The Iran and Wider Middle East Thread

Airspace over Jordan, Syria and Iraq

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Lots of speculation now. Four to six stratotankers allegedly moving to the UK

From the Middle East Spectator

When KC-135s travel long distances like this, it's to refuel and accompany planes with limited operational range, such as fighter jets like the F-16 or F-35

That's why this is important. The U.S. already has plenty of refueling tankers in the Middle East, so these KC-135s are clearly escorting something. The U.S. is moving some real firepower to the region.



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After today's attack Jordan has requested the deployment of Patriots.



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Iran claims it is not involved in the attack.



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Israeli PM Netanyahu pledged "complete and total support and backing" to the United States in light of this attack. IDF intelligence assets being pledged to US CENTCOM to assist in planning any punitive strikes and two squadrons of Israeli Strike Eagles stand ready to join any US assets in the region to strike back at Iran and its proxies...


...just kidding! We're on our own, kiddos.
 
dicknixon72 said:
Israeli PM Netanyahu pledged "complete and total support and backing" to the United States in light of this attack. IDF intelligence assets being pledged to US CENTCOM to assist in planning any punitive strikes and two squadrons of Israeli Strike Eagles stand ready to join any US assets in the region to strike back at Iran and its proxies...


...just kidding! We're on our own, kiddos.
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Maybe on the ground but not in spirit.

Three quarters of the Middle Eastern leaders are currently hoping really hard the strikes will be targeting Iran and not just the proxies in Syria& Iraq.

I think the US'll just keep it contained to Syria and Iraq though - especially with this Biden Administration.

From Bloomberg:

One possibility is covert action that would see the US strike Iran without claiming credit for it but sending a clear message regardless. The Biden administration could also target Iranian officials directly, as former President Donald Trump did when he ordered the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.

 
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dicknixon72 said:
Israeli PM Netanyahu pledged "complete and total support and backing" to the United States in light of this attack. IDF intelligence assets being pledged to US CENTCOM to assist in planning any punitive strikes and two squadrons of Israeli Strike Eagles stand ready to join any US assets in the region to strike back at Iran and its proxies...


...just kidding! We're on our own, kiddos.
Click to expand...

USA works for Israel, not the other way around.
 
dicknixon72 said:
Israeli PM Netanyahu pledged "complete and total support and backing" to the United States in light of this attack. IDF intelligence assets being pledged to US CENTCOM to assist in planning any punitive strikes and two squadrons of Israeli Strike Eagles stand ready to join any US assets in the region to strike back at Iran and its proxies...


...just kidding! We're on our own, kiddos.
Click to expand...
The US military is the bludgeon that Israel uses to fight its wars and conflicts for them, since they prefer to just be the "brains" behind everything, so they can "keep their hands clean" and claim innocence victimhood. More US blood and treasure for the Zionist "Greater Israel" project. This of course doesn't include their former stomping grounds of Khazaria/(roughly) Ukraine and Crimea.

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New Israeli airstrikes on Damascus, this time around the Sayyeda Zeinab area in Southern Damascus.

The Sayyeda Zeinab shrine is a holy site for Shias and the Southern Damascus area a main stronghold of IRGC+proxies.

 
stadtaffe said:
That is interesting, do these groups all look the same, can they tell each other apart in a crowd?

We need a flowchart for the middle east complete with arrows, dotted lines etc to fully understand who hates who, who collaborates with who etc
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There are probably research papers from think tanks about this, because it is so complex. You have generational and even ancient hatred between groups that are on all levels: intra-national, intra-tribal, as well as between clans, sheikdoms, and families. If you think the Balkan animosity question is mind-boggling, the Muslims and Middle Eastern groups are on a whole other level.
 
Christos_NIKA said:
If you think the Balkan animosity question is mind-boggling
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I knew about that - when in Croatia, don't mention Serbia and vice versa.

To be on the safe side if you're not an expert, don't mention any other country when you're visiting one of those places.

At least it's simple in Northern Ireland..
Christos_NIKA said:
You have generational and even ancient hatred between groups that are on all levels: intra-national, intra-tribal, as well as between clans, sheikdoms, and families. I
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Sounds like hatred even between Muslims.

I suppose if you had a flowchart, you'd have a thick line for a stronger hatred and a feint line for just a dislike.
 
stadtaffe said:
We need a flowchart for the middle east complete with arrows, dotted lines etc to fully understand who hates who, who collaborates with who etc
Click to expand...

That would be a monumental task. But I'll try to make a simple "hate-tier list" the way I see it.

Arab hate ranking:
1. Persians (Iran)
2. Israel/USA (close 2nd)
3. Turks
4. Kurds
Note: Their love of money supersedes everything else.

Persian hate ranking:
1. Israel/USA
2. Arabs
3. Turks
4. Kurds

Turk hate ranking:
1. Kurds
2. Arabs
3. Israel/USA (close 3rd)
4. Persians (Iran)
Note: Will go along with the West as long as they get carte blanche against the Kurds.

Kurd hate ranking:
1. Turks
2. Arabs
3. Persians (Iran)
Neutral towards Israel/USA.

Israel hate ranking:
1. All of Christianity (covert)
2. Iran (overt)
3. Rest of the Muslim world (semi-covert)
Note: They don't hate Palestinians per se, they just see them as vermin.


This is of course extremely oversimplified, but I think it in essence captures the positions of the various main factions in the Middle East.
 
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Aldebaran said:
But I'll try to make a simple "hate-tier list" the way I see it
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Well good someone here has some insight into how it all works..

I was unsure as to whether the Persians and Turks hated each other at all (in either direction) but it appears that they do.

"Arabs" probably includes the union of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and all those other smaller states nearby like UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt.

Muslims outside the middle East eg in Indonesia or Pakistan are possibly outside this hate matrix which would be a good thing.
 
Do you guys think think Iran will become secularized within the next 10 years? I was hearing large parts of the younger generation are abandoning Islam and we're always hearing in the media news of these protests against the social/cultural norms being enforced by the religious state. Lots of these young Iranians are becoming completely irreligious but I hear apparently there's an underground Christian movement that's been rising up as well.
 
stadtaffe said:
"Arabs" probably includes the union of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and all those other smaller states nearby like UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt.
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Yes, they are all considered Arabs. And they have a whole hate-tier list of their own o_O

stadtaffe said:
I was unsure as to whether the Persians and Turks hated each other at all (in either direction) but it appears that they do.
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They all hate each other down there. Their own worst enemies, all of them.
 
Aldebaran said:
Yes, they are all considered Arabs. And they have a whole hate-tier list of their own o_O



They all hate each other down there. Their own worst enemies, all of them.
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Arabs also have a hierarchy of racism, which they barely conceal. Basically that list is as follows:

1. Arabs (especially SA)... superior race/best country evah/other Arab peoples
2. White Europeans/Anglos (including Americans)
3. Black or Asian Muslims, including Turks, Central Asians
4. Non-Muslim blacks
5. East Asians (non-Muslims)
6. Indians and other pagan/pan-theistic cultures
7. Jews
 
Aldebaran said:
Israel hate ranking:
1. All of Christianity (covert)
2. Iran (overt)
3. Rest of the Muslim world (semi-covert)
Note: They don't hate Palestinians per se, they just see them as vermin.
Click to expand...
What's the Iran hate all about? They are the most outspoken and biggest potential military threat to Israel?

Does Greg Mannarino lurk here or have an account?
 
The 6 stratotankers that arrived in the UK yesterday are now on their way to the Middle East



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Politico had a piece on the options available yesterday, naming strikes in Syria and Iraq (basically a given), striking Iranian naval assets in the region ie. the hijacked tanker+ escorting frigates (unlikely) and strikes inside Iran (highly unlikely).



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Photos of the deceased.

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LaAguilaNegra said:
Politico had a piece on the options available yesterday, naming strikes in Syria and Iraq (basically a given), striking Iranian naval assets in the region ie. the hijacked tanker+ escorting frigates (unlikely) and strikes inside Iran (highly unlikely).

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I think the "Behshad" - an Iranian merchant vessel repurposed for intelligence gathering - is ripe for the taking. It's sailing up and down the Bab-el-Mandeb and wherever it sails, Houthi's attacks follow.

We could use the last anti-Houthi UN resolution as an excuse to board it, and since it's registered as a civilian vessel it wouldn't count as an attack on the Iranian Navy.
 
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