I have trust in the Leader of the Free World, Angela Merkel. However, she said “strong evidence” rather than stating she’d reached an absolute conclusion, like the United States has. More evidence is going to be needed to be released to the public for the case to be proved.
Iran is now claiming the IRGC just shot down a US Global Hawk drone that entered their airspace. Iran shoots down US surveillance drone, heightening tensions | AP News
US has declined to immediately comment. Probably trying to figure out just what happened, when. Not a cheap a/c; originally 60M when they came out, now upwards of 220M for the Navy’s Triton model.
First guess, the a/c got GPS spoofed, a la the RQ-170 incident (Iran–U.S. RQ-170 incident - Wikipedia ) and the drone actually was in Iranian airspace. Otherwise, it’s warlike to shoot down other country’s stuff in international airspace.
People keep saying that Bolton or Trump or some neocon wants war with Iran, but…for what? It won’t boost Trump’s reelection for sure, the American public is viscerally anti-Middle-East-war ever since Iraq/Afghanistan/Syria, it could only send Trump’s approval ratings into the tubes. It can’t be for oil; the U.S. is pumping out plenty of oil at home. It won’t benefit the U.S. economy for sure. Defense dollars? The Pentagon is already getting $700 billion+ defense budgets. It’s a warmonger theory with little to back it up.
Actions speak louder than theories, and every action we’ve taken since burning the nuclear agreement has moved us closer to war. Why? You’ll have to ask Trump and Co., but good luck getting a truthful answer from that bunch.
It not that ‘people’ keep saying, it’s that Bolton himself and the neocons keep saying… and have been saying for years… that they want a war with Iran. They managed to convince Trump to tear up the treaty with Iran, and that seemed to go down well with Trump’s support base, who like to see America being macho.
Why? Because they have some crazy dream of America controlling all the oil and ruling the world.
You may want to look up the definition of ‘warmonger’, because I think you meant the opposite.
I know what the word means, I just phrased it poorly.
But I stand by my point - there is nothing “in it” for the Trump administration to go to war with Iran, except risk a fiasco potentially several times worse than Iraq and guarantee a 2020 electoral defeat.
FWIW, American oil production hit a record high recently. There is absolutely no need for, or point in, a war for oil.
You are correct that war with Iran makes no sense, and that there’s no good damn reason for it.
And controlling oil to the rest of the world…?
The U.S. doesn’t need to control oil to the rest of the world. America is not a comic-book super-villain.
Tell that to Bolton.
Not for America. Given the effects of the sanctions on Iran’s economy, they might have an interest in increasing the price of oil. Both for their own coffers, as well as pushing the rest of the world to get the US to reduce or remove the sanctions.
IOW, there is increased risk for oil moving thru the Gulf - except if that oil comes from Iran.
Regards,
Shodan
The Latest: Putin: US attack on Iran would be catastrophic
Trump says attacks on oil tankers ‘very minor’
If I were a cynical person, I just might suspect our president is taking orders from our greatest adversary.
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I’m only aware of one, CrowdStrike. If someone hires a cyber security firm, you take that as proof that there was a cyber attack? That doesn’t make sense.
If a private intelligence firm concluded Iran was behind the attacks, would that increase your confidence level?
So you are biased to believe that Russian hackers do things against the US, but do not extend the bias to Iran carrying out attacks in its neighborhood. Well, okay.
I agree, this is a very important distinction.
But it generally sounds like there’s no likely level of corroboration that the US government could provide that would lead you to the conclusion that Iran carried out the attacks. If France, UK, and Germany agreed that Iran was behind them, would that change your mind?
The US didn’t need to invade Iraq either, and yet it did (control of the region’s oil being a red herring, elusive in any invasion, Iraq or Iran.)
Boy howdy.
Watching this all unfold is as much fun as watching a cranky baby play with a loaded gun in his crib.
He didn’t say “we’ll see what happens”, which is what he normally says when he doesn’t have any idea about what he’s doing or going to do next, which might suggest that something could be in the offing.
That’s pretty much what I said. I know the Iranians are reasonably considered prime suspects but I won’t accept American finger pointing without outside corroboration.