this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2026
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[–] beansoup@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 hours ago

Into the meat grinder you go. Die for the Epstein class, as is your duty.

[–] Dogiedog64@lemmy.world 10 points 6 hours ago
[–] msage@programming.dev 31 points 11 hours ago

The Epstein-Iran war has entered a new phase.

After being won, it moved to just starting.

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 12 points 11 hours ago

In the wise words of a Youtube comment:

"This time the IEDs fly"

[–] collectif_imaginaire@piefed.social 28 points 15 hours ago

I read "Israel to deploy 17k us troops to do it's bidding"

[–] null@lemmy.org 21 points 14 hours ago

Zoomers won't ever afford a house, but at least they can partake in the age old American tradition of going to war in the Middle East.

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 48 points 17 hours ago (8 children)

what is the goal at this point?

[–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 12 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

To kill as many as 17k troops as a distraction from the Epstein files.

[–] IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.wtf 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Next up, a distraction from the thousands of dead and injured troops sent as a distraction from the Epstein files.

[–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Eventually he's going to have to release the Epstein files just to distract from all of the death.

[–] IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.wtf 1 points 5 hours ago

After that, perhaps another distraction?

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 30 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

That's the problem. They never had a clear goal. Or at least, not an achievable one.

Broadly, in his more lucid moments, Trump wants Iran to agree to an absolutely devastating list of demands. They won't, because they've been down this road before and they fully expect that whatever they agree to now, they'll be asked to agree to twice as much tomorrow. So Iran is trying to get to a manageable list of concessions before they settle in and prepare for the next round of negotiations. They're not going to simply give up all their leverage.

As for the goal of military action... It's pretty obvious by now that Trump has no idea. It seems very much like he thinks that threatening military action, of any kind, would be enough to make Iran capitulate to all his demands, and he can't understand why that isn't working.

So he's unwilling to come down to something Iran will agree to, but he's also not eager to get stuck into a prolonged war, so instead he's stuck constantly tightening this "military escalation" ratchet in the desperate hope that this time will be the one where Iran gets scared enough to give up. What they're actually going to do with those troops could be any number of things, but really it's all just flailing attempts at further intimidation mixed with vague wishful fantasies about opening up the strait, because despite it being the most obvious move for Iran they somehow did not plan for it.

They're also contemplating some escape route options, primarily in the form of "seizing Iran's uranium", a plan that doesn't sound remotely plausible, but which would theoretically give them a way to declare victory and walk away.

What they ultimately go with is impossible to guess, because there is no long term plan and never has been. It's all going to be determined by the ever changing mood of an idiot child and the raging hate-boner of a racist alcoholic. Some kind of action to reduce Iran's control over the strait seems most likely though, as that's what's pressuring the US the most right now. If they could - hypothetically - prevent Iran threatening the strait they would have a lot more breathing room. The problem being that it's also by far the least achievable of the options in front of them.

Use military equipment so more can be bought (wealth transfer through taxation), and both the MIC and the corrupt politicians who do their bidding are very happy.

[–] starik@lemmy.zip 21 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

To reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring gas prices down close to where they were before they started the war.

[–] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 43 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

So...all they had to do was...NOTHING.

But they did THIS instead.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Yea, but now no one's talking about the Epstein files!

[–] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 9 points 11 hours ago

Yea, what kind of idiot starts a war just to distract the sheeple from his side business of raping children.

Epstein 2.0 Collecting morally depraved evidence to blackmail rich assholes. Why re-invent the wheel.

If WE don't stop it, it won't stop.

See you at todays protest.

[–] errer@lemmy.world 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

They want to provoke an attack on US soil so that they can relive the popularity boost of a 9/11 style disaster.

[–] starik@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 hours ago

I doubt they’d get much of a boost. Most people would rightfully blame them. 9/11 was seen as unprovoked.

[–] rimu@piefed.social 10 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

To do that they'd need to occupy 1000+ kms of extremely rugged coast. That's quite a commitment...

[–] starik@lemmy.zip 10 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Would that even be enough? Rockets and drones can come from far away

[–] rimu@piefed.social 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

It'd stop them launching ships to lay mines, or launching midget submarines and naval drones, which is a start. It might keep the Iranians too busy fighting on land to aim at ships. It'd basically be an open wound for USA though - completely unsustainable.

Then there's the fantasy of naval escorts for tankers. Each tanker would require a couple of ships to shadow them (anti-air, anti-sub, anti-drone) for the entire length of the gulf (not just the strait) and in normal times 120 tankers pass through there every day. You'd need a fleet ~400 ships strong, running 24/7 (no repairs or rest). And it only takes one hit from an anti-ship missile and hundreds of sailors die. So that ain't happening.

It's a trap.jpg

[–] starik@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 hours ago

Sounds expensive

[–] collar@lemmy.ml 2 points 16 hours ago

By November 2026… after that who knows

[–] Tetragrade@leminal.space 3 points 11 hours ago

Uhhh restore America's prestige?

[–] theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world 10 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Save face? It's probably a hundredth of the troops that would be required for any kind of real success in Iran. God forbid.

[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml 2 points 16 hours ago

Feed Ocean Life

[–] etchinghillside@reddthat.com 1 points 14 hours ago

Greenland. It’s always been about Greenland.

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 7 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Lmfao "near Iran"

How near are we talking? Like -100 yards away from it?

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Probably to the dozens of bases surrounding Iran.

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 hours ago

...but not too near.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 1 points 16 hours ago

They better come with a healthy stock of interceptors.