# Speculation for and/or Consequences to the US and Elsewhere for Engaging in the Bombing of Iran and Other Targets **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** iran-strikes-2026\ **Created:** [March 4, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210 "2026-03-04T22:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/101 "2026-03-13T12:40:16Z")
Trump is caught on the horns of a dilemma. Blockading Iran increases the price of oil. What does Trump fear more? ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/102 "2026-03-13T12:45:08Z")
Trae Crowder just released a YouTube Short about how he imagines the 🎵 Special Military Operation 🎵 briefings are going at the White House. We’re all gonna fucking die. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9XD2WPA3Bas/maxresdefault.jpg "How I imagine the war updates are going at the White House #traecrowder") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XD2WPA3Bas) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/103 "2026-03-13T12:46:53Z")
Or would be if he understood anything, I would bet dollars to donuts that the conversations on the SDMB about the war are far above Trump’s intellectual capacity. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/104 "2026-03-13T12:50:43Z")
Since we pulled out of Afghanistan, terrorist attacks in the U.S. have been virtually non-existent. Unfortunately, bombing a person’s country and killing its citizens is a great recruitment tool for terrorists, and I predict that we are now in much greater danger of a major terrorist act here in the United States. History has shown that those people will not be intimidated and cowed no matter what we do to them. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/105 "2026-03-13T12:52:22Z")
> [@DeadTreasSecretaries](#): > > It is genuinely mindboggling to take out political leadership, initiate a bombing campaign on this scale, not have a plan for Hormuz and also not have the will to hit their oil and face that economic fallout. Malignant narcissism. Killing and bombing _people_ involves the deaths of people besides Trump, and are therefore by definition of no meaning at worst. Raising the oil prices might inconvenience or embarrass Trump, and therefore of more importance than _any_ number of human lives not named “Trump”. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/106 "2026-03-13T12:52:56Z")
Gift link about impact of this action in Asia. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/world/asia/iran-war-china-asia.html?unlocked\_article\_code=1.S1A.sKhY.7NAk9AYndm0w&smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/world/asia/iran-war-china-asia.html?unlocked_article_code=1.S1A.sKhY.7NAk9AYndm0w&smid=url-share) The war in Iran — barely two weeks old — is already straining America’s promise of security in a region that U.S. military leaders have called [“our priority theater.”](https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4202504/hegseth-outlines-us-vision-for-indo-pacific-addresses-china-threat/) Longer term, officials and analysts suggest the war will weaken American influence, aid Chinese arguments about American decline and accelerate a middle-power arms race. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/107 "2026-03-13T13:16:49Z")
Who knew that international relations and wars were so hard? Even thinking seems to be hard. Better not even try. Thinking is for eggheads, which is just a fancy word for woke un-american nerds. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/108 "2026-03-13T13:29:01Z")
First healthcare and now international relations and war, nobody knew they were so complicated until this pioneer of science, this intrepid explorer of heretofore unknown realms Donald J. Trump… (The J is for Jenius) dared to investigate them ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/109 "2026-03-13T13:29:34Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Since we pulled out of Afghanistan, terrorist attacks in the U.S. have been virtually non-existent. Unfortunately, bombing a person’s country and killing its citizens is a great recruitment tool for terrorists, and I predict that we are now in much greater danger of a major terrorist act here in the United States. You know what’s a great recruitment tool for terrorists? The Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They’ve recruited hundreds of thousands of terrorists over the decades and equipped them with billions of dollars of weapons. Individual terrorists mean little; terrorists _organizations_ are the real threat. I’m not saying that the goals of this will be achieved, or even if they are achievable. It’s just that people’s motivations are much less important than their capabilities. Let them hate. Let them want to be terrorists. As long as they lack the ability to do something about it, I don’t really care. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/110 "2026-03-13T13:41:54Z")
How much killing is worth this? Israel is in great danger of losing US support depending on the next elections. They’re already losing the support of many Americans (including me), because of all this killing (the vast majority of which appears to me to be pointless). Is it worth all this if the next administration withdraws military support of Israel? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/111 "2026-03-13T13:44:44Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s just that people’s motivations are much less important than their capabilities. Let them hate. Let them want to be terrorists. As long as they lack the ability to do something about it, I don’t really care. What amazes me is how we continue to underestimate those people despite past history. As far as equipment goes, they are going to get it, even if the IRG ceases to exist. They’ll get it from the Russians or the Chinese or from who knows where. They always do. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/112 "2026-03-13T13:48:36Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Individual terrorists mean little; terrorists _organizations_ are the real threat. Like the US and Israeli military and police forces. Yeah, yeah; it’s not terrorism when _we_ bomb a school. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/113 "2026-03-13T14:06:08Z")
It troubles me, too. But what would you have us do? They only thing Israel wants from Iran is for them and their proxies to leave us alone. They have no interest in peace with us, so the only options we have is to change their mind by changing their government, or hurt them so hard they won’t be able to hurt us. Anything else, and they’ll just build more missiles and arm more terrorists, and more Israelis will die. And Israel will do anything to prevent Israelis from dying. We can’t help ourselves. Israel and America are not fighting the same war. For you, it is a _Milkhemet Reshut_ (war of choice). For us, it is a _Milkhemet Mitzvah_. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/114 "2026-03-13T14:06:53Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > As long as they lack the ability to do something about it, I don’t really care. It depends on how you define “doing something”. Randomly killing people in a synagoge will change nothing, but the people are still dead. > **[Suspect in Michigan synagogue attack had lost family in Israeli strike on...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/suspect-michigan-synagogue-attack-lost-family-lebanon)** > > Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who was born in Lebanon and became a naturalized US citizen, lost two brothers, a niece and a nephew in the airstrike In some countries it is very easy to buy weapons and ammo and start shooting people. In others they have to rent a truck, or a big car, and drive into crowds. It is not always spectacular and complex as 9/11, but when people hate, it tends to have consequences. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/115 "2026-03-13T14:07:08Z")
How many Israelis will die after this war if it fails to accomplish anything significant and the alliance with the US ends? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/116 "2026-03-13T14:15:08Z")
Of all of the possible outcomes of this unnecessary war, an ending of the alliance between the U.S. and Israel seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/117 "2026-03-13T14:15:59Z")
I’m talking about the next administration. If US voters hate this war and believe Israel dragged us into it, the next administration could very easily campaign on ending the alliance. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/118 "2026-03-13T14:21:02Z")
I still have hope something good will come out of this. Maybe there will be a successful revolution after it ends - revolutions often happen after failed wars - or maybe Iran will be hurt so hard that it’ll be deterred from any further action against us. Events may surprise us. Still… hopefully, by the next U.S. elections Netanyahu will be long gone, and the countries will be able to turn a new leaf. Getting rid of him is _my_ job. I’m counting on you guys to deal with Trump and his minions. God help us if we fail. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/119 "2026-03-13T14:22:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > revolutions often happen after failed wars If the regime survives the war, why would it be a “failed” war? “they attacked us, we survived, they wanted to determine our form of government, they failed” does not look like a “failed war” result. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210/120 "2026-03-13T14:24:03Z")
I do what I can at the voting booth, but I seem to be outnumbered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-for-and-or-consequences-to-the-us-and-elsewhere-for-engaging-in-the-bombing-of-iran-and-other-targets/1028210.md?page=7)