Iran Super Thread- Merged

[dapaterson]

Although, ironically, they probably know what a White Russian is

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Last production 34 years ago. The Trump administration cancelled then reinstated the replacement program, currently funding two aircraft for potential 2027 delivery (Boeing E7A).

Low density high cost fleets are prime targets, whether on land, sea or air.

Imagine the USAF leadership reacting to losing planes to some dude name Muhammad and who does not even fly a plane.....

 

[Cloud Cover]

So I was just reading that some of the plane nerds geolocated the smashed E-3 to one of the taxiways. I wonder if that means they were trying to get it in the air ahead of the attack? I hope the crew’s OK.

EDIT TO ADD: disregard, one of those same plane nerds had imagery of it parked there stationary for dispersal.

Ahhhh… whooops. I hope that RCAF pilot finished his exchange.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Some AI produced stats on missile usage by Iran, not sure how accurate it is.

• Regional Targets: Beyond Israel, Iran has maintained a steady stream of attacks against other regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Bahrain. For example, on March 24, 17 missiles were fired at Kuwait and 6 at Bahrain.
• Total Conflict Launches: Since the escalation began in February 2026, Iran has launched a total of 1,191 ballistic missiles across the region.
  NBC News +3

Historical Peak Comparisons
Iran's daily launch capacity has historically spiked during specific high-intensity operations before being degraded by defensive strikes:

April 13–14, 2024	Operation "True Promise"	~120 missiles in < 24 hours
October 1, 2024	Operation "True Promise II"	~200 missiles in < 24 hours
June 2025	"12-Day War"	~550 missiles total (~45/day average)
February 28, 2026	Start of current conflict	480 missiles in one day
Late March 2026	Current steady state	10–30 missiles per day

[th]

Timeframe​

[/th][th]

Context​

[/th][th]

Ballistic Missiles Launched​

[/th]​

 

[HavokFour]

Israel allegedly struck the Isfahan University of Technology for a second time this week, as a result the IRGC has put in it's crosshairs all Israeli and American linked campuses in the region.

Revolutionary Guard Threatens US, Israeli Universities

As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL deliver ongoing updates and analysis.

www.rferl.org

Iran warns of strikes on US-linked universities in region after campus bombings | The Express Tribune

Fars agency reports the US has until March 30 to condemn the bombing of Iranian universities

tribune.com.pk

 

[FJAG]

Came across this video about Iran's geography. It doesn't address any of today's events but does provide some interesting insights into the problems for anyone planning operations within Iran and how the geography favours its defenders.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Iran is also a very big place to defend, when you have maybe 5 million supporters, with perhaps 2-300,000 gunmen and have to keep 85 million suppressed.

 

[FJAG]

Iran is also a very big place to defend, when you have maybe 5 million supporters, with perhaps 2-300,000 gunmen and have to keep 85 million suppressed.

Yup. Very roughly it is 2,200 kms in length and 1,200 kms across at its widest point. Again very roughly speaking that's the size of the US running from the top of Maine to half way into Florida and lying between the eastern sea cost and the Mississippi River.

The defenders' advantage is that they do not have to defend everywhere. They can pick and choose and create effects far beyond their individual locations. Plus time is on their side.

I do wonder what role their neighbouring countries will play over the long haul.

 

[daftandbarmy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2037972664933876149

 

[brihard]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2037972664933876149

Doens't link to any source material, just a bald claim on Twitter.

That said, I have seen an advocacy group on Twitter that basically seems to be advocating for exactly this and offering to help soldiers apply for some such status. Haven't gone down the rabbit hole to see what that looks like and how it plays out though. I'm sure there are a few; not sure there are many.

 

[Remius]

Doens't link to any source material, just a bald claim on Twitter.

That said, I have seen an advocacy group on Twitter that basically seems to be advocating for exactly this and offering to help soldiers apply for some such status. Haven't gone down the rabbit hole to see what that looks like and how it plays out though. I'm sure there are a few; not sure there are many.

Yeah, is this one or two or thousands. Context matters.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Doens't link to any source material, just a bald claim on Twitter.

That said, I have seen an advocacy group on Twitter that basically seems to be advocating for exactly this and offering to help soldiers apply for some such status. Haven't gone down the rabbit hole to see what that looks like and how it plays out though. I'm sure there are a few; not sure there are many.

There’s a fact check in the comments… something about a 1000% increase in CO applications

 

[brihard]

There’s a fact check in the comments… something about a 1000% increase in CO applications

What’s the base rate?

 

[dapaterson]

What’s the base rate?

One to ten?

 

[The Bread Guy]

There’s a fact check in the comments… something about a 1000% increase in CO applications

That’ll become the meme stat if it’s anything approaching being true.

 

[HavokFour]

The strikes on Prince Sultan Air Base make this abundantly clear.

European allies say Russia is helping Iran more than the U.S. has acknowledged, sources say

The Europeans also argue that the war in Ukraine is intertwined with the war in Iran due to the cooperation between Russia and Iran.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Cloud Cover]

Yup. Very roughly it is 2,200 kms in length and 1,200 kms across at its widest point. Again very roughly speaking that's the size of the US running from the top of Maine to half way into Florida and lying between the eastern sea cost and the Mississippi River.

The defenders' advantage is that they do not have to defend everywhere. They can pick and choose and create effects far beyond their individual locations. Plus time is on their side.

I do wonder what role their neighbouring countries will play over the long haul.

Iran appears to be about the physical size of Quebec, but without the lakes and rivers.

So if you can imagine Quebec alone with 92 million people, it’s a little tight. More than 20 cities with population above 400,000 and 8 cities above 1,000,000. Tehran alone probably close to 9,000,000.

This is not a country that can be taken by force even with 2 or 3 Western armies working together. The only thing Trump and Israel can do is target the IRGC and do their very best to stir up an uprising which could take years to succeed.
They should be thoroughly salting Iran from the air with millions of portable radios to tune into a messaging service. Dropping hundreds of thousands of small uni-directional satellite internet connections (each trackable) to push content to. Get the message out to rise up and resist. Demoralize the IRGC. Tie up their resources, distract them and let them make mistakes that can be capitalized on.

 

[Czech_pivo]

.

The strikes on Prince Sultan Air Base make this abundantly clear.

European allies say Russia is helping Iran more than the U.S. has acknowledged, sources say

The Europeans also argue that the war in Ukraine is intertwined with the war in Iran due to the cooperation between Russia and Iran.

www.cbsnews.com

for the Russians, its pay back time.

 

[Eaglelord17]

for the Russians, its pay back time.

More than that, the worse the situation in Iran becomes for the US the more likely they are to abandon Ukraine.

 

[RangerRay]

More than that, the worse the situation in Iran becomes for the US the more likely they are to abandon Ukraine.

They did a long time ago