79 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 107 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 7/2/19

Eve of Destruction: Iran Strikes Back

By       (Page 7 of 10 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   1 comment
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Jim Kavanagh
Become a Fan
  (24 fans)

It might be worth noting that: "Part of the selling point is Global Hawks fly so high and normally they should be secure from being shot down."

That's why we should not cavalierly dismiss the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard's air force, when he says: "'An aircraft carrier' was a serious threat for us in the past. But now it is a target and the threats have switched to opportunities."

Maybe he's bluffing. There's no question that the US holds a powerful military hand, and maybe it is absolutely, positively sure it knows where all the missiles are and can defend against them. (That's what those high-flying Hawks are for!) But there's a hell of a pot on the table for raising on a maybe. It's the good hands that lose the most.

Iran is not hiding its tells. There is no "maybe" about the fact that, if there's a carrier sitting in the Persian Gulf launching planes to attack the country, Iran will try to sink it. How many ASM aces did you see Iran get from Russia or China?

For someone, there's a bad beat coming.

As military analyst Andrei Martyanov says, even in the '70s, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt was worried about "the strategic and psychological effects of the loss of even a single nuclear aircraft-carrier would have on the U.S. Navy." And the whole exceptional, invincible country. If Iran sinks, or even hits and seriously damages a US carrier, there will be enormous pressure on Trump to absolutely devastate Iran. Iran knows that, and is ready to respond to it with as much devastating force as it can muster, hitting any target it can.

And we haven't even mentioned what happens if Iran or, as Boot evokes, its Hezbollah ally, rains missiles on Tel Aviv, causing serious damage and casualties. My bet on that hand is that Israel takes the opportunity it's been looking for to nuke Tehran or Qom, establishing its ruthless and irreversible hyper-dominance of the region for once and for all. (It will think.) It's Israel. Who within the United States, during that war on Iran, will protest?

Because Israel, like Iran, and unlike the US public, from whom this knowledge is assiduously hidden in the weeds of deliberately dishonest blather, knows what this conflict is about. And it's not about preventing Iran from getting any mythical nuclear weapons. Again, even Boot knows "the nuclear deal did [that] far better"--and the US throwing away that deal proves it is not interested in Iranian nuclear weapons at all.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 3   Valuable 2   Well Said 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Jim Kavanagh Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Former college professor, native and denizen of New York City. Blogging at www.thepolemicist.net, from a left-socialist perspective. Also publishing on Counterpunch, The Greanville Post, Medium, Dandelion Salad, and other sites around the net. (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Israel's "Human Shield" Hypocrisy

The Rifle on the Wall: A Left Argument for Gun Rights

Charge of the Right Brigade: Ukraine and the Dynamics of Capitalist Insurrection

Eve of Destruction: Iran Strikes Back

Edward Snowden, Lawrence O'Donnell, and the Failure of Fuzzy Land Thinking

The New Privateers: Civil Forfeiture, Police Piracy, and the Third-Worldization of America

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend