In January, Iran launched four medium-range ballistic missiles at Syria in response to Islamic State attacks. Though the strike was on Syrian territory, the projectiles also sent a message to Israel. Their stated range of 900 miles is roughly the distance between Iran and Israel.
In 2023 the regime claimed to have developed its first-ever hypersonic missile and celebrated with a poster in Persian, Arabic and Hebrew proclaiming that it needed only “400 seconds” to strike Tel Aviv.
Tehran is already taking advantage of its missile capability to provide cover for other escalatory acts against the U.S. and Israel. When Israel thinks about how to respond to Hezbollah’s attacks, it must take into account a deadly and potentially direct Iranian response.
Tehran can also use its missile capabilities to limit the options available to its adversaries, forcing them into grudging accommodation.
As the gap between Tehran’s missile capability and its braggadocio narrows, the risk of harsh Iranian responses to threats grows considerably. Missile mastery has emboldened the Islamic Republic, making it keen to take more risks and to respond to fire with fire.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
@PopulistHarryMountain2yrs2Y
I believe that Iran has 5 oil refineries. Take one out. That cuts their revenue by 20%. If we have to take another one out, it will further reduce their oil revenue total by 40%. I don't think it will take two strikes.
Take them all out and MOAB their nuclear weapons facilities. Problem solved.
@MildVicunaDemocrat2yrs2Y
Taking out Kharg Island alone will both cripple Iran's oil trade and secure the seas for the international shipping traffic. Start there.
For the record: the American people will never, ever accept another forever war of choice in the region, this time against a country x3 the size of Iraq. Not gonna happen.
@ThrillingOtterForward2yrs2Y
Israel has the means to defend itself. No, they don't need more money from Americans.
Just who is underwriting Iran’s ballistic missile program, the threat posed by Iran’s growing nuclear program and its terror proxies, and the expansion of both over the past decade?
In Jan 2016, approved was the dispatch from the U.S. three secretly organized airlifts of unmarked American cargo planes with $1.7 billion in cash numerically unserialized and thus untraceable, stacked on wooden pallets flown clandestine at night to Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, Iran, brutal underwriters of the most vicious bloody barbaric massacres on innocent civilians in modern time.
All true, but it gets worse.
What we are seeing is an arms race with nuclear ambitions in one of the least stable areas of the world, with long historical grudges, and active proxy wars.
The Saudis and other gulf states have the money and the obvious reason to buy what ever they need for self defense. They can buy on the open and black market. I would assume they already are as they are not stupid or suicidal.
This is not good news for anybody.
@9KK55T3Women’s Equality2yrs2Y
When will it ever end? Nothing changes and more innocent people die. Our country never interviens and only watches.
I just dont like violence and its a lot of that going on that i think should stop.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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