hollydolly
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United States and Israel attack Iran Early Saturday Morning
- Thread starter Grailhunter57
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The Hole of America?
Wombat
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- Wollongong
If there ever was a strategy behind Donald Trump's decision to blow up the Middle East it is lying in tatters as the second week of the Iran war draws to a close.
It is Iran — not the US — setting the terms of a battle, which is now not a battle over military might but of economics and messing with people's heads.
The US is no longer directing the war against Iran
It is Iran — not the US — setting the terms of a battle, which is now not a battle over military might but of economics and messing with people's heads.
The US is no longer directing the war against Iran
hearlady
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It's been hinted that it might be an eventful weekend pertaining to war business. 
Perhaps he can concentrate on opening the strait of Hermuz now, before we all go broke paying for gasoline.
As I understand it, the military strategists were against this war because they didn't see a clear goal.
hollydolly
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- London England
A missile has struck a helipad inside the US Embassy in Baghdad as Donald Trump's war on Iran heads into its third week.
Plumes of smoke were seen above the US embassy in the Iraqi capital earlier amid reports a projectile had struck the government building.
The missile landed within the embassy's boundaries after the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district that houses Iraqi government institutions and foreign embassies, according to two security officials. The US Embassy has not yet commented.
It comes after Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the US had 'totally obliterated' all military targets in 'Iran's crown jewel', Kharg Island.
The US President also vowed to 'wipe out' oil infrastructure on the island if Iran continued its attacks on vessels on the Strait of Hormuz.
In recent days, Tehran has launched several attacks on oil tankers on the passage which has seen oil prices skyrocket to $100 a barrel.
Plumes of smoke were seen above the US embassy in the Iraqi capital earlier amid reports a projectile had struck the government building.
The missile landed within the embassy's boundaries after the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district that houses Iraqi government institutions and foreign embassies, according to two security officials. The US Embassy has not yet commented.
It comes after Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the US had 'totally obliterated' all military targets in 'Iran's crown jewel', Kharg Island.
The US President also vowed to 'wipe out' oil infrastructure on the island if Iran continued its attacks on vessels on the Strait of Hormuz.
In recent days, Tehran has launched several attacks on oil tankers on the passage which has seen oil prices skyrocket to $100 a barrel.
Lawrence00
Senior Member
Saudi Arabia has increased oil exports to its western edge, the Red Sea. Houthis could attempt to attack those tankers.
In my opinion the Saudis would show no restraint in pounding the Houthis should this happen, and there is no longer a resupply line from Iran to Houthis.
In my opinion the Saudis would show no restraint in pounding the Houthis should this happen, and there is no longer a resupply line from Iran to Houthis.
Lawrence00
Senior Member
In other news France has agreed to barter Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Bugattis with Russia in exchange for oil. Also croissants.
hollydolly
SF VIP
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- London England
US President Donald Trump has said he will keep 'bombing the hell' out of Iran amid threats from Tehran to kidnap American troops following overnight strikes on its vital oil export hub Kharg Island.
Iran retaliated by striking a major oil hub in the UAE, with plumes of black smoke seen billowing into the skies above the port of Fujairah following a drone attack today.
Former Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki, has also threatened to 'capture' US forces if they make an attempt to seize oil infrastructure in Kharg Island.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that US 'hideouts' in the UAE are 'legitimate' targets after Trump attacked the export terminal.
It comes after Donald Trump said last night that the US had 'totally obliterated' all military targets in 'Iran's crown jewel', Kharg Island.
Today he appealed to countries including the UK to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz as he claimed Iran has been 'totally obliterated'.
Iran retaliated by striking a major oil hub in the UAE, with plumes of black smoke seen billowing into the skies above the port of Fujairah following a drone attack today.
Former Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki, has also threatened to 'capture' US forces if they make an attempt to seize oil infrastructure in Kharg Island.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that US 'hideouts' in the UAE are 'legitimate' targets after Trump attacked the export terminal.
It comes after Donald Trump said last night that the US had 'totally obliterated' all military targets in 'Iran's crown jewel', Kharg Island.
Today he appealed to countries including the UK to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz as he claimed Iran has been 'totally obliterated'.
hollydolly
SF VIP
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- London England
Not since 1941 has Iran been conquered.
That year saw the armies of Britain and the USSR combine their air, land and sea might to rush the country during the Second World War to defeat the severely under-developed military set up by Iran's then-ruler, Reza Shah.
Donald Trump appears to be angling to emulate the success of the UK-Russian invasion with his roiling war in the Middle East, as for the first time since the conflict began the US sent 5,000 US Marines to the Middle East.
The US troops will head to the conflict from Japan, as a defiant Trump told press last night that the war would end 'when I feel it', while defence secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS that the US is 'willing to go as far as we need to'.
The deployment of US boots on the ground came despite White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying last week that ground operations were 'not part of the plan right now'.
But Iran is a notoriously difficult country to invade, thanks to its tough terrain.
The country is home to vast salt flats, dense and swampy marshes, and a series of rocky mountains that create a natural, nationwide fortress, in which countless military and nuclear sites hide.
Iran's dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway to its south, means that any enemy vessels in either the Gulf of Oman or the Persian Gulf may become sitting ducks.
Some experts have warned that America could face a worse environment than they encountered in Afghanistan, Iraq and even Vietnam.
Iran has hidden countless missile facilities across its mountains
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seen taking part in a military drill in the northwestern region of Aras along the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2022
That year saw the armies of Britain and the USSR combine their air, land and sea might to rush the country during the Second World War to defeat the severely under-developed military set up by Iran's then-ruler, Reza Shah.
Donald Trump appears to be angling to emulate the success of the UK-Russian invasion with his roiling war in the Middle East, as for the first time since the conflict began the US sent 5,000 US Marines to the Middle East.
The US troops will head to the conflict from Japan, as a defiant Trump told press last night that the war would end 'when I feel it', while defence secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS that the US is 'willing to go as far as we need to'.
The deployment of US boots on the ground came despite White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying last week that ground operations were 'not part of the plan right now'.
But Iran is a notoriously difficult country to invade, thanks to its tough terrain.
The country is home to vast salt flats, dense and swampy marshes, and a series of rocky mountains that create a natural, nationwide fortress, in which countless military and nuclear sites hide.
Iran's dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway to its south, means that any enemy vessels in either the Gulf of Oman or the Persian Gulf may become sitting ducks.
Some experts have warned that America could face a worse environment than they encountered in Afghanistan, Iraq and even Vietnam.
Iran has hidden countless missile facilities across its mountains
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seen taking part in a military drill in the northwestern region of Aras along the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2022
hollydolly
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- London England
Analyst Çağatay Balcı wrote in Turkish newspaper The Daily Sabah: 'A comprehensive ground intervention could prove even more strategically costly than Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq combined.'
Iran is one of the biggest countries in the world, coming in at just over 630,000 square miles.
Its total land mass is larger than France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal combined.
It also has one of the largest populations in the world, with more than 93million citizens.
Comparing these statistics to its neighbours, it's easy to see why Iran has emerged as such a dominant player in the Middle East.
It is four times bigger than Iraq, and nearly three times bigger than Afghanistan. Meanwhile, it has a nearly twice as big a population than both nations.
The whole country has an incredibly high elevation. Tehran, Iran's capital, sits at 3,900ft.
For comparison, London's elevation is just 139ft at its peak.
According to the US Air Force Medical service, military personnel operating in locations above 4,000ft can cause 'acute mountain sickness, the most common and mild form of altitude illness, and decreased performance'.
This requires significant training and acclimatisation, something which may not be possible for a full ground invasion of a country.
Iran is not only a large and significantly elevated country – much of it is based on mountains.
The nation has three major mountain ranges, the biggest being the Zagros range.
They run for around 990 miles from Iran's northwest border with Turkey towards Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz.
It towers over the Persian Gulf, the home to some of the most important oil ports in the world.
Iran is one of the biggest countries in the world, coming in at just over 630,000 square miles.
Its total land mass is larger than France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal combined.
It also has one of the largest populations in the world, with more than 93million citizens.
Comparing these statistics to its neighbours, it's easy to see why Iran has emerged as such a dominant player in the Middle East.
It is four times bigger than Iraq, and nearly three times bigger than Afghanistan. Meanwhile, it has a nearly twice as big a population than both nations.
The whole country has an incredibly high elevation. Tehran, Iran's capital, sits at 3,900ft.
For comparison, London's elevation is just 139ft at its peak.
According to the US Air Force Medical service, military personnel operating in locations above 4,000ft can cause 'acute mountain sickness, the most common and mild form of altitude illness, and decreased performance'.
This requires significant training and acclimatisation, something which may not be possible for a full ground invasion of a country.
Iran is not only a large and significantly elevated country – much of it is based on mountains.
The nation has three major mountain ranges, the biggest being the Zagros range.
They run for around 990 miles from Iran's northwest border with Turkey towards Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz.
It towers over the Persian Gulf, the home to some of the most important oil ports in the world.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Tehran is protected by the Alborz Mountains (pictured)
The highest point on this range is Mount Dena, which pierces the sky at 14,465ft.
Along the Caspian Sea is the Alborz Mountain Range, which also protects Tehran's northern side.
The Alborz Range is home to Iran's tallest mountain, Mount Damavand.
At its peak, the mountain stands at 18,405ft.
And lastly is the Makran mountain range, which stretches across Iran's portion of the Gulf of Oman.
These mountains are where much of Iran's population is concentrated.
On top of this, an analysis of publicly available information shows that the vast majority of Iran's military and nuclear assets are hidden throughout its three mountain ranges.
Mountains are notoriously difficult to fight in.
According to NATO's Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence, they present vast challenges including difficult access, rugged terrain, extreme weather conditions and high altitude.
Soldiers and military vehicles in this environment have to deal with steep inclines, narrow paths and potentially lethal falls.
As a result, NATO recommends that armies are split up into smaller-than-normal units to allow for flexibility and agility.
But this increases the risk that each unit is dominated by opposing Iranian forces.
Canada has already declined to offer their support for this "excursion" I suspect many others will as well. The time to put together a coalition would be prior to the start of the war, as they did with Gulf War 1.Today he appealed to countries including the UK to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz as he claimed Iran has been 'totally obliterated'.
RambleTamble
Member
- Location
- U.S.
This could go down as one of the biggest blunders in American history -- right up there with the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, and of course, the Vietnam War.
There weren't that many blunders before about 1955. Since then they have been coming thick and fast. I don't have an explanation.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
I'm a little concerned you may be right....
It looks like a piece of the vertical stabilizer was taken off.
They were lucky that the rudder didn’t get hit.
I don’t think 5000 Marines could be called an invasion considering the Iran Army has over 500,000 soldiers, plus approximately 300,000 Reserves.Not since 1941 has Iran been conquered.
That year saw the armies of Britain and the USSR combine their air, land and sea might to rush the country during the Second World War to defeat the severely under-developed military set up by Iran's then-ruler, Reza Shah.
Donald Trump appears to be angling to emulate the success of the UK-Russian invasion with his roiling war in the Middle East, as for the first time since the conflict began the US sent 5,000 US Marines to the Middle East.
The US troops will head to the conflict from Japan, as a defiant Trump told press last night that the war would end 'when I feel it', while defence secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS that the US is 'willing to go as far as we need to'.
The deployment of US boots on the ground came despite White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying last week that ground operations were 'not part of the plan right now'.
But Iran is a notoriously difficult country to invade, thanks to its tough terrain.
The country is home to vast salt flats, dense and swampy marshes, and a series of rocky mountains that create a natural, nationwide fortress, in which countless military and nuclear sites hide.
Iran's dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway to its south, means that any enemy vessels in either the Gulf of Oman or the Persian Gulf may become sitting ducks.
Some experts have warned that America could face a worse environment than they encountered in Afghanistan, Iraq and even Vietnam.
Iran has hidden countless missile facilities across its mountains
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seen taking part in a military drill in the northwestern region of Aras along the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2022
hollydolly
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- London England
It's not my opinion...I'm just the messenger
Greed?
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