So, when will Israel be attacking Iran's Nuclear Plants then?

[Traianvs]

Oh joy, ... Let's start another war just because of mere words. I'd consider strengthening defenses if Iran is mobilizing troops, which it is clearly not doing. Facking scared pussies getting all panicky for such a ridiculous thing. There are more important problems to tackle at the moment, but as usual these governments will never get around to those

[Traianvs]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
After all the stuff Iran is doing in Iraq and this latest outburst, I really don't see any other outcome than the Israelis striking the Iranian nuclear assets at a critical moment with the US' tacit approval...

The Israelis have a history of aggressive international pre-emptive strikes across the entire region - including the USS Liberty of their own allies! So they won't even bat an eyelid striking at Iran when the time comes.

Aight, but they better don't come whining at our doorstep if things get out of hand, attacks against them are intensifying etc... because they're looking for it themselves

[Chemical Ollie]

How would Israel pass the US controlled Iraqi air defences without official approval from US, dragging the Americans into the war?


In related news, the Swedish government has handed over an official protest to the Iranian ambassador.

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by Traianvs
Aight, but they better don't come whining at our doorstep if things get out of hand, attacks against them are intensifying etc... because they're looking for it themselves

But why change a successful policy?

Stoking the fires of extremism, that is...

Attacking Iraq was even more unnecessary than this would be. Everyone with a brain knew the consequences would be bad and yet they still went ahead and did it...

There will come a point when Iran is close to completing their program and it will be attacked by the West claiming they had no other choice - the Israelis for one would never let the Iranians complete it...

Then you will have to feel for those Coalition troops who are still there, because they will be the ones bearing the brunt of Iran's fury - and they will be in the next year or two it takes this slow motion train crash to come to a head.

[Patroklos]

Is our airforce tied down in Iraq? Cause I wouldn't have thought so and that's (presumably) the part of the military that would do such an operation.

Navy cruise missiles would take out as much air defense and command anndcontrol as possible, AirForce stealth bombers which were invulnerable to Iran's defenses and definetly after the first strike, would make the kills on the sites themselves.

Airforce and Navy are only streched because we are keeping our presence up. But since both have more than enough assets in theatre already, it shouldn't matter much.

It would be very hard to not telegraph the attack though. I would imagine we would move our surface naval assets out of range of Irans coastal missle batteries. Most of these are batteries useless, but I don't we would take the unnessecary risk.

[MOBIUS]

I don't see the US being so stupid as to do this whilst occupying a country awash with Iranian allies - far better to deal with a pariah state with another pariah state...

[Patroklos]

I agree, but for sake of arguement if we did that would be what would happen.

Of couse the US could deal with both if we actually went to war instead of stretching forces on a peace time footing, but that is another story.

[Eli]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
I don't see the US being so stupid as to do this whilst occupying a country awash with Iranian allies - far better to deal with a pariah state with another pariah state...

The Iranian allies are already fighting the US in Iraq, pissing them off a bit more would change nothing.

[OzzyKP]

Isn't there already a thread on this?

[MOBIUS]

This thread is specifically about when Israel gets round to attacking Iran in the future, whether the US helps tacitly or directly, and the 'fallout' from its outcome - especially for US and UK troops in Iraq...

[Patroklos]

especially for US and UK troops in Iraq

I don't think it will have much effect on the troops that remain there. Iran is not going to mount an offensive into Iraq, they may be fundies but they are not stupid. If anything they will call back any irregular forces they have there to make sure we have the same problems in Iran as we are having in Iraq.

Major wars also have a tendency to see some of the niceties and kit gloves disappear, which is what the current insurgents rely on.

Putting anther 100,000 ground troops on the ground in Iraq for a few months to stage for an invasion of Iran would definetly put a cramp is their style as well.

[MOBIUS]

I doubt we would ever invade Iran, no matter what...

I'm thinking of airstrikes and spec ops to take out Iran's nuclear installations. I also doubt the Iranians would mount a conventional attack into Iraq either - but I guarantee they'd make life in Iraq so bad for the coalition that the the current insurgency would look like a Teddy Bear's picnic...

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
I doubt we would ever invade Iran, no matter what...

Not even if a nuclear device were used?

[MOBIUS]

By us?

[Patroklos]

but I guarantee they'd make life in Iraq so bad for the coalition that the the current insurgency would look like a Teddy Bear's picnic...

You only fight Proxy wars when your ass isn't personally on the line. Iran would rightly be worried about their own ass.

I could definetly see a limited invasion just to prove we are serious and capable of doing it, and that Allah didn't come down from heaven to save them. Maybe to first big city, then try and negotiate a peace. The nuke facilities are going to be gone in the first few hours, if there is an extended war, it will be conventional.