Iran explicitly warned it would attack the U.S. military if the U.S. military did the thing it just did. If these retaliatory strikes come, the warmongers will try to play the victim. But they chose to make this happen.
Trump announcing bombing of Iran, June 21, 205. (White House screenshot)
The U.S. military has bombed multiple Iranian nuclear sites on the orders of President Trump, immediately putting tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel in the region at risk of an Iranian retaliation which can then escalate to full-scale war.
Earlier this month Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh explicitly warned the United States that a direct U.S. attack would result in Tehran ordering strikes on U.S. bases in the middle east, saying “all U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries.”
In the lead-up to Trump’s act of war on Iran, the president told the press that an attack on American troops will mean a harsh response from the U.S., saying, “We’ll come down so hard if they do anything to our people. We’ll come down so hard. The gloves are off. I think they know not to touch our troops.”
Trump reiterated this threat to Iran in his announcement of the U.S. attack today.
“There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” Trump said. “Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.”
So you can see how we might already be on our way toward a war of nightmarish proportions as a result of the president’s unprovoked act of aggression. Tehran now has to choose between reestablishing deterrence with extreme aggression or opening the floodgates to a whole host of existential threats from both outside and inside the country.
Add to that the possibility of Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz and the fact that Iran has now been strongly incentivized to actually obtain a nuclear weapon, and it looks very likely that we are plunging into a situation that could unfold in any number of horrific ways.
Right now American political discourse is rife with the narrative that the U.S. has been “dragged” into Israel’s war, which I reject entirely. Every step of the way this entire thing has been signed off on by U.S. leadership. We are at this point because Trump and his regime knowingly chose to take us here.
U.S. troops within reach of Iran’s missiles are reportedly being briefed that they can expect to be on the receiving end of retaliatory strikes in the coming days.
Again, Iran explicitly warned it would attack the U.S. military if the U.S. military did the thing it just did. If and when these retaliatory strikes come, the warmongers will try to argue that this is a valid reason to escalate this war. They will be lying. They chose to make this happen.
Whatever transpires from this point on is the fault of Donald Trump and the unelected thugs he listens to. If U.S. troops are killed, the warmongers in Washington and the Pentagon propagandists in the press will list their names and bandy about their photos and demand that their deaths be avenged with further acts of war ?— ?but it will not be Iran’s fault that they died.
It will be Trump’s fault. It will be the fault of everyone whose decisions led up to bombs being dropped on Iranian energy infrastructure, and the fault of everyone who put those soldiers in harm’s way.
None of this needed to happen. Iran was at the negotiating table. The Iran deal was working fine before Trump shredded it to put us on this terrible trajectory. The warmongers artificially manufactured this situation and knowingly inflicted this horror upon our world.
I am really not looking forward to all the melodramatic victim-LARPing if and when Iran kills U.S. military personnel stationed in west Asia. The U.S. is the only nation on earth that can rival Israel in its ability to play the victim when the ball they’ve thrown at the wall bounces back.
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This article is from CaitlinJohnstone.com.au and re-published with permission.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
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“There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” Oh, where have I heard that before? Though, it was uttered in a different language, not English, and it was 87 years ago, and the recipient was the Republic of Poland. And then we got “Following the US strikes on Sunday morning, German Chancellor Merz has called for Iran to negotiate.”. That sounds like Mussolini calling on the 2nd Sept. 1939 on the Polish government to go to Berlin a negotiate with Hitler, otherwise it will their fault if their country is destroyed.
I can only feel disgust for the retoric coming out from Washington and Brussels.
So where are all our local Trump stans who have spent several years insisting that their boy is “anti-war”?
Seriously, speak up. All I hear now is the chirping of crickets.
Trump keeps threatening to assassinate Iran’s top holy man and head of state, whom they refer to as their supreme leader. He seems to me to be a fair, articulate and rational fellow. I suggest that this elder statesman target only one American site in the next round of planned madness. Give the honor of sacrifical lamb to Mir-a-Lago. Iran could even maintain their so-far chosen avoidance of taking the extreme double standard incessently employed by Uncle Sam. Their leader can even give Mr. Trump a half-hour head start to vacate the premises. See, no one needs be killed or injured. Mr. Trump could show the world that he can take “take it” as resolutely as he can “dish it out.” It would then be up to America’s self-identified super hero president to decide if he wants to further choose several more rounds of escalatory dominance or go home and sleep it off–assuming the White House or Trump Tower still stands.
Note to Drew Hunkins. I too immediately flashed on your analysis of Trump’s pulling his punch to effect the most reasonable outcome that minimises death or serious injury (satisfying the voter base that put him in office with a peace agenda), yet keeping his vicious contract with Adelson and Netayaho to bomb Iran and trigger a fully-fledged official “major league” war (though presumably a short one). In retrospect, this was probably too much to ask of a lightweight that cannot keep two ideas in his mind at the same time.
Apparently the 3 Iranian nuke energy sites are still potentially operational within a reasonable amount of time. So that tells me maybe (maybe) some sort of deal was cut by Trump who had sort of boxed himself in (though somewhat willingly). Something to the effect of: We go easy on the nuke sites, you promise notcto retaliate too heavily, and we won’t proceed w regime change. A symbolic bombing campaign by Trump to save face.
I would be wrong.
Of course, the Zio crazies will never satisfied until US boots are on the ground in Tehran fighting for regime change.
* I could be wrong.
One way to protect those American troops at risk in the Middle East would be to bring them home. In fact, let’s close all American foreign bases, and the world becomes a safer place.
Well said, Caitlin. I love the picture of Trump and his three stooges.
“I am really not looking forward to all the melodramatic victim-LARPing if and when Iran kills U.S. military personnel stationed in west Asia.”
Easily solved. Turn off the American “News”. Whether its the “American News” on American ABC or the Australian ABC, if the switch is in the Off position, you won’t hear hear a word of it. And won’t miss a thing given their lack of credibility as proved by their willingness to print everything Donald Trump says even though everyone knows he constantly lies.
In this modern world, a person can use computer translators to read any ‘news’ site in the world (almost). Which means nobody has to watch CNN (and the rest) unless they are the sort of masochist that loves having manipulative people lie to them and hurt them.
So, if you are not looking forward to the coming “Victim LARPing”, turn them off and put on some music instead. As a personal example, last night I was listening to Joan Baez’ young voice at Woodstock sing “Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot” followed by “We Shall Overcome”, and I can testify that this does help soothe the soul. Besides, who cares what the Squares say, as its always a pack of lies.
“….Turn off the American “News”. Whether its the “American News” on American ABC or the Australian ABC, if the switch is in the Off position, you won’t hear hear a word of it…”
Hear hear! All the more reason for keeping an eye on Consortium News for proper reporting and the all important perspective, which is usually missing or misleading in the MSM.
Hey, Peace Froggie. The best thoughts of the day.?
“putting tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel in the region at risk”
It’s not just US personnel. There are innocent citizens to consider too. But i doubt the “president’s” (i use the term loosely) power of analysis or his addled brain have given a second thought to the consequences. He’s playing the strong man, i’ll show them card. Well, he might be in for a nasty surprise.
DIVIDE & CONQUER
I’m guessing that blowback will be limited, symbolic and primarily economic (oil shutdown).
What was the Pentagon’s plan if the event that the bunker busted succeeded in destroying the so called processed uranium stockpile? Would that not have spread high level radioactive material throughout the region like a dirty bomb?
I sense that the whole thing was Kabuki by the Trump fabulists, who wanted themselves into a corner and got played by Bibi. All for show to appease the US media and Trump base (he’s a real strongman, not a Biden – Obama pussy).
Obviously the Iranian’s moved the stockpile before the Israeli or US bombing and missiles.
Iran should shut down the oil flow.
That ‘U.S. has been “dragged” into Israel’s war’ need be rejected by none because Mr Trump openly declared in the above statement that he has been planning this moment for years.
While every person on the planet should, no matter how painful, get to listen to every last word of his speech, and especially the last, the website of the world’s favourite news channel, the British Broken-News Corp website shows only the first 58secs.
So much for BBCVerify – just another platform for Truth.