Will Iran regime fall, or just another umpteenth fail of protesters? (rerun hobbies)

[Magical Realist]

No nation building eh? Trump lied again.

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[Syne]

That's not nation-building, in any former sense of massive boots on the ground and orchestrating a Westernized democracy.
But I wouldn't expect the illiterate TDS to understand that.

Trump wants the same for Iran that we are currently doing for Venezuela. More prosperity ensures the peace.

[Zinjanthropos]

Remember when the camera didn't lie? Not any more. Jin lo Scalzo, Jennifer Welch, Shutterstock, Instagram, millions of AI generated photos. Blatantly advertised as such but doesn't matter. Should be separate Pulitzer Prize for AI generated photos, unless there already is.

[Syne]

Same Democrats, Different Vote On Iran Terror Designation — What Changed?

Iran didn’t change — the White House did.

Just three years after Congress nearly unanimously condemned Tehran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, 53 House Democrats voted against reaffirming that same designation.

In January 2023, when President Joe Biden was in the White House, the House adopted a similar resolution condemning Iran by a vote of 420–1. The lone dissenting vote came from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — meaning every Democrat serving in Congress at the time supported the measure.

Now, with President Donald Trump leading the United States during an escalating conflict with Iran, 53 Democrats voted against reaffirming that same designation on Thursday.

The vote came on House Resolution 1099, a non-binding measure reaffirming that Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, a designation the United States has maintained since 1984.

The resolution ultimately passed the House 372–53, with two members voting “present” and three not casting votes.

The party breakdown showed a stark divide. Republicans overwhelmingly supported the measure, with 215 voting in favor and none voting against. Democrats were far more split: 157 voted “yes,” 53 voted “no,” and two voted “present.”
...

[Yazata]

The USS Gerald Ford (nuclear aircraft carrier) and its accompanying escort and support ships, passed through the Suez canal this morning, headed south into the Red Sea. The battle group had been operating off the Israeli coast. Its heading away suggests that Israel no longer needs its assistance combating Iranian missiles and drones. Presumably the Gerald Ford will join the Abraham Lincoln in the Indian Ocean launching sea-based air strikes on Iran.

Azerbijan has closed its border with Iran and has closed its embassy and consulates in Iran. People accused of being IRGC agents in Azerbijan are being arrested. Israeli media is reporting that Israeli intelligence believes that Azerbijan will go to war with Iran soon. That may or may not be true, coming days will tell.

This is Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran this morning:

I'm guessing that the large flames might be burning aircraft fuel storage tanks. But just from the looks of it, this airport is going to be out of action for a while.

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[Zinjanthropos]

Here's hoping the Gerald Ford doesn't have a General Belgrano moment.

[Magical Realist]

Sounds like Gaza all over again. I guess genocide is a hard habit to break for Netanyahoo..

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[Yazata]

Again for whatever it's worth, the Washington Post is reporting that a Brigade Combat Team of the 82'd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg in NC has canceled planned training exercises. One of its members told WaPo, "We're all preparing for something, just in case". This is an elite formation of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers, kept ready to deploy in 18 hours in case of emergencies.

Again, I would not be at all surprised if the US seizes control of Iran's most sensitive nuclear sites temporarily, in order to take charge of whatever enriched uranium might be there and to make sure that uranium enrichment facilities are well and truly destroyed. And obviously to collect whatever intelligence, documents, computer drives etc. that they can lay their hands on.

That kind of operation would require a fairly robust force of highly capable paratroopers and special forces, inserted, supported and extracted by air.

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[Syne]

That kind of operation would require a fairly robust force of highly capable paratroopers and special forces, inserted, supported and extracted by air.

Which Venezuela proved we are very efficient at.

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https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/DiXlb08UagE

[Yazata]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Russia is supplying Iran with satellite targeting data. (Much as the United States supplies Ukraine with similar data about the position of Russian targets.)

This might help explain why, while the number of Iranian drones launched each day is going down, their efficiency in hitting targets (especially American targets) is going up. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Chinese are also supplying similar targeting information from their spy satellites.

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United States aircraft, probably navy jets from the USS Abraham Lincoln, have sunk the largest ship in the Iranian navy. This was the IRIS Makran, a Japanese built large container ship modified by the Iranians to be an expeditionary warfare support ship and a helicopter and drone aircraft carrier. (Similar in concept but larger than the US Navy's ESB class.) The Makran was tied up in port in Iran's Bandar Abbas naval base.

Satellite photo from Planet Labs

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