Apologies for the caps --- copy and pasted -- did not feel like re-writing
This was reported this a.m.. 05 15 2025
SENIOR IRANIAN OFFICIAL TO REUTERS: TEHRAN HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY FRESH US PROPOSAL TO RESOLVE OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES IN NUCLEAR DISPUTE
SENIOR IRANIAN OFFICIAL: IRAN WILL ONLY SHIP HIGH-ENRICHED URANIUM ABROAD IF U.S. LIFTS SANCTIONS "VERIFIABLY AND EFFECTIVELY"
IMHO - part of what Iran is doing is what Russia did since Istanbul - and that is offer to settle at every turn or appropriate occassion - this keeps the UN happy - this keeps all the states in the east happy and cohesive - this keeps Russia and China happy and BRICS happy - everyone happy
And it gains all of their support - Iran is not the aggressor and tried everything to settle reasonably if the US attacks if Israel attacks - that attack is Not provoked and therefore support under UN Article 51 is not only reasonable but likely
As we all are aware The world is turning against the US and Israel diplomacy and war - statements like these only widen that turn - offers of reasonable settlement not responded to or otherwise ignored -
I have argued, along with others, that the fiasco war against Yemen gave pause to Trump re any warlike moves against Iran--and that explains the change in Trump's rhetoric from threats of kinetic war to hints of sanctions. Yesterday DD and LJ argued that it is Tulsi who got to Trump to tell him the disastrous consequences of war on Iran.
The question for Iran is how far they can trust Russia and China. If they can trust those two--or even just Russia--then the rumored deal is very good for Iran. Thus, Iranian public rhetoric may be a message to the US: Look, there's a deal if you'll declare victory and take it; the American people want it.
But the question I ponder is - does American exceptionalism - mean America will not accept the inevitable or the reality - or a " good deal "
due to propaganda, a false belief in superiority, due to AIPAC as mentioned above
I have close friends that argue - still - that US weaponry (airplane to missile) is far superior to Russia and if US actually went against Russia in Ukraine US would win -
.
tough situation - Obama is in large part to blame - he took it away
Smith–Mundt Act, was first introduced by Congressman Karl E. Mundt in January 1945 in the 79th Congress. It was subsequently passed by the 80th Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on January 27, 1948.
This was deemed Very Necessary after WWII and the horrors suffered - to stop propaganda on US soil - unfortunately we have forgotten those lessons - including the reason for the Geneva Convention
OTOH--but Schryver sometimes has axes to grind. Based on the polling Trump might be very interested in such a deal if he thinks he can get it past Israel Lobby:
Will Schryver @imetatronink
 Likelihood of the US agreeing to such a deal: ZERO
Quote
The Spectator Index @spectatorindex
BREAKING: Iranian official says the country is ready to sign a nuclear deal with the US if economic sanctions are lifted
Seems to me that since Trump announced success over the Houthi's he meant capitulation and a strategy shift to empathize with the Middle East as he's out of options based on the military assessment. Could work well actually. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Top Iranian official says Tehran would forgo highly enriched uranium in nuclear deal with Trump
Iranian official Ali Shamkhani,
He said Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, getting rid of its stockpiles of highly-enriched Uranium which can be weaponized, agree to only enrich Uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian use, and allow international inspectors to supervise the process, in exchange for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions on Iran.
Asked if Iran would agree to sign an agreement today if those conditions were met, Shamkhani said, “Yes.”
I agree excepting well many things of recent like the thought of the
JCPOA and Trump history
Israel in Syria Lebanon extending
and AIPAC control of Congress Senate and likely this President and the next Presidential election
I just can't imagine there is anything they can sign today that could not be ripped up or ignored tomorrow - a bit frightening - No One Is Even Trying To Hide It Anymore
AIPAC control of Congress Senate and likely this President and the next Presidential election
I also believe and official Iran official would never say a peep without Russia and China consultation and approval first - not just because RU CH are relied on for i) sanction / economic support , ii) military and intelligence support, but for iii) BRICS
The question is - Removing Sanctions and what that means in terms of Iran being able to trade more freely with Russia and China and vice versa BRICS
I do not believe Iran would give up its ability to have a nuclear weapon, they will commit to not having one, so long as things are status quo - and they have always had that position - but to commit to giving it up and removing all ability to create one [ current stocks and manufacturing ability ] given Israeli behavior of late - I find extremely difficult to believe
A US Navy guided missile cruiser, the USS Gettysburg, mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet - It had taken off from the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier when the USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired on it.
...>>>> Apparently US fired on another plane too that luckily was able to evade their own US missile.
How many times have commenters, myself included, had dire premonitions about the vulnerability of our carriers in this operational theater and yet “ our betters” continue to ignore reality and flirt with an almost unimaginable disaster. This country continues to look like the Keystone Cops of strategic planning and operational awareness! Sooner or later this ill advised path will run smack into reality. I guess they can blame it on Biden. Or Chuck Todd and Jake Tapper.
A phrase I once read said something along the lines that it's better to keep silent and be thought a fool rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Perhaps it's better to be thought a military paper tiger rather than fail a mission and remove all doubt.
From the Federalist link: "But what’s certain is that the neocon approach of starting and funding interventionist conflicts all over the world has not worked. Nation-building has not worked." There is no disputing that although people like Graham and Cotton would prefer not to recognize that truth for their own selfish reasons.
I remember lots of people during Trump's first Admin talking about him being primarily a pragmatist rather than an idealist - and I was one of them. The Federalist essay you link to reaffirms that reality. The good is disavowing U.S. interventionism and "nation building" (i.e., hegemony). The bad is rewarding morally repugnant behavior from HTS and Qatar.
Lots of us would wish he treated the current Syrian leader as the terrorist and the killer of Christians he has been rather than the governmental principal he now is. But Trump remains a pragmatist, with indeterminate moral strength and rectitude, which he nevertheless appeals to, without us necessarily seeing supporting evidence of through his actions. This is the quandary we have. To what extent do we let the perfect be the enemy of the good? It is a determination each of us will have to make with appeal to his or her conscience. And there is always "Trust Trump." IMO. we should consider that there is another object of trust more certain and efficacious.
We should spend our money to improve protection of the 50 States. We should spend our energies earning the respect and admiration of our citizens due to the integrity of our political apparatus and processes. We should learn how to compete economically and politically in an honorable fashion with the rest of the world. Oh, and learn to keep our nose out of other people's business.
If the Houthis, or Iran, or any other country is able to damage or destroy one ship in the carrier group, it’s curtains for the USN aura of invincibility. This is coming, and our trillion dollar navy with $15B carriers will be limited to force projection in safe areas only - in which case, what is the point? We should be focused on building subs that are difficult to detect and destroy, but those aren’t sexy like expensive carriers and stealth aircraft.
And why do we want to take the defense budget to $1T?
The USN becomes the Coast Guard pretty quickly. Power protection not projection. Yes, the carriers are where the money is made, among the political class and Oligarchs and the carriers instantly become figurines of nostalgia for a past that no longer exists. We pay for the memories.
Maybe the US military should do a fundraiser.. say sell raffle tickets of $1B to take a missile shot at a Navy Destroyer with the intent to sink it? $5B per aircraft carrier. Think of the deficit reduction implications.
Those big beautiful expensive carriers sure will look pretty all lit up off of the coast of Florida in the Big Beautiful Gulf of America. That’ll show them!
OK, but the US doesn’t deserve that advice NEARLY as much as the israelis do. There is no one better at engendering antisemitism as that nation of anti-world apartheid.
Apologies for the caps --- copy and pasted -- did not feel like re-writing
This was reported this a.m.. 05 15 2025
SENIOR IRANIAN OFFICIAL TO REUTERS: TEHRAN HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY FRESH US PROPOSAL TO RESOLVE OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES IN NUCLEAR DISPUTE
SENIOR IRANIAN OFFICIAL: IRAN WILL ONLY SHIP HIGH-ENRICHED URANIUM ABROAD IF U.S. LIFTS SANCTIONS "VERIFIABLY AND EFFECTIVELY"
IMHO - part of what Iran is doing is what Russia did since Istanbul - and that is offer to settle at every turn or appropriate occassion - this keeps the UN happy - this keeps all the states in the east happy and cohesive - this keeps Russia and China happy and BRICS happy - everyone happy
And it gains all of their support - Iran is not the aggressor and tried everything to settle reasonably if the US attacks if Israel attacks - that attack is Not provoked and therefore support under UN Article 51 is not only reasonable but likely
As we all are aware The world is turning against the US and Israel diplomacy and war - statements like these only widen that turn - offers of reasonable settlement not responded to or otherwise ignored -
.
I have argued, along with others, that the fiasco war against Yemen gave pause to Trump re any warlike moves against Iran--and that explains the change in Trump's rhetoric from threats of kinetic war to hints of sanctions. Yesterday DD and LJ argued that it is Tulsi who got to Trump to tell him the disastrous consequences of war on Iran.
The question for Iran is how far they can trust Russia and China. If they can trust those two--or even just Russia--then the rumored deal is very good for Iran. Thus, Iranian public rhetoric may be a message to the US: Look, there's a deal if you'll declare victory and take it; the American people want it.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/poll-70-americans-support-nuclear-deal-iran
.
But the question I ponder is - does American exceptionalism - mean America will not accept the inevitable or the reality - or a " good deal "
due to propaganda, a false belief in superiority, due to AIPAC as mentioned above
I have close friends that argue - still - that US weaponry (airplane to missile) is far superior to Russia and if US actually went against Russia in Ukraine US would win -
.
tough situation - Obama is in large part to blame - he took it away
Smith–Mundt Act, was first introduced by Congressman Karl E. Mundt in January 1945 in the 79th Congress. It was subsequently passed by the 80th Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on January 27, 1948.
This was deemed Very Necessary after WWII and the horrors suffered - to stop propaganda on US soil - unfortunately we have forgotten those lessons - including the reason for the Geneva Convention
OTOH--but Schryver sometimes has axes to grind. Based on the polling Trump might be very interested in such a deal if he thinks he can get it past Israel Lobby:
Will Schryver @imetatronink
 Likelihood of the US agreeing to such a deal: ZERO
Quote
The Spectator Index @spectatorindex
BREAKING: Iranian official says the country is ready to sign a nuclear deal with the US if economic sanctions are lifted
Seems to me that since Trump announced success over the Houthi's he meant capitulation and a strategy shift to empathize with the Middle East as he's out of options based on the military assessment. Could work well actually. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
RE: IRAN
I find it difficult to believe - however - this was recently reported
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iran-enriched-uranium-nuclear-deal-trump-rcna206833
Top Iranian official says Tehran would forgo highly enriched uranium in nuclear deal with Trump
Iranian official Ali Shamkhani,
He said Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, getting rid of its stockpiles of highly-enriched Uranium which can be weaponized, agree to only enrich Uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian use, and allow international inspectors to supervise the process, in exchange for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions on Iran.
Asked if Iran would agree to sign an agreement today if those conditions were met, Shamkhani said, “Yes.”
I don't find that hard to believe at all. Further, I would expect Russia--and probably China--to be urging them to take that.
I agree excepting well many things of recent like the thought of the
JCPOA and Trump history
Israel in Syria Lebanon extending
and AIPAC control of Congress Senate and likely this President and the next Presidential election
I just can't imagine there is anything they can sign today that could not be ripped up or ignored tomorrow - a bit frightening - No One Is Even Trying To Hide It Anymore
AIPAC control of Congress Senate and likely this President and the next Presidential election
I also believe and official Iran official would never say a peep without Russia and China consultation and approval first - not just because RU CH are relied on for i) sanction / economic support , ii) military and intelligence support, but for iii) BRICS
The question is - Removing Sanctions and what that means in terms of Iran being able to trade more freely with Russia and China and vice versa BRICS
I should have been more clear --
I do not believe Iran would give up its ability to have a nuclear weapon, they will commit to not having one, so long as things are status quo - and they have always had that position - but to commit to giving it up and removing all ability to create one [ current stocks and manufacturing ability ] given Israeli behavior of late - I find extremely difficult to believe
There has never been any evidence to the contrary to my knowledge.
.
Not to be forgotten but there is so much it gets easy to get overlooked
December, 2024
US Navy warship accidentally shoots down its own fighter jet during airstrikes in Yemen
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-navy-warship-accidentally-shoots-down-its-own-fighter-jet-during-airstrikes-in-yemen/articleshow/116559553.cms
A US Navy guided missile cruiser, the USS Gettysburg, mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet - It had taken off from the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier when the USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired on it.
...>>>> Apparently US fired on another plane too that luckily was able to evade their own US missile.
.
I've opined repeatedly Yemen is the Key
Russia lifted the veil [ in Ukraine ]
Yemen took off the dress
US exposed
.
I was over at the Daily Caller and saw a video of a committee hearing that was interrupted. It looks like an insurrection to me. J6 meet M14.
https://dailycaller.com/2025/05/14/leftist-ben-and-jerrys-ben-cohen-removed-rfk-jr-hearing/
Ben Cohen's still pissed Unilever acquired his and Jerry's company 25 years ago.
How many times have commenters, myself included, had dire premonitions about the vulnerability of our carriers in this operational theater and yet “ our betters” continue to ignore reality and flirt with an almost unimaginable disaster. This country continues to look like the Keystone Cops of strategic planning and operational awareness! Sooner or later this ill advised path will run smack into reality. I guess they can blame it on Biden. Or Chuck Todd and Jake Tapper.
A phrase I once read said something along the lines that it's better to keep silent and be thought a fool rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Perhaps it's better to be thought a military paper tiger rather than fail a mission and remove all doubt.
Agreed!
I have several articles of interest for you and your readers.
The Federalist
https://thefederalist.com/2025/05/14/trumps-riyadh-speech-heralds-the-end-of-failed-neocon-foreign-policy/
American Conservative
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/largest-u-s-saudi-defense-sales-agreement-signed/
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trumps-clean-break-with-the-interventionists/
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-moment-that-tested-u-s-diplomacy/
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-moment-that-tested-u-s-diplomacy/
From the Federalist link: "But what’s certain is that the neocon approach of starting and funding interventionist conflicts all over the world has not worked. Nation-building has not worked." There is no disputing that although people like Graham and Cotton would prefer not to recognize that truth for their own selfish reasons.
I remember lots of people during Trump's first Admin talking about him being primarily a pragmatist rather than an idealist - and I was one of them. The Federalist essay you link to reaffirms that reality. The good is disavowing U.S. interventionism and "nation building" (i.e., hegemony). The bad is rewarding morally repugnant behavior from HTS and Qatar.
Lots of us would wish he treated the current Syrian leader as the terrorist and the killer of Christians he has been rather than the governmental principal he now is. But Trump remains a pragmatist, with indeterminate moral strength and rectitude, which he nevertheless appeals to, without us necessarily seeing supporting evidence of through his actions. This is the quandary we have. To what extent do we let the perfect be the enemy of the good? It is a determination each of us will have to make with appeal to his or her conscience. And there is always "Trust Trump." IMO. we should consider that there is another object of trust more certain and efficacious.
We should spend our money to improve protection of the 50 States. We should spend our energies earning the respect and admiration of our citizens due to the integrity of our political apparatus and processes. We should learn how to compete economically and politically in an honorable fashion with the rest of the world. Oh, and learn to keep our nose out of other people's business.
That's not the NeoCon way now is it.
If the Houthis, or Iran, or any other country is able to damage or destroy one ship in the carrier group, it’s curtains for the USN aura of invincibility. This is coming, and our trillion dollar navy with $15B carriers will be limited to force projection in safe areas only - in which case, what is the point? We should be focused on building subs that are difficult to detect and destroy, but those aren’t sexy like expensive carriers and stealth aircraft.
And why do we want to take the defense budget to $1T?
The USN becomes the Coast Guard pretty quickly. Power protection not projection. Yes, the carriers are where the money is made, among the political class and Oligarchs and the carriers instantly become figurines of nostalgia for a past that no longer exists. We pay for the memories.
Maybe the US military should do a fundraiser.. say sell raffle tickets of $1B to take a missile shot at a Navy Destroyer with the intent to sink it? $5B per aircraft carrier. Think of the deficit reduction implications.
Well said.
Those big beautiful expensive carriers sure will look pretty all lit up off of the coast of Florida in the Big Beautiful Gulf of America. That’ll show them!
Future artificial reefs for sure.
I am pretty sure the F35 was suppost to take evasive maneuvers. Fork Yemen i am not sure where you are but i am in Qatar Yemen is the enemy.
What's the take there on Trump's visit?
Trumps visit was a total victory. Qatar and the Middle East love him and his ideas.
The sooner we learn to walk respectfully among the nations the better.
OK, but the US doesn’t deserve that advice NEARLY as much as the israelis do. There is no one better at engendering antisemitism as that nation of anti-world apartheid.