Brendan O'Neill: 7 October was the biggest mistake Iran ever made

The Iranian regime thought it signed Israel’s death warrant on 7 October 2023 – in fact, it may have signed its own.

‘The Zionist regime is melting before the eyes of the world’, gloated Ayatollah Khamenei in the aftermath of Hamas’s pogrom of 7 October 2023. His giddy foretelling of the death of the Jewish nation was echoed across the realm of Israelophobia. Israel’s downfall ‘is a matter of when, not if’, said the Islamo-loons of 5 Pillars. Leftist hotheads agreed that the invasion of Israel by Iran’s proxies sounded the death knell for ‘the Zionist project’.

DTNZ: Israeli military ordered to prepare for war on all fronts amid Iranian protests

A new long-term plan reportedly envisions a “dramatic expansion” of all IDF military activity, including weapons in outer space.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been ordered to prepare for a possible simultaneous war against Iran, Lebanon, and the West Bank, according to Israeli Channel 12. One scenario reportedly includes an “explosive operation” against Tehran, which is currently facing widespread Israeli-backed cost-of-living protests.

Kevin: It Ain’t Over

How is the endgame going to be played out? Honestly, I don’t know. But you can bet that Trump and Netanyahu are surrounded by people who are strategy experts.

They say that on the world stage you’re either playing chess or you’re playing poker.

Brendan O'Neill: The ‘Forever War’ we should really be worried about

Iran’s ceaseless and racist war on the Jewish State is the true cause of the mayhem in the Middle East.

Two big things happened on Sunday. First, America’s airforce pummelled nuclear sites in Iran. Using B-2 stealth bombers, they spirited bombs weighing 30,000lbs into Iranian airspace and unloaded them over Iran’s three most important uranium-enrichment facilities. The second event was less explosive. It didn’t bother the front pages of the papers nearly as much as America’s strike did. But to my mind it was just as important, certainly for anyone who yearns for a true understanding of what is happening in the Middle East. It was the IDF’s announcement that it had recovered the body of Ofra Kedar from Gaza.

Tim Donner: The MAGA Divide on Iran - Hawks vs Doves

President Donald Trump is facing a serious dilemma regarding Israel and Iran. He stands for three things that may soon come into direct conflict with each other. He is, above all, America-First, but he is also a self-proclaimed crusader for peace and a transactional, pragmatic chief executive. That first identifying trait suggests Trump will protect American interests at all costs, eschewing the nation-building of previous presidents. The second translates to avoiding another foreign war, this time in Iran. The third calls for a pragmatic, realistic assessment of Iran’s ongoing threat to US national security and the ripe opportunity before him to eliminate it once and for all.

Brendan O'Neill: Israel’s clash with Iran is nothing like the Iraq War

Remember when Saddam Hussein sponsored an army of fascists that invaded the United States and raped and murdered thousands of Americans? And when he funded a gang of religious fanatics to fire thousands of rockets at people in Leeds and Manchester here in the UK? And when he himself pressed the button on ballistic missiles that landed on New York City and London? No, me neither. Which makes it perplexing that Israel’s push against Iran is being compared to the Iraq War of 2003 – for Iran has done all of that to the Jewish nation, and it dreams of doing more.

Dr Will Jones: Trump Demands “Nothing Less than Complete Surrender”.....

Trump Demands “Nothing Less than Complete Surrender” and Vows a “Real End” to Iran’s Nuclear Programme

President Donald Trump has demanded a “complete give-up” by Iran and a “real end” to its nuclear programme, as speculation mounts that the US will join the conflict despite resistance from some senior officials. The Mail has more.

Olivia Pierson: The Iranian Regime - A 46-Year Reign of Terror Could End

Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear sites and military leaders over the weekend has been a long time coming. I say this because, during the unpopular Iraq War to overthrow Saddam Hussein, I remember a multitude of commentators saying that “all roads lead to Tehran.”
We knew at that time how committed the Iranian regime was to fomenting terrorism all over the Middle East, which extended significantly into the West. Like mad Saddam, the regime was always highly vocal about its commitment to acquiring nuclear weapons.

Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s response to Israeli strikes against Iran

Israel’s strikes against Iran will form the backdrop to New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s upcoming trip to China.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the strikes at a scheduled press conference on Friday, Luxon characterised the strikes by Israel as ‘potentially catastrophic for the Middle East’, observing ‘the last thing this region needs is more instability’.

Brendan O'Neill: A surgical strike against Islamist tyranny

Israel’s daring raid on Iran has dealt a devastating blow to a barbarous, war-mongering regime.

The world has awoken to news of a decapitation. Early this morning, Israel time, the air force of the Jewish State struck with astonishing precision against the tyrants and infrastructure of the Iranian regime. The top dogs of the Islamic republic have been taken out. Its nuclear facilities have been reduced to ashen wreckage. None of us can afford the luxury of political aloofness in this moment, far less that moral cowardice that masquerades as pacifism. Too much is at stake. Events compel us to stir from our insouciance and take a side for once.

Dave Patterson: Tit-for-Tat Bombings as Israel Strives to Ensure Iran Never Goes Nuclear

Israel ran out of patience as nuclear talks with Iran seem to be going nowhere.

It was just a matter of time. Israel launched a major strike against Iran’s nuclear research and military sites early Friday morning, keeping the promise of making sure Iran doesn’t achieve nuclear weapons. The world’s top sponsor of terrorism didn’t take it sitting down, however, launching hundreds of missiles into Israel later in the day.

Amin Saikal: Why did Israel defy Trump.....

Why did Israel defy Trump – and risk a major war – by striking Iran now? And what happens next?

Alarmed by an intelligence assessment that Iran will be able to produce nuclear weapons within months if not weeks, Israel has launched a massive air campaign aiming to destroy the country’s nuclear program.

Dave Patterson: As Promised - Israel Strikes Iran

It wasn’t a question of if, but always a matter of when Israel would strike back at Iran.

Early Saturday morning, Israel carried out air strikes on Iran – as promised. In what has been reported to be the largest air attack on Iran in history, Israel hit military targets in response to the nation’s 180-ballistic missile attack on October 1. Israel has been under constant siege from Iran’s proxies since the heinous Hamas terrorist raid one year ago, during which 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians were murdered.

Brendan O'Niell: Is this the death rattle of Iranian tyranny?

Iran’s criminal onslaught on Israel is a reminder that weakened states are dangerous states.

So now we know it is possible for something to be both horrific and farcical. The known death toll of the wave of missiles fired by Iran into Israel yesterday is as follows: Israelis 0, Palestinians 1. Yes, the Islamic Republic, in its preening, violent display of solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon against the Great Satan of the Jewish State, laid waste to just one life. That of a 37-year-old labourer from Gaza who’d been living near Jericho in the West Bank, brutally slain by the falling shrapnel from one of Iran’s missiles. The Israelophobes of social media who salivated over Iran’s attack were cheering a military operation that killed yet another Gazan. You couldn’t make it up.

Guest Post: Whats the Politics of Israel’s attack on the Iran ‘consulate in Syria?

A guest post by John Stringer on Kiwiblog:

I teach WWI, WWII and the Cold War. As an historian and classicist, I follow war, both historic and contemporary, with interest.

Motivations for the Iranian ‘consulate’ attack in Syria by Israel this week, might include: