US Perspective on the Iran - Israel / US War

A great article in the NYT by seasoned journalist David Sanger, about how Trump is trapped by a war he thought would be easy and quick, and how frustrated and erratic he has been acting. All the options outlined for Trump are bad.

 
Watandar said:
A great article in the NYT by seasoned journalist David Sanger, about how Trump is trapped by a war he thought would be easy and quick, and how frustrated and erratic he has been acting. All the options outlined for Trump are bad.

Click to expand...
What about the opinions of those "seasoned journalists" who have been claiming for years that Donald Trump wants to completely destroy the Iran through a prolonged military campaign?

Post mid-term elections in the US (3 November 2026 - just 101 days left), the US President will have 2 years to do whatever he wants with Iran without worrying about political or economic repercussions.
 
Trump's Promise 3 (TP-3): US military airstrikes on Iran

Date​
No. of Targets​
Military Targets​
Source​
07/07/2026​
80​
”Air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 IRGC small boats.”
08/07/2026​
90​
”Air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure.”
11/07/2026​
140​
”Missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations.”
12/07/2026​
”Dozens"​
"Military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats.”
13/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas.”
14/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems.”
15/07/2026​
2 separate waves​
”Coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites. | Command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities.”
16/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities.”
17/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities.”
18/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.”
19/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks.”
20/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems.”
21/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure.”
22/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets.”
23/07/2026​
Not stated​
”Military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities..”
 
Yasser76 said:
They are great at boasting, remember just before this round they were claiming there would be new weapons and they would attack targets outside the region? Their massive reach?

Nope, just Kuwaiti water plants.....
Click to expand...
Well new versions of upgraded missiles were used from what all the reports that came out said…….a lot more than Kuwaiti desalination and power plants to be fair have you seen many American bases from Jordan Kuwait Bahrain Saudi Arabia and etc being blown up why are we pretending like these things didn’t occur and it only occurred because these countries allowed these bases to be used to attack Iran and that these countries own civilian infrastructure was badly degraded because trump attacked Irans civilian infrastructure first while using arab lands to attack Iran.

Sorry this whole fiasco showed that if an Arab country doesn’t join in fighting against Iran they stay safe and sound from Iran retaliating attack but emphasis on retaliatory
 

Top U.S. military commander in Middle East advised halting Hormuz bombing​



The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, Adm. Brad Cooper, recommended stopping the bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz because it has reached the limit of its effectiveness, according to two sources with knowledge of his position.

Why it matters: The recommendation by Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Military Central Command (CENTCOM), together with other advisers impacted President Trump's decision on Friday to pause U.S. strikes against Iran, the sources said.

  • It was an acknowledgement by both military and civilian advisers to the president that there are limits to what can be accomplished through military action, and specifically an air power campaign.
Driving the news: For the first time in two weeks, Trump ordered the military to hold fireand not conduct strikes against Iranian targets around the southern coast of Iran and in the Strait of Hormuz area.

  • The decision came after a meeting with top advisers and military officials who presented him with a new strike plan for the day.
  • In the days before the meeting, Trump had been leaning toward returning to major combat operations, but his mindset started to change on Thursday evening, sources said.
  • His decision to pump the brakes on bombing the strait solidified on Friday.
Behind the scenes: Earlier in the week, Admiral Cooper gave his recommendation on the way forward to the Pentagon, the joint chiefs and the White House, the sources said.

  • He stressed that the two weeks of strikes in the Strait of Hormuz area had significantly degraded Iran's ability to attack ships.
  • Cooper noted that the designated bombing targets had been mostly exhausted.
  • The CENTCOM commander said a possible next step would be to resume major combat operations to finish the 20% of targets the U.S. military designated but didn't strike during Operation Epic Fury.
  • Absent a decision to return to major combat operations, he stressed there was no point in continuing the bombing campaign of the previous two weeks, the sources said.
  • CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins declined to comment.
Zoom in: The sources said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine also cautioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump in private that a shortage of air defense interceptors could hamper the ability to protect U.S. forces and allies in the region.

  • Caine's warning was first reported by the New York Times. A spokesman for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to comment "on confidential military advice the Chairman provides the President".

What to watch: Iran and Oman are still negotiating a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that would be designed to reopen it for transit of ships with no attacks.

  • But it is unclear if a deal between the two countries would be acceptable to Trump. If not, the war could escalate again.
  • In the meantime, the situation on the ground seems to be "quiet for quiet," with both sides pausing their attacks.
  • U.S. ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that while Trump is "keeping all options on the table," the president is also "giving talks [with Iran] some space."
  • Waltz said talks between the U.S. and Iran "are ongoing on every level."
Zoom out: The U.S. and U.K. are still discussing the international conference they want to convene later this week on establishing a coalition to protect and clear mines from the strait of Hormuz.

  • No final date for the meeting has been set.
 
Shags101 said:
Well new versions of upgraded missiles were used from what all the reports that came out said…….a lot more than Kuwaiti desalination and power plants to be fair have you seen many American bases from Jordan Kuwait Bahrain Saudi Arabia and etc being blown up why are we pretending like these things didn’t occur and it only occurred because these countries allowed these bases to be used to attack Iran and that these countries own civilian infrastructure was badly degraded because trump attacked Irans civilian infrastructure first while using arab lands to attack Iran.

Sorry this whole fiasco showed that if an Arab country doesn’t join in fighting against Iran they stay safe and sound from Iran retaliating attack but emphasis on retaliatory
Click to expand...
So, how much of the military infrastructure in the Arab countries that the US has allegedly been using (according to Iranian propaganda) has actually been destroyed?

It's not as if there are hundreds of bases. Has the Al Udeid Air Base been destroyed yet, considering Iran has been attacking it since February?

The US, on the other hand, seems to strike a target once and then move on to the next.

In my humble opinion, Iran's rather pathetic strategy has been to attack tiny Arab countries in the hope that they would somehow pressure the United States into stopping its bombing campaign against Iran. So far, that doesn't appear to be working.

Iran spent decades threatening to "wipe Israel off the map," yet today it shamelessly seems more focused on making excuses for not confronting Israel directly, while instead targeting much smaller Arab countries to keep morale high at home.

Screenshot_20260725-160922_Maps.png

Screenshot_20260725-161740_Maps.png
 
F-22Raptor said:

Top U.S. military commander in Middle East advised halting Hormuz bombing​



The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, Adm. Brad Cooper, recommended stopping the bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz because it has reached the limit of its effectiveness, according to two sources with knowledge of his position.

Why it matters: The recommendation by Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Military Central Command (CENTCOM), together with other advisers impacted President Trump's decision on Friday to pause U.S. strikes against Iran, the sources said.

  • It was an acknowledgement by both military and civilian advisers to the president that there are limits to what can be accomplished through military action, and specifically an air power campaign.
Driving the news: For the first time in two weeks, Trump ordered the military to hold fireand not conduct strikes against Iranian targets around the southern coast of Iran and in the Strait of Hormuz area.

  • The decision came after a meeting with top advisers and military officials who presented him with a new strike plan for the day.
  • In the days before the meeting, Trump had been leaning toward returning to major combat operations, but his mindset started to change on Thursday evening, sources said.
  • His decision to pump the brakes on bombing the strait solidified on Friday.
Behind the scenes: Earlier in the week, Admiral Cooper gave his recommendation on the way forward to the Pentagon, the joint chiefs and the White House, the sources said.

  • He stressed that the two weeks of strikes in the Strait of Hormuz area had significantly degraded Iran's ability to attack ships.
  • Cooper noted that the designated bombing targets had been mostly exhausted.
  • The CENTCOM commander said a possible next step would be to resume major combat operations to finish the 20% of targets the U.S. military designated but didn't strike during Operation Epic Fury.
  • Absent a decision to return to major combat operations, he stressed there was no point in continuing the bombing campaign of the previous two weeks, the sources said.
  • CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins declined to comment.
Zoom in: The sources said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine also cautioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump in private that a shortage of air defense interceptors could hamper the ability to protect U.S. forces and allies in the region.

  • Caine's warning was first reported by the New York Times. A spokesman for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to comment "on confidential military advice the Chairman provides the President".

What to watch: Iran and Oman are still negotiating a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that would be designed to reopen it for transit of ships with no attacks.

  • But it is unclear if a deal between the two countries would be acceptable to Trump. If not, the war could escalate again.
  • In the meantime, the situation on the ground seems to be "quiet for quiet," with both sides pausing their attacks.
  • U.S. ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that while Trump is "keeping all options on the table," the president is also "giving talks [with Iran] some space."
  • Waltz said talks between the U.S. and Iran "are ongoing on every level."
Zoom out: The U.S. and U.K. are still discussing the international conference they want to convene later this week on establishing a coalition to protect and clear mines from the strait of Hormuz.

  • No final date for the meeting has been set.
Click to expand...
I think that, had it been Bill Clinton or George W. Bush, they would have attacked Iran relentlessly, around the clock, for at least six months or so.

I don't quite understand Donald Trump's stop-start strategy, with pauses followed by bursts of attacks.
 
Shags101 said:
Well new versions of upgraded missiles were used from what all the reports that came out said…….a lot more than Kuwaiti desalination and power plants to be fair have you seen many American bases from Jordan Kuwait Bahrain Saudi Arabia and etc being blown up why are we pretending like these things didn’t occur and it only occurred because these countries allowed these bases to be used to attack Iran and that these countries own civilian infrastructure was badly degraded because trump attacked Irans civilian infrastructure first while using arab lands to attack Iran.

Sorry this whole fiasco showed that if an Arab country doesn’t join in fighting against Iran they stay safe and sound from Iran retaliating attack but emphasis on retaliatory
Click to expand...

Israel and UAE untocched mate, that says everything to me
 
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