United States and Israel are bombing Iran

[Aspenglow]

First, I apologize, @iiandyiiii, for giving confusing and contrary moderator instructions. It is understandable why you got confused, and that’s on me.

Second, after discussion among P&E moderators, the following is directed to all posters:

The subject conflict is likely to be protracted and branch off into many different lines of potential discussion. The current thread has already become unruly. For these reasons, as well as our rules against having omnibus threads, we’ve decided a better approach going forward is to divide the discussion into the following separate threads:

The current thread is to discuss actual actions being taken. It’s not a Breaking News thread, but let’s keep the discussion confined to what is actually happening and the immediate, direct repercussions.

The second thread relating to this action is to discuss your speculation about our underlying reasons for bombing Iran and other targets. This includes history lessons and what previously happened that causes you to believe the US is taking these actions in the present.

The final thread relating to this action is to discuss what you believe will be the consequences of our actions.

We have started the two new threads in P&E and link them here from the original thread. Going forward, please be mindful of posting in the thread that most closely matches what you want to say.

We understand that there is overlap in these discussions and will grant some latitude between threads for that. However, if your discussion becomes obviously off topic, we will step in.

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[aceplace57]

I’ve seen reports the Kurds may already be crossing into Iraq. But, not from a credible, major news source.

The AP reports that the Kurds are close to a decision. I hope they don’t. Iran’s Republican Guard is dangerous.

I don’t believe an air campaign would significantly degrade their ability to fight.

That may not matter to the Kurds.

Kurdish dissident groups say they are preparing to join the fight against...

[Monty]

@aceplace57 Just an FYI: it’s Revolutionary Guard, not Republican Guard.

[Babale]

For all the talk of the United States (the world’s second largest manufacturer and largest arms manufacturer by far) running out of ammo, it seems that Iran is already struggling to pick up the pace, with a far more significant fall off than we saw in the 12 day war.

US: Iran missile launches down 86%, 23% over last day | The Jerusalem Post

“Iran’s theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease in the last 24 hours,” Caine said, adding that Iran’s “one-way attack drone shots are down 73% from the opening days.”

CENTCOM initially established “localized air superiority across the southern flank of Iran’s coast, and penetrated their defenses with overwhelming precision and firepower, and will now expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory - creating additional freedom of maneuver for US forces,” Caine stated.

[gnoitall]

Odds are good that between expending munitions at a brisk rate and having depots and magazines hit by air attacks, the Iranians would be pretty low on ready weapons.

And manufacturing will be quite challenging. For whatever reason, the US and Israel had some exceptional intel on what to hit when, and it seems likely to me that “missile factories” and “drone shops” would have been pretty high on the target list.

[aceplace57]

@Monty

aceplace57 Just an FYI: it’s Revolutionary Guard, not Republican Guard

Thank you for the correction.

[hajario]

@gnoitall

For whatever reason, the US and Israel had some exceptional intel on what to hit when, and it seems likely to me that “missile factories” and “drone shops” would have been pretty high on the target list.

There is a huge resistance in Iran and a large network of CIA and Mossad spies. It’s not surprising.

[Chronos]

@aceplace57

I’ve seen reports the Kurds may already be crossing into Iraq. But, not from a credible, major news source.

The Kurds are already in several nations in the region, including Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. And the article you linked is about Kurds that are already in Iraq.

[Babale]

@gnoitall

Odds are good that between expending munitions at a brisk rate and having depots and magazines hit by air attacks, the Iranians would be pretty low on ready weapons.

My understanding is that they ended the 12 day war portion of the conflict with 1,500 ballistic missiles that can reach Israel, and have built about 1,000 in the months since (and were increasing their capacity to produce more as well). So they started the war with around 2,500 of these missiles, of which they’ve fired many and lost many (potentially even more?).

Iran Update Evening Special Report, March 3, 2026

Israeli Intel suggests at least 300 mobile launchers may have been destroyed so far.

That said, Iran has launched at least six missiles carrying cluster munitions so far, in an attempt to cause as much civilian harm as possible:

Iran has fired at least six cluster missiles at Israel since the war began

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

Meanwhile, back at the Strait of Hormuz, a container ship has been struck, set on fire, and abandoned. From that article:

Jensen also reported: “An oil tanker was hit by a kamikaze drone boat, bringing the count to 6 tankers and 1 container vessel hit in the Hormuz crisis thus far.” He added that: “Maersk’s new overview of ports in the region shows operations are suspended in Salalah and Bahrain.”

More details in the story about disruptions to shipping.

[aceplace57]

@Chronos

The Kurds are already in several nations in the region, including Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. And the article you linked is about Kurds that are already in Iraq.

It’s the Iraqi Kurds that are being asked to join & fight with the Kurds in Iran.

Imho That would potentially jeopardize their status in Iraq. That protected area is the only good thing that came out of the US War with Iraq. The Kurds were given a self-governed region inside Iraq.

It would put the Iraq government in a very difficult position.

Kurdish Nationality gets confusing. These are Iranian Kurds. They are based in the Mountains of Iraq.
Link https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hundreds-kurdish-fighters-launch-ground-233216970.html

The potential operation has put leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish region in a delicate position.

Three Iraqi Kurdish officials told the AP that a call took place Sunday night between U.S. President Donald Trump and Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani — the heads of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK, the two main Kurdish parties in Iraq — to discuss the situation in Iran.

[Babale]

More interesting notes from the Institute for the Study of War link above:

The combined US-Israeli force has designed its campaign to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities before the force depletes its interceptor stockpiles. The destruction of missile launchers mitigates the risk that either the United States or Israel will run out of interceptors by limiting Iran’s ability to launch missiles in the first place. The decrease in Iranian missile attacks against Israel and the UAE strongly suggests that the effort to destroy ballistic missile launchers has had considerable success.

…

Iran continued to launch ballistic missile barrages at Israel at a relatively low rate on March 3. Iran launched at least six missile barrages at Israel on March 3.[14] Iran launched the same number of barrages on March 2, compared to at least 20 missile barrages on February 28.

…

The decrease in Iranian missile attacks against Israel strongly suggests that the effort to destroy ballistic missile launchers has had considerable success. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assessed on March 3 that the combined force has destroyed around 300 launchers since the war began.[2] Israel’s public broadcaster and other open sources reported that missile attacks on Israel have decreased sharply, which—combined with the IDF assessment that it has destroyed 300 Iranian launchers—strongly suggests that the effort to destroy launchers has been successful.[3] The number of missiles targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has similarly fallen sharply, which suggests that Iran is also experiencing challenges with launching its short-range ballistic missiles.[4] The UAE, like Israel, has faced hundreds of missile attacks.

Israel and the US on the other hand are striking an incredible number of targets:

The United States has struck over 1,700 Iranian targets since February 28.[29] US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on March 3 that US B-52 strategic bombers are operating in Iran.[30]

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) announced that it has conducted 1,600 sorties into Iranian territory since the start of the war on February 28.[31] An IDF spokesperson said that the IDF has dropped over 4,000 munitions on Iranian targets since February 28.[32] The spokesperson noted that the IDF dropped the same number of munitions on Iran during the entirety of the 12-day war.[33]

I was reading in Israeli sources that fighters are bombing IRGC targets in Iran and then dropping off a final few munitions on Hezbollah targets in Syria on the way home.

And it’s incredible that B-52s are in use like this.

[RickJay]

@hajario

There is a huge resistance in Iran and a large network of CIA and Mossad spies. It’s not surprising.

That’s a low end guess. I would imagine most allies have moles and agents on the ground, and whatever their countries’ public statements, the critical intel has already been shared.

[aceplace57]

The Qataris stepped up and saved the US base and a natural gas processing facility.

Guardian Live

On Monday morning Iran’s Revolutionary Guard dispatched two Soviet-era Su-24 tactical bombers towards al-Udeid air base – which typically houses 10,000 US service members – and Ras Laffan, a key natural gas processing facility and a bedrock of the Qatari economy, the report said.

It continued:

The Iranian jets were “two minutes” away from their targets, one of the sources said. A second source told CNN that the planes were visually identified and photographed “carrying bombs and guided munitions.”

The Qataris issued a warning over radio but received no response from the jets, which had switched to a flying altitude of 80 feet [24 metres] to evade radar detection, the second source said.

Due to “time constraints” and “based on the available evidence”, the aircraft were “classified as hostile”, the second source added. Qatar then dispatched its warplanes, and a Qatari F-15 fighter engaged the Iranian jets in “aerial combat” before downing them, the second source added.

The Iranian planes crashed into Qatar’s territorial waters, the report said, and a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said a search was under way for the crews.

US general Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, acknowledged the incident on Wednesday without specifying the Iranian bombers’ target, it said.

[Gordon_G]

Other98 has its own website but I found this as a Facebook comment

@The Other 98%

This is INSANE. Military commanders told troops Trump was “anointed by Jesus” to start the apocalypse in Iran, according to over 200 complaints. Since Saturday, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been flooded with complaints from service members in every branch of the armed forces… [C]ommanding officers are telling troops this war is biblically ordained and the bloodshed is necessary to fulfill Christian prophecy.
…
MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein said commanders are not just invoking prophecy but are actively excited about how violent the conflict needs to become to align with end-times theology. Military leaders are reportedly thrilled at the prospect of maximum bloodshed because they think it brings Jesus back.

This didn’t come from nowhere. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched monthly Christian worship services at the Pentagon last summer and recently invited Doug Wilson, a Christian nationalist pastor who opposes women’s right to vote, to lead one.

At a recent convention, Hegseth declared that advancing the administration’s agenda is “not political” but “biblical.”

Weinstein warned that when Christian nationalism infiltrates the institution that controls nuclear weapons and armed drones, it is an immediate threat to global security.

Two hundred service members risked their careers to sound this alarm. The question is whether anyone with the power to act is listening.

[Cervaise]

That story about the MRFF should be viewed with extreme skepticism.

Before you share that story about how troops were told the Iran War is for...

Further discussion on this subject risks taking the thread afield of its purpose. If it’s confirmed that US military leaders view the attack on Iran as a religious crusade, then it’s probably on-topic. However, debating whether that’s actually a thing would be a hijack. So I propose we leave it there for the purpose of this thread and not mention it again.