"Russia is weak. It’s just a gas station with nukes. Russia is losing badly. Russia is running out of missiles. Russian people are ready to revolt.”

@ninalanyon ursula von der leyen said with a straight face that Russia was taking chips out of washing machines to put into missile guidance systems.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow That's not quite the same thing as "The Russian people are ready to revolt."

@ninalanyon That is another claim that gets tossed around about once a month too.

@Thinkerbell Your comment was noted, respectfully. Apologies for the delayed reply. I’ve been traveling with family this week.


Agreed, it is premature to fully assess the damage, particularly at Fordow. The "severe damage" statement came from Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

Look, I'm an American. I'm proud of my country's military might. We are the safest country in the world in terms of fending off external aggression. The GBU-57 MOP is a powerful bomb, especially when you know exactly where to strike. However, Trump's statements about Iran's nuclear program being "obliterated" were premature. Iranian authorities know exactly where their sensitive installations are, and so does IAEA Director Rafael Grossi. It's been reported that he shared information with both Israeli and U.S. intelligence on underground site layouts. If true, this would have allowed Israeli planners to strike with precision. Still, as of now, Iranian recovery crews are still clearing the tunnel entrances and assessing the damage. No independent party, including Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, has confirmed the full extent of the operational degradation. So in that respect, final judgments should await on-site assessments.




That is historically accurate, but Iran is not Egypt. It has learned from modern history just as well as Washington or Tel Aviv. We know that Israel has repeatedly succeeded in pushing or assisting regime change in the region. In Egypt, in Libya with Gaddafi, in Syria with ousting of Assad, and in Iraq with Saddam Hussein. That pattern may have led Israeli strategic planners to believe similar tactics could destabilize Iran. However, as of now, Iranians are rallying behind the state in the face of external aggression.




Well, unconditional surrender is a specific term with military and diplomatic implications. Those were Trump's own words. Maybe you're right. In any case, Iran has not surrendered, conditionally or otherwise.

We now know the Israeli strike plan had been in development for at least 18 months, originating during Biden’s administration. Of course, Trump was outspoken against Iran prior to taking office, but let's be clear: this war was not all Trump. Netanyahu is the one who pushed for this war and sought U.S. backing to support it. Trump only went so far.

@ElwoodBlues


Yes, yes, Ellie, sending thousands of centrifuges to N Korea (for example) is "just as valid" as N Korea sending plans for a spherical detonator to Iran. 🙄

You're floundering again, Ellie, as usual. 🤣 🤣 🤣

"And the codger never faltered, never once the left-line altered,
Always fudged and always paltered..."

@Thinkerbell Meanwhile, in the real world,

REPORT: U.S. did not use bunker-buster bombs on one of Iran’s nuclear sites, top general tells lawmakers, citing depth of the target
June 27, 2025

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-did-not-bunker-buster-193231191.html

@ElwoodBlues

Oooh... I bet that means everything is just hunky-dory with the mullahs' nuclear program.

Your dearest hopes and wishes are showing, Ellie... yet again. 🤣 🤣 🤣

"And the codger never faltered, never once the left-line altered,
Always fudged and always paltered..."

@MarmeeMarch propaganda

@MarmeeMarch the idea that they sell bread per two slices at the time gives you the idea. 300 types of sausage without meat is another thing

@SatanBurger @Thinkerbell Dr. John Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, made a good point: if you want to determine who won a war, you must first examine the objectives. Since Israel was the aggressor, their stated goals define the standard of success.

Objective 1: Destroy Iran’s nuclear program.

This objective has clearly failed. Iran still maintains several functioning nuclear facilities. Iran's only nuclear power plant, Bushehr, is fully operational and according to Putin, there's are contracts to build 2 more Nuclear power plants, that will ceratinly use Uranium enriched in Iran. Despite Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear capability was “obliterated,” the fact is Iran moved its 60% enriched uranium out of harm’s way. And this is evident because there was no radioactive fallout. The uranium didn’t just vanish.

Also, many of Iran’s centrifuges were relocated, a process that started in March. Moreover, there is no credible evidence that the Fordow facility was destroyed. It’s buried deep in a mountain, the mountain is very much intact, and according to Iran, only the entrances and exits were hit.

The kicker is Iran has now reportedly expelled the IAEA and may be withdrawing from the NPT entirely. So, far from being decimated, their program is more defiant and more active than before.

Objective 2: Trigger internal revolt or regime change.

That plan backfired. Not only did they fail to turn the Iranian population against the Iranian government, the Israeli and U.S. actions have unified them against external enemies. Across Iran, people poured into the streets. They weren't chanting for regime change, but chanting “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”

Objective 3: Force an unconditional surrender.

Trump claimed that the U.S. and Israel would accept nothing less than unconditional surrender. That was never going to happen. As Mearsheimer pointed out, no country has ever surrendered as a result of an air campaign alone. We couldn't achieve it in Iraq or Syria without boots on the ground, and neither could Israel, even with U.S. support.

When you measure the results against the objectives, it becomes clear: Israel lost this war.

@Jokersswild Excellent comment.

@dubum no.

@dubum Will one of these conquer the others?

Or perhaps the champion shall emerge from these!!

@BizSuitStacy Her statement of accurate...