After months of building up US forces in the frontier around Iran, nominally to counter an Iranian threat, the Pentagon is now quietly reversing course, conceding that Iran isn’t nearly the threat they’d presented it as.
Interestingly, Pentagon officials are being quoted as attributing this to the coronavirus, arguing it has devastated Iran, greatly limiting the Iranian ability to retaliate to US actions, and leading Iran to take a more internal focus.
Coronavirus has hit Iran relatively hard, and is a major focus for the country, as it is for many other countries. It seems to have been unexpected for the Pentagon that anything but the US military might be the real primary focus of a nation like Iran.
Either way, the Pentagon seems to make its decision that Iran is a threat or not a threat more or less independent of anything Iran actually does, and deciding that they are less of a threat is a generally positive thing, facilitating US drawdowns from the region, and possibly a more peaceful region.
This would be a good time for the U.S. and Israel to try to help Iran .
Iran should reject any offers of help from Israel. And I am sure it will should Israel try to “help.”
You just said what I was thinking, Solly. Anyway, I fully agree with you .. Yes, Iran should reject any offers of help from Zionist Israel, and I’m also sure it will should Israel try to “help”.
Israel’s been using its jet pilots to bomb Iranian advisers and Hezbollah units in Syria .. So, Iran isn’t about to allow the Zionist Entity to “help” rid the Islamic Republic of coronavirus.
However, Iran’s considering accepting US offers of help, under conditions such as admitting only medical personnel – mainly physicians and scientists.
What? As if the USA does not need all its own medical staff, since it has made no attempt to prepare or have any resources to combat the virus!
All the USA has to do is STOP the terrible illegal and cruel sanctions it has imposed on Iran.
I think the only kind of “help” Iran should accept from the US is lifting of sanctions on medical products–something that should not have been done in the first place. No country should be denied the right to import food and medical supplies.
PS: Looks like we’ll have four more years of Trump, although the demented Biden would be no improvement.
How convenient for the US that COVID-19 has taken such a terrible turn in Iran. Makes one wonder if this was a chemical weapon released for this very purpose?
Exactly what I was wondering.
You realize that would be a bioweapon, not a chemical weapon. And no, it’s not. Many scientific publications have indicated its origin in the wild. Pretty stupid weapon design and aim at Iran that spreads in CHINA fast but only kills the old and sick and then hits the whole world.
When has any US weapon or plan ever worked as planned? You don’t know what goes through their stupid heads or how they think and China may have been their one and only target but that just makes my point they never think about what might go wrong. I still say HIV will ultimately end up being a weapon of Reagan. What a more perfect weapon it only kills the so-called undesirables in society.
First China then Iran?…. Hmm
Wouldn’t be funny if U.N./U.S generated the C-virus fear in order to circumvent it’s own sanctions?
This is merely an opportunity for a climbdown. Nothing US has done to ratchet up conflict with Iran has worked. Trashing UN sanctioned agreement, reimposing sanctions, ramping up forces in Iraq, first Gulf tanker sabotage, second tanker sabotage, drone overflights, Saudi oil facility bombing blamed on Iran, assassination of Soleimani and Iraqi counterpart, Iranian retribution. Neither UAE nor Saudi Arabia could be persuaded to assume the role of righteous victim, take first step in hostilities, allowing US to come in to help. With Iraq requesting US troops to leave, and US refusing, Iraqi military is not conducting any joint anti-terrorism missions.
It is rather hard to find these terrorists in Iraq since all Sunni clans leaders have a deal with Baghdad. What remains are some gangs, but such existed and still exist in mafia style organized crime. We have really no business being police in Iraq — hanging around to see if some Kurds can be bought again.
Since no Gulf country is suicidal — they do not wish to have a war on Iran. They are geographically extremely vulnerable, have no protection of their utilities, and all the billions invested in defending key oil infrastructure – was not worth a dime when drones struck.
And, amidst the usual noise about MBS being mad, arresting his rivals, while his father reads children books in his second infancy -/ we missed the point. Saudi Arabia accused US — meaning probably CIA — for planning a coup. Which given that former Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef was our favorite, and ousted by MBS in June 2017, it is not far fetched. He is the guy who could go after Iran, just as we directed him to attack Yemen back in April 2017.
So now Saudis are pissed. Pissed enough to persuade Russia to break with OPEC, taking blame for oil crash — while we forget instantly that it was Saudi Arabia that slashed its price the next day.
I think that for the time being Iran cannot be attacked, and it is too close to election, too much problems with fracking industry cracking, stock market tanking and with coronavirus on the top of it all. And did I mention Israeli political chaos continuing? Yes, I would say we decided that Iran is not a threat, as we cannot credibly threaten Iran.