Tensions in the Middle East

[Fuzz]

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States would cut off all trade with Spain after the European country refused to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

"Spain has been terrible," Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "cut off all dealings" with Spain.

"We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain," he added.

Trump's comments came after the US relocated 15 aircraft, including refuelling tankers, from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain after the country's Socialist leadership said it would not allow them to be used to attack Iran.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Spain would not allow its military bases to be used because the offensive was not covered by its agreement with the United States, nor in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-888704

Spain’s MEP Irene Montero: We must isolate the U.S. and Israel now, so they can no longer spread terror across the globe.”

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnderReport...solate_the_us/

Finally a country with some balls to say it. Meanwhile...

Israel sent additional troops into southern Lebanon Tuesday and ordered residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said it is ready for an open war, escalating the already volatile situation in the region.

The latest exchanges started after Hezbollah fired rockets and drones early Monday toward northern Israel. Israel retaliated with a wave of airstrikes that killed 52 people in Lebanon, including a Palestinian militant and a Hezbollah intelligence official in Beirut’s southern suburbs. More than 150 people were wounded and tens of thousands displaced.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/...132157292.html

[Leondros]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

LOL, ya, they unilaterally acted to attack another country, dragging the US into it, but they are the good guys. Is assassinating the leaders of countries just an accepted method of international dealings now? Becuase that's kinda bad precedence.

Sorry, but it always has been Fuzz...

Saddam Hussein
Manuel Noriega
Muammar Gaddafi
Osama bin Laden
Qasem Soleimani
Hafizullah Amin
Salvador Allende
Ismail Haniyeh

Its not like today is any different...

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by drak

well, a dementia riddled child rapist and a white christian nationalist are in charge of the military, so…

fafo.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Leondros

Sorry, but it always has been Fuzz...

Saddam Hussein
Manuel Noriega
Muammar Gaddafi
Osama bin Laden
Qasem Soleimani
Hafizullah Amin
Salvador Allende
Ismail Haniyeh

Its not like today is any different...

No, but it sure doesn't make them "the good guys".

[Leondros]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

No, but it sure doesn't make them "the good guys".

Sure, but if we're going to reduce global politics to “good guys vs bad guys,” we've already lost the plot.

The world isn’t black and white. It’s trade-offs, power balances, and imperfect actors. And yes, if the choice is which country anchors the global order, I would rather it be the United States than regimes like the ones on that list. And I wouldn't call this blind loyalty to the US, but comparative judgment.

The guys on these lists are not saints. But a US anchored order, for all its flaws, is built around values more similar to ours and at least some institutional checks and public accountability. Replace that with anyone on that list and you don’t get a cleaner world.

[Fuzz]

K, but Doctorfever is the one who was saying "we" don't like what happened because it was Israel being one of the good guys this time.


I get the reality that the world is complicated, I just don't think celebrating what Bibi started is a good position to hold here. And it's going to look even worse every day.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Be good if someone in the administration would explain how going into a conflict of this magnitude, with no strategy or specific end goal, will help the American people and make their lives better.
Six service members gave their lives for something, but no one knows what.
Perhaps we should ask Netanyahu?

The Dow! the Dow would be over $70,000 after this war!!

[FlamesAddiction]

I give it a month before Trump gets bored and makes some crappy deal and truce with Iran to try and save face or just walks away and pretends it's not his problem anymore. No exit plan strategy, they will just exit and let the chips fall. His supporters will accept that and consider it a quick "victory".

I wonder how Qatar likes that "article 5-like" defense agreement with the U.S. now. It sounds good at first to have a world power protect in the unlikely event you are attacked until you realize that being under their protection makes it way more likely to be attacked.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

100%

A narcissist rarely has what it takes to see something through afrer its no longer serving them, easier to jump to something else to steal headlines again.

He cares about Iranians about as much as he cares about the average american - zilch.

[Johnny Makarov]

is it bad that i want Iran to hit a few US bases before the war is over??

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

is it bad that i want Iran to hit a few US bases before the war is over??

They have already.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...d=BingNewsSerp

[Manhattanboy]

It would be nice to have just the one thread to discuss the latest events in the Middle East.

[Doctorfever]

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/leba...11160061/amp/1

Great news. Hopefully with some help, Lebanon is able to expel Hezbollah.

Lebanon:
Lebanon's government has decided on an "immediate ban" of Iran-backed Hezbollah's military and security activity, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Monday, in an unprecedented move as Israel retaliated to rocket fire.

Hezbollah is represented in both the government and parliament, and the move came hours after the party announced it had launched rockets and drones towards Israel early Monday, to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks Saturday.

Israel began bombarding Beirut's southern suburbs and dozens of villages in south Lebanon, vowing to make the group pay a "heavy price" and killing at least 31 people and wounding at least 149, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

After an emergency cabinet meeting, Salam said: "The Lebanese state declares its absolute and unequivocal rejection of any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of its legitimate institutions.

[Fuzz]

https://bsky.app/profile/bnonews.com/post/3mgaibzx2a224


Video of an Iranian ship being blown up.* That was no small torpedo, holy crap.


*If it's not from a video game. Can't trust anything these days...

[Firebot]

First US submarine kill with a torpedo since WWII

Wikipedia already updated

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRIS_Dena

[Doctorfever]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

is it bad that i want Iran to hit a few US bases before the war is over??

This and a few chants of “death to America “ will get you a job as the new supreme leader.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by Doctorfever

This and a few chants of “death to America “ will get you a job as the new supreme leader.

"Death to America" is becoming an increasingly reasonable policy position.

(Oh, relax, I'm kidding).

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

If we're going to simplify the world into good guys and bad guys, just a reminder that you pretty much have the avengers endgame of villains between the whitehouse and the knesset right now.

[TherapyforGlencross]

Originally Posted by Doctorfever

This and a few chants of “death to America “ will get you a job as the new supreme leader.

Constant American intervention usually results in those chants

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://bsky.app/profile/bnonews.com/post/3mgaibzx2a224


Video of an Iranian ship being blown up.* That was no small torpedo, holy crap.

That was a very well placed Mark 48 torpedo.