Iraq/Iran Megathread - Latest: U.S. to close Baghdad embassy

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

The US cannot take 20 American casualties and do nothing. No doubt there will now be direct attacks on Iran.

And anyone who says Hillary would have done anything close to this is a liar or mentally retarded.

Given Iran targeted military sites only, I hope the orange moron won't attack any civilian targets.

The demented muppet and his handlers are looking for a formal declaration of war, so that they can finish installing their dictatorship inside the empty skin of an eviscerated American republic.

Any requests for a declaration of war, or congressional authorization for operations against Iran, should be given the same consideration Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination received.

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

The US cannot take 20 American casualties and do nothing. No doubt there will now be direct attacks on Iran.

And anyone who says Hillary would have done anything close to this is a liar or mentally retarded.

Assuming that a counter-strike causes Iranian casualties, at some point one side or the other is going to have to take casualties and do nothing (at least nothing direct immediately in response). That is how a cycle of violence gets broken. If both sides keep hitting back forever, then you just keep escalating. We need diplomacy to recognize the risk of a cycle and to figure out how to break it in a way which will allow both US and Iran to save enough face so that we can move on before this gets worse.

[Gass3268]

https://twitter.com/aliarouzi/status/1214709400314765315?s=20

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Well, this is really bad.

[Convicted Felon Donald Trump]

The US cannot take 20 American casualties and do nothing. No doubt there will now be direct attacks on Iran.

And anyone who says Hillary would have done anything close to this is a liar or mentally retarded.

Assuming that a counter-strike causes Iranian casualties, at some point one side or the other is going to have to take casualties and do nothing (at least nothing direct immediately in response). That is how a cycle of violence gets broken. If both sides keep hitting back forever, then you just keep escalating. We need diplomacy to recognize the risk of a cycle and to figure out how to break it in a way which will allow both US and Iran to save enough face so that we can move on before this gets worse.

Good thing we have the best negotiator as president

[Joe Biden is your president. Deal with it.]

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

Iran had no choice but to retaliate.

We now have no choice to escalate things.

We totally do have a choice not to escalate. There is nothing forcing us to escalate, even if you think there has to be some sort of response, it does not have to be disproportionate and also need not necessarily be military.

[ajc0918]

Jesus Christ https://twitter.com/aliarouzi/status/1214709255196073992?s=20

[Former President tack50]

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

Iran definitely has no capabilities to attack the mainland US I thought?

Israel might not be fully secure though

[Crumpets]

All things considered, I suppose this is slightly better than the worst-case-scenario of a major attack in the US or Europe that might bamboozle Congress into giving Trump a bunch of new war authorizations.

[DrScholl]

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

Probably. Seems like the situation is going to end very badly.

[PSOL]

Iran had no choice but to retaliate.

We now have no choice to escalate things.

We totally do have a choice not to escalate. There is nothing forcing us to escalate, even if you think there has to be some sort of response, it does not have to be disproportionate and also need not necessarily be military.

We could pull the head out of Trumps ass and negotiate peace actually pretty easily. It won’t happen due to Trump needing a distraction from his legal affairs, but the window is still there.

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

Voice of America reporter:

https://twitter.com/CarlaBabbVOA/status/1214707140620894209

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/VPPressSec/status/1214707267192414211

Where's Trump? Trying to flush something down a toilet?

[But Muh Univision Focus Group]

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

Iran has no nukes.

[Gass3268]

The Tehran correspondent current on MSNBC sounds terrified.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

Iran definitely has no capabilities to attack the mainland US I thought?

Israel might not be fully secure though

Israel is in even more danger than ever, once again due to the backfire effect of Trump's actions which were at least partly ostensibly based out of protecting it.

I said it many times and I will probably continue saying it: self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Just think how close we could've been to avoiding all of this. If something happens, I refuse to be drafted and I refuse to enlist for another pointless conflict. F the military complex and f Donald Trump.

I will take your spot from Australia if you are that soft.

Go ahead. I will not die in a conflict that could've been avoided with a little common sense.

The least I could do.

41,592 American Army soldiers died in the Pacific to keep Australia safe.

Another 23,160 Marines and Navy soldiers on top of that.

Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima. Okinawa. The Phillippines.

What young American men signed up for in 1942 was nothing short of incredible. And their loss was not pointless. At least, not in the mind of many of my family members. We live in a free country because of what they did.

But this is not a situation where you or I will get drafted. You can watch this pan out on CBS News live in your lounge room over the next week or so.

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

Iran definitely has no capabilities to attack the mainland US I thought?

Israel might not be fully secure though

At the minimum Israel is very likely to get attacked by proxies in the near future.

[Green Line]

CNN just reported on tv that Trump will address the nation from the Oval Office tonight.  Gulp.

[PSOL]

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

Iran has no nukes.

Nor did the country ever have any intention of building one

Is the US going to be attacked? Are we gonna get nuked?

Iran definitely has no capabilities to attack the mainland US I thought?

Israel might not be fully secure though

Israel is in even more danger than ever, once again due to the backfire effect of Trump's actions which were at least partly ostensibly based out of protecting it.

I said it many times and I will probably continue saying it: self-fulfilling prophecy.

Who gives a hoot, at least the world economy wouldn’t collapse from a contained fight.

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

On CNN (TV) they are reporting that Trump may have a speech on TV tonight from the White House...

[ajc0918]

On CNN (TV) they are reporting that Trump may have a speech on TV tonight from the White House...

Hope he doesn't declare war on Iran...

[Convicted Felon Donald Trump]

We’re going to war.

Under Trump’s “skilled” leadership.

[Hindsight was 2020]

The fact this was so easily avoidable makes this all the more sickening