Landon Hill
@ImaBigCat
I’m disappointed in Tucker, but population is relevant in that if we are going to try and occupy Iran, keep the peace between factions, support the new government…92M people is a lot of people.
MichaelLumish
@MichaelLumish
My suspicion is that the US will not occupy Iran, but we shall see!
--
The best possible hope, I suppose, is that the Jihadi regime will fall and be organically replaced by secular democrats (or a constitutional monarchy?) who will want good relations with the US and Israel.
We can hope.
One thing that has consistently bothered me about coverage of the never-ending conflict is that there seems to be little recognition by the media that the ayatollahs are part of a larger international movement coming out of the Middle East that we call Jihadism.
Jihadism is a violent, authoritarian, Jew Hating theocratic political movement that seeks the annihilation of Israel and conflict with the West.
Some would say that this is not "Jihadism" or "radical Islam" or "political Islam," but just Islam, in general.
That may be the case, but it's important to make a distinction between the political movement and your regular Muslim neighbor down the street.
I live in one of the most ethnically-diverse places in the world and there is no reason for me to think poorly of my Muslim neighbors.
The problem is not Muslims, particularly those born and bred in the United States. The problem is the international political movement coming out of the Middle East and typified not only by relatively small regional groups like Hamas or Islamic Jihad or Boko Haram, but by state governments like those in Iran and, increasingly, Turkey.
--
Patti Mohr
@MohrMedia1
I guarantee you, they sure as hell don't want a government subservient to your government or mine.
Regime change is a disatrous policy that creates instability all around the world.
MichaelLumish
@MichaelLumish
That's a very good point and the concerns of isolationist Republicans are not unfounded.
My hope is that in an organic fashion the Persians overthrow the Jihadis and normalize relations with Israel.
--
Question to Grok3:
In a recent John Stewart bit he mocked Netanyahu for complaining many times since at least 2012 that Iran was on the verge of nuclear weapons and it never happened. Ben Shapiro countered that the reason Iran did not cross the nuclear threshold is because Israel prevented it from doing so. In what ways has Israel, not including the present moment, countered Iranian nuclear efforts?
Grok3:
As of 07:30 AM PDT on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Israel has undertaken several notable actions to counter Iran’s nuclear program prior to the current moment, aligning with Ben Shapiro’s argument that these efforts have delayed Iran’s nuclear threshold. Here’s a concise overview based on historical data and verified reports:
- Operation Olympic Games (2009–2010): Israel, in collaboration with the U.S., deployed the Stuxnet cyberweapon to sabotage Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility. This malware damaged thousands of centrifuges, setting back Iran’s program by 1–2 years, as confirmed by the *New York Times* (2012) and Institute for Science and International Security.
- Targeted Assassinations (2010–2012): Israel’s Mossad is widely believed to have assassinated key Iranian nuclear scientists, including Masoud Ali-Mohammadi (2010), Majid Shahriari (2010), and Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan (2012). These strikes disrupted Iran’s nuclear expertise, with estimates of a 1–3 year delay, per *The Guardian* (2012).
- Operation Orchard (2007): Though primarily targeting a Syrian nuclear reactor, Israel’s airstrike (with suspected Iranian involvement) signaled its willingness to preempt nuclear threats, indirectly pressuring Iran’s program through regional deterrence, as noted by the *Washington Institute* (2008).
- Sabotage and Covert Operations: Israel conducted multiple covert operations, including the 2018 sabotage at Natanz (likely via explosives), which damaged centrifuge production, and the 2018 theft of Iran’s nuclear archive from Tehran, exposing program details. The IAEA and *Reuters* (2018) estimate these actions delayed enrichment by 6–12 months.
- Economic and Diplomatic Pressure: Israel lobbied for international sanctions, notably influencing the 2010 and 2012 UN resolutions, which restricted Iran’s nuclear material access, complementing military efforts, per *Foreign Affairs* (2013).
These actions, spanning cyberattacks, assassinations, and sabotage, have collectively delayed Iran’s nuclear progress by several years, supporting Shapiro’s claim that Israel’s interventions have prevented Iran from crossing the nuclear threshold, despite Netanyahu’s repeated warnings since 2012. The effectiveness varies, with experts like the Arms Control Association noting gaps remain, but Israel’s strategy has been proactive.
--
Tehran, as a single city, has almost the same population as the entirety of Israel, about 10 million.
--
There is a very interesting conversation on X hosted by Canadian politician of Iranian descent, Goldie Ghamari, with people on the ground in that country.
This gives me hope that the Persians may overthrow the Jihadis.
You should check her out.
--
What we are looking at in Iran is less a fight between Iran and Israel / US as it is a fight between Jihadis and Persians.
--
Is Zionism an actual ideology?
All it means is that you believe in Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
How is that an ideology?
Are the Portuguese holding to some nefarious nationalist ideology because they believe that Portugal is, and should be, the nation-state of the Portuguese?
Are the Kazakhstanis holding to some nefarious nationalist ideology because they believe Kazakhstan is, and should be, the nation-state of the Kazakhstanis?
Yet Jihadis and their progressive-left allies insist that Israel... of all the countries in the world... is fundamentally and ideologically unacceptable.
They think of it in neo-socialist terms, which they do not do with any other country.
That is, they think of Zionism as a racist, white-European, colonial ideology hell-bent on oppressing the innocent, bunny-like "Palestinian" people-of-color.
In other words, they've conjured a hateful ideology and then project it onto the Jews.
