US Attacks Iran 2026

[JohnH]

Valerie, I'm not a defender of radical Islam and the death toll it has laid down, but can't help but notice the death toll of radical "christians" seems equally high. I have a hard time seeing the good guys in battle. What I see is humans made in God's image struggling for things that will never provide the security and prosperity they crave.

This is the second time in my lifetime the US, a so called "Christian" national has attacked and destroyed a Muslim nation because of what they might do in the future. I don't have good answers but I think the truly God fearing should at least question such things rather than defend them.

9/11 and 10/7 weren't just a incident of what "Muslims might do"...they did it.

Or rather, what a specific sect of violent, apocalyptic Muslims do who are in conflict with much of the rest of the Muslim world.

I should note that the latest stunts by the Iranians is to have one of their militias firing missiles at Mecca. This is not popular with most Muslims. The problem are regimes and ideologies that call for violent, apocalyptic death cults, not Muslims and Islam in general.

[Jazman]

Rather reactive versus not being there at all and having unknown people running the country with an autopen. That fact alone lowered the status of the U.S. in the world.

Do you have evidence of this? I don't recall the "autopen" or its use being an international relations thing... I wonder if you aren't referring to the domestic opposition party/media who seemed to be incensed by the "autopen"... I very much doubt many people internationally cared or even knew of this supposed way of running the country during what I assume you're referring to - the previous administration. (Here's 2024 data... suggesting that what I think you mean by the "autopen" was preferred over what is going on now...)

[JohnH]

Rather reactive versus not being there at all and having unknown people running the country with an autopen. That fact alone lowered the status of the U.S. in the world.

Do you have evidence of this? I don't recall the "autopen" or its use being an international relations thing... I wonder if you aren't referring to the domestic opposition party/media who seemed to be incensed by the "autopen"... I very much doubt many people internationally cared or even knew of this supposed way of running the country during what I assume you're referring to - the previous administration. (Here's 2024 data... suggesting that what I think you mean by the "autopen" was preferred over what is going on now...)

Do you think a President whose aides, viziers, etc. are forging his signature to sign orders on his behalf boosts our status in the world, lowers it, or keeps it neutral?

[barnhart]

Valerie, I'm not a defender of radical Islam and the death toll it has laid down, but can't help but notice the death toll of radical "christians" seems equally high. I have a hard time seeing the good guys in battle. What I see is humans made in God's image struggling for things that will never provide the security and prosperity they crave.

This is the second time in my lifetime the US, a so called "Christian" national has attacked and destroyed a Muslim nation because of what they might do in the future. I don't have good answers but I think the truly God fearing should at least question such things rather than defend them.

9/11 and 10/7 weren't just a incident of what "Muslims might do"...they did it.

I would have more sympathy for your point if the US had gone after AlQeda and Hamas. Instead they invaded Iraq and attacked Iran.

[Nomad]

Valerie, I'm not a defender of radical Islam and the death toll it has laid down, but can't help but notice the death toll of radical "christians" seems equally high. I have a hard time seeing the good guys in battle. What I see is humans made in God's image struggling for things that will never provide the security and prosperity they crave.

This is the second time in my lifetime the US, a so called "Christian" national has attacked and destroyed a Muslim nation because of what they might do in the future. I don't have good answers but I think the truly God fearing should at least question such things rather than defend them.

9/11 and 10/7 weren't just a incident of what "Muslims might do"...they did it.

I would have more sympathy for your point if the US had gone after AlQeda and Hamas. Instead they invaded Iraq and attacked Iran.

Arab countries, especially Iran, are brilliant. Ruthless, but brilliant. They know that if they every preemptively strike Israel or America then Israel and America would retaliate and be justified to do so. So, they borrow a page out of the Yasser Arafat playbook and build militias like the PLO and attack via them rather than their respective nations. These militias are trained by the Arab nations and stockpiled to the gills with Iranian (or name your Arab country...) money, weapons, tactical gear, and missles/ launchers...yet without the Iranian flag on any of it. Rather, they place the flag of the respective militia group on their uniforms and weapons and dont have to claim to be part of any nation.

This allows Iran (or other Muslim Arab countries) to fight and start wars anywhere they please without actually declaring war or being held accountable. It also holds the countries they attack over a barrel because if they do directly retaliate the source of the militias who attacked them, then the public outcry is against them as the country who declares war on said Arab nation and then they (Iran for example) can paint their enemy as the aggressor while they appear to be the victim...which of course isn't really the case.

These militias also dont have to hold to any moral codes (Geneva) since they are supposedly not part of any nation and they then can commit atrocities without the Arab nations who fund and supply them getting blamed. They fire from public cities so that when other nations retaliate they are forced to take civilian lives or never retaliate. They attack and fire missiles indiscriminately into civilian territory themselves but no country can take the blame...only the militia who attacks. But even then they manage to paint themselves as freedom fighters who are only killing their oppressors.

Arab countries are brilliant. And they have this warfare game down to a science. They can constantly claim to be victims and never aggressors...and the nations/ media appear to gladly comply

[JohnH]

I would have more sympathy for your point if the US had gone after AlQeda [/quote]

20 years of going after Al-Qaida isn't enough?

and Hamas. Instead they invaded Iraq and attacked Iran.

The U.S. has gone after Hamas, although mostly by simply letting the Israelis do the job. Hamas also is, functionally, an Iranian-funded militia.

[R7ehr]

Reading the news tonight, something occurred to me, which was simply this - at this point, we do not know how this conflict will end. We don’t know how it will compare with the state of things before Trump attacked Iran this year, and we don’t know how it will compare to how things stood in the Obama era. We simply don’t know if Trump will emerge victorious, or not, whether it will be an objectively better or worse deal than before.
And yet I predict, that no matter how objectively bad or good a deal Trump ends up with, the same people who have supported Trump will defend or praise the deal, and the same people who criticize Trump will be critical of the deal. Anyone agree with this prediction? Why do we have such predictable behavior?

[JohnH]

And yet I predict, that no matter how objectively bad or good a deal Trump ends up with, the same people who have supported Trump will defend or praise the deal, and the same people who criticize Trump will be critical of the deal. Anyone agree with this prediction? Why do we have such predictable behavior?

Very safe prediction.

[barnhart]

If the the US can wrangle a deal that approaches or exceeds the JPOA, I will give the credit to the president. If not, the credit for that belongs to him as well. This was his decision. He did not ask for advice or consent from Congress or senior military nor did he coordinate with allies, except Israel.

[Valerie]

If the the US can wrangle a deal that approaches or exceeds the JPOA, I will give the credit to the president. If not, the credit for that belongs to him as well. This was his decision. He did not ask for advice or consent from Congress or senior military nor did he coordinate with allies, except Israel.

Do you actually know he was not given any advice? I for one head a lot of people he surrounds himself with (staff) that were in full support & I STILL watch interviews of those in full support. Just wasn’t sure where you got the information he did this without any advice. To add to that, some have said it was “overdue”. He was not the Lone Ranger in seeing the need but as usual, he is the one who actually DOES what needs to get done.