Iran avoided casualties by design. Gave heads up to Iraqi PM.

[crazytown]

michael safi
‏@safimichael

Iraqi PM saying he was given heads up about the Iranian attack and passed it to US troops - adding to sense this morning’s attacks were a piece of elaborate theatre

Link to tweet

[samnsara]

1. all of them are more civilized than dumbfuckarooni....

[DeminPennswoods]

2. Why do we continue to think Iranians are dumb and unsophisticated?

Because they aren't.

[Buns_of_Fire]

3. I've no doubt if they'd wanted to plant a couple of them

right in the centers of the bases, they could've done it. This was a shot across the bow. rump's affront couldn't be left unanswered.

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. They most definitely are not.

The west has under-estimated Iranians and indeed Persians for millennia. US has never gotten foreign policy with that region of the world right. Ever. May be shredded for that opinion, but at this point, I'm beyond caring.

[c-rational]

15. +1

[Hortensis]

4. You have to be kidding. This isn't over. Iran CAN'T go to

conventional war with us, we'd destroy them, but they already had great expertise in unconventional and asymmetric (terrorism.)

I laughed when watching Iran's official statement that sending some apparently deliberately mis-aimed missiles at two military bases, which always get some from Iran-backed militia groups anyway, was their lawful and "proportionate response" to the assassinations according to UN rule #whatever. Under the circumstances, it really was funny.

[ck4829]

5. If we're going to be mature and responsible adults and global citizens... then yes, it is over

I know that the idea of mass murder and genocide probably appeals to some people, none here, but you get the idea, but we need to ignore those people and move on.

[Hortensis]

12. Not us: Iran. Iran has always intended to drive us out

of the middle east and create its own hegemonic control over surrounding nations. They'll use this toward those ends, and where pretending to be lawful according to Western international law furthers their ends, they'll pretend.

But they never have been. Their occult warfare, which has never stopped, will continue and almost certainly accelerate greatly. Cyber warfare is a magnificently dangerous yet relatively inexpensive and secretive new weapon that might have been designed by Allah for their purposes. And a lot of their leaders probably believe it was.

This assassination, not exactly btw, has united Shia groups that were quarreling against us, to the great benefit of Iran's religious imperialism ambitions.

They've already gotten tremendous returns from their media warfare role in helping elect Trump and only need to be careful they don't push him into actually hurting them.

[crazytown]

6. If Iran goes back to asymmetric warfare,

they have the home field advantage, even in serious conflict, like the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah war for example which brought down Olmet government. With the Russians on the ground, and allies like the Kurds doubting American commitment , Iraq is first down.

[hot2na]

8. Thats why they would beat us in an asymmetrical war.

The Iranians are certainly not stupid. They also know they cannot beat us in an unconventional war. Although they do have relatively significant conventional forces, their strategy is to be prepared fight an asymmetrical war. They learned the lessons from the NVA and Viet Cong in this regard.

[crazytown]

10. Half was assymetric would do.

The IDF didn't cut it against Hizbollah in 2006.

[milestogo]

9. This is communicating "get the fuck outta here" to dimwit donnie

who probably still won't get it.

[TNNurse]

11. Trump tweeted "all is well"

Yes, he and his real estate holdings were not damaged.

[crazytown]

13. Iran might have some plans about that,

and they have shown that they can play US politics, timing moves to do the greatest damage to a president seeking re-election in 1980.

[DFW]

14. This is all for domestic consumption

I still think this is looking more and more like someone in Iran wanted Soleimani out of the way for some internal reason we'll never know. Notes were passed, and his enemies knew full well that Pompeo was like a vampire who hadn't had a drink of blood in weeks. He was only too willing to do their dirty work for them, and was too dumb to realize he was being manipulated.

Now Iran can say they inflicted dozens of casualties, we can say they didn't inflict any, and everybody goes home a hero.