[Chonch]

Jenkem posted:

I heard somewhere that our own CIA say that Iran isn't close to building a nuclear golf ball, nevermind a bomb capable of doing any significant damage. They tend to be a little bit more specialized than some random inspectors that probably were only allowed to see some fake props.

I wonder if that's anything close to the Americans' nuclear football.

[Falchion]

trotskygrad posted:

only the CIA knows, it's pointless speculating what the spooks know.

CIA isn't exactly so omniscient, the capabilities of their analysts and etcetera have allegedly been not as top notch as we are lead to believe. CIA has also actively taken part in creating the myth around itself, sometimes to even cover up their screw ups in the past.

CIA was wrong about Iraq's nukes and it was wrong about the Cuban missile crisis (They actually received reports from an agent working at a road checkpoint that large cylindric items were being transported on trucks under tarpaulins but they didn't take it for real) as things that first come to mind.

[trotskygrad]

Falchion posted:

CIA isn't exactly so omniscient, the capabilities of their analysts and etcetera have allegedly been not as top notch as we are lead to believe. CIA has also actively taken part in creating the myth around itself, sometimes to even cover up their screw ups in the past.

CIA was wrong about Iraq's nukes and it was wrong about the Cuban missile crisis (They actually received reports from an agent working at a road checkpoint that large cylindric items were being transported on trucks under tarpaulins but they didn't take it for real) as things that first come to mind.

when did I say they were omniscient?

I'm just saying speculating about what the CIA knows is pointless, because only the CIA knows what the CIA knows. (and yeah you could argue about that with inter-agency shit, but idgaf)

lerp.

[Kitteyh Pitzroy]

Am i experiencing Deja vu here? How many countless times has these guys been threatening to blow up the U.S. and Israel and their allies?? How long has this "middle-eastern cold war" even been going?! Do they seek revenge or what?? (faq punches to my face are appreciated)

[Darth_GW7]

Kitteyh Pitzroy posted:

Am i experiencing Deja vu here? How many countless times has these guys been threatening to blow up the U.S. and Israel and their allies?? How long has this "middle-eastern cold war" even been going?! Do they seek revenge or what?? (faq punches to my face are appreciated)

How many times have Israel and the U.S. done the same?

[muesli23]

trotskygrad posted:

then why has all the rhetoric been focused on the nuclear weapons?

Iran's oil production capability is also well under Iraq's

it's a casus belli they did the same thing with iraq

iran produces something like 4 million oil barrels a day, iraq does something like 2 million

[trotskygrad]

muesli23 posted:

it's a casus belli they did the same thing with iraq

iran produces something like 4 million oil barrels a day, iraq does something like 2 million

so? their reserves are around the same, Iran just produces more because they need it for domestic use since their population is much bigger.

if we wanted more oil, we could get it way more cheaply by developing Iraq's production capacity more, or by getting it from canada, which has more than both.

The entire fucking "military-industrial" complex argument has more validity than this "oil" crap.

[Beafman]

I'm still betting middle of March/later part of March for a strike on Iran.

I'm going to a congress with my father to Stuttgart next week, where there will be Iranians participating. Maybe I should ask them if they are looking forward to military service...

[clc666]

"Iran is not a nation to sit still and just observe threats from fragile materialist powers which are being eaten by worms from inside."

Yes. Another favorite quote.

[NoDachi]

trotskygrad posted:

then why has all the rhetoric been focused on the nuclear weapons?

Iran's oil production capability is also well under Iraq's

To be pedantic. the "lol oil" argument is generally just about energy security in the region than actually using missile launched oil pipes.

And a nuclear Iran can really disrupt the wes'ts influence over the entire region.

[trotskygrad]

NoDachi posted:

To be pedantic. the "lol oil" argument is generally just about energy security in the region than actually using missile launched oil pipes.

And a nuclear Iran can really disrupt the wes'ts influence over the entire region.

HAHAHAHA

I see what you did there.

also, thread music

I'm going to post that in EVERY new iran thread

[Jake Nukem]

I truly wonder if America could come out on top if they had it out with Iran.

[Kitteyh Pitzroy]

Darth_GW7 posted:

How many times have Israel and the U.S. done the same?

Good point... But probably not as much in public as Iran. I think the U.S and Israel tend to be more silent
when planning the location for the bomb drops.

[znk666]

Just nuke each other and be done with it.

[Spool]

Jake Nukem posted:

I truly wonder if America could come out on top if they had it out with Iran.

There's no doubt that America would win in the end, but it would still be a very costly victory.

[RearAdmiral]

For everyone going "lol wed own iran", I think the main concern is how much fucking damage Iran could do first, especially if it has nuclear capabilities (the answer is a lot.)

Even if it doesn't, I don't think anyone but the most Jingoistic of us wants another long, drawn out conflict in the middle of the desert that'll wind up getting a load of people killed. Here's hoping no one kicks the hornet nest.

[Nikota]

And people don't fucking pay attention to Afghanistan.

Mountain combat sucks.