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-   -   Iran (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/586655-iran.html)

RatherBeFlying 5th March 2026 18:50

Kurds, Lucy and the Football
 
Kurds have already been dumped by Trump in Syria after fighting alongside US troops. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Kurds we're used and abused by Trump's predecessors. This is a new test of their credulity.

This is not in any to say that Kurds in Turkiye, Syria, Iraq or Iran are in any way enamoured of their national governments.

Best to accept the weapons and dosh, but conserve ammunition for when its needed and supplies are no longer forthcoming:E

For those tempted to fight alongside US troops in the expectation that they and their families will be accepted as refugees by a grateful Trump, he is expelling Afghans who fought alongside US forces:mad:

chevvron 5th March 2026 19:38


Originally Posted by Not_a_boffin (Post 12047328)
Easy Tiger, lest someone point out the absurdity of the RAF needing to ask the Navy to send a ship a couple of thousand miles to defend the service's premier airbase in the Med against an air threat......
.....

Problem is the Navy doesn't have enough personnel to crew the ship so it's not going anywhere for a while. You'd have expected the PM to find that out before commtting to the task but he seems to be running out of brain capacity.

MarcK 5th March 2026 19:56


Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50 (Post 12047503)
Getting back to Iran, I have an idea that the IRGC is going to have in input into whomever is put into the leadership seat...for as long as the war goes on.

There were some very good articles published in the last year about the Iranian succession process, as Ayatollah Khamenei began to show signs of slowing down and declining health. Given that there have only been two since the founding of the Islamic Republic, Khomeini and Khamenei, they may adapt and adjust how they do all of this. I doubt taking advice from Washington figures into any of that. :p

The latest is that rather than a single leater of Iran, it's now up to 31 separate regional commanders

What is 'decentralised mosaic defence'?

It refers to a doctrine developed by Iran over the last two decades, particularly within the IRGC.

The idea is rather simple: It disperses command structures, weapons systems, and operational units across vast geographic and organisational nodes.

Iran is about 4.1 times larger than California. With a total land area of about 1.65 million km2, Iran's size is comparable to the US state of Alaska.

Rather than concentrating power in a single headquarters vulnerable to precision strikes, the Iran's DMD strategy is one that empowers regional commanders to operate autonomously if communications with Tehran are disrupted.
The legand of Hydra comes to mind.
​​​​​​​

Not_a_boffin 5th March 2026 20:00


Originally Posted by chevvron (Post 12047532)
Problem is the Navy doesn't have enough personnel to crew the ship so it's not going anywhere for a while. You'd have expected the PM to find that out before commtting to the task but he seems to be running out of brain capacity.

Sadly not. The ship has a full complement, the reason it's taking a little longer is that she's just come out of a very short docking period to fix a particular issue..But before docking down she had to deammunition, which is why she's now back on UHAF.

Nice try. Now remind me again why the RAF requires the Navy to provide defence for the F35 force operating from an unhardened air base within range of a Hezbollah OWAS threat? For the avoidance of doubt this is norlt crab-bashing. The responsibility lies firmly with those in MB who thought that not providing HAS or GBAD on a base within range of Hezbollah was a tolerable risk...

ETA : Not that this absolves the Starmbot of being a bell end.....

AnglianAV8R 5th March 2026 20:02

Reports on sowshul meeja of an American jet down in Basra area, Iraq. Pilot apparently found ok, having ejected. Rumours of some folks offering a bounty on his head, but it seems the authorities got to him in time.

EDIT: US CENTCOM says reports of a US fighter jet shot down over Basra, Iraq are "baseless and not true."

chevvron 5th March 2026 20:29


Originally Posted by Not_a_boffin (Post 12047540)
Sadly not. The ship has a full complement, the reason it's taking a little longer is that she's just come out of a very short docking period to fix a particular issue.

What new engines again?:{

Not_a_boffin 5th March 2026 20:30


Originally Posted by chevvron (Post 12047550)
What new engines again?:{

No. Do you write for the Daily Fail?

ORAC 5th March 2026 20:53

Well there’s a surprise - not….

But they’d be supremely stupid to trust him - just use him or he is using them.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5...ffensive-iran/


Trump backs Kurdish offensive in Iran: ‘I’d be all for it’

President Trump said Thursday that he would back the Kurds if they launched an offensive inside Iran, as the militias have reportedly been in touch with the administration over a potential incursion into western Iran.

“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it,” the president said during an interview with Reuters.

When asked if Washington would supply or has proposed air support for a potential Kurdish offensive against the Iranian regime, Trump told the news wire, “I can’t tell you that.”

RAFEngO74to09 5th March 2026 21:03

US SecWar + CC CENTCOM Brief starting now 30 mins later than planned


LongTimeInCX 5th March 2026 21:06

It seems the second Iranian vessel, the auxiliary vessel IRIS Bushehr (422), which also attended the February MILAN exercise off the coast of India, has decided to seek shelter in Sri Lanka, The government there has just reported they have interned the vessel and the 208 crew. I had read that after leaving India, and perhaps upon learning of the fate of the Dena, that the support ship somehow developed engine trouble, and was seeking to return to a port.
The Sri Lankans say it is a humanitarian decision.
It seems those 208 crew are, at least for the time being, very lucky indeed.

https://news.usni.org/2026/03/05/sri...ir-deployments

Ninthace 5th March 2026 21:19

I am reading reports that the IRIS Dena was unarmed at the time of its sinking. It was returning home after a joint exercise with the Indian Navy. Moreover, the US had been invited to participate in the exercise and had withdrawn at the last minute, so they would have been aware that participating ships would not be armed. If true, does this constitute yet another war crime, especially as the submarine failed to surface and render assistance to survivors, even though there was no threat to it?

Asturias56 5th March 2026 21:23

Submarines gave up rescuing survivors in most cases early in WW1

Asturias56 5th March 2026 21:25

How does this war stop?

Do the Iranians have to apoint Trump as Shah or what??




Bfah 5th March 2026 21:33

Latest meeting.

Say 30 ships now sunk.
A drone carrying ship, size of an aircraft carrier - is on fire as well speak...!!!

barry lloyd 5th March 2026 21:40

An auxiliary vessel with a crew of 208? Wiki suggests 59, which sounds nearer the mark.


EDLB 5th March 2026 21:47

An unarmed navy vessel in international waters? That is the most unlikely story I have ever heard.

wishiwasupthere 5th March 2026 21:48


EDIT: US CENTCOM says reports of a US fighter jet shot down over Basra, Iraq are "baseless and not true."
I don’t think the US administration is being very honest at the moment about their losses.

Right now on flightradar? A big diversion from over Saudi. Coincidence? There is a second one operating in the same area that has disappeared from coverage.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c43533951f.png

LongTimeInCX 5th March 2026 22:08


Originally Posted by Ninthace (Post 12047571)
I am reading reports that the IRIS Dena was unarmed at the time of its sinking. It was returning home after a joint exercise with the Indian Navy.

I would be interested to read the source if you can provide a link.

I agree, it could be possible, but, unless that could be confirmed with 100% certainty, it was a threat

May I ask, did you also read the MILAN exercise included live fire exercises? I personally am unaware whether IRIS Dena participated in that aspect or not, are you from what you have read?
Could you as the US submarine Captain be certain whether they did or not, and, whether even if they did, is it likely they expended all their offensive munitions?

Secondly, I assume you are also aware IRIS Dena was accompanied by a support ship IRIS Bushehr? Such support vessels are known to carry fuel and weapons along with rations and spares etc.

Captain Abuzar Zarri of IRIS Dena would have known of the tensions building in the Middle East and the worsening geopolitical situation, prior to leaving Vishakhpatnam. Therefore, if he is going to be sailing back into a possible war zone, I feel it was a strong possibility, that Captain Zarri would have ensured his vessel was loaded with as full a complement of weapons and fuel, from the support ship IRIS Bushehr, as possible.

The US submarine Captain would no doubt have significantly greater intelligence than us mere keyboard peons, and at the very least assumed similar.

Even if it was unarmed, I’d opine that in the circumstances, the submarine Captain would not have the luxury of giving them the benefit of doubt.
Moral: Don’t bring an empty tin can to a submarine fight.

BFSGrad 5th March 2026 22:12


Originally Posted by Ninthace (Post 12047571)
I am reading reports that the IRIS Dena was unarmed at the time of its sinking. It was returning home after a joint exercise with the Indian Navy. Moreover, the US had been invited to participate in the exercise and had withdrawn at the last minute, so they would have been aware that participating ships would not be armed. If true, does this constitute yet another war crime, especially as the submarine failed to surface and render assistance to survivors, even though there was no threat to it?

Why do you believe that a joint exercise requires participants to off-load live ordnance; i.e., be unarmed?

As to the failure to surface after the attack, a modern SSN has little ability to render assistance in the open ocean.

Ninthace 5th March 2026 22:13


Originally Posted by EDLB (Post 12047585)
An unarmed navy vessel in international waters? That is the most unlikely story I have ever heard.

‘Execution at sea’: Was IRIS Dena, Iranian frigate sunk by US in the Indian Ocean, unarmed?

Here is one such allegation.


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