# 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:** 86
**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:** [August 8, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1713 "2026-08-08T23:41:30Z")
It’s a form of Rope-A-Dope. Keep him bouncing from one horn of this dilemma to the other. His two choices are war or withdrawal. War is limited to air strikes, which are rapidly using up expensive stand-off munitions like cruise missiles and glide bombs, because he doesn’t want to risk pilots being shot down. And boots on the ground is right out, because body bags are a bad look before the mid-terms. Withdrawal cedes control of the Strait of Hormuz, guaranteeing higher oil prices indefinitely, and the appearance of defeat. Same with Iran’s highly enriched uranium; withdrawal lets them keep it. What to do, what to do… ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1714 "2026-08-09T00:02:22Z")
One of the things Iran is doing, IMO, is playing for time. The longer they drag things out with the Strait of Hormuz mostly closed, keeping the price of oil relatively high with knock-on effects on inflation etc, the more difficult Trump’s political position re the war becomes, and the more likely they are to strike a more favourable deal. Time is on their side, so their incentive is to start negotiations with a maximal position. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1715 "2026-08-09T00:24:31Z")
And as long as Trump is asking for the moon, they’re like: “Fuck You, so will we.” ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1716 "2026-08-09T01:12:51Z")
And let’s not forget no matter what happens, Iran has already won this war and done so decisively. That’s what happens when you put a conman in charge: you lose because the key to their fraud is having what sounds like a believable timeline, but is really one that will never be met. Iran has no such timeline to meet. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1717 "2026-08-09T01:21:42Z")
Plus, Iran has a very high tolerance for pain. Trump has a very low tolerance for any discomfort whatsoever. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1718 "2026-08-09T03:26:42Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > So, in other words, the US must (nearly) unconditionally surrender to Iran. Not even unjustified, but I would not want to be the flunky trying to explain this to Trump. It’s called an ambit claim and I would have thought any New York property developer would recognise it. Just as Iran in turn recognised 45/47’s braggadocio. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2026, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1719 "2026-08-10T03:19:01Z")
[Trump not interested in having talks to stop the war.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/report-trump-downplays-iran-impasse-191837353.html) > [@](#): > > US President Donald Trump is downplaying the prospect of reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran fails to materialize, Axios reported on Sunday. > > “We are low-keying it,” Axios quoted him as saying in a phone call. The United States will not devote itself fully to negotiations with Iran, Trump reportedly said. > > “We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” he told the news outlet, arguing that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports has worsened the situation. > > “It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game,” Trump said of the back-and-forth with Iran, according to Axios, which quoted US officials as saying Trump was focusing on de-escalation. I think those US officials are hallucinating more than AI does lately. [But, hey, maybe not. It seems Trump in interested in stopping the war without getting a nuclear deal.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-willing-end-war-declare-150116416.html) > [@](#): > > The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump privately floated the idea with senior aides, with Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping a key condition. > > US President Donald Trump has been weighing the possibility of declaring victory against Iran without achieving a nuclear deal, the _Wall Street Journal_ reported on Sunday, citing US officials. > > According to the officials, Trump privately floated the idea to his senior aides. Wasn’t that the stated reason for having this war in the first place, to get a nuclear deal with Iran? [“Build more weapons and build them now!”](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/pentagon-presses-defense-firms-to-build-weapons-as-iran-war-depletes-stocks-231412577.html) > [@](#): > > The Pentagon is asking the U.S. defense industry to rapidly escalate the production and delivery of weapons, including munitions that are in extreme shortage due to the war with Iran, according to a Defense Department memo obtained by The Washington Post. > > Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to industry leaders on Wednesday, saying they had no more than 21 days to submit plans to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to the memo, which is previously unreported. > > “Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.” > > The directive comes as the weapons shortage has been a source of tension between President Donald Trump and the Defense Department, two people familiar with the issue recently told The Washington Post. It is also the latest in a series of actions the Pentagon and the White House have taken to address an issue that may largely remain unsolved until a gridlocked Congress releases additional defense spending, according to industry experts. > > Trump on Thursday said that the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions, posting on Truth Social that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.” Shipped to the U.S.? From where? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1720 "2026-08-10T07:06:28Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > It’s like a chess game,” Trump said And trump is a grand-master chess champion, right? Are these words from Trump himself, and not a speechwriter? Using chess as a metaphor seems beyond Trump’s language abilities. (Also, a fun thought: do ya suppose that Trump even knows how the pieces on a chessboard move?) ---
**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:** [August 10, 2026, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1721 "2026-08-10T07:06:28Z")
Trump says, talked with, announced, twitted, trvthed, etc… Find and replace, “Trump lied ..”. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2026, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1722 "2026-08-10T10:18:18Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I have to figure Iran knows Trump will never say yes to all that, no President would. So what is it they’re really looking for? Some subset of that? For Trump to be so apoplectic at these demands that Congress or the Cabinet finally ousts him? Something else? > [@smithsb](#): > > Trump says, talked with, announced, twitted, trvthed, etc… > > Find and replace, “Trump lied ..”. Exactly; and Iran _knows_ this. They know Trump can’t be trusted, so any negotiating position they take isn’t going to designed with “would the other side consider this acceptable” as a consideration because there’s no point. It’s going to be designed to meet political and diplomatic goals both domestic and foreign, and maybe to manipulate Trump; but not meant seriously as a negotiating position. Because it’s not possible to negotiate seriously with Trump. There’s an old saying that “diplomacy is the art of saying ‘nice doggie’ until you can find a rock”, and that’s seldom been more true than with Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 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/1028071/1723 "2026-08-10T10:49:21Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Shipped to the U.S.? From where? At some point, I expect he’ll start talking about outsourcing weapons development to China. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2026, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1724 "2026-08-10T11:10:42Z")
Sure. Why not? His bestie is already outsourcing infanty (aka cannon fodder) from North Korea, a country ruled by Trump’s “lover”. And why would Iran’s government even talk with a US negotiating team, let alone consider anything the US team has to say as true? They were negotiating with a US team when the US bombed the country, starting this absolutely useless war. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2026, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1725 "2026-08-10T11:28:53Z")
Infanty? That should be a word applicable only to Trump. But, alas, it’s merely a misspelling of infantry. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1726 "2026-08-10T12:26:04Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And why would Iran’s government even talk with a US negotiating team, let alone consider anything the US team has to say as true? They are not; they are talking with an Omani negotiating team: [https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/iran-says-oman-deal-is-final-stages-us-must-act-open-hormuz-2026-08-09/](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/iran-says-oman-deal-is-final-stages-us-must-act-open-hormuz-2026-08-09/) Once they work out a deal, and they are close, the Strait will remain closed until the U.S. accepts it, all according to Iran. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1727 "2026-08-10T14:49:06Z")
> **mostly off-topic, no replies please.** > > Iran has the stronger negotiating position and has for months - they’ve essentially won this war, and dragging it out just increases Trump’s personal desperation to find a way out. They may have even calculated that they can keep this going until a new president comes in in '29 who will have the political mandate to apologize for the war, functionally surrender to Iran, and normalize a diplomatic and financial relationship. > > Imagine how the '28 election campaign will go if the war is still continuing like this, with American stocks totally depleted and gas prices having risen for multiple years - every Democrat will be insisting this was Trump’s stupid war, that it was a catastrophic mistake to even entertain the idea of war, that we should apologize to Iran and openly admit we lost. For a new administration, Iran might drop the tolls in exchange for no more sanctions, an end to the US alliance with Israel (likely coming anyway, at least in some form), some reparations, an apology, and normal diplomatic and trade relations. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1729 "2026-08-10T15:00:07Z")
**Moderating** : This post, especially the second paragraph is way out of line for this thread. I’m going to make it easy on myself and hide your entire post. Stop with the future speculation of US political stuff in this thread. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1731 "2026-08-10T23:27:01Z")
[And now Trump’s doing what he can to nix any possible deal to end his war.](https://www.aol.com/articles/iran-ties-hormuz-reopening-us-230315000.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran’s conditions for a peace deal with his own demands that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, in a rhetorical escalation likely to complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. > > Trump’s proposal, which had not been raised before, was a response to Tehran’s demands for compensation and an end to sanctions. The Iranian demands were largely in line with the terms of a preliminary peace deal signed in June, which has since broken down. > > Since the war began in February, Trump has repeatedly oscillated between threats of escalation and claims that a peace deal is imminent. > > “We’re going to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period,” Trump said at the White House, saying payments would cover deaths among both civilian demonstrators and U.S. forces in the region. > > “So if there’s damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages,” Trump said. ---
**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:** [August 12, 2026, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1732 "2026-08-12T23:15:08Z")
[The war isn’t going swimmingly for the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-tried-153716082.html) > [@](#): > > Military families and Congress members are sounding the alarm about an intensifying mental health crisis onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as its 5,000 sailors and marines endure a record-breaking deployment at sea tied to the war with Iran. > > Two leading specialist military papers, the [Navy Times](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/08/11/multiple-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-have-tried-to-go-overboard-amid-extended-deployment-families-say/) and [Stars and Stripes](https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-08-11/abraham-lincoln-middle-east-mental-health-town-hall-meeting-22506344.html), are reporting that there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach the breaking point. The crew is in its ninth month at sea, and has spent 250 days consecutively without making land – a record for an aircraft carrier in modern times. > > Worried families vented their anxieties about loved ones onboard the Lincoln at an emotional town hall meeting with navy leaders in San Diego last Thursday, [Stars and Stripes](https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-08-11/abraham-lincoln-middle-east-mental-health-town-hall-meeting-22506344.html) reported. One spouse among the 200 or so family members said that her husband had texted her that day saying “he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow”. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2026, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1733 "2026-08-13T04:03:20Z")
You do not get _any_ shore leave? During a years-long war? ---
**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:** [August 13, 2026, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/1734 "2026-08-13T07:19:21Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if Karoline Leavitt’s successor describes ground troops landing on **[Kharg Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharg_Island)** as shore leave and compares it favourably to Iwo Jima. And gets away with it. [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=85) [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=87)