Iran Super Thread- Merged

[daftandbarmy]

Once air supremacy is achieved it would be interesting to see what might come next, e.g.,

Trump’s Iran options include special operations raid on nuclear sites

As the Trump administration weighs whether to send ground troops into Iran, one option at the president’s disposal — developed by both US Central Command and the US’ Israeli allies — would send Special Operations units into the country to seize and destroy key nuclear sites.

The option is one among many that is likely to be considered once the focus shifts to actually destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities, according to military experts and those familiar with long-developed options on the table.

The US Army’s special missions unit known as Delta Force has long readied a “counter-WMD mission, where their job is to go in and get loose — we call it loose nukes operations — where it could be any fissile material or centrifuges or anything else associated with that, to actually go in and get it and remove it,” said Jonathan Hackett, who served as a US Marine Corps interrogator and a special operations capabilities specialist. “They haven’t had to do that very often in the past, if ever, but they practice that. They’re proficient at that. That is one option that exists on the table that’s probably not widely noted in the press, but does exist,” he said.

Last June, Trump declared Iran’s nuclear facilities to be obliterated, but the facilities — and Iran’s nuclear capabilities — are now the subject of renewed focus. One of Trump’s stated goals in this war is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Trump’s Iran options include special operations raid on nuclear sites

Former government sources and military experts say elite units have long prepared to land in Iran.

www.semafor.com

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

I’m sure such a network exists to at least some extent. I question whether Pahlavi would be seen as a democratically legitimate choice by a sufficient portion of Iranins in country. If that support was there I’m bloody sure the US and Israeli intelligence would know and the administration would be giving different signals on his viability.

I guess it depends on whether he is willing to follow his father in the days when he had an elected parliament that had a PM who led the country, and the Shah was just the figurehead Head of State, or if he follows in his father's footsteps as a dictator. In the first case, it would work for the Iranian people - as long as Bozo in Washington let them make their own calls on what is best for the Iranian people and doesn't seek to get pay back for what he did (in the sense of saying "what's in it for me (or the US, but ME more than anything else).

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I’m sure such a network exists to at least some extent. I question whether Pahlavi would be seen as a democratically legitimate choice by a sufficient portion of Iranins in country. If that support was there I’m bloody sure the US and Israeli intelligence would know and the administration would be giving different signals on his viability.

This administration likely does not see him as a lap dog, who will grovel at Trump's feet. AI view on his plan

Reza Pahlavi
, the exiled crown prince and son of the last Shah, has proposed a multi-phase roadmap for a free
Iran
known as the Iran Prosperity Project (IPP). He frames himself as a "transitional figure" or a bridge to secular democracy rather than a permanent ruler, stating his mission ends once a national referendum is held to determine the country's future system of government.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation +3

The Three-Phase Transition Plan
The IPP roadmap outlines a transition through the following stages:

• Emergency Phase (100–180 days):
  
  • Focuses on maintaining economic stability, ensuring essential services, and establishing interim governance institutions.
  • Calls for "maximum defections" from the current military and bureaucracy to prevent a power vacuum, while dissolving ideological bodies like the IRGC.
  • Includes a national referendum to decide the fate of former leaders and the preferred form of government (constitutional monarchy or democratic republic)

• Establishment Phase (2–3 years):
  
  • Focuses on building basic democratic institutions and preparing for free, internationally supervised elections.
  • Begins the drafting and ratification of a new constitution.
• Stabilisation Phase:
  
  • Aims for long-term economic reconstruction and reintegration into the global economy.
  • Paves the way for foreign investment, particularly in energy and infrastructure modernization.
    Australian Broadcasting Corporation +5

Key Governance Principles

• Secular Democracy: The plan explicitly calls for the separation of religion and state and the protection of fundamental human rights for all citizens.
• Territorial Integrity: Pahlavi emphasizes maintaining Iran as a unified state, rejecting federalist models proposed by some ethnic minority groups.
• Cyrus Accords: A foreign policy vision inspired by the Abraham Accords, aiming for immediate recognition of Israel and regional cooperation.
• Economic Liberalization: Proposals include privatizing state-owned enterprises (like those held by the IRGC), stabilizing the currency, and encouraging free-market growth.

Criticism and Concerns
Critics, particularly among ethnic minority groups and some democratic activists, have raised concerns that the plan:

• Concentrates Power: Designates Pahlavi as the "Leader of the National Uprising" with the authority to approve appointments and veto decisions during the transition.
• Lacks Clear Endpoints: The non-binding nature of the emergency phase timeframes has led to fears that interim rule could become permanent.
• Sidelining Minorities: By prioritizing a highly centralized government, critics argue it ignores the demands for autonomy or federalism from Iran's diverse ethnic populations

 

[Kirkhill]

Like a warning shot or internal sabotage?

Idle speculation on all fronts.

 

[brihard]

Looks like Kuwait’s Public Institution for Social Security HQ was hit and will be a loss.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2030461535475106013