Trump demanding Iran's "Unconditional surrender"
Can you demand the surrender of a state you aren't at war with?
Has Trump just declared war with Iran?

He seems to be considering it, which I find deeply concerning.

Was wondering the same thing. All I found at this stage was this article on fleeing Iranian fighters.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjyzjx07eg

US State Dept brief live now on Fox News

Iran has claimed to have shot down 3 F35's so far, and having captured one (female) pilot.
Has anything resembling 'proof' of these claims been released (e.g. photos of downed aircraft, interview with the captured pilot, etc.)?
Or is this more Bagdad Bob type stuff?

Tehran Tommy, you mean?

I’ll believe it when I see them paraded in badly fitting suits.

Fancy telling the Iranian leadership that they know where he is, talk about poor OP SEC.

Interesting commentary from 13 years ago about Israel vs Iran ... possibly applies today?
(OK, did a little digging, he tends to be a contributor to the Telegraph, leans more conservative in the UK)
The Reality TV show continues. :ugh:

As to the Iranian Air Force:
34 years ago, didn't a bunch of Iraqi pilots fly to Iran to avoid the Coalition (Desert Storm)?
Self preservation is a thing.

Or it could flush him out where the Intel folks can track him.

Would this be the same Europe that is not pulling its weight and the one that "The Donald" wants to withdraw from?

4 more KC-135R/Ts heading out from the USA + a B-1B which turned its transponder off.

Also, French E-3F + its own supporting C-135FR tanker heading to the area - by Greece at present.

Anyone else getting this ad on this thread?...(see spoiler)


Very good video by ex army special forces regarding some of the recent strikes in Iran

Mod Note: Start at minute 1:58. The first two minutes are fluff/noise.
T28B

Congress on both sides are trying to limit Trumps war powers, as Congress can only declare war. SMO anyone?

BREAKING:

Iranian Crown Prince @PahlaviReza just gave a speech to the nation:

“All it takes now is a nation-wide uprising to put this nightmare to and end (…) may I be with you soon”

ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Ahhh, but further to that ORAC, please read Pakistan’s Defence Minister’s tweet to Reza Pahlavi 🤔


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b92981321.jpeg

I think a few posters are missing a point on the `Congress seeking to limit Trump's war powers' angle.
Who says he's looking to go to war? A few MOPs dropped on Fordo and Natanz is not war. He doesn't need Congressional approval to do so - just needs to tell them within two days of doing it and wrap it up within 60 days.

I think the positioning of US forces in the region may be to help shoot down a furious Iranian ballistic missile response if he does so, and to protect US bases from any retaliation.
Were he to want to respond medium term if Iran does target US forces and bases in the region - might be a different story - that's looking more like war.

Anyways, I think we'll see TACO rather than any decisive action - I hope I'm wrong.
He's just loving the drama and being the centre of attention - but this isn't an episode of The Apprentice.

Instead, it's another episode of The Prince. Here's your Machiavelli:
Jan 24, 2025
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b34da70a1d.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ec72803822.jpg
I suppose the best fitting response is almost literally that you can't have your cake and eat it too. That is, we will never enjoy what Iran has to offer if we subscribe (submit) to Machiavellianism.

I fully believe that you genuinely wish the best for the Iranian people, and that we share a similar ordinary understanding of Iranian history. The thing is, I cannot ignore that, if/when the Iranian regime topples, either a new bad regime will take over, or Iran will be greatly weakened. With a new bad regime, practically nothing changes. If a weakened Iran emerges, what will happen to Iran is what happens to every other weak country on the globe, what has happened for centuries: pilots (boats, airplanes, spaceships, whatever) will deliver those with deep pockets to Iran to gain "rights" to as much of Iran's resources as can be had. Rinse and repeat.

Taking a step back, in the big picture, it is deficit spending outside Iran that afforded military buildup outside Iran that first threatened Iran and later is being used to topple Iran, deficit spending that causes leaders of debt-ladened nations to seek money from whomever . Those profiting from the deficit spending are the ones with deep pockets in the first place. Thus, all along those in the military are tools of, and subservient to, those in the banking/finance industry. Right out of a wealthy prince's play book.

I agree, this isn't an episode of The Apprentice. Unfortunately, for Trump it actually is.

I ask in a light-hearted tone: have we seen the last of his Tesla commercials? :}
Sorry, back to the topic at hand.

If the Iranian F-14s are no more can the JAG tv show producers get theirs back?

And now reportedly his advisors can't agree.
For a supposed decisive man of action there's a lot of hesitation.
I'd fully expected to wake up this morning and read it had already happened.
Nothing like telegraphing what you intend to do - and no I don't believe that's a deliberate strategy either - this administration is as dumb as a bag of hammers.

EDIT:
Have you seen his latest Tweet?
About frikkin' White House flagpoles???

What will Trump do ? TACO like everything else .

Reference the burning tankers (post 1943), it seems the one which was struck is part of the Russian shadow fleet.

Video

Iran doubling down.

Supreme leader Khamenei Twitter account.

Well, the Israelis require an uprising under a reliable and believable opposition leader as a major ground force to enact regime change in Iran, and that doesn't appear to be happening. Although it appears that Israel is mostly operating at will within Iran in SF groups, presumably with local help.

Iran either needs to cross two countries to get to Israel or convince other local nations to attack Israel, otherwise this really goes nowhere and they continue to fire missiles at each other.

Leaving a power vacuum at the top of Iran doesn't feel like a workable plan.

Be careful what you wish for - there seems to be an automatic assumption that any new leader would be friendly to Israel. Given the y're both trying to run the Middle East that's not a given

Israel isn’t trying to run the Middle East, that’s a three way fight between Turkey, Saudi and Iran. The first two in a struggle for dominance as the major Sunni power and both against Iran as the Shia threat.

An already severely weakened Iran, having already seen its major local allies dismantled and now itself being militarily emasculated, leaves the other two to face off against each other.

Neither poses an existential threat to Israel.

Interesting that IDF kept AIM-7 Sparrow in the inventory when it got AIM-120 AMRAAM. There isn't actually a defined shelf-life for AIM-7 and they obviously invested in climate controlled storage otherwise seals would have dried out and other air forces found refurbishment wasn't cost effective compared to buying something newer. RAF started getting Skyflash in 1978 and the USAF AMRAAM in 1998.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GtsSDHrX...jpg&name=large

Iran A340-300 and A321 on approach to Seeb, Oman.
Trying to negotiate after all the bluster? Might be too little too late.

Possible - they held "secret" negotiations there recently.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/report...s-iran-strike/

Sparrow remains in the inventory as it has some advantages in certain situations over AMRAAM, apparently. Of course, who knows what is inside Israeli Sparrows.

From Daily Telegraph:

President Trump says next week will be very big.

Stay tuned for ACO, TOTs and DPIs kids, coming to a social media near you.

Along with sponsor details: "This aerial bombardment was brought to you by Coins***. Thank you for your custom!"

Reference the F-22s, 12 now airborne out of Langley AFB (TABOR51 (x4), 61 (x4), and 71 (x4), en-route to Muwaffaq Salti AB.

GOLD tankers are supporting them on Coronet East 083.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....3460731bfa.png

US Ambassador to Israel

or evacuating their families.

Following the two Iranian Governmental flights to Oman this afternoon, Iran denies negotiations are taking place in Oman

Al Jazeera Live Updates

"Iran denies sending negotiators to Oman’s capital

• Tohid Asadi

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

I spoke with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, about reports regarding the dispatching of a negotiating team to Oman, and he told me that this report is not true and Iran has not sent any negotiating team to Muscat."