History, Religion, Politics, Culture, and Travels in the Islamic World
A droll post. The inevitable re-captioning of the famous Führer bunker scene from the movie, “Downfall.” But also incisive of Trump’s refusal to honor the terms under which his presidency was purchased by the State of Israel, and Israel’s fear, nay terror, of fighting Iran alone.
Influential American conservatives are vociferously opposing war with Iran, and expressing their anger towards Israel. If Netanyahu succeeds in dragging the U.S. into war with Iran, the political and military consequences for Israel will be catastrophic. The title, obviously, is in jest.
My Memorial Day Weekend post consisting of a sample of clips of former CIA and U.S. Army officers voicing views about a U.S.-led war against Iran. Includes bonus clips of prominent American conservative voices rejecting war with Iran.
New York Times: “Why Trump Suddenly Declared Victory Over the Houthi Militia,” examines Operation Rough Rider— the failed air campaign—against Yemen. Key takeaways vis-à-vis US-Israel air campaign against Iran. Gist: Iran holds the “trump” cards.
U.S.-Iran talks in Muscat and Rome have faltered due to shifting American demands, and Israeli machinations to derail an agreement. What are Iran’s choices? A decisive Iranian victory in a war with U.S. and Israel may be Tehran’s only path to permanent peace.
A primer on why Iran insisted on Oman as venue for talks. U.S. sought UAE—its vassal state—as venue for the Araghchi-Witkoff indirect meetings, but Iran held firm.
Trump has re-imposed “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran and Ayatollah Khamenei closed the JCPOA file. Where does Iran go from here? The U.S. oil embargo on Japan and Pearl Harbor suggest military scenarios.
In a speech to the military, Ayatollah Khamenei took a firm stance against new negotiations with the U.S. Subtitled video at link, with my comments.
Popular analyses claim Iran is “weaker than it has even been since the Islamic Revolution” and the “fabled” Axis of Resistance has been badly damaged. Time is ripe for U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Others, building on these pedestrian analyses, claim Iran is desperate for a nuclear deal and sanctions relief. But while Iran does need relief, Israel and U.S. need an accommodation with Iran because they cannot defeat Iran militarily. E3 must be excluded from negotiations with Iran because it will derail talks. U.S. and Iran must talk directly.
“Trump’s exploratory outreach to Iran, presented as a clean slate, stands in stark contrast to the turbulence of his hawkish first term. Is this a sincere effort at diplomacy or a calculated salvo to throw his opponents off guard?” My essay, published by Cradle Media, can be accessed at the link published on my site. For copyright reasons, I cannot post the full text. Thanks.
Perspectives 
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