Why are they baiting us? (1 Viewer)

[Kelzie]

Iran issues stark military warning to United States

"You can start a war but it won't be you who finishes it," said General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the head of the Revolutionary Guards and among the regime's most powerful figures.

"The Americans know better than anyone that their troops in the region and in
Iraq are vulnerable. I would advise them not to commit such a strategic error," he told reporters on the sidelines of a pro-Palestinian conference in Tehran.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060414/wl_afp/irannuclearpolitics_060414191647;_ylt=AsVKa7uOD97RnFqqZBgEu9lSw60A;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

They do realize they can't actually win right? Why would you play chicken with a country that can easily crush you?

 

[128shot]

Iran issues stark military warning to United States



http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060414/wl_afp/irannuclearpolitics_060414191647;_ylt=AsVKa7uOD97RnFqqZBgEu9lSw60A;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

They do realize they can't actually win right? Why would you play chicken with a country that can easily crush you?

trump cards?


They could shut oil off driving up prices, or maybe invade Iraq?

 

[SixStringHero]

It's more saber rattling if you ask me. We didn't really do anything with North Korea and my guess is Iran is assuming nothing will come of this.

 

[Kelzie]

trump cards?


They could shut oil off driving up prices, or maybe invade Iraq?

Then what's with all the big words? Why don't they just do it and shut up? I will never understand crazy countries. It's like they're asking us to attack them, which makes no sense, cause if that's what they really want, why don't they just attack first?

 

[Kelzie]

It's more saber rattling if you ask me. We didn't really do anything with North Korea and my guess is Iran is assuming nothing will come of this.

IIRC N Korea didn't rub our face in the "fact" that we couldn't beat them.

 

[teacher]

Virgins. They get lots of virgins.

 

[SixStringHero]

I could be wrong, but I vaguely remember a statement that was either made by Kim Jong Il or one of his top officials that stated if America intervened with their nuclear program that 'the streets would run red with American blood.' (not verbatim)

I'm really going to have to dig around, I could be flat out wrong.

 

[cnredd]

They do realize they can't actually win right? Why would you play chicken with a country that can easily crush you?

From a previous recent thread...

Iran(the Mullahs) DOES want war...

You have to keep in mind that the objectives of all of these international discussions is for a political objective...

The Mullahs do not agree with it...The only political objective they have is to keep their own people down and be blind to what the rest of the world has to offer...The rest of it is religious...

They want to bring about a worldwide Caliphate...Even if it causes their own destruction to do so...

That's the big difference between North Korea and Iran...

The leadership in North Korea CARES about living...They know full well that if they go down a certain route, they will be annihilated...And they don't WANT that...

The Iranian leadership DOES want that...They believe they'll go to a higher place and be seen as martyrs, which is a MUCH different outlook than any civilized region...

The problem with Iran is that you're dealing with irrational people...people TRY to talk to them as if they want the same result as everyone else...peace...

Not so...

 

[SixStringHero]

Virgins. They get lots of virgins.

76 or 77?

No man's libido would last.

 

[Kelzie]

I could be wrong, but I vaguely remember a statement that was either made by Kim Jong Il or one of his top officials that stated if America intervened with their nuclear program that 'the streets would run red with American blood.' (not verbatim)

I'm really going to have to dig around, I could be flat out wrong.

Could be. Just if I were the Irani government, considering what just happened to Saddam, I'm not sure if I would want to be pushing US buttons.

 

[Kelzie]

From a previous recent thread...

Man I looked, I swear.

 

[Jay R]

They do realize they can't actually win right? Why would you play chicken with a country that can easily crush you?

We could nuke them, but I wouldn't want to be the guy pushing the button to vaporise millions of children, no matter how crazy their parents and government are. War with Iran would be seriously hardcore, we couldn't get away with an occupation or a regime change, it'd be suicide for our guys and gals. You'd have to give the troops carte blanche to waste anything that looked at them wrong.

A question: Would any of you go if called to? Enlist? And do you think Europe would help, or just us Brits riding shotgun?

 

[Kelzie]

We could nuke them, but I wouldn't want to be the guy pushing the button to vaporise millions of children, no matter how crazy their parents and government are. War with Iran would be seriously hardcore, we couldn't get away with an occupation or a regime change, it'd be suicide for our guys and gals. You'd have to give the troops carte blanche to waste anything that looked at them wrong.

A question: Would any of you go if called to? Enlist? And do you think Europe would help, or just us Brits riding shotgun?

One would imagine that the same rules of war would apply to Iran, ie minimizing civilian casualties. I don't think we'd nuke Tehran.

I do think Europe would help, depending on how it happened. If we invaded tomorrow, probably not. But Russia and China are out of the question.

And yes, I would enlist.

 

[vibeeleven]

They could shut oil off driving up prices, or maybe invade Iraq?.

How? China and Russia are the ones who get thier oil from Iran. I really don't think they would invade Iraq, they'd be fighting a war on at least two fronts, don't think our allies wouldn't jump on Iran if they attacked first.

Could be. Just if I were the Irani government, considering what just happened to Saddam, I'm not sure if I would want to be pushing US buttons.

Exactamundo, look how far trying to have it both ways got Saddam.

 

[Kelzie]

How? China and Russia are the ones who get thier oil from Iran. I really don't think they would invade Iraq, they'd be fighting a war on at least two fronts, don't think our allies wouldn't jump on Iran if they attacked first.


Exactamundo, look how far trying to have it both ways got Saddam.

Well, world oil prices would go up. I mean, Russia and China would have to get their oil from somewhere else if Iran stopped exporting.

But otherwise I agree.

 

[vibeeleven]

Well, world oil prices would go up. I mean, Russia and China would have to get their oil from somewhere else if Iran stopped exporting.

But otherwise I agree.

Only until Ahkmahdenijahd and the mullahas are removed by force, or by thier own people. Russia is actually sitting over a sea of oil, they have plenty, why depleat your own reserves when you can get it elsewhere til then.

 

[Binary_Digit]

They do realize they can't actually win right? Why would you play chicken with a country that can easily crush you?

I'm guessing their theory is that if we attack Iran, then we would really look like tyrants, and most of the Middle East will unite in a massive jihad against the West, which is the only way they could realistically defeat us.

 

[Arthur Fonzarelli]

besides the fact that North Korea spit in our faces & we just looked the other way there's a general consensus that our troop levels in Iraq have us spread too thin.

I think that may very well be a bluff on our part --- the media has exposed this as a weakness on our part & the administration has done nothing to debunk this idea. However, we have what...?...150,000 troops deployed to Iraq...?...out of about 1.8 million active duty troops as well as 860,000 reserves & national guard. While many of those troops are serving abroad (primarily Europe) they are available for deployment to a combat zone. I also understand that we cannot deploy our entire military at once. We have to maintain a "rear" support of some sort as well as a cycle of rotation to sustain a deployment to war. With that being said we certainly could use more troops --- more enlistments, etc...

by the way --- bombing the hell out of their own nuke sites would eleviate us from having to use a nuke of our own. just as with prior to the Iraq war...I believe we give an ultimatum (agreed upon by the UN/international community) & if they don't comply we use deadly force --- an empty threat would be a serious miscalculation with those nut jobs.

 

[vibeeleven]

I think you may be right.

 

[The Mark]

I've been wondering about this.

On the news and other places I've heard that the leaders of Iran don't care if they and their country die.

I find this hard to accept, both because it goes against everything I was taught (which doesn't really prove anything), and because I've not really seen any proof that they actually don't care.

But it still worries me, because if they DO think that way.....ouch, that doesn't bear thinking on.

Now, as to why they are baiting us.....maybe they want to die and take as many of us with them as they can?

That ties in with the idea I have a hard time accepting, anyway.

 

[Crispy]

Hey Kelzie,

These guys are baiting us because they believe they can. They believe thier oil, allies and the global islamic fundamentalist movement is enough to keep the west at bay. And to a large degree they're right.

We can ill afford to stir up a shi'ite hornets nest in Iraq, drive up oil prices, and threaten other global power's interests in Iran to walk the walk we've been walking without some serious diplomatic successes first.

If anything, I think we're right on the mark by applying the pressure we're applying because we're "baiting" them just as much as they're baiting us. They're rhetoric is a direct response to our hard line stance and with each statement that comes out of Tehran, Iran brings themselves closer and closer to a multi-lateral response against them which includes the Muslim Countries in the region that don't need a nuclear Iran.

The last thing Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Isreal need is Islamic Extremists going bananas because they think Iran is the saviour of their cause so don't be surprised if its those countries who break the deadlock by taking action even before us.

 

[Kandahar]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad literally thinks it's his personal duty to bring about the apocalypse. Akhbar Rasfanjani has stated his desire to trade the destruction of Iran for the destruction of Israel, because such an exchange would kill a large percentage of the world's Jews and only a small percentage of the world's Muslims. Ali Khamenei has rebuffed nearly every diplomatic overture the United States has made.

In short, they want an ultimate conflict between the Righteous Forces of Islam and the Great Satan, and they want it as soon as possible.

 

[cnredd]

I've been wondering about this.

On the news and other places I've heard that the leaders of Iran don't care if they and their country die.

I find this hard to accept, both because it goes against everything I was taught (which doesn't really prove anything), and because I've not really seen any proof that they actually don't care.

But it still worries me, because if they DO think that way.....ouch, that doesn't bear thinking on.

Now, as to why they are baiting us.....maybe they want to die and take as many of us with them as they can?

That ties in with the idea I have a hard time accepting, anyway.

I JUST posted that logic earlier in this thread...you might have missed it...

 

[RightinNYC]

We could nuke them, but I wouldn't want to be the guy pushing the button to vaporise millions of children, no matter how crazy their parents and government are. War with Iran would be seriously hardcore, we couldn't get away with an occupation or a regime change, it'd be suicide for our guys and gals. You'd have to give the troops carte blanche to waste anything that looked at them wrong.

A question: Would any of you go if called to? Enlist? And do you think Europe would help, or just us Brits riding shotgun?

I think they assume that there will be a conflict, and they want us to attack FIRST, because that way they will be able to play the meme of US as imperialist invader, drum up muslim support, and perhaps keep europe out of the battle. It doesn't matter how they look at it, this will be bad for both sides involved, but considering all the blowing up will happen in THEIR country, I don't know why they think they're going to come out better than us.

War with Iran would be much worse than with Iraq, I acknowledge that. 3X as many people, mountainous, etc...

We would and could still win it though, but it'd be much easier if they attacked first. It'd shut the anti-war crowd up.

And yes, considering the fact that all things being equal, I'll be in the military in 5 years anyways, I would join up.

 

[RightinNYC]

besides the fact that North Korea spit in our faces & we just looked the other way there's a general consensus that our troop levels in Iraq have us spread too thin.

I think that may very well be a bluff on our part --- the media has exposed this as a weakness on our part & the administration has done nothing to debunk this idea. However, we have what...?...150,000 troops deployed to Iraq...?...out of about 1.8 million active duty troops as well as 860,000 reserves & national guard. While many of those troops are serving abroad (primarily Europe) they are available for deployment to a combat zone. I also understand that we cannot deploy our entire military at once. We have to maintain a "rear" support of some sort as well as a cycle of rotation to sustain a deployment to war. With that being said we certainly could use more troops --- more enlistments, etc...

by the way --- bombing the hell out of their own nuke sites would eleviate us from having to use a nuke of our own. just as with prior to the Iraq war...I believe we give an ultimatum (agreed upon by the UN/international community) & if they don't comply we use deadly force --- an empty threat would be a serious miscalculation with those nut jobs.

Nearly every single branch of the military has either met or exceeded their recruitment AND reenlistment rate over the past 5 years...