'Unprecedented Mass Deployment' of Warplanes Across Atlantic Fuels Fears of US War on Iran | Common Dreams
Brett Wilkins Jun 16, 2025
Flight-tracking websites showed dozens of Air Force aerial refueling planes departing from military bases in the United States and heading to Europe on Sunday, fueling speculation of direct U.S. involvement in the widening Israeli-Iranian war.
Military-focused news sites reported that around 30 U.S. Air Force KC-135R and KC-46A tankers were identified by flight-tracking software in what The Times of Israelcalled an "unprecedented mass deployment" to Europe.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/u-s-israel-iranOpen linkView original on lemmy.ml872
Comments342
We just want fucking healthcare and affordable housing.
Sorry, best I can do is 2 trillion more for Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and the like. They're desperate man, they haven't had a war for like 12 minutes, they need to be fed.
Zomg, Boeing planes being flown above enemy territory as surprise kamikazes (surprise to the pilots & crew).
Lockheed Martin did October 7?
Basically 9/11 truther style conspiracy nonsense going on here.
What?
It was a joke about how we have no money to spend on healthcare for the population, but we always jump to throw endless cash at defense contractors to supply the military...
Haha... good joke. I didn't see your mention of healthcare in your previous comment.
It's typical of conspiracy theorists to say "it was just a joke" when called out on their bullshit. You may go back to doing "your own research in the internet" now.
You have no idea what you're talking about. Enjoy your weekend.
Best the turnip can do is a gold colored overpriced shit phone.
Not to worry, it's made in china, shipped from china, and then people in detention centers will be forced by ICE to package it for that bonus fascism feel for those that believe it's made in the US and and they're getting a deal on the T-Mobile package that costs almost 2x other providers for the same service.
And human rights. Due process. Rule of law and respect the constitution. Less inflation. More progress on our environment. Rebuild some infrastructure. Invest in some technologies of the future rather than the past. Leadership that understands basic economics and actually the art of the deal
Don’t worry. You’ll get it if you can be drafted.
They deserve medical treatment but what service destroying other countries?
And it will last you till your death (several days later).
Other Americans just want fucking guns and affordable discrimination. It's a sad day.
Best we can do is give more people PTSD and then deny them disability or treatment for it. America loves dead soldiers, we can't go too long without having a new batch.
You had a chance at that in Zuck's metaverse...
Best I can do is a Trump smartphone.
You don’t, because almost none of you vote for socialist candidates.
The media told them
Hillary is the most qualified candidate in historyonly Biden can beat Trump, because he appeals to moderates, where things like free healthcare and not locking immigrants in cages only appeals to far left loonies.The average American wants these things, its just we cant risk the Republicans winning so we have to run on the republican platform from 4 years ago.
None of which are socialist.
They are all systematically weaved out of the closed, private two-party system.
This is the truth.
Americans have shown where their priorities lie, time and time again.
Be that as it may, we also only seem to vote for people that we know aren't going to actually do what they say, except on the issue of immigration.
Trumps response is to offer army barracks and MREs, in exchange for you becoming cannon fodder in his delusional war games.
Yeah. Unfortunately it's been obvious to a lot of us for awhile that it would only come from the ashes of this country.
God I hate Republicans.
Trump is absolute garbage on every single scale and stat, but it's the republican voters who got us here. Fuck every republican voter.
Let's not pretend that the Democrats wouldn't also side with Israel
Not if the democrats keep electing the same type of candidate. The trouble began when they shoehorned in Hilary, would Bernie have ran in 2016 the world would be a better place.
Venture?
Bernie, autocorrected
Ah ok. Lol, for a moment I thought you might have meant Jessie Ventura
Lol. Whilst that would not have solved many problems. In retrospect I would've preferred that timeline.
Yeah, would still probably be an improvement on this one.
What got us here is the same two parties cycling in power for a century. If you believe war is red fault alone and that voting blue will change anything, you are part of the problem.
It's really Democrats and independents who got you there. Unconvinced ones, though. Republicans did what they do, just enough Democrats and independents stayed at home.
If they feel safe leaving their homes, you’ve failed.
Hate is not going to get you anywhere.
Yes some of them voted for him but a bunch of them didn’t.
Stop being defeatist.. inform yourself.. look at the numbers. Look at the evidence. Get active.
If you’ve wondered why everything looks like a coup since he got in, perhaps it is because it is one.
https://lemmy.world/post/31401705
https://youtu.be/AaKFx5rxdmA
https://smartelections.us/
https://electiontruthalliance.org/
Edit: the upvote/downvote ratio on a comment like this shows how rapidly Lemmy is turning into Reddit. Nobody cares about the data, if you remotely sound like defending the GOP down the chute you go.
It’s your loss America. I’ll sleep fine as long as we don’t have electronic voting systems here.
It's not that we don't agree with you, it's that your kinda acting like a dick. Change your tone and you might get a better reception.
And leading with "hate is not going to get you anywhere" and following it with more blame instead of action.
Find your local mutual aid group. Volunteer. Protest. Get involved.
I don't see blame anywhere?
I really don't see it. I see only advice trying to help them get a healthier point of view. 🤷♂️
This has literally the same vibe.
Edit: didn't realize the response was a different user.
I'm not trying to convince anyone of something. I'm just telling why
you'rethey are being downvoted, and it's not because of the content ofyourtheir post. I'd post differently if I were trying to make a sincere point.I'm not the one who made the "dick" comment...
You're saying they should change their tone. 🤷♂️ Meh. Whatever you say.
Apologies, I didn't realize that you weren't the person that I originally responded to.
I'm not trying to convince them. I don't give a fuck if they change their tone. I was only telling them why the post wasn't well received.
Right, fair enough I guess. I just can't see where exactly the dickishness lies. I don't see a "tone" anywhere.
Hahaha WHAT? You're a liar for saying I'm a sexist and for saying I said those things in DMs. Post whatever evidence you want, you asshole. I dare you.
Do you also go around saying men raped you when they didn't?
God, I was hoping I wouldn't run into people like this here on Lemmy. I thought Lemmy would be different.
At least it took over a year or two until I ran into one again. That's to Lemmy's credit.
Spite can be a powerful motivator.
Many people just aren't serious enough to take actions that are material beneficial. We want leftist ideas, but no one wants to form a party or vote for one.
So much for keeping the US out of war..
I can't believe he'd just... Lie to us like we're a court, Congress or himself or something.
I noticed you didn’t say anything about a wife/ex-wife
We don't have to lie to those, we just put those into our golf courses ya ijit
There has never been a decade in the entire history of the US in which it has not been at war. Come to think of it, there are probably like 10 years total, over 250, where there was not direct military action. I think. Have not recently checked the spreadsheet I keep.
Something like 17 years total.
Machines gotta eat
And shareholders gotta profit.
There is no "and". The shareholders are the machine.
Yes we are a shithole country
Trump wants to try for an illegal third term and he thinks that being in the middle of a war will help his chances. “Don’t change horses mid-stream” or whatever bullshit.
i mean that's definitely what's keeping netanyahu in power, and what makes him want to keep all of their wars going
so if it works for netanyahu it will work for trump
Slowing weapons production??? While there are still citizens to vaporize to manufacture consent for yet more war??????
I didn't call it, but there's nothing quite like a war to distract the population from rampant decline at home.
This one is weird though, Iran is allied with Russia. Israel is allied with the US. Historically, this made sense.
But Trump and Putin playing war together would benefit both of them. It allows Putin to pull out of Ukraine because "Iran provided us much help and they need us now." And it allows Russia to maintain the war economy. It benefits Trump because he wants to play war.
Neither leader would have any actual skin in the game, it's just people's lives that would never contribute in another meaningful way to their power.
I don't like this. This is feeling more 1984 than 1984.
Edit: I like this even worse after I read the specifics of the KC-135R and KC-46A. Each can carry about 200,000 lbs of additional fuel. A single F-15E can hold 13,000 lbs internally. 30 KC-135Rs can refuel an entire F-15E 460 times. Israel has 7 KC-130H (60,000lbs) and 7 Boeing 707s (which is what the KC-135 was based on). This isn't just escalation, this is staging for invasion.
yea its a distraction from all the protests, its really making him look bad, but he has the msms focusing on this instead, plus he was using the parade and the shootings as another distraction as well. right now the news practically ignoring the protests. using the. BANNER strategy, flood the MSM with so much crap its hard to focus on one thing. its also known as the firehose of falsehood which is a Russian strategy for propaganda.
Sounds like personal beef.
Before COVID, 2020 started off with Trump drone striking a foreign diplomat and nearly starting WW3.
Both Putin and Trump are approaching dead-ends in their current campaigns. This ICE stuff can't end well for him with so many people out last weekend, and Putin is well stuck in Ukraine, as you say. Whilst they may not be personally interested in the future of Iran and them having nukes by itself, they may need this to save their skin, actually.
Cold War 2: now with more stupid!
Not to mention that this gives him a legitimate reason to invoke the alien enemies act, not that he needed them in the first place, but it will tie up the courts even further.
They hope Iran does something, that warrants NATOs article 5 to be triggered. Either the other Nato countries follow along, weakening Europe, or they don't, which basically desolves NATO and thus, weakening Europe.
No one in Europe still counts on the US in case of an article 5 situation
Why would Putin pull out of Ukraine? Russia is currently advancing and has a much better position in this war of attrition, and the more it keeps gaining, the better the "peace terms" will be in the end. Putin's not fearing for his next term since elections in Russia are manipulated, the Russian economy is alive and well, and in military terms he's in no hurry
Come on now, you don't need to invoke some BlueAnon conspiracy to explain why the US would attack Iran; it's been champing at the bit to do so for decades.
I’d just like to take this opportunity to say “fuck you” to all the service people flying these planes, planning the logistics, and otherwise operating at the behest of our sadistic federal government. Sure, the civilian leadership is ultimately at fault here, but y’all are humans with agency. I’m no longer carving out culpability from these goddamn people anymore. Fuck you terrorists. If we escalate yet another war, I’ll plan to spit on you when you arrive back broken and dead. Bring on the downvotes.
It’s been decades that our military has been nothing but an imperialist boot. There is no moral ground to stand on in signing up. Work fast food.
But fast food won’t guarantee housing or healthcare. Military recruitment preys on those with nowhere else to go.
“Housing.” As in a cot to sleep on? You can get the same at a homeless shelter or by landing yourself in jail.
“Healthcare.” Hm yes the military has a great reputation for taking care of the folks maimed in the line of duty after they’ve sent them into harm’s way. Don’t join the army for your health, y’all!
No like, base housing, or a housing allowance. As for healthcare I see your point and yes that’s a travesty. But my daughter was born in a hospital and I paid zero dollars for prenatal care and her birth. So. That’s what I meant.
Now we’re saying that it’s ethical to join the military because they’ll pay for you to have a baby. Is that really a serious argument?
None of this was meant as an argument to join up, just stating facts in relation to my experience, and how the logic could folllow for some in desperate situations. It sucks to feel like you have to join the military because the starting line is 100 paces ahead of you. All of it sucks my dude. My original point was that recruiters prey on desperation, remember? It’s just up there ⬆️⬆️
Always. Even the continental army was set up to facilitate and enable genocide.
Decades implies that it once (in USAs history) wasn't so, which is false. The rest of it if very true tho.
I’m being generous. I mean the revolutionary and civil wars weren’t exactly imperialism. But you’re right there are older examples to be sure. Like what we did to Mexico.
Centuries*
How hard is it to just not kill others?
Apparently really fucking hard for some.
Instead of "thank you for your service" I guess we'll have to start saying, "fuck you for your service"
Considered that american wars after world war 2 is war of agressions never say thank for your service to any soldier
The nuremberg defense didn't work for the nazis, why should it work for zionists?
Completely
differentthe fuckin sameI was thinking the same about the national guard deployed to LA.
I was hoping to find at least one article that focuses more on that part, but until then: what you said.
We - everywhere - need to talk about soldiers as people, not "the military".
I think there's a huge difference between serving in a military controlled by a healthy democracy, and serving in a military controlled by an authoritarian regime.
Several weeks ago you could forgive someone for not realising that Trump is the latter, but not really any more.
I think you misspelled years
If your job is to support a government that murders children you are a criminal and a coward
This is basic dictator playbook, problems in domestic politics, start a war and problems change to foreign policy.
Putin has done this multiple times now, and Trump is following up.
This is why I say Canada, Greenland, and Mexico are not safe. Added to the fact that all 3 countries have lots of resources the US needs.
Don't forget panama
If the US ever try to take out the Panama channel it would fuck up bigly international commerce. Basically only the US military is going to use it because no insurance company is going to cover ships going through them, and without insurance ships can't even leave port.
Not take out. Take over. And therefore control said trade.
Wouldn't this cause catastrophic domestic problems though. I think the US would tear itself apart trying to go to war with either of those three. Greenland perhaps less-so but still incredibly distasteful.
They won't defend their own democracy. They won't defend mine.
The United Russia party has had a chokehold on Russian elections practically since the day the USSR was dismantled.
There's a lot more to their socio-economic dominance than Russia just starting new wars. RU controls the national media, they have deep roots in petrochemicals and finance and real estate, they're mobbed up, they have control of the military across the officer's corps, and they're embedded all through local government.
Putin could be the biggest peacenik hippie in Russia and that party wouldn't budge from its perch.
He's doing these wars because he's fascist. Not because he's doing 11D politics chess.
Starting a war isn't really 11D thing, it is more like "me big army, me attack" vibe. Even the orange orangutan can figure that one out.
Russia has two exports, fossil energy and war. They know nothing else.
Putin and his party are one and the same.
Russia is the only country left with a functioning space program. Also, one of the few remaining virgin steel manufacturers, in large part thanks to their domestic supply of iron and cheap energy. And, like Ukraine, it is a major regional breadbasket (one of the knock on effects of the war has been a one-two punch to cereal exports into Africa and the Middle East).
They don't have the manpower that China and India enjoy, so they never properly built up their high end service and manufacturing base, even in the Soviet Era. But the "Russia's just an oversized gas station" line doesn't hold up to any kind of close inspection.
60% of their export is fossil energy, it is a banana republic
China, India, and Turkiye have been ravenous in their demand for petrochemicals. These sectors have been growing at a breakneck pace.
Which large US business conglomerate is extracting fruit produce from Russia through armed occupation at below market rates?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic
"In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically and economically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resource."
They are so dependable on fossil fuel export that they try to sway all other nations to use fossil fuels and generate crisis on it to tie other nations closer to it's only source of power in global market. Russia has less GDP than Italy. They are not super power anymore, and every nation should try to get away from their fossil fuels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Fruit_Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic#Etymology
:-|
Ah, Okay. I think I understand the problem here.
Everything you said is true of the GOP/American Right as well, and they do it the same way, through oligarchy, it’s just a matter of they having more time to ratchet it down where the US is just getting its official start, although it’s been working behind the scenes towards this for decades too
As if any USA president wouldn't be doing the same thing.
Time to waste hundreds of billions defending israel while our infrastructure crumbles and our citizens still go without healthcare.
Again.
Gotta keep the Middle East under control so gas prices don't get too high. Americans vote for low gas prices and then pretend to be upset about what needs to be done to keep them low. But y'all will keep voting for low gas prices, so it's all hypocrisy.
If the shit hits the fan, I want too see every single fucking MAGA voter at a US Army recruiting office signing up for 11 Bravo, Grunt Infantry.
Anyone else get the feeling WW3 has already started but we just haven't realised it yet?
Imagine starting WW3 the weekend after 3% of your population came out to protest for other reasons. Your war weariness debuff will hit 100% in one turn.
You could argue it started when Russia invaded Ukraine. But I wouldn't mind Trump being forever remembered in history as the instigator.
I'd say annexed Crimea. (Unless that's what you meant)
You're probably right
You could also argue it started when the US invaded Iraq
It's not a world war if it's not from the Austrian region of Germany, otherwise it's just sparkling aggression.
Austrian region of Germany? I presume with that level of geography you must be American.
I think it's a joke abaut how closely related the countries were, when they started the first 2 WWs (and maybe Hitler being Austrian)
WWII literally began after Austria (Hitler's homeland) was already a region of Germany (since March 38).
wiki/Anschluss
wiki/Reichsgau
Austria had already been annexed by Germany when WWII started
Also Hitler was Austrian. Also Austrians are Bavarian.
Coincidentally, the current German minister of the interior is Bavarian and facing multiple criminal complaints regarding inciting subordinates to commit crimes.
Yeah. It feels that way. What defines a world war anyway? Is it just when "most" countries become engaged in a major conflict?
I assume most nations of the world taking part is correct. According to Wikipedia WW2 is considered to have started after the invasion of Poland and subsequently UK and France declaring war on Germany, however there were other events beforehand:
Considering how much the world has changed since then with advances in technology etc., I think WW3 will look very different if it happens.
Yeah, like which of the recent events will be in future textbooks as the trigger for WWIII, and how will it all lead back to WWI (like WWII is basically a direct consequence of conditions of pre-WWI and major events related to the war & post-war treaties - WWIII in this config is a consequence of WWI/WWII & the forced hegemony/colonialism of USA that followed).
WW2 happened like 25 years after WW1.
It's already been over 80 years since the start of WW2, so I'm not sure you can really assume that they'll be that related.
So what caused WWII?
I assume your answer is 'one man'?
In the same way "terrorist groups" arent created by the dominant force exerting mass injustice?
There's no singular cause of WW2. However, in retrospect, many people would say when Germany invaded Poland.
That said, USSR and Finland were already fighting at that point, as well as Japan and China. It's not a clear line.
Why would you assume that my answer would be "one man"? It was an incredibly complex conflict that was really a collection of smaller regional conflicts with various allies between them.
&
Because basically all of those reasons are the same as WWI but amplified by the restrictions (manufactured economic crisis) posed upon Germany at the end of WWI.
That is why I said it can be viewed as the same war.
(Imho - anyways it's literally just semantics, perhaps propaganda of the victors a bit.)
Much like (the recent-ish) Russia in Ukraine - it's usually not viewed as two separate wars, one in 2014 & the other in 2022. Bcs it's the same thing, it was oblivious that it isn't over & both Russia & NATO/Ukraine have all been actively preparing each year.
Yeah, Japan in China started basically in 31 (13 years after official end of WWI, a much more European thing), whereas Germany's first foreign move was the military invasion of Austria in 38.
WW3 is any ruler biggest dream because it would grant them the highest amount of power they can get. WW3 won't happen as long as people refuse to go to war because rulers never fight their wars and they need pawns who do die for them. You will get a world war once enough people get brainwashed to fought one. Watch out for government and war propaganda.
My God though, can you imagine magas abiding by wartime rationing?? People lost their shit when they were asked, "Please maybe just don't sneeze on strangers in public 5 times a week.."
Doomer brain is toxic. WWIII will be a clear line. They have been.
Months after assassination of Ferdinand the actual fighting began, and most projected it would be just anther war (common at the time in Europe, tho less common each century). People living through it knew nothing about it upfront.
We wildly think of WWII beginning with the invasion of Poland, but it took months for everyone (England included) to realise it wasn't a war between two countries.
Not to mention how WWI & WWII are basically the same war in two seemingly inevitable parts.
And we have had a ton of proxy and/or cold wars between Russia & USA since WWII ended.
Just speculating really. Mind enlightening me what the clear line will be?
Holy moly lemmy has the tard.
Good chat mate. Really compelling argument.
Drugs are a helluva drug
Why do people say such ignorant shit with so much confidence?
Because it is not normal. Nor is it mentally health to be fearful and scared of everything and nothing.
It’s a chronic mental health issue. But yeah go ahead and wave it off harder. That will make it healthier. Internet is getting dumber.
And again we see old incompetent white men starting another war.
A society goes to shit when old men start wars whose conflict they know they shall never fight in
Nice one.
Chicken Hawks who wouldn't go when they were called, but will happily send everyone else's children to die for their oil.
As soon as HitlerPig starts his war, he'll call for a draft. There is no way my son will fight in a MAGA War.
Are people surprised? Republicans are war hawks even more so than the Libs.
But only against countries that pose no threat to them i.e. they are chickenhawks. At least Biden could do the bare minimum to help Ukraine.
They are jingoists, and jingoists are no different than schoolyard bullies who want to appear tough so they loudly proclaim how tough and big they are, which includes an occasional show of force against those they believe won't/can't defend themselves to reinforce their image of being the biggest Tough Guy™ around.
If they win, they win. If they lose, it's because they decided it wasn't worth their time and left willingly, not because they lost.
This country has always been stuck up its own ass.
And considerably more than the bare minimum to help Israel
Dude, USA is the country that is involved in most wars - starts them / finances them / whatever. And they usually find a dummy excuse to preserve their facade of doing good.
Face the truth - you are the bully of the world and the ruling party does not matter.
Was I ever in denial that the USA likes to play bully and world police? Let's not forget our history about the rest of the Western nations, they're hardly angels themselves. We're all the same people anyways. Actually that reminds me of a good ole George Carlin quote, "We come from that northern European, basically the northern European genes, the blue eyes. Those blue eyes. Boy everybody in the world learned real quick, didn’t they? When those blue eyes sail out of the north, you better nail everything down motherfucker."
Agreed. I wanted just to emphasize that the party does not make much of a difference in regards to wars.
Who are you even replying to
You'd be surprised. There are quite a few on lemmy that still do the both sides are the same. Oddly trying to do anything to form a new progressive is also something they don't seem interested in either.
Biden ran on getting back into the deal with Iran, then insisted that Iran must completely return to fulfilling their side of the deal before we would consider returning to ours.
Both sides are not the same but Biden shouldn't be let off the hook for his sudden flip on this issue.
Its one thing to be unhappy with the democrats. Its another (and self defeating) to not want to expand the progressive wing inside of it (or to form a new party and go for local elections) and to not stall alt right republicans everywhere else.
Absolutely, I just don't think it actually helps Democrats in the long run to pave over their often deep flaws. If we were harder on Democrats 30 years ago, we probably wouldn't have Trump today.
Nobody is paving over anything, you just cannot help yourself but shit on them theoretical shit that Biden didn't even fucking do yet.
Yet? I'm not sure how to argue with someone who thinks Biden is still president. It doesn't seem worthwhile.
Both sides are the same because Biden said something that suggested he might be hard on Iran (definitely couldn't be a negotiating tactic)?
Yes I know how you ended your comment, I was replying to the rest of it.
No, it definitely wasn't a "negotiation tactic". It was meant to avoid negotiating without Biden's adoring masses noticing that he did a 180. He caved to AIPAC, as he would continue to do throughout his term.
Why the hell would Iran go back to fulfilling it's obligations under the agreement when the US was still ignoring it's obligations? Why would it bother negotiating with a country that doesn't honor negotiated agreements? Everyone in the foreign policy space knew exactly what it was.
Then why the fuck did you haul out "both sides"? Why are so many people desperate to throw everything into that frame?
Yeah when liberals kill a wedding party or hospital at least they act sad.
Its okay to not like liberals, but that part of my original comment is important.
I read that and it made me sad because that will literally never happen in my potential grandchildren’s lifetimes
Same, but
We still need to get the ball rolling. The institutions and networks we need will take a lot of time to build. I know a lot of our fellow lefties don't want to interact with anything government, but doing so with the goals of harm reduction gives us space to lay the roots and set up the next generation for success. If we are serious about things we need follow ups for our protests and making the best efforts we can in our sub-ideal situations.
I would rather build a real, actual house for people than a system of oppression built on violence.
And before you say “habitat for humanity Jimmy Carter “ it’s the same catty bureaucracy I’ve found everywhere.
And that does not happen overnight, if you don't follow up protests, and some voting.
Wasn't Trump the peaceful dove?
Everyone knew he wasn't going to be able to curtail democratic elections without the excuse of a war. This is on schedule.
I mean, Trump just illegally deployed the national guard and the marines in California. He needed the state’s permission (which he didn’t get) to deploy the guard and deploying the marines is on a whole other level of illegal.
We've got an election in NYC right now, with a pro-Palestine Muslim threatening to upset Trump's close friend Andrew Cuomo. Weird that nobody is claiming this election is being threatened by Trump, given that NYC has an enormous stock of Trump/Kushner accumulated capital.
Or 50x the chances for hijinx, depending on your angle.
Not anymore. The SCOTUS ruled already that they must have their ballots approved by the Feds, and feds can overrule their ballots.
So, Donald wasn't allowed to appear on the Colorado ballot, being an insurrectionist?
So, the SCOTUS ruled the feds control who is on the ballots in each state, right?
There is no such thing as a federal ballot.
Unfortunately the republican run states will bend over whenever Trump tells them to.
I mean the republican lawmakers, not the citizens.
I always thought Trump could curtail democratic elections without the excuse of war ... by relying on a convenient terrorist attack instead.
Nah, a war in the middle east is normal. Nobody would accept a normal situation as justification to cancel elections.
No US president is a peace dove. Between supporting proxie wars to police actions to declared war, they all end up getting people killed by bombs.
No.
We had a lot of "I'm willing to make deals with anyone" rhetoric from the Trump campaign that low-info voters took to mean he was anti-war.
But the underlying Pentagon leadership hasn't significantly changed between Biden and Trump (or Bush and Trump, for that matter). Its all the same neoconservative think tanks writing variations on Project For A New American Century for the modern government.
The idea that you were going to elect an anti-war president went out the window during the primaries. Vanishingly few federal office holders have shown opposition to attacking Iran. Less than what we had in 2003 against Iraq.
Everyone from Richie Torres to Mike Lee seem on board with a brand new Holocaust in the Middle East.
That isn't congress or the president. Pentagon leadership doesn't declare war. Congress has the power to declare war which hasn't happened for some time and since then the president has basically done so, although arguable that it's been a "formal" declaration of war.
This is what people voted for, up and down the ballot. US voters put Trump at the top and yes men in the house and senate.
Vote better next time, I guess.
That they fully abdicated with the 2001 AUMF, which they keep renewing specifically so they don't have to ever make these decisions.
The people vote for candidates, not policies. And they candidates they vote for routinely talk out of both sides of their mouths. NDAAs regularly pass with overwhelming bipartisan support, even as a super-majority of Congresscritters campaign against this or that component of them.
I was told to VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO because there is a Cheeto In The White House. If both major parties field pro-war candidates, what's the move?
That's not strictly true. Trump purged a lot of leadership that was loyal to the Constitution rather than personally to him.
But your overall point about the war-hawkishness remains valid.
This would have to be the most unpopular war in US history and yet I think everyone Trump has surrounded himself with is telling him to do it.
Only idiots are excited about wars.
Search "Altlantic Trident 25"
Under rated comment— is planned excercise in Finland it seems although they don’t mention tankers so who knows
Yeah we're gonna use like 1 tanker for that, 2 on a busy day. The 28 others are going somewhere else
This is not part of that, these tankers are escorting fighters to the middle east
https://www.itamilradar.com/2025/06/17/large-scale-usaf-deployment-to-the-middle-east-involving-over-20-tankers-and-f-35-fighters/
That article is talking about tankers deployed from their European bases.
read the article
"Over the past hours, at least 20 tankers took off from various bases across Europe—including Prestwick (UK), Morón (Spain), and Ramstein (Germany)—to support what can now be confirmed as a large-scale redeployment of U.S. fighter jets to the Middle East."
~~Yes, and the OP article is talking about tankers going across the Atlantic. So these are two separate things. (Maybe related things, but neither article connects the two)
I personally found no source relating then, but I may not know what to search for.~~
Edit: I see now that the OP did list those as airbase where tankers landed after crossing the Atlantic.
Is this san andreas?
Yup, that's right. The scene in GTA San Andreas there has become a viral meme to express... well... "ah shit, here we go again."
We need to fix the voting system. ALL pacs should be banned and campaign spending should be limited.
The silver lining is that this will accelerate the decline of the US Empire which in turn will weaken Israel. Although this will be too late for the millions who have been or are still to be killed because of these psychopathic regimes.
But not without a tremendous loss of life.
Israel is a project, literary run by people not their in the first place, so even if US Empire collapse they will move their money to the next dominant power.
I don't think China gives a shit about Zionism. There's no natural pool of evangelical Christians to brainwash.
China is self-sufficient and has advanced military tech that is at least equivalent to what the US has. Israel has nothing to offer it besides localised spying or murdering people.
Russia is a possibility but it has always found common cause with the Arab nations and Iran so wouldnt be as reliable. It's also not as powerful.
The US is the only sugar daddy for this parasitic colony.
When did china has imperial ambitions in the middle east? From history i only saw cooperation.
True. It does not have the warmongering malign ambitions that settler colonial states like the US and Israel have.
I’m bringing peace to the Middle East! The peace president! 🫲🍊🫱
Don't ya know, he ended the war in Ukraine on day 1!
USA bringing peace usually involves a lot of military airplanes so I don't see your point
I wonder where we'd be today if Trump didn't pull out of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Might not have made a difference, who knows.
Israel would have scratched their butt, then made up another reason to bomb them.
I would still expect israel to attack iran. There is no way that the proxy war could last foverer
When you are 0/2 why go for 3.....
Trump is after Iran's eggs, I guess. He promised the people of the US lower egg prices, he will get them from Iran.
How can people in the US be okay with this? Their quality of life has only decreased since Bush 2 started his wars of terror. A propagandized population driven to hate others and rally behind the president.
As unlikely as it may be, I hope the US loses quickly and decisively against Iran. Not in 20 years from now like in Afghanistan, but soon. I don't know what cards Iran has, what leverage they may have, but I hope they have something that enables them to inflict pain.
Iran is defending, that's why the americans cannnot win this war. They don't have enough bombs to kill every iranian from the sky.
Can't win a ground war. And they know it. Hence the 30 air tankers. Gonna be another shock and awe air campaign. Except half of the middle east or more will be taking part.
Guess its time for the US to lose another war. We haven't won one since the Soviets won WWII for us.
I’m reading this book called Heartland that actually really deep dives into why so many Americans are ok with this, the fact of the matter is huge parts of the US have been living in abject poverty since basically always and it’s part of their culture to not need much, wanting things is looked down on as weakness, it’s a cultural part of long term poverty for huge swaths of the US, that living a hard life is the only way to live, there’s obviously many layers to this but it’s not a thing you can just think your way out of (because not getting educated is also part of this culture) since culture and identity are so deeply intertwined and you see that culture being actively promoted and spread via “trad culture” which is very much popular, especially with young men, trad is just code for poor
The people of the US have never seen a brutal invasion of the middle east they didn't support.
If anyone has good reasons to think otherwise, my anxiety needs something to believe in rn
Surprise attack on Ukraine?
you are making it worse somehow (But I did laugh at the absurdity of it all, so thank you)
Lol same reaction. I don't think it's too absurd, sadly 😔
Chuckle... Oh shit!
Realistically it would be a normal thing to build up forces in the area to monitor and contain the conflict in case of further escalation by either party. Especially with Iranian proxy liable to strike at international shipping in the red sea and straight of Hormuz.
So this could just be a nothing burger. I hope.
Edit: okay yeah. No. 🍊 Is absolutely involving the military in there.
That doesn't' really seem plausible based on the scale of the deployment.
Well, you're dependent on tramp's judgement at this point (panik)...on the one hand his caveman brain knows "oil price spike bad" and he can say no to bibi (kalm)...but he's an idiot and easy to manipulate, so maybe he'll fuck that up too (panik).
Oil price spike is actually very profitable for oil company and bad for not oil company
worry not. remember this is TACO Don... he'll chicken out again
He also said if he was president there'd be no more wars, so this obviously totally super duperly cannot happen.
He openly calls service members suckers and losers. I dont know that he much cares whats done with them.
Yeah, it seems fairly impossible he'll get fully into the war, and even lending a few bunker busters would be surprising when that's risking a blowback on American forces.
I would guess that Trump is expecting Khamenei to cave, because that's what he'd do. Most likely, he won't, Trump will be confused, and this will drag on and on until a regional nuclear exchange is on the table.
Who is exchanging nukes in that? Israel and who else?
Reciprocal nukes like Trump's reciprocal tariffs.
Hasn't Iran been talking about ramping up nuclear weapons production since like the end of last year? I don't think they're actually a nuclear capable nation but I could see them posturing like they are
This comment will age poorly if he don't.
US is going to be bankrupt by the time he is done his second term.
I mean, that's just on brand for him. If anything, he has shown a talent for bankrupcy.
Sounds like the perfect time for Canada, Greenland/Denmark and Panama to launch their preemptive strike and ensure regime change and eliminate US WMD.
Oh good. They're just fueling speculation and not any war machines. ^/s^
Are these american military bases useful for europe anymore? Do we need them? I always thought they were a nato thing, but nowadays I don't know. If europe is alone against the russians anyway and we cant count on nato, maybe we should just tell the american military to leave europe?
Air sharks at a smell of a big conflict in the ME.
So NOW they want to have bases in Europe?
Huh? You do know that the US has bases in Europe since WW2 right?
And you do know Taco Don had a massive meltdown and told everyone the US won’t be having bases in Europe any more.
To a point where personnel in Rammstein base cancelled plans on buying houses in the city.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-considering-proposal-cut-thousands-troops-europe-officials-sa-rcna199603
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/02/us-troops-europe-trump-russia/
Yeah, the US empire sadly won't be pulling out its bases from the EU anytime soon. I wish it did, though
Early 2000's era nostalgia goin real hard
This is really big and scary
https://www.itamilradar.com/2025/06/17/large-scale-usaf-deployment-to-the-middle-east-involving-over-20-tankers-and-f-35-fighters/
Ueah. Yeah its pretty fucked.
The shitty thing is: this mother fucker woild love iranian culture. It's super good at all the shit he fakes like gold plated shit.
he loves russia more.
Please, don't talk like that of Iranian culture. Iran was well on its way towards progressivism, secularism and ending absolute monarchy during the early 1950s, under the presidency of Mosaddegh. This implied developing the country and Iran profiting from its own oil, instead of giving all the profits to British Petroleum, so the US and UK did a military economic embargo of Iran, and staged a coup that reinstated the Shah. Iran could be a perfectly progressive and developed country today if it weren't for the west destroying every country that attempts to take control of its own future.
No im saying iran does the good version of the 'incredibly baroque luxury' shit trump kind of shittily imitates. Iranian culture has the not-entirely-tacky-shit version of that.
And yeah, imperialism sucks.
🌮
I discovered this on another post comment but I think it belongs here more:
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=nCP3LZoxABs
>Error: access denied: denied by administrative rule
Awesome.
Its a skit from The Whitest Kids You Know, "Are we going to war with Iran"
It's basically a youtube link, just switch instance or you can try replacing inv.nadeko.net with youtube.com
Clearly moon bears being transported.
I fucking hate this rhetoric which is: OIL! GAS! BUY OIL! BUY GAS! KEEP PUTIN HAPPY! OIL! GAS!
No one was taking the 'war' between Israel and Iran seriously last week after the initial surge in oil price because the USA was like... "yeah, nah". Now, after a quick call from Putin and bam, all this BS about how the US is pandering for war to drive commodity and share prices up when it's a nothingburger.
Remember kids, buy oil, buy gas and do as you're told.
A-10 movement always preceeds ground deployments. They moved those to Kuwait at the end of March. This has been coming for a while, its not an unplanned thing like it appears.
Any tips? Like do I hoard rice, beans, sugar, spices, things I can trade with other people?
Should I get a pro-grade slingshot, maybe a bow and arrow?
Learn high-density home gardening and safe food preservation. That said, white rice does store a long time so it's a good thing to hoard if you're worried about food availability.
commondreams.org is on my PiHole block list for some reason, is it a low quality news source, or some such? It's not a news outlet I've heard of, at least.
Edit: Ah, because it's a shell going to a CDN that scoops up data and such, seemingly.
Maybe they are invading Greenland. Or it is a ruse and they are invading Canada.
“How to start WW3 in 10 seconds”.
"How to lose WW3 in a day"
Watching https://globe.adsbexchange.com/ and filtering by military-only is fun.
C17s flying back and forth between Ramstein and Israel for a couple hours already (not sure how many normally do, tbf. could be normal)
Cool website. I'm not seeing shit for military flights in the ME. I wonder if they all went dark or if I am not filtering correctly.
it's not a lot, but quite a constant flow (mainly C17) for at least a couple hours.
Armchair theory is that the US large platform bombers will be used to credibly threaten repeated bunker buster hits on Fordow nuclear site. This could pressure Iran to surrender its entire nuclear program including that site.
Currently Israel doesn't have the capability by itself to destroy the site but US bombers possibly could.
I explained it poorly but the other half of the threat is "we have complete air superiority so we can strike your leadership itself any time they stick their heads out of their bunkers" or "we can destroy your oil fields and tank your economy at any point" etc.
Iran has very few chips left to play with considering they have zero air defenses at the moment. I predict they will be forced to surrender their entire nuclear program or they will face a decapitation attack and destruction of their entire refinement capability and military apparatus.
Where can one acquire an anti air missile?
CIA in the 80s
Aisle 23 at Home Depot, I think.
Alles klar, Regal 23 im Bauhaus
I think some French (?) guy managed to get a hold of some that didn't have warheads and took apart the guidance systems on YouTube.
Ask chatgtp.
This will drive oil prices up.
This will give the oil companies a reason to ...
I'm seeing a lot of posts drumming up war hype and WW3 fears but there is nothing to fight. Iran is already cooked and no one is wants to do a ground invasion of Iran. Iran's allies have abandoned them. This is american security preparing for possible counter attacks and bombing targets, not a full on war. Iran is already at war with Isreal.