dagblog - Comments for "Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back"

Viral video in Iran: Iranians

artappraiser — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 22:02:29 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

Viral video in Iran: Iranians are shocked and ecstatic by this @realDonaldTrump comment thanking Iran for not shooting a US aircraft that had crew on board. pic.twitter.com/3j9J0VJaj4
— Negar Mortazavi (@NegarMortazavi) June 22, 2019

Iranian Force Exults in

artappraiser — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 22:00:15 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

Iranian Force Exults in Downing of U.S. Drone With a Feast and a Prayer

By Farnaz Fassihi & David D. Kirkpatrick @ NYTimes.com, June 22

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizade, head of the Revolutionary Guards’
air force, in Tehran on Thursday, inspecting debris purported
to be fragments of the downed American drone.Credit:
Meghdad Madadi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Seated on the floor of a villa in northeast Tehran around a tablecloth spread with platters of saffron chicken and rice with barberries, about 30 officials of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and guests gathered Thursday night for a prayerful celebration.

“A special blessing for the commander who ordered the attack on the American drone and for the fighters who carried it out,” a preacher declared, as recalled by one of the guests present, who said a raucous chorus of “amen” arose from the room.

Their success earlier that day at shooting down an unmanned American Global Hawk surveillance drone (list price $131 million) surprised even some leaders of the Revolutionary Guards. They had wondered themselves whether they could hit an American target so high in the sky, according to the guest.

In fact, the Revolutionary Guards sought to take out the drone in large part to prove they could do it, according to that guest and four other Iranians, including two senior current members. The others were two former Guard members and one who is affiliated with the elite military unit, which reports directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and operates outside the control of Iranian elected officials [....]

Iran summons Emirates’ top

artappraiser — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 21:50:53 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

Iran summons Emirates’ top envoy over US drone incident

By A.P. @ NPR.org, Jun 22, 2019 12:27 PM EDT

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran summoned the United Arab Emirates’ top envoy to Tehran to protest the neighboring Arab nation’s decision to allow the U.S. to use a base there to launch a drone that Iran says entered its airspace, state media reported Saturday.

Iran issued a “strong protest” to the UAE diplomat, saying Iran does not tolerate the facilitation of foreign forces that violate its territory, the report by the official IRNA news agency said [....]

Per the pool, Trump told

artappraiser — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 15:40:02 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

Per the pool, Trump told reporters "Let's make Iran great again" outside the White House this morning
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) June 22, 2019

(Maggie Haberman retweeted)

Exclusive: the war you don’t

artappraiser — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 02:43:32 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

Exclusive: the war you don’t see. @JennaMC_Laugh on the US Cyber Command’s retaliatory strike against the Iranian spy group that supported this week’s tanker attacks. @YahooNews https://t.co/2JdzRIW0Yj
— Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman) June 22, 2019

I think some skepticism was

artappraiser — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 01:48:37 +0000

In reply to This story is bullshit.

I think some skepticism was indicated by the NYTimes putting this line in the article and that's why I underlined it:

No government officials asked The New York Times to withhold the article.

I took that as: this came from pro-Trump leakers, not our usual leakers. But that they also felt that in no way could they be sure about what the motive was in telling them and that it could be true. This is what is especially sad about this administration, no one can ever be sure what is being said and why.

Trump’s account of planning,

NCD — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 23:52:09 +0000

In reply to This story is bullshit.

Trump’s account of planning, then canceling Iran strikes is facing scrutiny

Aides around President Trump and military analysts are questioning his description of events. And no new sanctions were imposed against Iran, in contradiction of Trump's tweets

just put up on Washington Post.

This story is bullshit.

ocean-kat — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 18:41:23 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

This story is bullshit. Anyone who has followed any story about military strikes in the past knows it's a lie. There is no way that with planes in the air minutes before bombing some general said, "By the way, 150 people will likely die in this attack." Either it's all a lie or Trump was to stupid to hear and remember it when he was told during the initial planning.

Even fox news Chris Wallace points out how unbelievable this lie is.

David Ignatius @ WaPo June 20

artappraiser — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 07:06:00 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

David Ignatius @ WaPo June 20 at 4:56 PM, obviously before the White House leak was published about the cancelled attack:

Iran must escape the American chokehold before it becomes fatal

[....] Both nations tiptoed closer to the edge Thursday, as Iran shot down an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone near the Strait of Hormuz. Trump tweeted, “Iran made a very big mistake!” but the United States didn’t initially take any overt military action.

Here’s the danger ahead: Iran probably can’t break out of this squeeze play without creating a larger crisis that forces international intervention — perhaps an Iranian attack that kills Americans and triggers a harsh U.S. retaliation. The Trump administration doesn’t want such a war — at least, not yet — because officials know that with every day of sanctions, Iran becomes weaker.

But how does this end, if not in conflict? That’s the troubling question for strategists in Washington and abroad. The United States has offered negotiations (but not yet sanctions relief) through Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spurned the offer. In accepting international mediation to end the Iraq-Iran War in 1988, Khamenei’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, may have drunk what he called “the cup of poison.” But Khamenei refuses, so far.

When we examine the inner logic of the confrontation, the surrounding events become more comprehensible. Each side appears to be behaving rationally, hoping to obtain its goals without the broad military conflict that neither wants. That’s mildly reassuring, but the danger of miscalculation remains huge. [....]

NYTimes: The Editorial Board

artappraiser — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 06:53:57 +0000

In reply to Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back

NYTimes: The Editorial Board: Attacking Iran Is Congress’s Call, 1h ago

The Trump administration’s campaign of maximum pressure and minimal diplomacy is bringing the two countries ever closer to blows. Lawmakers must weigh in.

dagblog - Comments for "Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back"

Viral video in Iran: Iranians

Iranian Force Exults in

Iran summons Emirates’ top

Per the pool, Trump told

Exclusive: the war you don’t

I think some skepticism was

Trump’s account of planning,

This story is bullshit.

David Ignatius @ WaPo June 20

NYTimes:​ The Editorial Board

NYTimes: The Editorial Board