# United States and Israel are bombing Iran {for current/ongoing events, past/future have specific threads} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump, iran-strikes-2026\ **Created:** [February 28, 2026, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071 "2026-02-28T07:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 36
**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 11, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/704 "2026-03-11T02:36:11Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > Was it not possible to secure the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of the war? Or would the US need to secure the airspace and other targets first? It’s not even clear if it’s possible to do it without occupying the coastal terrain around it with actual troops. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/705 "2026-03-11T05:40:38Z")
> [@Guardian live blog](#): > > the **US** had hit and “completely destroyed” 10 inactive mine-laying vessels Could somebody enlighten me as to the benefit of destroying “inactive mine-laying vessels” as distinct from “active mine-laying vessels”? Sounds like the US has been blowing up fishing vessels on the grounds they could be used to deploy mines? Another point about the Straight of Hormuz is that it is both narrow and not very deep. Which really restricts the shipping channels and an obstruction like a couple of sunken/stricken vessel could cause the area to be scarcely navigable by vessels of the scale of oil tanker tonnage. Even if missile strike wasn’t a danger. [![](https://i.ibb.co/RGqfK1DR/Hormuz-Straight.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/RGqfK1DR/Hormuz-Straight.jpg) > **[Marine traffic 'down to zero' due to Middle East conflict](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-04/marine-traffic-data-shows-no-oil-tankers-strait-of-hormuz/106413082)** > > The Strait of Hormuz normally has 50 ships moving over 100 metres, but today there are virtually zero. ---
**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 11, 2026, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/706 "2026-03-11T10:27:27Z")
No plan for Hormuz. Hey, maybe starting a war with idiots in charge, no mission, and _no plan_, is a really terrible idea? ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/707 "2026-03-11T10:41:03Z")
We just need to dig a canal across the lower peninsula. What’s that - 50-60 miles? A month or two of hard digging and Bob’s your uncle! /s ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/708 "2026-03-11T10:58:02Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > It’s not even clear if it’s possible to do it without occupying the coastal terrain around it with actual troops. How many guys would it take to conquer Iran? A million? Half a million? How many have been mobilized? ---
**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 11, 2026, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/709 "2026-03-11T11:03:28Z")
Note that I wrote “The coastal terrain”, not the whole country. That said, it’s hard to believe the U.S. has the capacity to successfully occupy the whole of Iran for long. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/710 "2026-03-11T11:56:15Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > > [@CaveMike](#): > > > > Was it not possible to secure the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of the war? Or would the US need to secure the airspace and other targets first? > > It’s not even clear if it’s possible to do it without occupying the coastal terrain around it with actual troops. Right. It’s very possible that the military has a plan for controlling the strait, but it requires more commitment than the administration really believed was necessary. Because the administration is stupid. So they disregarded the military advice, launched a war anyway, and are now caught with their pants down. ---
**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 11, 2026, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/711 "2026-03-11T12:06:15Z")
> **[Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/carlquintanilla.bsky.social/post/3mgrtdprpvc2b)** > > DUBAI, March 11 (Reuters) - Three vessels have been hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security and risk firms said on Wednesday, bringing the number of ships struck in the region since the Iran conflict began to at least... This is what happens when idiots start a war with no plan. No regime change, lots of dead civilians, and chaos in global trade. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/712 "2026-03-12T00:04:51Z")
Trump, meanwhile, says the strait is fine and to go ahead and sail on through. > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mgt3cnkimj2r)** > > Trump: "The Straits are in great shape" > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mgsdeynvmo25)** > > Q: Are you encouraging oil company CEOs to use the Strait or Hormuz? > > TRUMP: Yeah, I think they should. I think they should. I think they should use the Strait. Look, we took out just about all of their mine ships. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/713 "2026-03-12T00:09:20Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Trump, meanwhile, says the strait is fine and to go ahead and sail on through. He should demonstrate his confidence by personally planting his fat ass on an oil tanker that is sailing on through the Strait of Hormuz! Isn’t that how real leaders display their confidence and resolve? ---
**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 12, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/714 "2026-03-12T00:41:32Z")
Wearing a flight suit and standing beneath a Mission Accomplished banner. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/715 "2026-03-12T03:07:10Z")
> [@DonaldJTrump](#): > > Look, we took out just about all of their mine ships. _just about all_ I’m sure that makes the CEOs feel so much better about it. Are you feeling lucky? ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/716 "2026-03-12T03:14:12Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Wearing a flight suit and standing beneath a Mission Accomplished banner. I think it should say _Accomplishing Mission_. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/717 "2026-03-12T03:54:33Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > It’s not even clear if it’s possible to do it without occupying the coastal terrain around it with actual troops. Yeah, a Shaeed-136 can go about 1500 miles. The Straits of Hormuz are measured in the tens of kilometers in its narrowest range. There’s no way these doofuses are going to be able to protect shipping in that area any time soon. I hate theocracies, but Iran has a pretty sweet card to play there. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/718 "2026-03-12T04:47:06Z")
A concept of a mission. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/719 "2026-03-12T05:12:57Z")
[More on the school bombing.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/senators-demand-answers-school-strike-230626576.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — Outdated intelligence likely led to the United States carrying out a deadly missile strike on [an elementary school in Iran](https://apnews.com/article/iran-minab-girls-school-airstrike-us-israel-c3095dc9729881b567277a1c5c47efb2) that killed over 165 people, many of them children, in the opening hours of the conflict, according to a U.S. official and a second person briefed on findings of a preliminary U.S military investigation into the incident. > > The bombing of the school and its casualties involving children has become a focal point of the war, and if ultimately confirmed to be at the hands of the U.S., would also stand among the highest civilian casualty events caused by the American military operations in the last two decades. > > President Donald Trump initially blamed Iran for the attack, later said he wasn’t certain who was to blame, and then said he would accept the results of the Pentagon’s investigation. The issue took on added urgency on Wednesday after the New York Times first reported that a preliminary investigation found that the U.S. was responsible. > > U.S. Central Command relied on target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, according to the person familiar with the preliminary finding. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/720 "2026-03-12T09:46:14Z")
Does anyone have a clue as to how this will end? This for the BBC today: > Trump might learn that starting wars is much easier than ending them. It is hard to know when to stop if you don’t know exactly where you’re going. > > It is even harder to do that when the US, the world’s most powerful country, seems to have gone to war without a coherent political strategy, under a president who the evidence suggests is making it up as he goes along. ---
**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 12, 2026, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/721 "2026-03-12T10:41:30Z")
War is over! > **['We've won' Trump says of Iran war: 'They didn’t expect anything like this'](https://apnews.com/video/weve-won-trump-says-of-iran-war-they-didnt-expect-anything-like-this-fc26e5da9b3e4ba681c2fad7af9e4f49?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share)** > > As the war with Iran rages on, President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday the U.S. has "won" the war, saying Tehran "didn’t expect anything like this." ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/722 "2026-03-12T10:49:50Z")
JFC, is this real? Is that actually the president of the USA? ---
**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 12, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/723 "2026-03-12T10:58:29Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > just about all I just read an article about the mining of the Strait of Ormuz (Strait Al-Dope in Persian) in the German **[Handelsblatt (probably paywalled](https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/iran-krieg-so-funktionieren-die-gefaehrlichen-seeminen/100207524.html)**, so I’ll let **DeepL** translate under my supervision): > Although the US Central Command reported the destruction of 16 of these minelayers, Iran reportedly has an arsenal of up to 5,000 such boats. > > The boats are very small, measuring 6.70 metres in length, can reach speeds of up to 170 km/h and are very difficult to locate due to their fibreglass-reinforced plastic hulls. They are also inexpensive to manufacture in large quantities. They come in three versions: equipped with rocket launchers and machine guns, as troop transporters and as minelayers. I am not sure about the 170 km/h claim. Feels a bit fast for a boat, but who knows? They have two big off-boarder motors, you can find a picture in the article, if the paywall allows. > Once the mines are laid, the US Navy faces its next dilemma: in recent years, it has lost much of its mine clearance capability. > > The specialised Avenger-class minesweepers have already been withdrawn, while the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) planned as their successors still do not have operational clearance modules due to technical deficiencies. > There is also a lack of airborne capabilities: heavy clearance helicopters are not stationed in the region and are technically outdated. At present, the US only has small underwater drones at its disposal, which can locate individual objects but are far too slow to clear the strategically important shipping lane over a large area. Without partners with special capabilities, such as non-magnetic boats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain blocked indefinitely. I invite you to search for Sadaf 01 (aprox. 115–120 kg TNT), Sadaf 02 (aprox. 20 kg TNT) and Maham 2 (aprox. 350 kg High Explosive) mines. Iran is supposed to have between 2,000 and 5,000 units of the Sadaf 01. > [@scabpicker](#): > > The Straits of Hormuz are measured in the tens of kilometers in its narrowest range. The width that a big oil or gas tanker can navigate is about 3 km in each direction, writes the article I linked to above. That is easy to mine, they claim. The rest seems to be too shallow for big boats. I am not an expert, but the Handelsblatt is a serious news source, something equivalent to the German Financial Times. > [@wolfpup](#): > > Is that actually the president of the USA? Sounds like a box fight announcer to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071.md?page=37)