[allendale]

America should not be there. If some junior, demented Iranian “revolutionary guard” officer, decides to attack an American ship and causes death shooting will start and another needless war would ensue. No doubt Israel will use the opportunity to take out Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, kill their scientists and nuclear personnel and inflict huge casualties on their “revolutionary guards. The Israelis with stealth fighters, drones and on the ground Mossad have the capability and national interest to do so. What real national interest does the US have defending the well equipped but inept 9/11 corrupt Saudis?. There should be no more American deaths or sacrifice in this quagmire. Let that sun baked locals achieve their own consensus.

[robowombat]

The interest of the US is that there be no significant disruption of hydrocarbon production and transport from the Gulf region. The economic falling dominoes would be more negative than any US Iranian clash. A clash with Iran would not mean a war unless the Iranian leadership is far more psychotic than it seems. A shooting even is just that. If some Iranian by some chance did score a parthian shot then the US forces under Trump would extract the appropriate pound of flesh. Military forces are the ultimate executive agency of national interest and diplomacy. That necessitates a certain degree of physical risk. There is a major difference between this operation and the gross fatuity and foolishness of the what and why of the the USS Cole incident.

A annoying as it is to many for the US as acting as protector of wealthy Arab oil states the reverse is worse. No US or great power to exert some control over the sheiks leads to general chaos in a vital part of the world. That is pretty much why Great Britain acted as the Gulf hegemon. It grew out of the armed chaos in the Gulf which was generating piratical depredations on shipping in Indian waters. It took a century but that was the basis for that expensive and tiresome activity. Today with the oil sheikdoms the situation is somewhat analogous.

Those who loudly protest this situation should consider they are 75 years late. The meeting of FDR and the King of SA in 1944 started the relationship.

[PIF]

“If some junior, demented Iranian “revolutionary guard” officer, decides to” follow his orders from the Supreme Leader and launch a series of Iranian ICBMS with nuclear warheads at NYC, Chicago, and other large cities, it no business of ours. Just sit back and take it since the Great Nothing that came before DJT said we can absorb several nuclear strikes without the need to respond.

Just leave them be - we have no national interests anywhere out side of the continental US.

And no the Israelis could hurt the Iranians somewhat, but cannot take on Iran and “win” - no matter what you imagine, its just not a military reality.