Tensions in the Middle East

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Beninho

Things have been relatively quiet for the past 24 hours considering all of the events in the days prior. I had thought there may have been some back channel negotiations going on with some reports stating that Trumps early return to Washington was for last ditch negotiations. Very little verifiable info on what is taking place behind the scenes so I don’t want to speculate.

Now the NY Times is reporting that US diplomats are leaving Israel which could be a bad sign that this is about to continue to escalate. Feels like we are sitting on a powder keg currently.

I hope you and your family are safe.

The world has watched enough suffering.

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I hope you and your family are safe.

The world has watched enough suffering.

Appreciate that. I am safe in my overpriced SF apartment so do not worry about me. My cousins are exhausted but in good spirits, to them this is just what life is like being born into this region. They, like many Israelis, are very concerned with Netanyahu leading them into this war. While there is a general consensus that Iran cannot be trusted many hold the same view of Netanyahu. At least I can stay in touch with my family, cannot say the same with those with family in Iran. Horrible situation.

Yes far too much suffering indeed

[Doctorfever]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

100%. Unless people want another gas station with nukes terrorist regime mirroring russia, with nukes on hard ready to blackmail their way to the big boy table and weasel their way into world politics, the choice needs to be made whether to act accordingly now, or kick the can down the road and deal with it later.

FYI - Kicking the can down the road never works as intended. Iran nukes up, so does everyone else.

Yes. I agree. Unfortunately, I just don’t think Iran can be trusted.

Also nice to see the statement from the G7 leaders. At least some common sense exists amongst some of the world leaders.

[Locke]

[indes]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

100%. Unless people want another gas station with nukes terrorist regime mirroring russia, with nukes on hard ready to blackmail their way to the big boy table and weasel their way into world politics, the choice needs to be made whether to act accordingly now, or kick the can down the road and deal with it later.

FYI - Kicking the can down the road never works as intended. Iran nukes up, so does everyone else.

Nailed it. The fear isn't Iran using nukes, it's using MAD as a cover to keep the UN & G7 countries from intervening in their "business".

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

When a regime run by religious fanatics has repeatedly threatened to wipe a country off the map and annihilate it

Are we talking Israel or Iran here?

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Looch City

The President of Peace, ladies and gentlemen.

[rubecube]

It's wild to me that we're sitting here, 20 some odd years after the Iraq war, with many of the same actors, using the same tactics to manufacture consent to another costly war in the Middle East, and some people are still lapping it up.

[KelVarnsen]

Almost like we never learn from history

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Are we talking Israel or Iran here?

I know you’re joking. But it’s important to keep in mind that while religious conservatives have a troublingly large role in Israel’s governing coalition, the country is still a liberal democracy. It has genuine multiparty elections, a pluralistic political culture, strong academic independence, a free press that runs the gamut of viewpoints, and robust freedom of speech. People enjoy more freedom to pursue non-traditional family, gender, and sexual roles than anywhere else in the Middle East.

None of that is true of Iran. It’s effectively a single-party state run by mullahs who imprison and torture anyone who criticizes the regime, and where women are beaten with truncheons for wearing lipstick.

But you know all that already. Your false equivalency is just a way to try to mask the stark contradictions of being anti-Western and pro-liberal at the same time.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

It has genuine multiparty elections, a pluralistic political culture, strong academic independence, a free press that runs the gamut of viewpoints, and robust freedom of speech.

Does freedom of speech and free press include the pro-Palestinian journalists, activists and artists who have been imprisoned and tortured or murdered by the IDF?

It's not a false equivalence. You can think Iran runs a despotic theocracy without putting a genocidal, apartheid ethnostate on a pedestal

Regardless, you're still recycling the exact same arguments that were used to justify the Iraq war in 2001.

Developing WMDs? Check
Brutal regime? Check
Sponsoring terrorism? Check
Islamist fundamentalists, hellbent on destroying Israel? Check

I'm sure the oil reserves in Iran and the military industrial complex in the U.S. also have nothing to do with this, just like Iraq.

[PepsiFree]

Pink washing is gross as it is, but I’m perfectly OK with people who use anti-LGBTQ hate speech to never invoke “but they accept gay people” as a means of explaining why one country’s pursuit of genocide, nuclear armament, or terrorism is better than another country’s ever again.

Keep your mouth shut.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

The scary thing is when he says "nobody knows what I'm going to do" he is including himself in that "nobody". It's like having a toddler in charge of a nuclear arsennal.

A horse loose in a hospital remains the most apt description.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I haven't read the whole thread but I'm guessing I'm not the only one that thinks it's strange/weird/interesting that Israel and the U.S. can have nukes and it's totally cool, but if anyone even thinks Iran may come close to getting one they need to be bombed and die.

Maybe nobody should have nukes? The U.S. isn't exactly run by a stable President or government at the moment.

[dammage79]

Nuclear Armament has its own table of powerbrokers, even as the U.S and Russia lead the way and have pretty terrible people with their fingers on a big red button, it's a pretty elite club and I'm sure they don't want to hand out more seats at their table to just anybody. And Iran isn't really a shining beacon of internal security. I certainly don't want Iran having a seat at the nuclear powers table, nor should anybody. Nobody should have nuclear weapons, but as it is there is a stand off and peace because of it. . This isn't a game of "if they have it why can't we or they?"

Plus in the grand scheme of things, Iran is an axis player, not an ally.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Plus in the grand scheme of things, Iran is an axis player, not an ally.

Oh I agree. I just dislike that Israel and the U.S. can tell the world with nukes of their own (and without proof) that Iran is close to developing their own so it's totally cool that we just sit here and watch people in Iran die. As someone said earlier, it absolutely has an Iraq/WMD feel to it all over again.

Nukes for me, but not for thee. Humans are some kind of stupid.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Oh I agree. I just dislike that Israel and the U.S. can tell the world with nukes of their own (and without proof) that Iran is close to developing their own so it's totally cool that we just sit here and watch people in Iran die. As someone said earlier, it absolutely has an Iraq/WMD feel to it all over again.

Nukes for me, but not for thee. Humans are some kind of stupid.

But if everyone else got nukes we can’t keep them in line and meddle….

Also as much as Israel is a liberal democracy and Iran is a theocracy, it morally doesn’t appear to matter to the powers at be. Saudi family is easily one of the worst regimes in the world while preaching one of the most conservative sects of Islam in the world but I guess they are our friends and #### the PGA

[Beninho]

Very large wave of missles, maybe biggest since the first day. I believe a hospital may have been hit.

Safe to say this will not be de-escalating anytime soon

Edit: seems like the hospital may have taken a direct hit in Be’er Sheva

[Pointman]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

I haven't read the whole thread but I'm guessing I'm not the only one that thinks it's strange/weird/interesting that Israel and the U.S. can have nukes and it's totally cool, but if anyone even thinks Iran may come close to getting one they need to be bombed and die.

Maybe nobody should have nukes? The U.S. isn't exactly run by a stable President or government at the moment.

Israel never signed nuclear non proliferation agreement. Iran did. Countries, that signed it, are not allowed to have nukes, unless they had them before signing. Iran also were found to be in violation of it by an official watchdog (not by some intelligence reports)


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trea...uclear_Weapons

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164291

[Pointman]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

On a personal level I don’t think any country should have nukes. On the other hand, I struggle to see why it makes sense that some countries with nukes get to decide which other countries can or can’t have nukes, when the deciding countries primary interest is ensuring they can do whatever they want without an effective deterrent.

It's Iran, not Israel and USA, that decided that Iran shouldn't have nukes. They signed up for not having nukes. And then breached it. All against the background of constantly threatening to wipe Israel off the map.

P.S. And to counter your Gaza point, Gaza is a tiny piece of land right next to Israel. Israel would never nuke Gaza, or West Bank for that matter, as the fallout would affect Israel just as much.