The Iranian regime exploits our compassion for the Iranian people – a compassion the regime lacks
[See UPDATE at end of post.]
So, what will happen in Iran – to Iran – this evening?
Trump has issued an ultimatum, threatening various things such as that “a whole civilization will die”:
Pakistan, which is an intermediary between the U.S. and Iran, asked for a two-week delay in escalating attacks on Iran.
President Donald Trump sharply ramped up his threats against Iran on Tuesday, warning “a whole civilization will die tonight” unless a deal is struck.
The White House will respond to Pakistan’s request, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The left is extremely incensed at Trump’s threat, putting out the unified message that he’s insane.
Current Islamophile Tucker Carlson says Trump’s going to nuke Iran (despite Carlson himself having advocated nuking Iran not so very long ago), and also says that Trump is trying to “eradicate” Christianity by rescuing the downed airman on Easter [Ace has corrected his report to say that Carlson’s assertion about Trump and Easter was due to Trump’s threatening tweet using the F-word on Easter]. Read those links; it’s so far gone it’s hard to believe – and even if 99% of Carlson’s audience is bots and foreign Muslims, what he’s saying is horrendous and it does also reach many people in the US although it’s impossible to say how many.
I kid you not about his message:
Desecrating Easter was the first step toward nuclear war. Christians need to understand where Trump is taking us.
What is this “civilization” of which Trump writes? Those who think Trump is insane – or want to make others think Trump is insane – think it’s the Iranian people, although that makes no sense. I assume it’s his usual hyperbole, and that he means the mullahtocracy that’s been in control of that country for nearly half a century. But he likes to keep people guessing and seem like a wild man; whether that will work to his benefit in this case I simply don’t know.
And no, it’s not a war crime to bomb bridges and power plants – although there’s no dearth of leftist “experts” who are willing to say it is.
As for the Iranian regime, it’s threatened to destroy the economy of the Gulf States and the economy of the world by holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage.The leaders, past and present (if there are any now) do not care if there’s a great deal of destruction. It is part of their religious belief that this is necessary for the coming of the Mahdi. They don’t mind how much their own people suffer, but they count on the US and Israel to spare the people and the most important infrastructure for the people.
And that’s why they have asked their young people to surround power plants to “protect” them:
Iranian officials on Tuesday urged their people to form human chains around power plants as the country faces a deadline set by President Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or risk major strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure.
The regime called on “all young people, athletes, artists, students and university students and their professors” to protect power plants threatened by Trump, according to The Associated Press.
These are more or less the same groups of people the regime killed by the many thousands when they protested. It’s a win/win situation for the Iranian regime: either the US and Israel desist because of their own compassion for the people (a compassion the regime lacks), or the regime can claim war crimes if and when the people are killed by the US or Israel.
The West has stood for decades in an extremely difficult position regarding Iran: let them be, while they arm more and more and become more and more dangerous, until they feel strong enough to attack. Or attack them now, when the hour is already late in terms of their missiles and drones and uranium, and bear the criticism of the left and much of the world.
The Iranian regime are not Nazis. But they resemble them in at least two ways: hating Jews and wanting to destroy them, of course. And not caring about their own people in the end – in fact, in that respect, Hitler wanted to destroy his people as having been ultimately unworthy of the task he’d set for them. Ever hear of
Hitler’s Nero Decree?:
Even as the Third Reich he had once prophesied would last a thousand years crumbled all around him, Adolf Hitler desperately clung to his racist vision of the world. In March 1945, Allied forces poured over the Rhine River after the Americans captured the Ludendorff Bridge on March 7. On March 16, the German army’s last offensive of the war, Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary against the Red Army, collapsed. For the Führer the impending defeat proved that Germans were simply neither strong nor ruthless enough to do what was necessary to achieve victory. Deeming Germany a failure of a nation, Hitler prepared a decree that would seal the country’s collapse with catastrophic finality. …
… Speer reported the German economy could only hold out another four to eight weeks. That was the absolute limit for the Third Reich’s war effort. In the text, Speer went on to urge Hitler to concentrate on doing everything possible for the country’s population to ensure their survival.Unmoved, Hitler did not yield an inch. In Gitta Sereny’s biography of Speer, Hitler is quoted as responding, “it is not necessary to worry about their [the German people’s] needs for elemental survival.” He stunned his Armaments Minister, accustomed to the Führer’s fulminations against the “inferior” peoples of the Soviet Union, by declaring “the future belongs entirely to the strong people of the East.” On March 19, Hitler then promulgated a special decree titled “Destructive Measures on Reich Territory.” Otherwise remembered as the “Scorched Earth Decree” or “Nero Decree,” for the brutal Roman Emperor Nero (ruled 54-68 C.E.), the order mandated the destruction of Germany’s infrastructure. …
The order applied to all production, communication, and transportation facilities. Railroads, bridges, communication lines, docks, public utilities, factories and mines were to be demolished.
Speer didn’t carry it out, however. But the impulse was there.
I don’t predict that the mullahtocracy will do this to the Iranian people – although if they really feel they are defeated, I bet they wouldn’t mind in the least. Then again, to accomplish their goals, they need something short of utter destruction.
UPATE 7:05 PM:
I started out this post with a link to something that mentioned Pakistan’s suggestion of a 2-week ceasefire, and that Trump’s press secretary had said that the White House will respond to Pakistan’s request. Sure enough, this announcement just came out a few minutes ago:
The U.S. has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran proposed by Pakistan, President Trump said Tuesday night.
The big picture: The Pakistani proposal, which came hours before Trump’s deadline to launch massive strikes if no deal was reached, involves a pause on Trump’s threat and a commitment from Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks.
Fancy that. He got what he wanted – if they comply. And if they don’t, he can always carry out his threat.
I seem to recall that Trump’s art of the deal involves always being willing to walk away.
And I continue to wonder with whom these negotiations are happening – negotiations the regime initially denied were taking place.
”So, what will happen in Iran – to Iran – this evening?”
Apparently nothing. I’m seeing reports of a two-week ceasefire. Good thing no one got too worked up over this. 😉
Trump just announced a 2 week ceasefire and no bombing tonight.
Meanwhile my D friends are now screaming “TACO!”. Just a few hours ago they were sure a nuclear war was imminent. He secures a potential peace and he “chickens out”, or he’s a homicidal maniac bent on destroying the world. These people are effing nuts.
Flag on the play.
Niketas prefers, if not requires, that comparisons of the Iran situation to Hitler not be used, lest one be accused of crying wolf.
https://thenewneo.com/2026/04/05/wonderful-news-the-missing-airman-has-been-rescued-by-us-forces/#comment-2847013
I’m sure he knows best.
mkent:
So interesting – that request by Pakistan was how I started this post.
Tucker Carlson has left Christianity and is possibly possessed by demons.
I saw posts, including on a comment here yesterday, claiming that Trump was going to nuke Iran tonight. Did that come from Tucker? That was not going to happen. These people claim that Trump is crazy. Maybe the Iranians thought so too.
mkent is careful this time not to accuse Trump of TACO. For now.
Kate:
It’s ok if the Iranians think Trump is crazy.
Back in June when Iran was bombed for 12 days, Tucker said Trump would invade with boots on the ground and something like 150K would die. Being wrong didn’t give Carlson pause.
Well, The Art of the Deal can get pretty hairy.
If Trump hadn’t been threatening the End of Iranian Civilization would whatever remains of that government have made some, yet unspecified, concessions?
The one thing that sticks out to me is that both China and Russia exercise their veto power when the UN issues a resolution that forbids Iran from opening the Hurmuz Strait. China said the resolution was biased against Iran.
When Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 and overthrew the regime, why did neither of those nations exercise their veto power?
I don’t think Trump is crazy. I hope that something will come of this pause in the bombing. As I see it, the vast majority of the stated American goals have been achieved. The remaining question in my mind is whether the claimed Iranian stash of enriched uranium has been rendered permanently inaccessible by the bombing.
@Kate: The remaining question in my mind is whether the claimed Iranian stash of enriched uranium has been rendered permanently inaccessible by the bombing.
That’s my main concern now. Whatever it takes.
The Mullahs & Co. genuinely hate the US. No doubt. But the utter destruction they have suffered in the past year must have been driven them insane with hate and vengeance.
If they could cobble together that uranium into any sort of weapon then nuke NYC, Washington or Tel Aviv, I’m sure they would, at whatever costs to themselves, Iran and the world.
Those leaders and that movement must be entirely vanquished.
What remains is really to see how credibly Iran sticks to whatever it is they’ve agreed to. Their history is caginess, delay, and proxies to do their dirty work, with just barely enough deniability that nobody does anything serious about it. It seems that Trump is perfectly aware of these tactics.
As for the Twelfth Imam, there’s probably a contingent of the Iranian ruling class that is very much attached to the things of this world and is willing to give up what it takes to hang on to those things. If not that will soon be evident.
TACO?
“. . . whether the claimed Iranian stash of enriched uranium has been rendered permanently inaccessible by the bombing.”
I believe we must say no, it has not been rendered inaccessible. It can be recovered. The further question is now recovered by what actors in this contest? Our sole necessity demands it be recovered by the United States or its designees (as for instance, the IAEA). This will be the major test of any agreement.
>TACO?
Trump Always Chickens Out. Said often by people with Trump Derangement Syndrome as they hope you have forgotten the last time they said it and it proved nonsense.
You just lost.
Your Suez.
You don’t know it yet because you’re too enmeshed in magical thinking and have imbibed so much propaganda over the years that you cannot see it.
But, it’s over.
You could have continued to rule the world forever after 1991, but you couldn’t keep it in your collective pants.
Best to pretend it never happened and entertain yourselves by kicking around the LATAMs for a century or so.
Good luck and Happy Camping.
Neo writes: “And I continue to wonder with whom these negotiations are happening – negotiations the regime initially denied were taking place.”
I have increasingly less confidence in, or respect for, Iranian official statements. OTOH, in view of what has happened to previous Iranian officials who stood out from the crowd, I guess I can’t blame them for staying underground and incognito.
Obviously, I am privy to no insider information of any manner. I’m just a retired once-working stiff who struggled to feed a family. I’m no longer struggling. Anyway . . .
It seems to me that given that
– the mullocracy are fanatical lunatics (is there another kind), and
– they are kamikaze-like in their willingness to destroy themselves for The Faith,
then the only long-term “solution” that I can see is to let the two-week cease-fire extend indefinitely (if that’s possible), while the Trump administration declares victory AND the mullocracy declares “victory”. (We all know who comes out ahead here.)
Meanwhile, USA continues to closely monitor Iran, availing ourselves of what appears to be excellent intelligence to ascertain when Iran’s nuclear capability (very much including the ability to deliver the destruction) needs periodic degrading. Yes, that means bombing again. It can be implemented when strategic needs call for targeted force and/or when an opportunity arises to exterminate suicidal lunatics.
I fervently wish it were not so, but I’m a realist.
In short, we will always have to be vigilant and prepared to defend our interests. I’d say “the west’s interests,” but at this point, parts of the west are cordially invited to perform an anatomically impossible act upon themselves, given how they
– refused to minimally cooperate with USA’s efforts, and
– are surrendering in fits of dhimmitude to islam anyway.
Okay, interests of selected members of the west, after a very selective vetting process.
** Oceania will always be at war with Eurasia. **
That’s a best-case scenario, anyway. For now. But . . . what happens when the “woke” among us assume control of USA’s reins of power? It’s almost inevitable at some point.
It’s pretty hard to be optimistic, y’know?
We have a new troll. MagaMan
om:
Yes, a new troll of tremendous charm.
You have a split between hard liners and CYA’s in the assumed Irani government, two weeks is still before May, let’s see what happens.
MegaMan is a gibberish spewing bot.
I don’t think Trump is crazy. — Kate
I certainly don’t think he is crazy. And I think he is quite smart. Or course, one can be crazy AND smart, or crazy like a fox.
That said, if you don’t want to be considered a crazy man, then don’t say things like, “a whole civilization will die.”
We can completely ignore EVERYTHING Dems are saying because they have zero credibility. But we here are now struggling to make sense of these actions and Trump’s statements. Color me… unable to have confidence in anything at this point.
I am very concerned about the various trends this “action” has taken in the last couple weeks. The problem with Iran and the strait of Hormuz has been very well known for several decades. Some have blustered that the US Navy can obliterate any passage problems for the strait within a day or two. Well, not exactly.
The problem is that there are at least a half dozen different ways to attack an undefended tanker ship and it is extremely difficult to stop 99.99% of those attacks. Insurance companies really care about that 0.02%, so that effectively shuts it all down.
Some pundit said the following a couple days ago: When an action such as this begins with the assassination of the top leadership, then virtually everything that follows is an existential threat or response, in their (the remaining leadership’s) eyes. To some extent, we are in uncharted territory, in that regard.
Don’t get me wrong. If any leadership deserved violent eradication, it was those guys. It feels like “cosmic justice” doesn’t it? Oh wait… Cosmic justice is a bad thing, isn’t it??? (A little black whimsy.)
MagaMan is at least an interesting troll.
Suez — The Suez Crisis. The Egyptians nationalized the Suez Canal. The British and French attempted to take it back militarily. The US said no. The British and French were humiliated.
1991 — The Soviet Union collapsed.
So, using my MagaMan decoder ring, he is saying that the US has, apparently, lost control of the Strait of Hormuz and has therefore lost its prestige as a world power.
Whereas after the collapse of the USSR, we should have had an easy time maintaining our dominance except we keep making stupid macho displays of military force.
I wouldn’t frame things that way, but it’s a cut above the average troll.
When was the last time the US had control of the strait in fact? Many decades ago, right?
The USN/Centcom is or has been (now paused?) methodically working their way through the problem set to once again retake control of the strait, a process said by Ret. Adm. Montgomery to require another week or two from now. Assuming intervening patrols assure no minelaying goes on hereafter, we can suppose that this work on controlling the strait can resume with a few weeks (once begun again) to run to completion, after which escorted transits can begin. That is all a big and long-running effort of indefinite duration, depending on the surrender or “political/diplomatic” agreements obtained
huxley:
I missed the part where the US ever had control of the Strait of Hormuz. 🙂
I noticed a ton of trolls out in force tonight, not just this one here but lots of them at Ace’s.
@TommyJay: That said, if you don’t want to be considered a crazy man, then don’t say things like, “a whole civilization will die.”That said, if you don’t want to be considered a crazy man, then don’t say things like, “a whole civilization will die.”
Well … yes. I’m pretty much in the Trump camp these days, but that was a tough one to hear.
I see it as The Art of the Deal on steroids, but I don’t have to like it.
@Tommy Jay:if you don’t want to be considered a crazy man, then don’t say things like, “a whole civilization will die.”
“Chainsaw Diplomacy.” I doubt the words had any particular effect on whoever is in charge in Iran, it was the credibility of the threat. If there turns out to be anything lasting out of this. Too early to say. Iran’s track record of following through is not good, and Trump’s record of matching Truth Social posts to what actually happens is not all that good either, and is not I think intended to be. He stakes out an extreme position and lets himself appear to be talked back.
I do remember all the tweets about Rocket Man and the hand-wringing about those tweets getting us all nuked in the first Trump administration. Didn’t happen, although according to the Daily Mail, North Korea has threatened to nuke us as recently as October 2024. Who remembers it now?
I too would love to know who Trump is negotiating with. I doubt it is the IRGC. Which means there is a coming fight among Iranians, which could be interesting. I expect rogue elements to continue the fight even if a new government comes to power. The Paris Commune comes to mind.
My Best Friend, whom I have known for something like 60 yrs., has a very bad case of TDS. He really thought that Trump would bomb energy plants and other places that the Mullahs had “placed” around them. Saying Trump didn’t care about them. He is very normal in most other respects, but Trump really has him irrational.
I told him Trump’s threats are his way of negotiating. Go all out to get what you want, but being realistic that you get most of what you want. Trump saying he would destroy a civilization was pure Trump bombast.
Iran has presented a 10 point plan to end the war. Those points are ridiculous. They think they won. There is no doubt in my mind that whomever is in somewhat control, will not abide by any cease fire. The IRGC will never give up.
The “death to America” cult do not respond in kind to pleasant diplomacy, that has been demonstrated over and over, ad nauseum. Bush, the Cowboy, made little headway. They played Obama for a fool. I don’t think the Autopen regime did anything more than roll over and play dead.
Trump may ruffle (democrat) feathers with his unfiltered verbal challenges backed up with 4 weeks of strategic bombing, but it appears to have had the desired effect.
I had a conversation with Grok about the Paris Commune. You can skip the first reply as it got off in the wrong direction, start at the second prompt.
We can hope Mossad or whomever is going to use these next two (nominal?) cease fire weeks to learn the locations of more IRGC personnel and their weapons building assets, and whatever the Iranians think they know about the status of their nuclear materials.
The moderate chaos there might even help with that task.
Most of us keep hoping there will eventually be a real regime change to a semi-republican form of governance, not a fake one feinting a more responsible position for the short term of the next 10 years. That is probably not very realistic, but somehow a population of 85 million people in a couple dozen different ethnic groups who hate the other 5 million holding power over them should be able to find a way to make their preferences known and accomplished.
–Fox News, “Gen Jack Keane: I don’t like this…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7_zHOyG8P4
Keane argues, persuasively IMO, that the Iranians are just playing for time as usual and hoping that after traffic flows in the Strait, Trump won’t have the stomach to keep pushing for the other demands:
* the enriched uranium
* guarantees that Iran won’t pursue nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles,
* not continue to foment violence with proxies
It will be harder, after a two-week ceasefire, to muster the energy to threaten the end of a civilization.
M J R wrote
“…perform an anatomically impossible act upon themselves…” 🙂
I came across that expression in the science fiction I read as a kid, and had no idea what it meant. A nicer version of today’s crudity and vulgarity.
= = = = = = = =
Is MagaMan the same or kin to L[O]L? He’s about as MAGA as George Sorass.
Neo: “it’s not a war crime to bomb bridges and power plants – although there’s no dearth of leftist “experts” who are willing to say it is.”
It is, however, a war crime to use civilians as human shields. Funny, how those same “experts” never claim that.
One passing bit of info via FoxNewsNow, citing Reuters:
This deal was pressed by VP Vance and China! China pushed Iran into it.
All the Trump talk of praise and disparagement may well be irrelevant or besides the point.
I have no doubt that the US will keep forces on guard, somehow.
East Asian Markets like Japan and South Korea are up 6%, overnight. They’ve been in the no ol damage zone. Likewise China.
In any case, a workable truce gives both sides opportunity to reassess what they have and don’t have. These considerations will drive negotiations, I hope.
R2L writes “ Most of us keep hoping there will eventually be a real regime change to a semi-republican form of governance.” I don’t think that’s likely.
Like Egypt, Iran needs a strong monarch. A ver authoritarian one. Recall that the Shah had a notorious secret police!
For those like me who really want regime change, it may just take time to develop. The depth of dogmas driving the Theocrats leave me with a wish to see them burned badly…but when? Waiting can be the hardest part.
Visiting Instapundit, just after 9PM, Glenn Reynolds posted this nugget — concluding a TDS re-examination— “ Word is that one of the targets struck today was a collection of airplanes the mullahs had set up for fleeing the country. That may have had something to do with this.”
One must wonder.
Trump Always Wants A Deal—TAWAD should be the acronym for understanding Trump’s (vulgar? Lower Class) negotiations. Insults & worst case threats, in a flamboyant/ gaudy/ LOUD set of words, like “destruction of civilization” combined with lots of specific demands.
Then accepting 80% of what he demanded, after only expending 20% or less or more, imposing his will.
Tariffs, illegals (still millions to maybe deport), Greenland, NATO (higher spending by EU) & not yet Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela, and now Iran.
TAWAD is how I expect him to act. And to win.
Deals are always very specific to the case, and never totally one-sided. I’ve long wanted the USA to be a super HERO, not just power, but am increasingly respectful of deal making, in practice, with bad guys who become less bad after the deal. Or more constrained.
The Iranian people need to become the boots on the ground for regime change, if there’s going to be one. Depends maybe on how many Army folk with guns switch sides.
I expect a big Iran failure to live up to their agreement, tho lots of ships will be going thru the Straits.
@MagaMan
Please observe the idiot whose username is MagaMan- that is, supposedly MAGAMan, aka MakeAmericaGreatAgainMan- being so quick to claim the US and Israel or “you” (curious phrasing for one claiming at least implicitly to be American in their username) lost and that it is “your Suez.” As someone who has studied the Suez Crisis in great detail and even war gamed it – and holds it to be one of the greatest miscarriages in Western diplomatic history but also Eisenhower’s policy to be one of the great follies in American statecraft – this is BS.
For starters, the British, French, and Israelis crippled the Egyptian military – especially its Air Force – but failed to inflict any significant damage on Nasser’s Arab National Socialist/Fascist regime during the duration of the fighting and indeed if anything strengthened it by public outrage leading to a rallying around the flag and the Fuhrer fanboy and marginalizing possible opponents that could build an alternative like Wafd or the actual engineer of the anti-royal revolution, Naguib.
They also failed to force passage of the Suez in the admittedly brief time they had, and while they almost certainly would have had things gone on for much longer they did not have the time.
They were then forced to withdraw by dint of the US and Soviet Union – both bogged down by the ensuing crisis in Hungary – uniting at the UN to threaten diplomatic action, and the British Cabinet having its Exchequer capitalize on the crisis to use financial forecasts to bring down Eden.
None of these things are in any way comparable to what we have seen here. It is hard for me to draw comparisons but this is more comparable to if the British/French/Israelis spirited Naguib out of the country months ago and gave him a loudspeaker to rally opposition, blew up Nasser and most of his inner circle on the first hour of fighting, drove the Royal Navy and French Navy through the locks, destroyed almost all the Egyptian Air Force, and had not just US Backing (if only rhetorically) but obtained the grudging silence or borderline silence of the Soviets and PRC. And the support of most of the Arab League.
That is about how different you would need to get to capture the differences between now and the Suez 1956.
(And that is completely ignoring how the British, French, and Israelis would remain Great Powers and continue fighting mostly successful proxy wars with Nasser etc al in places like Yemen, Algeria, and the Suez into the 1960s.)
The Iranian Navy and Air Force are all but obliterated, but not as much as the former Ayatollah’s cabinet and the Assembly of Experts as well as the IRGC. Ships are now transiting the strait at a fairly regular pace, a large chunk of them – somewhere between a third and two thirds – in open defiance of the Iranian regime. There is large scale civil unrest against the regime in Iran itself and no meaningful rally around the flag effect, a the Kurds are launching a major Entrada in the Northwest. Oh yeah and the Sunni Arabs are also intervening.
Projection. Rank, historically illiterate projection.
Obviously not.
Who are “we” supposed to be, Kemosabe?
And more importantly, WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!?
In spite of the username it seems clear that you are not American, certainly not in any meaningful way, even in comparison to the likes of Cucker and the quisling segments of the American isolationists. So apparently your Username is a lie.
Moreover, you don’t rule the world at all or even survive if you allow existential enemies dedicated to your destruction to get the means to destroy you. That is what this war was about.
I am pretty sure that surgically decapitating the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism would be a moment of pride long remembered and studied regardless of the ultimate result of the conflict, in much the same way as Osama Bin Laden’s termination is a bright spot in the Afghan Debacle.
Thanks.
And you know what I regard as one of the best forms of camping?
Flogging dishonest idiots.
Iran and Hamas use “their own” as human shields.
Same old playbook.
Why? because it works.
I see comments here and at other sites fretting about Iran cobbling together enough uranium to “nuke” an American city. However, what would this accomplish for the mullahs of Iran other than wiping out a million people who heartily support them, aka Democrat voters?
(I say this knowing my city is completely safe because they have to send their kids to college one day.)
Trump’s latest Truthpost from X account Rapid Response: https://x.com/i/status/2041842457701175804
See link for screenshot of Pres. Trump’s message
Scott Johnson’s Powerline summary of the two “negotiation” position’s, Iran 10 pts and Trump 15 pts.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/04/after-last-night-69.php
The way through? Ha! Yeah, sure, the way through is just off camera, over there in the background.
Niketas says: “… there’s probably a contingent of the Iranian ruling class that is very much attached to the things of this world and is willing to give up what it takes to hang on to those things. If not that will soon be evident.”
I would have disputed that sentiment before we all saw the female relatives of the late Q. Soleimani living large… and posting it all over the internet.. in Los Angeles. Given the fact that he was among the Iranian leadership and his terrorist tactics were highly publicized, I would never have guessed that anyone in his family, even extended would have been brazenly residing in “the Great Satan.” Obviously, my take has been belied by circmstances, so perhaps there is some hope that, as with Kim Jong Un, a/k/a “Little Rocket Man,” there is room to deal.
This morning I’m taking a “wait and see” with respect to the ceasefire. Apparently there’s already been some violation by Iran. Many have pointed out potential pitfalls. It does concern me that ramping up military action post ceasefire due to Iran violations will be difficult politically within the US.
What fascinates me, and following up on what I posted early last night, is the response from the Ds/left. Shirehome posted above about his best friend, normal in all aspects, except for his extreme case of TDS. That’s what I’m trying very hard, and failing, to understand. How does a person carry on in life in mostly normal ways, but then within an hour go from “Trump is a genocidal maniac starting WWIII”, to “He chickened out!”??? I know it’s driven by hate. But, really?? Holding such diametrically opposed statements within a few minutes of each other and not seeing such a switch as a sign something is wrong? I hope someone here with much more knowledge of human mental health can help me. There are several people (as I’ve mentioned before) who I care about who are thus afflicted. I truly worry about their state of mind and wish there was someway to reach them. I’ve given up for the most part, but still hope there’s a road to follow somewhere.
Good synopsis of the symptoms:
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/04/08/yesterday-was-probably-the-most-insane-anti-trump-leftists-have-acted-since-2016-yesterday-n2674085
Re: Ceasefire negotiations
Perhaps as a programmer I take things too literally, but the terms on both sides, as enumerated at Powerline, look entirely incompatible and basically the same as at the start of the war.
Good luck squaring that circle!
It could be there are intangibles involved. Maybe it comes down to Trump’s sense that he has found Iranians actually in control who aren’t so fanatical as to be beyond negotiation.
Or maybe Trump wants to take a breather and show some flexibility, before bringing the hammer down on all the bridges and power plants.
Everyone needs to get a grip. I say that with love and respect for all. And I say again (and again, and again): “Remember, O Achaeans, your fierce valor.”
Then too, it could be the “ceasefire” and “negotiations” are instruments in an enormous okie-doke (potentially amusing even, on some views).
To sketch that drift: suppose the Iranian effort to put innocents on site at bridges, power-plants, etc. with the aim tens of thousands Trump did not want to kill would nevertheless be killed; Trump, in order to clear his targets of innocents, masquerades a “ceasefire” under (obviously incompatible principles) “negotiations” doomed to near immediate failure, only to abruptly return to bombing his targets so soon as he sees the said innocents drawn away from his targets.
Not saying it will happen this way, mind — just saying this imagined deception can bring a hell of a lot of order to a condition which appears to about all outsiders as *chaotic or nonsensical* in the extreme.
I wouldn’t want to be an Iranian trying to outwit Trump.
Trump doesn’t play by the rules. Trump is a weird guerrilla exploiting his side of asymmetric warfare.
Daily Mail now reporting the ceasefire falling apart as Iran stopping ship traffic and sending drones to neighbors. Iran claiming Israel has to stop attacking Lebanon. If I was Israel I see no reason to do such at all. I know…too early, but given Iran’s past, there should be no trust at all. They will milk this for everything. GOP hawks, like Lindsey Graham saying the deal is no good.
So far, it looks like Iran gets to keep their regime, their enriched uranium, and their source of oil revenue to fund rearmament. They’ve also demonstrated that the US will fold like a cheap suit when they close the Strait of Hormuz.
Unless the regime falls in the next few months, I can’t see how this war will have been anything other than a disaster for the US. If a war is worth fighting, it’s worth winning. This ain’t it.
The morbid question now is this – if the regime doesn’t fall, will it go nuclear before the end of Trump’s term?
Good god what a moron.
CC™ has now become fully risible.
CC™-R
CC™-R will next predict that Trump will be forced to replace all of Iran’s HEU (highly enriched uranium) and be imprisoned in Iran until the 12th Imam returns.
it looks like Iran gets to keep their regime
Only if they have Ouija boards. Personnel is policy, and there’s been a lot of permanent personnel changes in Iran over the last six weeks, pour encourager les autres. They’ve had, I expect, all the encouragement they can stand, but if we’re mistaken about that I have no doubt we can apply a little more.
Responding to Selfy (1:03 am), before the train of thought is memory-holed forever:
M J R had used the wording, “perform an anatomically impossible act upon themselves”, and then Selfy pointed out, “I came across that expression in the science fiction I read as a kid, and had no idea what it meant. A nicer version of today’s crudity and vulgarity.”
M J R now writes,
I’ve used that expression over the decades, albeit sparingly. There is no way that I’d been so clever as to express that sentiment in that way on my own, and so I must assume that it was not original with me, but was undoubtedly borrowed from a more clever source — possibly such as Selfy’s childhood science fiction stash.
My diagnosis is that it’s similar to the George Harrison [of Beatles fame] situation, in which the tune of his #1 hit “My Sweet Lord” was so similar to The Chiffons’ earlier #1 hit “He’s So Fine” that he ended up in court (copyright infringement).
George could only say that it was certainly an unconscious borrowing; after all, as he was happy to point out, it wasn’t like he needed the money or the recognition! (In fact, George said he had used the out-of-copyright Christian hymn “Oh Happy Day” as his inspiration for the “My Sweet Lord” melody.)
“I don’t think Trump is crazy.”
Nope, not at all.
Proof: Getting Tucker Carlson to work for him—and so indefatigably—was/is a stroke of pure genius!!
And kudos to Carlson: he didn’t have to do it; but that he DID decide to “sacrifice his soul” behind enemy lines (as it were) so that Trump can LIVE is the sign of an absolute Tzaddik (one of the Lamed-vavniks, no doubt).
Meanwhile, we must all continue to despise, disparage and demonize this righteous and intrepid man in sheer gratitude and to protect his cover….
CC™-R was once again wishcasting, 04/08/2026 @ 1:06 PM.
That’s a sure sign that The Great Orange Whale is swimming free in his noggin.
“If a war is worth fighting, it’s worth winning. This ain’t it.” – Bauxite
Neither have any of the other wars fought by the US since WWII. That’s the nature of modern warfare. In this case, the war was necessary and just in the nick of time– and not because of the risk of Iran assembling a few crude nuclear bombs.
Without the recent campaign, Iran would have been significantly closer to achieving a truly saturation-level missile threat against Israel and U.S. bases in the region, at which point the potential damage to gulf oil infrastructure would have made Iran functionally invincible.
President Trump is very cognizant of the effects high oil prices can/will have on the global economy. Conducting this operation right now, just as we’re seeing excellent economic indicators shows me how necessary stopping Iran now was necessary.
As to the cease fire, there are more than 2,000 commercial ships and 300 oil tankers trapped inside the Gulf. Around 20,000 crewmembers are on those ships. A few ships have begun moving. If we can force/threaten the Iran regime to allow even half of those ships to pass through the strait over the next two weeks, it will be a win.
“Unless the regime falls in the next few months, I can’t see how this war will have been anything other than a disaster for the US.” – Bauxite
Let’s see how the next few months unfold. Now is not the time to throw in the towel. As has been pointed out, the 15 point plan and the 10 point plan are in different universes.
The pause also allows Israel to concentrate on defeating Hezbollah in Lebanon. If reports are accurate, even Lebanon themselves are becoming emboldened.
How likely is it Iran will actually abide by the ceasefire? That might signal more than anything how weak the regime is if they actually allow movement through the Strait.
Just in case something about this “ceasefire” is not quite understood…
“Trump’s Iran ceasefire rocked within hours amid reported missile, drone attacks;
“Pete Hegseth says Pentagon is monitoring attacks that happened ‘in real time’ and warns Iran to stand down”—
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-iran-ceasefire-rocked-within-hours-amid-reported-missile-drone-attacks
With the expected violations of the cease fire by the Iranians, I could envision we eventually see fairly soon that the DOW takes out maybe 7 or 12 bridges, and some power lines to or from a major power plant bombed for a temporary outage. Just a taste of what is in store for both the regime and the people if they don’t find mutual accommodation.
Is there any indication that the people showing up at bridges and power plants as human shields are really being forced into that position, or that they are in fact the relatives and cronies of the IRGC business venues and have their own vested interest in foiling a major bombing? Or that this happened anywhere outside of Tehran? It is still hard to get my mind wrapped around the idea that 5 or 10% of the population are that die hard in favor of the regime, at the possible loss of their lives. But people don’t stop making a “death to America” chant when their hate is that high.