History, Religion, Politics, Culture, and Travels in the Islamic World
Is Iran pursuing a “madman strategy”? Or do the generals have a coherent strategy that they relentlessly pursue, while pivoting and/or climbing up the escalatory ladder as circumstances warrant? For, e.g., after the South Pars gas field was bombed by US-Israel?
Nawruz greetings to the ancient Iranian nation being unjustly attacked by barbarians
Iran is beating US like a drum and advancing its strategy, but Washington’s control of the media narrative is thwarting realization of Iran’s goals. Pre-war, Tehran set five objectives to force concessions from the Trump Regime. None have been met as yet because DC is shaping the narrative. Once the media dam breaks, Iran’s goals will be realized.
A hasty roundup for those not following the right Twitter/X and Telegram channels. The war is going swimmingly for US and Israel. Iranian civilians and infrastructure are being targeted by the frustrated enemy, but (1) US bases in Persian Gulf, Jordan, and Iraq are disappearing; (2) all US (THAAD & non-THAAD) radars are gone (= US & Israel are blind); (3) interceptor stocks are dwindling: “Israel’s skies are our highway” (= Iranian missiles and drones freely passing). Israel has imposed strict censorship; and satellite companies like Planet Labs have embargoed release of images for two weeks. But China is releasing images.
Iran, Russia, and China have stakes in bloodying the US in the Mideast. Trump painted himself into a corner: if his “big, beautiful armada” does not yield benefits that would allow him to “declare victory” and skedaddle, he looks weak (TACO Trump). If Iran concedes, it looks weak. Israel sees the buildup of US assets as an opportunity it shouldn’t waste: they may strike to drag US into a war.
Elon Musk’s shutdown of Starlink prompted me to as ask, “why are Russian soldiers using Starlink? Don’t they have satellite-based comms?” Yes and no. Russia has systems for “Command, Control, and Communications (C3), but no satellite-based network comparable to USA’s and China’s prolific and multifaceted networks used for C3 and ISR.
Iran now treats hostile rhetoric as casus belli—preemption is on the table. As nuclear and missile programs recover, could Tehran launch blitz to shatter Israel’s OODA loop and paralyze its inner rings before Tel Aviv can move? First mover seizes initiative…
The “collective west” pontificates about democracy, freedom, civil rights, and civil liberties in Iran, but Iran’s experiences (ca. 1860s to 1979) with foreign powers are of political domination and resource extraction. Organic democratic reforms in Iran were quashed by the west.
St. Matthew writes of men from the east visiting Jesus. His narrative reflects a Zoroastrian prophecy. The “Wise Men” who came to Bethlehem from Iran were Zoroastrian priests (magi) who had seen the star and believed Jesus was their expected Savior—“Saoshyant.”
Reza Shah Pahlavi, Maryam Rajavi (Mujahideen-e Khalq), and María Corina Machado have sold “regime change” to their U.S. and Israeli patrons, but sales pitches of troops being “greeted as liberators,” with freedom to plunder the victim’s oil & gas, will prove bogus and deadly. Ahmad Chalabi, the darling of Iraq War neocons, is the example.
Perspectives 
You must be logged in to post a comment.