Middle East

[steross]

It is crazy that we will go through all this death and mayhem to contine with the same Iran just hoping for a more moderate Ayatollah for a while until they groom their next hard-liner.

The Iranian outreach, and the chaos in Iran’s leadership ranks as the assault continues, highlights the key issue Mr. Trump faces as he decides what sort of Iranian government he might hope to shape, or at least settle for. He already seems to have stopped promoting his initial scenario of a popular uprising against the government yielding a new set of leaders and instead seems to view the best outcome as more pragmatic figures emerging atop the existing political structure.

Iran Made Secret Outreach After Strikes, Highlighting Trump’s Challenge

President Trump is beginning to consider what sort of Iranian government might come next, as the U.S.-Israeli assault continues.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Polds4OSU]

Hegseth says US sub sank Iranian warship off Sri Lanka​

 

[PF5]

Strikes kill head of Iranian unit that plotted to assassinate Trump: Hegseth axios


The leader of an Iranian unit that sought to assassinate President Trump was "hunted down and killed," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday.

The big picture: The plot to target then-candidate Trump has seemingly fueled his ire toward Tehran, with him recently telling ABC News that the U.S. "got" Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "before he got me."


Driving the news: Hegseth said that killing the leader was "not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination," but "if we had the opportunity to get at those who are trying to get at Americans specifically, we would."

• The opportunity arose "from the air," he said. He did not name the individual killed but said the operation took place Tuesday.
• "Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh."

Catch up quick: The Justice Department alleged a man in 2024 was tasked with carrying out the Iranian plot to kill Trump.

• Neither of the other two attempts targeting Trump — in Butler, Pennsylvania, and at his Florida golf course — were linked to Iran.
• Axios' Alex Isenstadt previously reported that Iran's threat to Trump led to extraordinary precautions by his team, including a decoy plane.

• In 2022, the DOJ also unsealed charges in connection with an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser and a driving force behind the "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran.

• The opportunity arose "from the air," he said. He did not name the individual killed but said the operation took place Tuesday.
• "Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh."

Catch up quick: The Justice Department alleged a man in 2024 was tasked with carrying out the Iranian plot to kill Trump.

 

[PF5]

HRANA – In the last 24 hours, and as of March 3, 2026, at 17:00 ET, HRANA has recorded at least 104 attacks across 85 incidents in 19 provinces, resulting in a total of 31 casualties (killed and injured, both civilian and military). According to aggregated data since the outbreak of the conflict on February 28, the total number of reported civilian deaths has reached 1,097, including 181 children under the age of ten. An additional 880 reported deaths are currently under review for verification and classification. The number of reported civilian injuries since February 28 has reached 5,402, including 100 children.​

 

[cowboyinexile]

Samsung News

A US Navy submarine sank an enemy warship with a torpedo for the first time since World War II. Here's the video.

www.samsung-news.com

"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," Hegseth said. "Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death, the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win."




That guy is such a chode.

 

[Polds4OSU]

Hegseth: "Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We're playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it ... we are punching them while they are down"

Aaron Rupar (@aaron.rupar) on Threads

Hegseth: "Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We're playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it ... we are punching...

www.threads.com

 

[Polds4OSU]

Hegseth: This is what the fake news misses. We've taken control of Iran's airspace and waterways without boots on the ground, But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it's front page news. I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad. But try for once to report the reality.

MeidasTouch (@meidastouch) on Threads

Hegseth: This is what the fake news misses. We've taken control of Iran's airspace and waterways without boots on the ground, But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it's front page news. I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad. But try for once to...

www.threads.com

 

[Polds4OSU]

Republican Rep. Tim Burchett responds to Lindsey Graham calling for Trump to conduct joint strikes with Israel on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Lindsey hasn’t seen a fist fight that he hasn’t wanted to turn into a bombing raid, so I’d just take it with a grain of salt, dude.”

JR Seikaly (@intogrey) on Threads

Republican Rep. Tim Burchett responds to Lindsey Graham calling for Trump to conduct joint strikes with Israel on Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Lindsey hasn’t seen a fist fight that he hasn’t wanted to turn into a bombing raid, so I’d just take it with a grain of salt, dude.”

www.threads.com

 

[osuwhit]

"The left" hates the guy. I do too. He is the least popular dem by a longshot. He is the DNC donor class' guy.

He wont have a seat in 2028 when he is back up for election. You heard it here (probably not first)!

Voting for people you hate is weird and I heard it from you first! That is good news.

 

[GratefulPoke]

Voting for people you hate is weird and I heard it from you first! That is good news.

 

[Polds4OSU]

Wall St set for higher open on report of Iran's secret outreach to US​

link vai Reuters

MSN

 

[KK10]

That guy is such a chode.

That is 100% correct.

The video of that torpedo hit is wicked though...

 

[Polds4OSU]

Graham Platner on Iran: “Nobody wants this war. They know what it’s actually about. This is a war being pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s been trying to make this war happen for almost 30 years. This war is also being pushed because Donald Trump is in the Epstein Files”

Marco Foster (@marco.foster) on Threads

Graham Platner on Iran: “Nobody wants this war. They know what it’s actually about. This is a war being pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s been trying to make this war happen for almost 30 years. This war is also being pushed because Donald Trump is in the Epstein Files”

www.threads.com

 

[Polds4OSU]

Pete Hegseth now says the war in Iran could last 8 weeks.

That is double from what Trump said two days ago.

Aaron Parnas (@aaronparnas) on Threads

Pete Hegseth now says the war in Iran could last 8 weeks. That is double from what Trump said two days ago.

www.threads.com

 

[KK10]

I'm still waiting for one of our high-ranking government officials to refer to it as a "special military operation" to avoid using that "W" word.

 

[cowboyinexile]

I'm still waiting for one of our high-ranking government officials to refer to it as a "special military operation" to avoid using that "W" word.

Maybe sprinkle a little denazification in there as well?

 

[Vakarian74]

Hegseth: "Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We're playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it ... we are punching them while they are down"

Aaron Rupar (@aaron.rupar) on Threads

Hegseth: "Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We're playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it ... we are punching...

www.threads.com

This douche talks like he's in a movie.

 

[osuwhit]

I'm still waiting for one of our high-ranking government officials to refer to it as a "special military operation" to avoid using that "W" word.

There was a time when they called it a "conflict."

 

[KK10]

There was a time when they called it a "conflict."

That's kinda what made me think about the "special military operation" phrase. I think once the conflict involves torpedoing a warship, it has escalated enough to call it a war.

 

[Polds4OSU]

Americans stranded in the Middle East say the State Department hotline Marco Rubio told them to call plays a recorded message warning: “Please do not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation at this time.”

MeidasTouch (@meidastouch) on Threads

Americans stranded in the Middle East say the State Department hotline Marco Rubio told them to call plays a recorded message warning: “Please do not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation at this time.”

www.threads.com