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Bulletins and News Discussion from June 16th to June 22nd, 2025 - Iran, Harden Your Heart

Image is of destruction and damage inside Israel, sourced from this article.

Iran and Israel have struck each other many times over the last few days. There has been a general focus on military facilities and headquarters by both sides, though Israel has also struck oil facilities, civilian structures and hospitals, and in return for this, Iran has struck major scientific centers and the Haifa oil facilities.

Israel appears to have three main aims. First, to collapse the Iranian state, either through shock and breakdown by killing enough senior officials, or via some sort of internal military coup. Second, to try and destroy Iranian nuclear sites and underground missile cities, or at least to paralyze them long enough to achieve the first and third goals. And third, to bring the US into a direct conflict with Iran. This is because the US better equipped to fight them than Israel is (though victory would still not be guaranteed depending on what Iran chooses to do).

Iranian nuclear facilities are hidden deep underground (800 meters), far beyond the depth range of even the most powerful bunker busters (~70 meters or so), and built such that the visible ground entrances are horizontally far away in an unknown direction from the actual underground chambers. Only an extremely competent full-scale American bombing force all simultaneously using multiple of the most powerful conventional (perhaps even nuclear) bunker busters could even hypothetically hope to breach them (and we have seen how, in practice, American bunker busters have largely failed to impair or deter Ansarallah). There are several analysts on both sides who have concluded that it is entirely impossible to physically prevent Iran from building nukes.

I fully expect the US to join the war. I believe the current ambiguity is a deliberate invention of the US while they work to move their military assets into position, and as soon as they are ready, the US will start bombing Iran. After that, Iran's leadership must - if they haven't already - harden their hearts, and strike back with no fear, or risk following the path of Libya, Syria, and Iraq, either into either surrender, occupation, or annihilation. Every day where they do not possess a nuke is a day where lives are being lost and cities are being bombed.

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5.7K comments

  • As an Iranian it is really heat warming watching all of humanity come together with great joy in seeing us bomb the shit out of the zionist regime. Never in my life have I ever seen so many people united and so happy in seeing anyone get bombed, really goes to show how fucking hated zionists are throughout the world.

  • Everyone, while this is not news, If you've been following my posts over the past few months, you can see that I've been covering the US military buildup in the Middle East against Iran quite extensively. Seeing it all come to fruition after ringing the alarm bell for months, it's nightmarish, I'm feeling sick honestly. Everyone in Iran that uses this website, please stay safe.

  • Im Iranian, if Iran doesn't strike back HARD and immediately go for the bomb, there will be a coup change here by the people for a government that can and will actually protect us. It pisses me off that all these years these 'reformist' fools have been trying to play nice with the west that has fucked us decade after decade instead of cozying up with China and getting weapons, defense pacts, and more than just economic deals with them and Russia as well.

  • This is actually the best Palestine Action direct action so far and I am very happy to see it.

    BREAKING: Palestine Action break into RAF Brize Norton and damage two military aircrafts.

    Flights depart daily from the base to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

    From Cyprus, British planes collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza.

    Not only did actionists manage to break into Britain's largest air force base (RAFBrizeNorton), they also escaped undetected.

    Ordinary people can take direct action to intervene in the genocide.

    https://xcancel.com/Pal_action/status/1935926198304985569

  • I am having flashbacks to 2003. If you are not old enough or not American… I wish I could be more articulate on this. It’s a feeling of foreboding because events are in motion and there is nothing in the universe that can or will stop it. From the perspective of the mainstream media and US politicians, it’s like they’ve learned nothing. Everyone just agrees “this is what we have to do”, and there is no questioning how we move forward.

    But one thing is very, very different; and this is what I’m hanging my hopes on. The bloodlust from the American people just isn’t there like it was in 2003. I know there were some people who were against it but really, pretty much everyone was. All the Barbaras and Debbies (as Hasan says) were on board. All your “apolitical” folks were for it. Everyone had an opinion that was all of 3 minutes old and it was always the company line. The manufacturing consent machine said it had to be done, and the people bought it.

    Before Iraq, Americans viewed actual hot, boots-on-the-ground war in the way we view sanctions today: why not do it, it’s easy our military is great we’ll be in and out easy. Saddam is bad and scary and maybe he has WMDs and maybe he doesn’t but probably a good idea to invade, just to be sure. I do think the one enduring legacy of Iraq on the American psyche is that we are now snake bitten on invading other countries (this is ofc a good thing).

    That is not the case at all right now, the people don’t buy it, and honestly things could not be more different. No one wants intervention. Obviously what the people want won’t stop this train if it’s hell bent on attacking Iran, but I do think it’s something.

  • Boy... October 7th really did set things in motion huh? Looking back at it, when we first saw the videos of our brave men and women crossing the Wall of Hate with motorcycles, pickup trucks, paragliders... didn't we all feel something really big was going to happen?

    There is no going back now, we live in a new world. The brave palestinians who launched an all-out assault against the zionist monster changed the world, with nothing to lose and a lot to win. May that be the date that marks the beginning of "israel's" final moments on Earth.

  • Fuck it, sink the carriers, close the strait, bomb the oil fields. I’m done with this shit. This world isn’t worth saving anyway. Listening to the coverage of this and that speech was the cherry on top. Burn it all down.

  • Funny seeing that European Leaders who were "strongly decoupling" from America because of "Fascism" are now back to boot licking their masters so that they get to kill innocent people in the middle east as well.

  • Russia at the UN Security Council: Israel is still not a member of the NPT, so full IAEA inspections of Israel are not carried out. Iran is the only country that has accepted the most inspections, but instead of thanking this country, we bomb it, and its civilians are targeted. Unfortunately, the director general of the IAEA has never called for Israel to join the NPT; this situation is fraudulent.

  • Yemen says it will resume targeting US warships in the Red Sea if Washington intervenes militarily in support of Israel against Iran.

    In a new statement, the Yemeni Armed Forces warned that any direct US involvement in aggression against Iran would be treated as part of the broader Zionist project to dominate the region—one that has already targeted Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.

    Calling Iran a principal obstacle to that plan, the statement reaffirmed Yemen’s readiness to respond to any escalation and declared solidarity with any Arab or Muslim country facing Israeli attacks.

    I don't think this will shift US decision-making out of bombing Iran (that seems inevitable) but I think it's still pretty significant. Yemen alone was able to tie up a pretty considerable amount of naval resources including interceptor missiles, and I have my doubts that the US will be any more effective than they were last time (that is, not very). Ideally for the Resistance, an aircraft carrier has to be forced to engage with Yemen instead of Iran. In the best case scenario, maybe they even sink one, or more realistically score a notable hit that forces a retreat and months of maintenance.

    What an inspiring leadership and population. Yemen will be remembered for centuries for doing so much to help defeat imperialism when they have so little.

  • Simplicius: Israel Buckles as Iran War Shifts to New Drag-Out Phase

    I have full access to this piece as it's free, and it's pretty long, so I will once again be summarizing.

    • Iran just concluded talks in Geneva with Western representatives and failed to reach a deal as Iran will still not end enrichment, will not end its missile program, and will not negotiate until Israel stops attacking them. Simplicius points out the hypocrisy of the West vis-a-vis Russia ("Russia must end hostilities and withdraw from Ukraine entirely, THEN we can negotiate! Israel, of course, doesn't need to do the same thing with Iran").
    • Iran keeping to its original aims is encouraging, indicating that they think an attritional war with Israel is likely to work. That they're bluffing is certainly possible but doesn't seem probable.
    • Iran has been taking significant damage, though with Israel reusing the same videos a lot, it takes a while to properly analyse things. Radar sites have been hit, and there are about 80 verified hits on Iranian ballistic missile launchers.
    • Simplicius doesn't know how many ballistic missiles Iran has (well, nobody except Iran really knows) but agrees it's somewhere in the low thousands (~3000, maybe more). Some sources claim 1500 have been fired already, while more precise graphs count 500 total launched.
    • Iran can produce up to 300 ballistic missiles per month according to Western estimates. As long as Iran fires 10 or less missiles per day, they can keep firing basically indefinitely without wearing down stockpiles for when they're critically needed (e.g. the US joins the war).
    • Israel's ability to intercept these missiles has been very degraded, so Iran could actually fire even less and achieve the same result. Iran could be thinking that they'll just fire ~5 per day and slowly build up stockpiles over the course of a long attritional war (months or years), even if they lose a couple missiles every day to Israeli bombing. We are seeing this in practice - that Iran is firing less missiles for the same overall result.
    • Iranian senior official Mohsen Rezaee has publically stated that Iran has fired "over 400 missiles" and "over 600 drones" and that "dozens of missiles have hit Israel", which seems to match the graphs carefully counting up to about ~500 missile launches. On the face of it, this means a ~75% interception rate for Israel, and that's certainly a valid way of looking at it. Another way of looking at it is that many of these missiles were very old missiles that were used to waste interceptors so that more advanced missiles could get through later, and Israel itself is admitting that its interception rate is rapidly falling.
    • Rezaee, back in March, stated that they knew that war with Israel is inevitable and was taking precautions. He says Iran's "missile capabilities" (a delightfully ambiguous word) were ramped up by 5 or 6 times. The most sensible way to interpret "capabilities" is probably "production". It's not clear whether this means production has been increased to the Western estimate of 300 per month, or if it's now substantially higher than that, but regardless, it's clear that Iran is following Russia's example, implementing a massive military-industrial campaign which dramatically outproduces the West.
    • He also stated that Iran, as a precaution, already removed its most important nuclear program materials to safe locations, so what Israel is currently striking is achieving very little. There are flashy images of precise missile strikes by Israel, but these could very much be striking empty facilities. And even the West admits limited effectiveness overall despite the precision; e.g. at Natanz there's only damage to electrical components, which could be replaced in mere months.
    • Trump delaying might point to a growing doubt that they could even destroy Fordow, but Simplicius admits that his words are hard to interpret given that he similarly lied about extending negotiations just before Israel struck.
    • Simplicius regards Israel to be on what is essentially a genocidal ponzi scheme - you start a conflict, it goes badly, and so to distract from it you start a new conflict, which goes badly, and to distract from that you start a new conflict, which goes badly, and so on. This strange strategy matches the rhetoric of some Zionists which apparently want to go for Qatar, Pakistan, and/or Turkey "after Iran".
    • This strategy is now causing very major economic damage to Israel. Some shipping companies, like Maersk, are refusing to go to Haifa, Israel's only operational deepwater/hub port (as Ashdod is too close to Gaza and Eliat under Red Sea blockade via Yemen). The airports are under lockdown, and Israelis are being forced to remain in the country.
    • Notable Israeli strikes on Iran have similarly declined, particularly as Iran is ruthlessly hunting Mossad operatives in a dragnet across the nation and is striking Israeli intelligence sites within Israel itself. The shock phase appears like it may be over, and we may now be in the attritional phase. Only US intervention might save Israel, but given Iran's options to counter the US both militarily and economically, Trump is right to hesitate if he isn't merely bluffing.

  • Trump..... Uses an MOAB in Afghanistan, used nuclear brinksmanship against north korea, just YESTERDAY mulls tactical nukes in Iran and libs wonder why those of us outside of the US would want nukes or some deterrent. Even your dems are bloodthirsty genocidal maniacs and a guy like trump or worse is one election away in a highly flawed democracy with racist gerrymandering...... And we should just trust this international "order".

    These fuckers will lead us all into an abyss

  • Yedioth Ahronoth, citing Israeli officials, says that Israel will 'immediately accept' a ceasefire if Iran proposes it.

    Right on schedule, the Israelis are now saying they'll accept a ceasefire with Iran if Iran agrees. These strikes were merely the off ramp to allow Israel to exit a disastrous miscalculation. We'll see if Iran gives them the out, or decides to commit and punish the Israelis and Americans while they have they reeling.

    Given the mood of the Iranian people, even if the government wanted a ceasefire I don't think they can. The time for talk is long past. Israel finally bit off something they can't chew up.

  • Reality is winning: War, resistance, and the reunification of nation and state in Iran by Nahid Poureisa

    Something is happening in Iran.

    People are not only supporting the war, but they are getting closer to the state. The concept of “nation” has undergone a shift. In recent days, I have seen things I never could have imagined.

    One of the most powerful images was a viral video: A young woman in Tehran, without hijab, wearing a koufiyeh, singing a deeply patriotic song under Azadi Tower, the symbolic heart of Tehran. This was not just a moment of performative nationalism; it was a statement, a contradiction of the narrative that pits the Iranian people against their state.

    Social media, once a battleground of polarizing slogans, has become a platform for national unity. Campaigns are emerging one after another: to sign under the Iranian flag, to denounce Iran International (a channel broadcasting from Tel Aviv), and to criticize its recent interview with Netanyahu.

    And it’s not the so-called conservatives or state loyalists pushing this narrative. It’s people from the same class and lifestyle background as the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protesters, those who just 4 years ago were seen chanting for regime change.

    On the train, the conversations are no longer about dissent, they’re about the war. Women were there for each other emotionally. One was unsure whether she should leave the capital. I told her, “The Zionists would not dare to attack civilians again.” she replied, “But they already did.”

    “Yes,” I said. “They did, during the first two days. But after Iran’s retaliatory operations, they learned that Iran is not only capable, but determined, not just to restore deterrence, but to dismantle the enemy’s power entirely.” I could see confidence return to her face.

    Another woman joined in, agreeing with me. “The attacks were mostly done by Mossad agents,” she added. “Now things are more under control.” I nodded.

    In the same train, a street vendor walked through the wagon, smiling. “We continue to live,” she said. “There is no other choice. I need to sell.” That was it, that moment helped me piece together the answer to a question that’s been haunting me: Why are people scared and yet still supportive of Iran’s stance?

    For years, especially during the peak of “Woman, Life, Freedom,” we witnessed a profound split between the state and the nation in Iran. During the 2022 World Cup, at the height of the protests, many refused to support the national team, claiming it represented the Islamic Republic, not the Iranian people. That moment became a defining line. If you cheered for Iran’s team, you were automatically seen as being against the “revolution” [of Woman, Life, Freedom], a movement that had been hijacked and bankrolled by imperialist agendas.

    But now? Why not apply the same logic? Isn’t this just a war between the IRGC and "Israel"? Can’t we say it’s a war between two evils?

    No. Not anymore.

    Back on the train, I realized how the concrete conditions of everyday life override Western-fueled delusions.** The smear campaigns and misinformation wars can’t hold against direct, lived experience. Why? Because people realized something crucial: their loved ones were attacked by "Israel". This wasn’t a fabricated threat from the Islamic Republic. The enemy of the state is now recognized, viscerally, as the enemy of the people.**

    That unification is a turning point: the merging of state and nation.

    Reality is defeating BBC Persian. Reality is defeating Iran International. Reality is bitter, but it’s powerful. In order to survive, you must fight back, and who has the means to fight back? The Iranian state. Its military.

    After the recent Israeli aggression, Netanyahu posted a video calling on the Iranian people to rise up and “finish what he started.” He believed that by killing commanders, he could encourage the public to weaken the state. But this was a strategic miscalculation. He thought he could become more popular with the people by killing them.

    No. He can’t. Reality is winning. The Iranian state is winning.

  • If I hear one more "it's an unconstitutional act!!" argument I will scream and lose my fucking mind, whatever is left of it anyways. This is the highest level of argumentation and debate the "US" society is willing to have.

    And so what? If the "Constitution" allows for such strikes to be carried out, that would make them okay?

    Discussing tHe CoNsTiTuTiOn feels so 1800s, brother it's a piece of paper that has no value whatsoever when you live in the fucking imperial core lmao. Jesus christ these people are fucking lost and ready to be swallowed whole by fascism. What are they going to do, impeach Adolf Hitler?

  • In US politics, the NYT effectively endorses Andrew Cuomo for NY mayor by telling its readers not to vote for Mamdani and that the race will come down to the two of them, so just suck it up and vote for the sex pest.

    Readers may recognize this as the strategy used by Democrats in the last presidential election.

  • If Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election in NYC he must purge the comprador NYPD and appoint loyalists in addition to immediately pursuing the acquisition of nuclear deterrents to preserve the New York People’s’ Revolution.

  • Senior Pentagon officer gets into trouble for calling Israel a death cult among other things on semi anonymous social media accounts

    Colonel Nathan McCormack, who leads the Levant and Egypt branch at the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s J5 planning directorate, has used a semi-anonymous account to post numerous comments targeting Israeli actions and US support.

    Stuff he posted

    Netanyahu and his Judeo-supremacist cronies are determined to prolong the conflict for their own goals: either to remain in power or to annex the land.”

    “Israel’s actions over decades have prompted the accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide.”

    “The Western states go to great lengths to avoid criticism of Israel, much out of Holocaust guilt.”

    “Our worst ‘ally.’ We get literally nothing out of the ‘partnership’ other than the enmity of millions of people in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.”

    “The US has not been an honest broker. We have overwhelmingly enabled Israel’s bad behavior.”

    “Israel want “to expel them and cleanse ‘Eretz Israel’ (Greater Israel) of ethnic Palestinians.”

    Since June 2024 he also called Israel a “death cult”

  • It is 2003 and America is using non-existant WMDs to start a war in the Middle East

    It is 2025 and America is using non-existant WMDs to start a war in the Middle East

    It is 2055 and...

  • In extremely local news I just want to thank the player named "bes" on the opposing team for helping me win my overwatch game just now

  • Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi: 'The enemy requests for Iran to return to diplomacy are irrelevant now. The door to diplomacy is definitely closed.'

  • My understanding is that Israel, as a nation, has completely shut down economically. No one is working, everyone is in bunkers and safe rooms. IF this is true, this is the most unsustainable aspect of the war. It cannot continue for much longer. Israel, as a much a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie as any western nation, will either have to sue for peace or force people out of the bunkers and back to work under fire.

    David Harvey defines capitalism as “value in motion”. Motion is the process of producing something, selling it, then taking the proceeds and investing it in more production. Marx explicitly proves this at the end of volume 2 of Capital but really, the idea that capitalism must always be in motion and always be expanding saturates his works. Motion is the beating heart of capitalism. It’s not that a country can’t survive because there’s no economic activity. Under other economic systems yes, but the lack motion in capitalism will kill it.

    In the US, we were always going to just let COVID rip. One reason is because neoliberalism has hollowed out the state’s ability to respond to crises. But just as much as that, capitalists cannot let everyone just stay home, even if the state reimbursed their losses.

    I don’t think can go on for many more days, much less weeks. I expect we’ll hear stories about how Israelis need to “get back to work” to show Iran they’re not scared or whatever. But even Israelis are not above the whims of capital.

  • JD Vance on Meet the Press:

    "I certainly empathize with Americans that are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the middle east. I understand the concern, but the difference is that back then we had dumb presidents and now we have a president who actually knows how to accomplish national security agendas."

  • A former CIA officer has shared his thoughts on the unfolding situation:

    "Given that history, I suggest everyone pour themselves a big scotch or vodka and relax. Initial reports almost always are grossly exaggerated. Here is one possibility: Trump may be doing another Houthi spin… you know, declare that Iran has capitulated and then pull US forces out of harms way. Iran has been extremely patient to a lengthy list of US provocations. I believe they were counseled by Russia and China to let the US strike the first blow, then Iran could retaliate and would have the full backing of both countries. It is highly unlikely that the US has delivered a crippling blow to Iran. If anything, the US has now provided the hardliners more ammunition for Iran to do the very thing that Trump claims he is trying to prevent… build a nuke.

    There is a lot of political theater going on in Washington. Have you heard any word of the Bushehr nuclear reactor? Notice that not one word is being said about the Bushehr nuclear powerplant. Not one. Why? Because the Russians are there and that is the only place in Iran that is protected by a Russian-supplied S-400. Russia explicitly warned Washington and Jerusalem that any attack on that facility would be considered an attack on Russia. Oh, by the way, Russia also is building two additional nuclear powerplants in Iran and neither of them has been touched either.

    Maybe Iran’s next step is to contract with Russia and China to rebuild and restore the nuclear facilities that have been attacked. With Russia and China on the ground at those sites, the West, including the Zionist crazies, would face serious risk of igniting a global conflagration if the West attacked them. The critical point is that Russia and China are going to have Iran’s back on this. To do otherwise would simply embolden Trump and NATO to pursue similar measures against Russia and China. I think Putin and Xi grasp that strategic reality.

    I expect Iran will hit US bases — airfields, naval facilities and ground installations in Iraq and Syria — within the next 24 hours; perhaps sooner. In the event that the US suffers casualties, then Trump will be under greater pressure to escalate. At that point, Trump will have lost control of his agenda and will be a hostage to a new war that he started. He didn’t learn a damn thing from his failed venture with the Houthis and now, by fighting Iran, is going to become more ensnared in the West Asian quicksand."

    https://sonar21.com/will-trumps-political-military-theater-widen-the-war/

  • Traitor Communist Party of Iran calls for overthrowing the Islamic Republic while the US is preparing three aircraft carrier strike groups off the coast and the zionist entity is killing entire families in Tehran.

    Yes its real. Link to official statement.

5726 comments