Yet another war, this time with Iran

[laughing dog]

Moreover, the Strait of Hormuz is Iranian and Omanian waters. While the UN International Convention on the Law of the Seas indicates ships of transit rights, Iran claims since it never ratified it, they can charge tolls. The USA has no such claim.

I don’t know if Iran is correct. Regardless, Politesse’s argument suggests there is a legal basis but does not suggest approval.

Iran has no power to charge tolls on ships in Omanian waters.

"Power" suggests ability. Do you mean international legal right? Iran's argument is that since it is not a signatory to that UN treaty, it is not bound by it. I don't know if that is accurate or not. Can you produce a link to a credible source that settles that question?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The USA will blockade the Strait of Hormuz in order to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Does anyone else find that confusing?

Iran is only blockading enemy ships, their allies are allowed through "for a small fee". We are essentially threatening to copy what they are doing, and cut off access to the Strait altogether. Presumably unless "for a small fee". The difference being that they aren't our waters, so when we do it, it's piracy.

What is confusing is why that would induce Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

That isn't the goal. The goal is to try and goad them into firing on one of our ships

I know we in the west are accustomed to believing that Iranians are nothing but a bunch of religious ideologues stuck in the 14th century, too backward to understand much or care about anything beyond their religious beliefs. As weird as it is to write this, in this situation, Iran is the rational one. They don’t want to destroy the world. Trump will have no problem destroying the world. If he has an excuse.

You're ignoring the millions they kill with their terrorists.

Iran wants to be left alone to continue it's genocide.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Do they have another option? Trump threatening to wipe Iran civilization. They have to react as hard as they can.
Trump wants an honorable exist. Do the Iranians not want an honorable exist?

nothing about Trump is honorable. To even use this word implies either a sarcastic remark or just an ignorant one.

 

[Shadowy Man]

You're ignoring the millions they kill with their terrorists.

Iran wants to be left alone to continue it's genocide.

And what, pray tell, is Trump willing to do to stop them? He has thrown around a lot of threats with no teeth and that hasn’t worked. What else is he prepared to do, hmm?

 

[Politesse]

You're ignoring the millions they kill with their terrorists.

Which "millions" are those, exactly?

No one here is pro-Iran. What I do not approve of are endless, pointless, aggressive wars that accomplish nothing but to add to the tally of the dead. We're not saving any lives out there. Our intentional escalation is exapnding the sphere of violence, not retracting it.

 

[Harry Bosch]

You're ignoring the millions they kill with their terrorists.

Iran wants to be left alone to continue it's genocide.

And what, pray tell, is Trump willing to do to stop them? He has thrown around a lot of threats with no teeth and that hasn’t worked. What else is he prepared to do, hmm?

I'm sure that his next move is to humble himself, meet with experts, consult with our allies, and find a reasonable compromise that will work for all parties.

 

[Toni]

The USA will blockade the Strait of Hormuz in order to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Does anyone else find that confusing?

Iran is only blockading enemy ships, their allies are allowed through "for a small fee". We are essentially threatening to copy what they are doing, and cut off access to the Strait altogether. Presumably unless "for a small fee". The difference being that they aren't our waters, so when we do it, it's piracy.

What is confusing is why that would induce Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

That isn't the goal. The goal is to try and goad them into firing on one of our ships

I know we in the west are accustomed to believing that Iranians are nothing but a bunch of religious ideologues stuck in the 14th century, too backward to understand much or care about anything beyond their religious beliefs. As weird as it is to write this, in this situation, Iran is the rational one. They don’t want to destroy the world. Trump will have no problem destroying the world. If he has an excuse.

You're ignoring the millions they kill with their terrorists.

Iran wants to be left alone to continue its genocide.

I’m ignoring nothing but go right ahead and continue your Islamophobia, hatred towards Iranians and ignoring the Christofascists and incel terrorist right here.

 

[Derec]

I’m ignoring nothing but go right ahead and continue your Islamophobia, hatred towards Iranians and ignoring the Christofascists and incel terrorist right here.

[emphasis added]
Besides false equivalence and whataboutism, you are really enamored of this particular slur, aren't you?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10 day ceasefire.

Which doesn't mean much given that they aren't at war in the first place.

Israel is at war with Hezbollah. Lebanon does not speak for Hezbollah.

 

[Derec]

I don't know that it made them more powerful but it did more deeply entrench them due to the potential loss of power. Or maybe that's the same thing as making them more powerful. Whatever the case, their stranglehold over the citizenry will only increase because now they understand that they could actually lose the power they've had since the late 70s.

It's a tautology, sure, but if they "could actually lose the power they've had since the late 70s", then they can lose their power. So, now is not the time to give up. It is certainly not the time to give them the kinds of concessions that would actually make them more powerful.
I think that without Obama's JCPOA October 7th might not have happened. The sanction relief and pallets of cash made the Regime flush and allowed IRGC to fund and arm their foreign vassals even more, which in turn emboldened them.

The only thing Iran has going for it is oil.

Also gas. Iran has much bigger gas reserves than oil reserves compared to other countries - they are #2 behind Russia and ahead of Qatar.

Ironically, the right would rather go to war and remain beholden to oil than do everything possible to reduce that reliance. OTOH, Greta Thunberg is clearly one of Satan's most insidious tools so maybe they have a point.

Where have you been? She has long since moved from climate activism to anti-Israel activism. She was on the last Gaza Flotilla, but she gave the latest one (which is underway) a pass, presumably because it became something of a bang boat. You know, because of the implication.

 

[Derec]

Lots of info re: girls being forced into marriages with elders.

Surge in Child Marriage and Adolescent Pregnancy Threatens a Generation of Girls in Gaza

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10 day ceasefire.

But will Hezbollah honor it?

Will Israel?

When have they not?

Note the news almost never reports on attacks against Israel that do not kill someone.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Will Israel?

If your Hezbos do, sure.

My Hezbos? If you are insinuating I am supporter of Hezbollah or any terrorist organization, that is pure slander.

Israel has been the first to break ceasefires in the past. In fact, in that region, "ceasefire" does not reflect its historical meaning.

You do not knowingly support them. But you always take the position they want you to take.

Speaking of Hezbollah, they are storing weapons in schools.

IDF uncovers Hezbollah arsenal stashed inside southern Lebanon school

That's a war crime.

Assuming the report is accurate, add it to their list of war crimes if it makes you feel better.

If you don't care about war crimes by Hezbollah why object to supposed war crimes by Israel?

 

[Harry Bosch]

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10 day ceasefire.

But will Hezbollah honor it?

Will Israel?

When have they not?

Note the news almost never reports on attacks against Israel that do not kill someone.

Yep. Hezbollah almost always attacks Israel first. Hezbollah is a menace to Israel and the people of Lebanon.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Under Part V of the Untied Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), The Strait of Hormuz is divided into two parts; The Northern part being in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Iran, and the Southern part in the EEZ of Oman.

Iran is under assault by a nuclear power. Their capital and infrastructure has been bombed. Their top leadership murdered.

I see no reason for them to care about the opinions of the Untied Nations clutching their pearls.
Tom

Iran is breaking the law. They also sponsor terror groups like the ones that led to the Oct 7th massacre.

It's complicated.

10/7 is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what they have perpetrated across the region. We hear about 10/7 because Israel can fight back. We have no reasonable enumeration of the dead but it's in the 7 or 8 figures.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Please. I don’t think you understand what the words ‘at war’ mean any more than Trump.

Written by someone who lived through all of that, some of it pretty close to home.

Occupying our embassy, taking embassy personnel hostage, and bombing our soldiers are certainly acts of war.

Nitpick: taking the hostages was not an act of war because it was not done by the government. But when the hostages were handed over to the new government and not promptly released it became an act of war.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Please. I don’t think you understand what the words ‘at war’ mean any more than Trump.

Written by someone who lived through all of that, some of it pretty close to home.

Occupying our embassy, taking embassy personnel hostage, and bombing our soldiers are certainly acts of war.

The Iran hostage crisis ended in January 1981.

But there was no peace agreement. Wars continue until peace is made.

 

[Toni]

Please. I don’t think you understand what the words ‘at war’ mean any more than Trump.

Written by someone who lived through all of that, some of it pretty close to home.

Occupying our embassy, taking embassy personnel hostage, and bombing our soldiers are certainly acts of war.

The Iran hostage crisis ended in January 1981.

But there was no peace agreement. Wars continue until peace is made.

There was also no war. There is detant and there is live and let live. We've largely left them alone and they've largely left us alone.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Under Part V of the Untied Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), The Strait of Hormuz is divided into two parts; The Northern part being in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Iran, and the Southern part in the EEZ of Oman.

Iran is under assault by a nuclear power. Their capital and infrastructure has been bombed. Their top leadership murdered.

I see no reason for them to care about the opinions of the Untied Nations clutching their pearls.
Tom

Iran is breaking the law. They also sponsor terror groups like the ones that led to the Oct 7th massacre.

It's complicated.

10/7 is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what they have perpetrated across the region. We hear about 10/7 because Israel can fight back. We have no reasonable enumeration of the dead but it's in the 7 or 8 figures.

8 figures?!

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The outrage is two-sided.
Far too many of the deaths in Gaza are unwarranted.
Where is the outrage about the brutal killings in Sudan, Myanmar etc. Only seems to be a problem when it is Jews/Israelis/the west doing the killings.
Non-whites killing non-whites? Who cares? Not many it seems.

It goes even deeper than that.

How many of those unwarranted deaths in Gaza were Hamas using human shield tactics? How many were outright killed by Hamas? (We know about some internal fighting, and we have a decent number of deaths that look an awful lot like Hamas framing Israel) but the Hamas count is only of total dead, not how they came to be dead. Thus all internal matters will be blamed on Israel. All natural causes deaths will be blamed on Israel.

But the press care more about having content to report than whether it's true and such things are almost never mentioned, lest they jeopardize their access. (And, no, I'm not supporting Faux Noise. The press aren't doing this to be biased, but because it favors their bottom line.)