Now Iran?!?!

[bobman0330]

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...and the US would struggle mightily to find local bases from which to launch an attack against Iran.

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You are aware that the US military has bases on both sides of Iran in Iraq and Afghanistan? How can you get more local than both of Iran's neighbors?

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Maybe I'm misreading the situation, but I was working on the assumption that using Iraqi bases against Iran wouldn't be practical. Iraq is after all mostly Shiite, and a lot of its leaders have ties with Iran.

Afghanistan presents fewer political issues, but most of the action in a conflict with Iran would be centered on the Persian Gulf, 500 or so hostile miles from Afghanistan.

[Kaj]

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...and the US would struggle mightily to find local bases from which to launch an attack against Iran.

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You are aware that the US military has bases on both sides of Iran in Iraq and Afghanistan? How can you get more local than both of Iran's neighbors?

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe I'm misreading the situation, but I was working on the assumption that using Iraqi bases against Iran wouldn't be practical. Iraq is after all mostly Shiite, and a lot of its leaders have ties with Iran.

Afghanistan presents fewer political issues, but most of the action in a conflict with Iran would be centered on the Persian Gulf, 500 or so hostile miles from Afghanistan.

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So if we attack Iran from Qatar, we won't offend Iraqi shiites? How does this make sense -- we are occupying Iraq, no? And if you move the goalposts and talk just the Gulf, not Iran proper, well we ring the Gulf with bases and carriers, so what's your point?

Edit: Here, let me help you with this map. Would you still like to contend that we have no local bases to attack Iran or the Persian Gulf? And these are just the ones with active USAF air bases, I'm not even including the number of carrier air wings which could easily join the fight.



And I'm sure I'm missing some, these are just the ones I know off the top of my head. I believe the US has many more operating locations in Iraq. And if you include Army attack helicopters, the number of air bases in the region grows even more.

[morphball]

Kaj

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So if we attack Iran from Qatar, we won't offend Iraqi shiites?

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I would probably say when we attack. How often do two countries get engaged in what Iran, Israel and the USA are in currently and not get war? I think the simple fact is that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable, and it doesn't matter which party is in office. Ten of thousands of people will most likely die before Iran is allowed to go nuclear.

I am also sceptical that US cares about shiite support. The US cares about 1) protecting its interests in the Middle East; and 2) but only after 1 is obtained, getting some sort of stability in Iraq.

At the moment, Iranian shiites are working with Iraqi shiites and endangering both goals, so it seems rather unlikely the US will be overly worred about pissing off the Iraqi shiites when the time comes. The US is playing the democracy game now, but they have been building an Iraqi police force and army too. If we can't get a democracy going, we'll just return to our former standard of installing ruthless dictators.

[L'ennemi.]

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Kaj
I would probably say when we attack. How often do two countries get engaged in what Iran, Israel and the USA are in currently and not get war? I think the simple fact is that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable, and it doesn't matter which party is in office. Ten of thousands of people will most likely die before Iran is allowed to go nuclear.


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But a nuclear Pakistan or North Korea are? Why is that?

[j555]

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But a nuclear Pakistan or North Korea are? Why is that?

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I guess since Pakistan never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and North Korea withdrew from it while Iran signed it and is still in it. India and Israel also didn't sign it and have nuclear weapons.

[L'ennemi.]

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But a nuclear Pakistan or North Korea are? Why is that?

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I guess since Pakistan never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and North Korea withdrew from it while Iran signed it and is still in it. India and Israel also didn't sign it and have nuclear weapons.

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so if Iran were to withdraw from the treaty there would be no problem?

[John Kilduff]

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But a nuclear Pakistan or North Korea are? Why is that?

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I guess since Pakistan never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and North Korea withdrew from it while Iran signed it and is still in it. India and Israel also didn't sign it and have nuclear weapons.

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so if Iran were to withdraw from the treaty there would be no problem?

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What's your guess: would hard-line Shiite Supremacists with nukes, in the center of the world's troubled oil regions, pose any problems?

[bobman0330]

Kaj,

I'm aware that the bases exist, I was just questioning whether the host countries would let us use them for the purpose of bombing Iran. Even in Iraq, an open break with the present government probably wouldn't be acceptable, especially if a war with Iran was also going on.

[Leaky Eye]

I am guessing the Sunni countries could be convinced...

Also, many types of sorties can be launched from much further out. Including from the United States.

[Moseley]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...and the US would struggle mightily to find local bases from which to launch an attack against Iran.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are aware that the US military has bases on both sides of Iran in Iraq and Afghanistan? How can you get more local than both of Iran's neighbors?

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe I'm misreading the situation, but I was working on the assumption that using Iraqi bases against Iran wouldn't be practical. Iraq is after all mostly Shiite, and a lot of its leaders have ties with Iran.

Afghanistan presents fewer political issues, but most of the action in a conflict with Iran would be centered on the Persian Gulf, 500 or so hostile miles from Afghanistan.

[/ QUOTE ]

So if we attack Iran from Qatar, we won't offend Iraqi shiites? How does this make sense -- we are occupying Iraq, no? And if you move the goalposts and talk just the Gulf, not Iran proper, well we ring the Gulf with bases and carriers, so what's your point?

Edit: Here, let me help you with this map. Would you still like to contend that we have no local bases to attack Iran or the Persian Gulf? And these are just the ones with active USAF air bases, I'm not even including the number of carrier air wings which could easily join the fight.



And I'm sure I'm missing some, these are just the ones I know off the top of my head. I believe the US has many more operating locations in Iraq. And if you include Army attack helicopters, the number of air bases in the region grows even more.

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Now that's reaching out and touching someone!

I have no doubt that if the Iranians piss off Bush on a day when he's on a dry drunk, we'll bomb em.