munitions across the spectrum, w
etc. RN will be significantly more lethal in the future.
I hope not. We should stay out of this. We’ve spent long enough in the Middle East with little to show for it but more names added to war memorials.
We pay world market rates for our energy even though we have our own wind farms or gas off North Sea. Green is good but we have have highest energy prices.
We pay world market rates but only for fossil fuels. Electricity prices are entirely domestic. In ten years we won’t have to worry ability what any muppets in Iran, Saudi or Russia are doing.
Just need to get off gas for electricity now but it is coming soon.
Haven’t they just turned up (or just about to)in the indo pacific.I assume this will give some freedom for the Yanks to redistribute some of its assets elsewhere? Strange that the Yanks recently said they didn’t need us over there muddying their waters..and even stranger we have ‘unilaterally’ decided to concentrate our assets on the Atlantic…
Should have had Cat’s and Trap’s so they could operate a wide range of fixed wing aircraft.
Oh hang on !
It’s fine and Dandy having 2 CAG deployed to the Gulf, it certainly focuses everyone’s minds on making a deal. Deploying the Tankers is a sensible logistical step to enable the US to use its B52 & B2 heavy bombers.
What isn’t being widely reported is the US pulling its people and aircraft out of Bahrain and Qatar, so it’s either a massive Big Stick waving exercise or they will actually do it and whack Iran.
Or Trumps going to have an Air and Naval review somewhere nice and hot. 🤷🏼♂️
Looks like the US is going to use the ‘massive ordnance penetrator’.
It’s not that under reported, it was in the news over the weekend.
I think the US are concerned that if Israel keeps pushing other nations are going to get involved as they likely know they will be next after Iran. Plus there is a serious chance of terror attacks targeted at US personal as they blindly support Israel
What “other nations likely know they will be next”??
Isreal has issues with pretty much every middle eastern country, so take your pick
I disagree, I think Israel sees Iran as the last major threat to its existence.
Iraq – too weak to fight Israel – no threat.
Syria – Weak after civil war, no threat, the new government wants peace with Israel.
Lebanon – Hezzbollah are seriously diminished now, Lebanese government is now back in control and wants peace.
Egypt – Recognises Israel’s right to exist and is at peace
Jordan Recognises Israel’s right to exist and is at peace.
Saudi Arabia – was going to recognise Israels right to exist … Hamas attack stopped the process. but I doubt that MCB wants war.
Israel undoubtedly has “issues” with some of its neighbours but saying “pretty much every middle eastern country” is really disingenuous
I think US personal are concerned about the US’s blind support of Israel because if Israel keeps pushing, other nations are going to get involved leading to a serious risk of terror attacks on US personal..
Are you a US personal?
All the Gulf states will be quite happy with the Iranian regime getting a kicking.
ABCR,
Precisely. Fordow may not be neutralized by any munitions except the GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) or B61-13, delivered by B-2s. Do not believe US would cross the nuclear threshold unless the Iranians demonstrably possess functional weaps. B-2s deployed to Diego Garcia (thanks for the hospitality) could thus prove to be crucial. Wonder whether B-2s will be reflagged as IAF assets under a new variation of Lend-Lease? Perhaps utilizing a daily lease rate, w/ unlimited mileage included, provided return to point of origin, w/ or w/out battle damage waiver? 🤔😉
Fordow or Fordo? Have observed both spellings. 🤔
Given air dominance, rather interesting that no open press sources speculate re a potential insertion op of Israeli SF at Fordo(w). Sheer speculation that units including Sayeret Matkal, Shaldag, 89th Brigade (e.g., Maglan (Unit 212), Egoz (Unit 621), etc.), Yahalom (combat engineering unit for special ops.), might participate in said venture. Dunno, may prove decisive if Iranians underestimate Israeli capabilities, tactics and resolve. 🤔
Its 654 miles from Bandar Abbas in the Gulf to Tehran. Hence the US movement of refuelling tankers to support the wheezing short ranged F-18s on the carriers.
I mean yeah, only small issue is the USN Super Bugs use hose and drogue and the USAF tankers use boom. I understand they can use both but do not train much for the boom method and it isnt widely used.
Well, if we all support kicking seven bells out of a nation yearning for a new leadership, please don’t complain when 10s of thousands rock up on small boats in the coming months. Just saying.
Trump vetoed the only other way that was on offer, when the Israelis had a chance of killing the Supreme Leader. I doubt it would have worked, but simply not killing him isn’t going to work either. You have to grit your teeth and do something else if you feel the need to force change, all the options being deeply unpallatable.
Killing him wouldnt have worked well either, someone even more extreme would take his place as anger would be extremely high.
I don’t really understand what isreal is trying to achieve as they don’t have a way to get ground forces there and without that I don’t see how they can force regime change.
A phrase often used in GW1 was ‘Cutting the Head off of the Snake’ – there you go.
Israel simply need to ensure Iran never can deploy WMD of any type. Job done. Not 100% sure that this killing leaders thing is not an invention to make someone look like they might have influence.
I don’t have an issue with the red sea tourists topping senior mullahs and military cmdrs; I do have an issue with kicking seven bells out of a country that is screaming for change and is possibly not deserving of seeing their innocents being murdered. Difficult one.
Yea, kicking seven bells isn’t the way.. bomb they facilities and missile sites sure, but they probably should have done a timed wave of assassinations for the cdrs and scientists instead of airstrikes, would be less civilian collateral.. not like they haven’t done it before.
The problem is the Tehran regime has (had?) a strong grip on power, the IRGC and Basji were created to prevent counter-revolution.
We have seen many of the recent uprisings put down.
The best chance the ordinary people of Iran have for getting rid of the mad mullahs is foreign intervention. without it …they have no chance.
Best thing that could happen now while the IRGC and Basji are under attack is a military Coup by Iran’s (Non-IRGC) forces.
You have cross at least 8 to 9 other countries to transit from the middle-east to the UK. When fleeing war you seek refuge in the first safe country, If you travel further by choice you become a migrant.
International Law:
The 1951 Refugee Convention, the cornerstone of international refugee law, does not impose a requirement for asylum seekers to claim asylum in the first safe country they enter.
100%
In the interest of self-preservation a person seeking asylum “should” seek refuge in the 1st safe country the come to..
Do you think that whoever drafted The 1951 Refugee Convention omitted such requirement because they didn’t want to be that potential 1st country?
Among the delegates who took part in the drafting process, one issue concerned the phrase “in Europe”. Some countries, including the UK and France, initially advocated a broader geographical formulation – the French delegate even spoke of “new and undreamed of refugees”
Ie. We drafted it along with others, and we wanted to make sure that it spread beyond the borders of Europe. Next anodyne point?
Some might want transport home assuming Iran turns into better place for all.
Bit soon to suggest that anywhere is going to have 7 bells kicked out of it
Just the 5 guided missile destroyers per strike group before you even think about the firepower on the carrier. They don’t fuck around do they lol.
US Miitary must find this quite tricky placing assets near regions the CIC might actuallly need to engage.
Wonder now if any ongoing conflict with Iran may affect the long-term supply of drones to Russia? It might even draw Russia in more and or cause Putin to act even more belligerently in Ukraine. He’s feeling left out of the G7 and world stage according to Trump and obviously being squeezed by sanctions. Both these guys like to parade their weapons around and use them.
That plays back to the UKE hitting a Russian factory hitting a Russian factory producing Iranian drones… So, not sure how Russia will play this. Do they really want even more poor feedback about their weapons?
Those two carrier strike groups represent more firepower than the entire Iranian armed forces. If Iran wants to get a bit aggro theyve got the matter in hand.
I wonder how vulnerable they are to Iran’s missiles. Maybe not too vulnerable at the moment as I doubt their hypersonic missiles are that accurate, especially against a moving target.
With Iran’s air defences gone, the US has a golden opportunity to strike. It is now or never.
I just hope Iran doesn’t already have a means to deliver the nukes it supposedly has.
It has? I don’t think it has any. Yet.
TBH I don’t know, I may have put too much faith in legacy media reporting when they mentioned them striking Israel.
I looked it up. They claim to have developed one called “Fattah-1” that travels up to mach 13.
Even if that is true I can imagine it couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo.
I think Iran is full of hot air…..literally!
Apart from the climate, what have they done beyond use mates to hit Israel with rockets and terror, and lobby BM and Drones in Israels direction?
The military losses scoreboard must be prerry damning right now.
Has the IRIAF even taken off yet?
They’re like Iraq. Numbers until meeting a real military.
Ah, sorry, I was focusing on your “nukes it supposedly has” comment.
I very much doubt they’ve got that far. Getting the knowledge about warhead parts and tech, actually putting one together something else.
Reportedly their centrifuges might be ruins right now, in Natanz at least.
Accuracy is not known – however Hypersonic Weapons of some discription have managed to hit Tel Aviv in the state of Israel,is that not Accurate enough ?.
“With Iran’s air defences gone, the US has a golden opportunity to strike. It is now or never.”
To be fair, even when Iran had its air defences, they were clearly crap. Israel sent 200 F-35s, F-15s and F-16s to shatter those plus nuclear facilities, and as far as I’m aware didn’t lose a single jet.
It bodes very poorly for Russia in any potential future fight against NATO, seeing as they use the same GBAD as Iran (S300 & S400) and would be against, mostly, F-35s and Gen 4.5 aircraft in similar calibre to F-15s and F-16s.
Ah but what about S500 😂
The effectiveness of Russian air defences have been over stated since at-least 1982.
GBAD is very expensive compared to aircraft and very slow and inflexible, GBAD has its place especially against ballistic missiles, but on its own, without aircraft integration and over the horizon radar it’s always going to be a sitting duck.
Russia like Iran has a military based on bling
I think most of Iran’s latest air defences were designed from reverse-engineered S-300 technology
There are reports that they have lost up to 3 F35s.
Unverified reports so far.
Just like the Argentines sank our carriers during the Falklands War… 🤣
But less firepower than the long range Israeli F-15s and F-16s who have the matter well in hand.
It’s marginal. Two USN carriers deliver a tactical air force equal to Israel’s air force probably. Mix of EF-18G growlers, AWACs, F35Cs, F18’s. That’s potentially. It’s the quickest way the USA can crash deploy firepower to an area.
I’d imagine the Israeli’s want the USAF B2s with their GBU bunker buster bombs to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities. Or at the very least collapse their access routes, air shafts and make them inoperable.
Final deployment of USS Nimitz as well.
If you are talking pure geostrategy, it’s probably better this is happening now than in 2-3 years time.. China is still not ready for its war.. in a few years pushing 2 carrier battle groups into the western Indian Ocean could be a trigger to them undertaking action against Taiwan.
On balance I think the UK should keep well out of it.
The world has changed and no longer should the UK blindly follow America. Yes Iran should not get the A-bomb but the UK has a lot on its plate and there has to be consequences to America/Trump’s words and actions against the UK and the Commonwealth. I would be sympathetic to Israel if were not for the historic and ongoing violent settling of other peoples’property and land. IF Israel were to agree to some form of a 2-state solution, then I would change my mind as far as they are concerned.
There’s the rub, Israel is one thing, the zionists and ultras are quite another; they are committing genocide against innocents, and if memory serves correctly, we didn’t forgive the Nazis nor let them off lightly. I see to remember, we have topped a couple after due process, of course.
I think the actual rub is people “blindly” spouting veiled(and not so veiled) anti-israel sentiments, usually citing “history”.. historically and currently more than one of Israels neighbours have wanted it gone, like proper gone, also as far as im aware Israel has agreed to a 2-state solution in the past.. didn’t go too well, the problem is the only people that really want a 2-state solution don’t live in the middle east
I don’t have an issue with Israel, I do have an issue with what factions have done regarding settler encroachment, Gaza genocide and bombing innocent civilians.
The Leadership needs to be held accountable, the should just walk away, totally, and let the tribes sort it out, once and for all.
It is a double-edged sword Hamas, Hezbollah don’t care about killing innocent civilians in Israel.
Their cause is truly genocidal: to get all the Jews out of the middle-east
Middle East is essentially the genocidal capital of the world going back over centuries and tbh it’s Christians and other smaller religious groups that have born the brunt of it. One can only imagine what diverse place it would be if centuries of cleansing not happened.
The very term ‘Gaza genocide’ is a racist antisemitic lie used by people little better than the Nazis
Whose land ?
The Temple of the Mount (Jerusalem) was built in 957 BC the Dome of the rock (Mosque) was built over it in 691 AD
Jewish people were living there first.
This ceased to be about land decades ago, Arafat repeatedly rejected the 2 state solution.
The people of Gaza / West bank simply won’t share a homeland with Jewish people
This conflict is really all about religious/ cultural supremacy.
Iran was an ally of Israel before the mad mullah took power in 1979, they don’t share a border with Israel,
so why did they get involved in the first place? … because their religious beliefs demand the return of Jerusalem to Islam.
You conflate. When was Islam established? Pretty hard for there to be an Islamic temple beforehand.
However, and I don’t know, what nomadic tribes were in the area? Should we take Moses splitting the Red Sea and moving to the promised land (promised by who?) What tribes were there before?
We are where we are and the US needs to step away and let natural justice prevail.
No, read again and try to understand.
The fight is all about religious supremacy.
I gave the example of Jerusalem a holy city to Islam. The people who follow that believe it is rightfully theirs and want it back.
OK. I take a well made point. Thankyou.
However, who did the land belong to before the red Sea tourists arrived in the first place? By definition, they were tourists and were just ‘led’ by someone to the promised land.
Please understand, I have no regard to any religion, generally, it a dictate controlled by man and not open to challenge by women – protestantism is evolving.
Equally, watching Buddhist Monks wearing Ray bans is equally offensive.
I have three friends in my life and they are Me, Myself and I. The US should stay away, stop supporting Israel and let nature take her course.
@Bringer. Indeed much of the ME conflict arises because some faiths believe that their faith requires a particular place where something essential to their faith is believed to have occurred. That mental limitation is removed by Jesus when be said to the woman at the well. John 4.
Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.“
The UK need to stay well away. Operation Boot and the Abadan Crisis are still remembered in Iran
Alleluia! It’s clear now that God spared Trump at Butler for this moment, regime change Iran. Geronimo!
There was no ‘reply’ link to your previous response Re: ” Indeed much of the ME conflict….” So I am replying here.
Just to let you know I am an atheist, so quoting the bible/ attempted indoctrination is totally lost on me.
I agree in the sense that the Abrahamic religions have contributed to conflicts in the middle-east, not so much Judaism, or Christianity which appear to have moved with the times.
No worries. Everyone to his own. People consider Jesus and his teachings at various levels. He was one of many itinerant healers who were active in Palestine at the time of the Roman occupation.
Oh look ChrisLondon, I can’t reply to you.
Honestly, you have your opinion and I have nothing against Israel.
Pretty much like Sri Lanka, who killed circa 30,000 in a safe zone; shall we forget they were babies, children and young mothers?
So yes, I have no love for people who abuse the power the USA has given them and use that power to kill a race of innocent people – it’s called genocide. The radicals in Israeli power are doing it now and no protests have been reported by Isreali’s arguing against it; happy to be corrected.
The Nazis were scum and anyone else who commits genocide is no better than the Nazis.
During WW2 many V1 and V2 rockets fell on London and killed civilians.
In September 1944 the British Paratroopers tried to liberate the Dutch town of Arnhem … unbeknown to them 2 SS Panzer divisions had recently relocated there. The resulting Battle destroyed Arnhem, Many civilians who had felt the joy of thinking liberation was at hand, were killed.
Many bombs /missiles have hit Ukraine in the last week.
Would you classify these incidents as Genocide?
I would say it is collateral damage/ unplanned casualties, which is undesirable, but happens during war.
Genocide means systematic extermination such as the atrocities carried out at Auschiwitz and Sobibor extermination camps, no one leaves alive.
It would mean killing everyone on sight and leaving no-one that you come across alive.
I see footage of Israeli troops walking amongst Gaza civilians and not shooting everyone they see so I’m not convinced this is Genocide.
If Aid trucks are being sent/ let into a war zone it means efforts are being made to save civilian lives, that is not Genocide.
Extremists like Hamas deliberately hide within civilian infrastructure, every civilian casualty, is useful propaganda to them, as is the misuse of the word Genocide.
German Chancellor Merz did a pretty bold and open statement yesterday, he basically said that Israel is doing all the “dirty work” for us. Beforehand, he heavily critisised Israel for what they did against Gaza, so while Germany is historically never criticising Israel, he nevertheless (and rightful so) did criticise israel before. But he is spot on regarding Iran. Lets face it, we dont want war, but given what Iran has done the last 30 years, they basically “begged” for this to happen, and just letting them get the nuke without consequences – no, thats not a good option.
The problem is on the long run. Military adventures have become increasingly en vogue the last years (Ukraine by Russia, Iran by Israel). If I were Chinese, why not do the same on Taiwan.
The current instability is gravely dangerous.
Trump has just said ‘No-one knows what I am going to do’. The thing is, does Donald know what he is going to do? 😂
I would be very wary of the UK getting involved in this one. My reservation is one of principle.
The WMD story that dragged us into Iraq looks to have emanated from Israeli intelligence fed into 5 eyes. That intelligence proved to be false. The suspicion remains that it was a contrived Israeli narrative to get us all to take on one if their ME rivals. (They would say ‘threats’).
US intelligence and IEA statements di not concur with Netanyahu’s oft-repeated claim that Iran is on the verge of getting nuclear weapons. Only Israel keeps repeating this mantra. We have to be mist careful not to be suckered into another ME war to enable Israel to knock off another rival.
In all this talk of nukes, we have to remember that Israel has betwen 90 and 200 of them, the only nuclear-capable ME power. These are not declared, it is not a signatory to the Nuclear non-proliferation treaty, it is not answerable to anyone. Which is a pretty rum state of affairs.
Successive Israeli prime ministers have used war against Israel’s neighbours to gain domestic electoral advantage and Netanyahu is a serial culprit.
When Israel gives up its occupation of the West Bank (illegal), stops forcing Arabs out of their homes (illegal) to award said land to Zionist settlers and get-rich-quick land grabbers (illegal), filling in indigenous Wells to divert scarce water to Jewish settlements (illegal) and so on, we may be able to see Israel as a democratic ally.
But not as things stand. Entire past and current Israeli governments
could well face trial in the Hague, for contravening the provisions of
international law, specifically Geneva Convention 1V, which is crystal
clear about what is and isn’t allowed by an occupying power. Israel
breaches just about every clause in it.
For the person above claiming that unsympathetic views on Israel are
anti-semitic, let’s be clear. ‘Semite’ was a broad term coined y Victorian anthropologists to describe the assorted peoples of the Levant – Arabs, Jews, Bedouin and s host of minorities, whether Jewish, Arab, Christian or other minority religions.
It comes from Shem, son of Abraham IIRC. To be anti-semitic would strictly b e to be against all of these ethnic and religious groups
While the term ‘Semite’ is no longer in vogue in academic circles, Israel seems to have grabbed it to beat its critics around the head. I think we should all change the expression to ‘anti-zionist”, for which a good academic and political case could be made.
I think the Donald is going to join in with the strikes on Iran using bunker busting bombs to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Probably B2 bombers. Whether Iran can then close the strait of Hormuz or attack US military sites in the region remains to be seen.
The Houthis will be starved of hardware so their missiles strikes should stop soon as well
I don’t care what any of you say – this would never have started if Trump was President.