Marso 10, 2026

"Nearly 48 hours since being appointed as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic in Iran’s history, Mojtaba Khamenei is nowhere to be seen."

I'm reading "Iran's new supreme leader is still nowhere to be seen" (CNN).
No video message has been put out from him addressing the crowds of supporters that have gone onto the streets across Iran to pledge their allegiance to him, nor has a written statement been issued by him or his office. State media has relied on archive footage to introduce him to the audience, and state propaganda networks have heavily relied on AI video and stills to create an image of an all-wise leader who rightly inherits the mantle of leadership.... But even as the leader remains hidden from sight, it seems the wider body politic is still functioning with little suggestion of a change in the war posture....

I wonder when, in human history, has the news of the death of a leader been suppressed so that people would believe that he was continuing to govern?

I haven't studied this question in great depth, but I have formed the opinion that the best story — the story to beat — is that of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. As Wikipedia tells it:

In 211 BC, a large meteor is said to have fallen in Dongjun in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and someone inscribed the seditious words "The First Emperor will die and his land will be divided" (始皇死而地分). The Emperor sent an imperial secretary to investigate this prophecy. No one would confess to the deed, so all living nearby were put to death, and the stone was pulverized.

During his fifth tour of eastern China, the Emperor became seriously ill in Pingyuanjin and died in July or August of 210 BC, at the palace in Shaqiu prefecture, about two months travel from Xianyang, at the age of 49. The cause of Qin Shi Huang's death remains unknown, though he had been worn down by his many years of rule. One hypothesis holds that he was poisoned by an elixir containing mercury, given to him by his court alchemists and physicians in his quest for immortality.

Upon witnessing the Emperor's death, Chancellor Li Si feared the news could trigger a general uprising during the two months' travel for the imperial entourage to return to the capital Xianyang.  Li Si decided to hide the emperor's death: the only members of the entourage to be informed were a younger son, Ying Huhai, the eunuch Zhao Gao, and five or six favourite eunuchs. 
Li Si ordered carts of rotten fish to be carried before and behind the wagon of the Emperor, to cover the foul smell of his body decomposing in the summer heat. Pretending he was alive behind the wagon's shade, they changed his clothes daily, brought food, and pretended to carry messages to and from him. 
After they reached Xianyang, the death of the Emperor was announced. Qin Shi Huang had not liked to talk about his death and had never written a will. Although his eldest son Fusu was first in line to succeed him as emperor, Li Si and the chief eunuch Zhao Gao conspired to kill Fusu, who was in league with their enemy, general Meng Tian. Meng Tian's brother Meng Yi, a senior minister, had once punished Zhao Gao. Li Si and Zhao Gao forged a letter from Qin Shi Huang commanding Fusu and General Meng to commit suicide. The plan worked, and the younger son Hu Hai started his brief reign as the Second Emperor, later known as Qin Er Shi or "Second Generation Qin."

158 komento:

Leland ayon kay ...

It was just 2 years ago that news of the US leader’s mental health decline was suppressed so that people would believe he was still governing.

Enigma ayon kay ...

Echoes of the Biden Administration?

Weekend At Bernies?

Iman ayon kay ...

Death to the Brokedick Demon Mojtaba Khaminime!!!

Aggie ayon kay ...

We'll know when some bizarre A.I. video emerges of him doing something miraculous. There's plenty of speculation that they've appointed someone that's already dead, as a ruse. And I read somewhere else that he'd been badly wounded in an attack and lost a leg, but I've seen no credible sources saying it.

Mike (MJB Wolf) ayon kay ...

Did you see the cardboard cutout of him when the Assembly swore allegiance? Literally a cardboard version of a (likely already dead) "supreme" leader. Civil unrest is proceeding in a good way.

RideSpaceMountain ayon kay ...

@MJB Wolf, I loved that! Almost literally Point Deer Make Horse ("指鹿為馬"), but in portrait form.

Howard ayon kay ...

According to the NYT:

The decision is “laden with peril,” said Ali Vaez, a senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Iran’s new supreme leader lost not only his father to U.S.-Israeli strikes, but also his mother, wife, and daughter, Mr. Vaez said. That means Iran is now “concentrating power in the hands of a man loathed by much of his own people and consumed by fury toward Israel and the United States.”

President Trump called the younger Khamenei an “unacceptable” choice, and the Israeli military warned it would “continue to pursue every successor.”

Paul Zrimsek ayon kay ...

Wise man.

Bob Boyd ayon kay ...

You often hear of dead people voting, but live people voting in a dead guy?
Maybe dead people voted in a dead guy.

Peachypeachy ayon kay ...

“Supreme Leader”
Sounds like a title the American left would use for their holy leader.
“supreme Leader” an unelected theocratic Islamic suprematist

Peachypeachy ayon kay ...

He is either dead or under his bed

john mosby ayon kay ...

"concentrating power in the hands of a man loathed by much of his own people and consumed by fury toward Israel and the United States."

Come on, give Obama a break. CC, JSM

Big Mike ayon kay ...

[Yawn]. We just spent four years with a cardboard cutout for a President of the United States. The Iranians should be allowed to have a few weeks with a cardboard cutout for a Supreme Leader.

Lem Vibe Bandit ayon kay ...

Maybe he’s getting some work done. Wants to look fabulous for his coronation.

Big Mike ayon kay ...

Maybe dead people voted in a dead guy.

@Bob Boyd, if they aren't dead yet, between the USAF and the Israelis they will be dead soon enough.

Bob Boyd ayon kay ...

If nominated I will run. If elected I will already be gone.

Will Bittley ayon kay ...

Weekend at Qin Shi’s

rhhardin ayon kay ...

There's King Toomtabard

rhhardin ayon kay ...

Did not King Toomtabard, or, in other words, John Baliol, reign long over Scotland; the man John Baliol being quite gone, and only the 'Toom Tabard' (Empty Gown) remaining? What still dignity dwells in a suit of Cast Clothes! How meekly it bears its honors! No haughty looks, no scornful gesture: silent and serene, it fronts the world; neither demanding worship, nor afraid to miss it. The Hat still carries the physiognomy of its Head: but the vanity and the stupidity, and goose-speech which was the sign of these two, are gone. The Coat-arm is stretched out, but not to strike; the Breeches, in modest simplicity, depend at ease, and now at last have a graceful flow; the Waistcoat hides no evil passion, no riotous desire; hunger or thirst now dwells not in it. Thus all is purged from the grossness of sense, from the carking cares and foul vices of the World; and rides there, on its Clothes-horse; as, on a Pegasus, might some skyey Messenger, or purified Apparition, visiting our low Earth.

Sartor Resartus

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

Well, the USA/Israel (is there a difference at this point?) murdered his 86 y/o father, his sister, and his nieces and nephews, so would it be suprising if Israel murdered him?

I don't want to see Trump or any Americans murdered in a retaliation strike by Iran, but the surest way to make that happen is to continue the policy of assassinating Iranian leaders for no reason.

I cant decide whether this policy of assassination is more moronic or evil. Its a close call. The idea that people are going to wimp out and surrender when you kill their leaders is absurd. Its more likely to harden their determination to fight on. And retaliate. You can't get any less Chistian than our current policy. Maybe that's why all our USA Leaders are wailing at the wailing wall.

Mike (MJB Wolf) ayon kay ...

President Trump called the younger Khamenei an “unacceptable” choice...

His father said the same thing a couple years back, saying that appointing his son would "emulate the inherited rule of the hated monarch" and be an "illegitimate government" to rule Iran. The only people still supporting the Mullahs are democrats and college students. Oh and foreign bots on X.

Mr. T. ayon kay ...

"I wonder when, in human history, has the news of the death of a leader been suppressed so that people would believe that he was continuing to govern?"

Are you referring to a time before or after Joe Biden?


Asking for a friend.

doctrev ayon kay ...

RCOCEAN II said...

I don't want to see Trump or any Americans murdered in a retaliation strike by Iran, but the surest way to make that happen is to continue the policy of assassinating Iranian leaders for no reason.


3/10/26, 10:36 AM

I doubt that very much. We are being asked to believe that Iran could effortlessly eliminate American aircraft carriers, but is wary of American retaliation. That American bases have been completely destroyed and a complete withdrawal from the Gulf is pending. None of that is remotely as plausible as definitive nuclear strikes against Iran.

But neither American nor Iran have engaged in truly devastating strikes yet. The war is mostly performative, and the Iranians would love to remind people that they weren't the people covering up the real attempt in Butler.

John henry ayon kay ...

Shrodingers Ayatollah

H/t Jeff Childers

John Henry

ronetc ayon kay ...

Not quite dead but close enough: Wilson and Biden as answer to "I wonder when, in human history, has the news of the death of a leader been suppressed so that people would believe that he was continuing to govern?"

John henry ayon kay ...

Jeremy Bentham still greets visitors to the student center at University College London tho he has been dead for Goin on 200 years.

If he can do it, an Ayatollah can do it.

John Henry

exhelodrvr1 ayon kay ...

Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Dave Begley ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
Dave Begley ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
tim maguire ayon kay ...

Isn't this common behavior for oppressive governments to hide the death of a leader until the succession is resolved? The Soviet Union certainly did it--ascribing the disappearance of the party leader to a minor ailment?

Dave Begley ayon kay ...

This new Supreme Leader guy will be dead in short order. Also, the second and third tier of IRGC leadership will be killed. IDF is bombing the police stations. The leaders of the terror regime are being killed.

And did you know that the son of the deceased Supreme Leader owns a mansion in London across the street from the Israel's Embassy? Where did he get that cash?

The war with Iran will be over before April 1, 2026.

Yancey Ward ayon kay ...

"Mojito Khamanei is still dead."

Mr. T. ayon kay ...

The legend of El Cid (Rodriego Diaz) claims that he died before he could complete the reconquista of Spain at Valencia and was tied to Babiecia, his horse, by his wife to scare the muslim Almoravid invaders into thinking he was still alive and leading the battle.

(Although technically not a "leader" of a nation: Diaz swore fealty to King Alfonso VI, Alfonso only nominally ruled Valencia. Diaz was the de facto ruler until his death, succeeded by his wife Jimena.)


The movie El Cid, btw, is phenomenal, if largely mythical.

Aggie ayon kay ...

"...I don't want to see Trump or any Americans murdered in a retaliation strike by Iran, but the surest way to make that happen is to continue the policy of assassinating Iranian leaders for no reason...."

So, officially declaring a war on a nation, advancing a number of presidential assassinations (unsuccessfully), and calling it 'the Great Satan' and chanting 'Death to America' non-stop for over 40 years is what you would call 'no reason'. Ok, then.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

it took America two decades to replace the Taliban with the Taliban in Afghanistan. It took Trump just over a week to replace one Khamenei with another.

Valentine Smith ayon kay ...

Dead people voted in a functionally dead person in 2020.

Joe Bar ayon kay ...

"Pining for the fjords."

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

The price of crude oil is only 50% higher than it was at the end of 2025. But the Dow is lower, so they cancel each other out, right?

mccullough ayon kay ...

The Nepotollah

Andre ayon kay ...

Woodrow Wilson comes to mind.

Left Bank of the Charles ayon kay ...

It could be a ploy. Name an already dead person as the new leader of Iran while some other unnamed person is the actual leader and the U.S. and Israel are hunting a ghost.

Yancey Ward ayon kay ...

Poor Bich- he apparently went long oil yesterday morning.

Ficta ayon kay ...

In fiction, there's Kagemusha and Dave. I just need a couple more and it's a film series. AI informs me that The Prisoner of Zenda and Moon Over Parador might do. I haven't seen them.

Christopher B ayon kay ...

Bob Boyd said...
You often hear of dead people voting, but live people voting in a dead guy?


Mel Carnahan has entered the chat.

narciso ayon kay ...

Learn. Not to be seen

In the late cold war brezhnev and chernenko were not declared dead for some time

Hassayamper ayon kay ...

I say again, this war could be ended in a few weeks now that we have air supremacy allowing cargo planes to traverse Iran at will:

Let's empty our arsenals of all the obsolete M16s that have been retired in favor of the M4, and air-drop them by the hundreds of thousands all over the country, with a couple of hundred rounds of ammunition for each rifle. The people of Iran thus armed would be able to hunt down and slaughter every mullah, religious policeman, and Revolutionary Guardsman before the end of next month.

I doubt it will happen though. I'm certain there are powerful forces in our own government and those of our so-called allies who most certainly do NOT want there to be any demonstration of how easy it would be for a well-armed populace to destroy an oppressive government and kill all of its minions and myrmidons.

Do not ever, ever, EVER surrender your modern firearms, no matter what gun control laws the Democrat enemy traitor cockroaches may pass. If American gun owners stick together and refuse to comply with the enemy occupation by the Democrat Party rats and lice, there are not enough prisons on the whole planet for us, and jury nullification will hopefully overturn any show trials they attempt.

narciso ayon kay ...

More like the 22 years from the shanghai massacre to the fall of chiang (largely because he fought the imperial japanese army

Kai Akker ayon kay ...

---- wailing at the wailing wall. [RCOcean]

You mean the original Christians, right?

Joe Bar ayon kay ...

This is a real "King Ralph" scenario.

buwaya ayon kay ...

CENTCOM briefing indicates sustained heavy bombing of bunkers in the southern region, which seems to indicate the Straits of Hormuz and its approaches. They explicitly call out mining vessels and mine storage facilities.
Antiship missiles and mines that can seriously damage an oil tanker arent small, 1-2 tons, and that region is not heavily populated or built up, so given US recon assets it should be possible to ID and destroy a high proportion of these.
Escorts and air cover would hopefully be able to intercept any antiship missiles. The US is already using APKWS kits on Hydra bombardment rockets, of which it bought a very large number from British BAE (which claims to have made 100,000 of them). Ukraine was testing these out on Shahids for a couple of years but its been successful in using them on cruise missiles (like antiship missiles) as well. I figure any convoys crossing will be covered by standing patrols of fighters and helicopters armed with rocket pods.
Drones, even those with FPV guidance, given their small warheads, arent a serious threat to an oil tanker unless they get very lucky.

BUMBLE BEE ayon kay ...

I remember "The Importance of Not Being Seen".
He's a Monty Python fan?

narciso ayon kay ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhMP_3R8zS8&t=922s

narciso ayon kay ...

It could be so

narciso ayon kay ...

There is some rhyme of the war of the rockets between iran and iraq

Hassayamper ayon kay ...

Oceans of viscous, "sour" high-sulfur Venezuelan oil are again flowing to the specialized American refineries that can crack it economically. I don't expect oil to sustain a price much above $70-80/bbl this year, and less next year when Iran comes back on line without the crippling sanctions.

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

"You mean the original Christians, right?"

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

narciso ayon kay ...



Yep

https://x.com/PiQSuite/status/2031321514696380868

Achilles ayon kay ...

People seem to be really upset that China doesn't get to play cheap oil arbitrage games anymore.

Smilin' Jack ayon kay ...

“Mojtaba Khamenei is nowhere to be seen."

He doesn’t want to be seen, and nobody wants to be seen near him. He’s in for a lonely life, though likely a short one.

Achilles ayon kay ...

The real target of all of this sits in dark rooms in London.

The British Empire is finally over. It will be interesting to see what happens when Starmer is finally forced to call an election.

Achilles ayon kay ...

The BBC and CNN international are the core tools of the globalist regime that is being eliminated right now.

The propaganda you are seeing on the international news is dripping flop sweat right now.

narciso ayon kay ...

Try this new thing called zoom (dont take toobins advice)

Mary Beth ayon kay ...

He's a Monty Python fan?
3/10/26, 11:57 AM


I was just thinking, maybe he's just sleeping. Or pining for the fjords.

narciso ayon kay ...

Sorry to be so flippant (but as they say in Texas 'he needs killing'

Achilles ayon kay ...

In about a month Iran is going to be back online.

There wont be any more regime keeping the Iranian people from saying what they think about the last 10 years or about what Trump just did to the Mullahs.

It will be fun to watch another population of women tell US feminists what pieces of shit they are.

Greg The Class Traitor ayon kay ...

RCOCEAN II said...
Well, the USA/Israel (is there a difference at this point?) murdered his 86 y/o father, his sister, and his nieces and nephews, so would it be suprising if Israel murdered him?

It's not murder during war.

And it's been war since November 1979

But RC hate America, because we'r apparently "too Jewish" for him, so everything we do is wrong.

It really must suck to be such a worthless piece of shit

narciso ayon kay ...

Does his best inigo montoya impression

Greg The Class Traitor ayon kay ...

RCOCEAN II said...

I don't want to see Trump or any Americans murdered in a retaliation strike by Iran

You liking sack of shit. That's exactly what you desire, which is why you push the lie that killing them is wrong

but the surest way to make that happen is to continue the policy of assassinating Iranian leaders for no reason.
N, the surest way to make that happen is to let Iran get away with their terrorism and let them get nuclear weapons.

Which is what you're fighting for

gadfly ayon kay ...

When we mentioned yesterday that Trump was blaming Iran for firing the Tomahawk missile that destroyed an Iranian girl’s school on February 28, we suggested he’d probably (or hopefully) have been briefed otherwise and was merely lying. Now we’re not so sure. Asked at his presser yesterday why he was the only member of own administration accusing Iran of the strike, Trump replied: “Because I just don’t know enough about it.” Truest thing he’s ever said.~The Bulwark

narciso ayon kay ...

We showed you the receipts brundle last night

Dave Begley ayon kay ...

There are a substantial number of Democrats who want the US to lose this war with Iran or that there be more US casualties because it makes Trump look bad.

That's how far partisanship has come. Trump must be destroyed. Trump delenda est.

Old and slow ayon kay ...

This is war. Innocent people, including little girls, die in wars. Every time. There is no decision which prevents death and misery, it's just a matter of who and when.

Rabel ayon kay ...

Clearly Mojtaba is sitting in nowhere land making nowhere plans for nobody.

Aggie ayon kay ...

If this guy doesn't work out, James Carville is stoked and ready to replace him. He's growing his beard out and is picking out a purple robe.

traditionalguy ayon kay ...

Iran has spent the last 50 years designing a way to murder every infidel on earth to win Allah’s favor. That won’t change until Trump stops them cold.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

The conflict with Iran is a consequence of failed American policy elsewhere in the Middle East, not a driver of it.

As long as the US is bound hip-to-hip with Israel's annexationist strategy, that is how long the US will be intertwined with Middle East instability. Powerful irredentist forces across the Middle East are always going to fight against the evisceration of Palestinians on their own homeland and their forced eviction from Palestine.

Revolutionary irredentist forces are going to prevent a peaceful and prosperous Gulf economy from ever taking hold under the rule of a narrow band of hereditary monarchical families--no matter how rich--while nationalist irredentist forces incubate continuing violent instability.

Destroying Lebanon to conquer the West Bank is not going to be a foundation stone for a new American-friendly Middle East (a chimera still being chased by out-of-touch elites in Washington).

Powerful irredentist forces have been present and pervasive across the Middle East since the rise of the Young Turks in 1908 against decrepit Ottoman authority. They are not going away.

Another "truce" of uncertain duration is probably in the offing; how long before it crumbles into the endemic instability of the region is only a question of months and years.

This will continue until something changes in America.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

We have successfully bombed a school, gotten 7 soldiers killed, disrupted the world economy, and replaced an 86 year-old supreme leader with his much younger, more hardline son who is more committed to building nuclear weapons. Operation Middle East Wing is all but complete.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
Donald J. Trump

Ambrose ayon kay ...

Edward V, a.k.a., the Prince in the Tower.

James K ayon kay ...

Norman Bates's mother in the basement.

Skeptical Voter ayon kay ...

It could be that, like Pops, this guy's head is 40 feet from his feet--or soon will be.

Derve ayon kay ...

Stayin Alive,
Stayin Alive
uh uh uh uh...
STAYING ALIIIIIIIIVE!

(whether you're a mother or whether you're a brother... staying alive!) Humanity teaches us that all humans value life, if they're considering their own...

Derve ayon kay ...

Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas said...
We have successfully bombed a school, gotten 7 soldiers killed, disrupted the world economy, and replaced an 86 year-old supreme leader with his much younger, more hardline son who is more committed to building nuclear weapons. Operation Middle East Wing is all but complete.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
Donald J. Trump

3/10/26, 2:45 PM
---------
lol

"We have to kill the young women in order to free them..."
USA USA USA

Derve ayon kay ...

Old and slow said...
This is war. Innocent people, including little girls, die in wars. Every time. There is no decision which prevents death and misery, it's just a matter of who and when.
-----------
This. This is why war should be a last resort, in our nation's best interests. You don't want to make your soldiers kill children...

Imagine not only the deaths, but the costs of caring for all their injuries, physical and mental. It will be lifelong. For what? This is Israel war(s) and be honest? They will never end until Greater Israel is achieved... look at the landgrab in Lebanon taking place now, and in the West Bank. Even Israeli supporters like ann and meade cannot deny what is happening: what is good for Israel harms America, but... they won't be around in 20 or 40 years to see the consequences of their deadly support. Sad.

steve uhr ayon kay ...

Dave- When do you think the truckloads of weapons for the citizens of Iran will start arriving?

n.n ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
n.n ayon kay ...

Obama's Iran-Hamas Affair is not long for viability. A regional "burden" that follows a Planned affirmative action in progress.

BG ayon kay ...

I thought this was hilarious:
https://x.com/TheBabylonBee/status/2029693446810915277

BTW, Vote Achmed for Supreme Leader
https://x.com/Geldner/status/2029804470947954771/photo/1

imTay ayon kay ...

Where is Netanyahu? Why should he expose himself to Israel’s assassination cult when he has a war to run?

They might have killed him, but not seeing him in the open exposed is not evidence. This is what war propaganda looks like. You watch too much of it and you lose the ability to reason independently.

Larry J ayon kay ...

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e699b87154f8eb101167e3905ac24f1ed7ef4c432b9e068769ab96f91ac361e3.gif

Rustygrommet ayon kay ...

Hassayamper.
"Do not ever, ever, EVER surrender your modern firearms, no matter what gun control laws the Democrat enemy traitor cockroaches may pass. If American gun owners stick together and refuse to comply with the enemy occupation by the Democrat Party rats and lice, there are not enough prisons on the whole planet for us, and jury nullification will hopefully overturn any show trials they attempt."

Not to worry. There are 100 million firearm owners in the US that are known. With more than half a billion firearms. (soon to be one more) If some moron federal official decided "the people" no longer have their permission to own firearms Their reign would be over in two weeks. All it would take is 5% of firearm owners objecting, armed of course.
When the Illinois legislature decided to outlaw all kinds of firearms here in Illinois every county sheriff except four said they weren't going to uphold that law because it was unconstitutional. I shoot my AR15 at my local range. Alongside the county sheriff.

Matt ayon kay ...

I'm curious about the headline "Mojtaba Khamenei is nowhere to be seen". The translation is that no one in the media or [presumably] anyone who talks to the media has said they have seen him. But it doesn't necessarily mean he is dead. I would say that considering how quickly and efficiently his father and 40 other senior leaders were taken out he is probably in hiding from the US or Israel operatives until the war [military action] is complete. We'll see.

narciso ayon kay ...

Hes a wily adversary one of the leaders of the basij so hes tp be taken seriously

Butkus51 ayon kay ...

How was Biden any different?

Iman ayon kay ...

“Dave Begley said...
There are a substantial number of Democrats who want the US to lose this war with Iran or that there be more US casualties because it makes Trump look bad.”

Take notes and remember who the traitors are. They should not get away with this crap.

Jersey Fled ayon kay ...

We had a leader who was functionally dead for four years.

Mr. D ayon kay ...

The line of succession after this guy is:

Ayatollah Shemp
Ayatollah Curly Joe
Ayatollah Chernenko
Ayatollah Mountbatten-Windsor
Ayatollah Lovely Parting Gift

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

Soaring fuel prices to cast long shadow across US economy _ FT
"Industries from farming to airlines face long-term higher costs and will raise customer prices in response"

It seems the stable genius has achieved the one thing his voters really hate.

If this war is such a great thing, why didn't Trump campaign on it? Furthermore, why did he campaign on doing the exact opposite?

Mason G ayon kay ...

"We had a leader who was functionally dead for four years."

Not really a leader, more like "elected to a leadership position". And come to think of it, the "elected" part is a little iffy, with his supporters working awfully hard to prevent any inquiries into how that election actually went.

Bob Boyd ayon kay ...

We have successfully...disrupted the world economy

Likely short term pain.

A few days ago you said that Iran was close to receiving some hypersonic missiles from China. If Iran could close the strait of Hormuz at will and keep the US Navy at bay with those missiles, how disrupted would the world economy be?

How about if China could close the Strait of Hormuz via their close ally Iran so that only certain ships could transit the Strait? Why do you think they sold Iran those missiles?

How disrupted would the world economy be if China was free invade Taiwan. Why aren't they free to do that now? Perhaps because the US Navy patrols and controls the Strait of Malacca. Most of China's oil comes through that Strait. If China could could cut off the west's oil supply in the Strait of Hormuz in response to the west's closing the Strait of Malacca, the west would lose that leverage and would be more likely to have to fight a war in the Pacific to defend Taiwan and its chip-making industry. The world relies on those chips. How disrupted would the world economy be if China controlled those chips?

Overthrowing the hostile Iranian regime has costs. Doing nothing also has costs.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi ayon kay ...

Kak still looking for someone to surrender to.

tcrosse ayon kay ...

There are complaints that because of this adventure the price of oil is up and the market is down. Both of these conditions are temporary.

tcrosse ayon kay ...

Those poor schoolgirls who were killed by on of our missiles have been deprived of a full lifa as a woman in the Islamic Republic. They could marry at 13, be treated as chattel, unless they happen to be raped and hanged for wearing their burqa incorrectly, or be killed by their relatives to preserve the family honor.

Original Mike ayon kay ...

"Overthrowing the hostile Iranian regime has costs. Doing nothing also has costs."

Rich is incapable of counterfactual analysis.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ ayon kay ...

In what in retrospect seems to have been a characteristically savvy bit of ambiguity, Trump never specified who would do the unconditional surrendering in his Iran war.

narciso ayon kay ...

One is reminded in sum of all fears the targeting of the kingpin us suspected to be a car bomb but one quickly realized the signature is entirely different

narciso ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
Beasts of England ayon kay ...

’Truest thing he’s ever said.~The Bulwark’

Thanks for keeping us updated, re: the sissy caucus!!

narciso ayon kay ...

Oh i needed a good laugh from the bulwinkle

narciso ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
Achilles ayon kay ...

In a month there are going to be a bunch of traitors who are going to pretend they supported Trump taking out the mullahs all along.

It will just be Venezuela again.

The price of oil is already falling below where it was during the Biden regime.

Dave Begley ayon kay ...

Here's a well sourced comment: "Former Mossad official and JCFA researcher, @Sagivasulin2025, says: “I can say that big things have happened in Iran, on the scale of the beepers and perhaps even more. They may not photograph as dramatically, but over time we will hear about them, and they are no less amazing. There are also other significant things that remain up the sleeve.”

The Jews are highly motivated to wipe out the mullahs and IRGC.

The Dems and haters in the Fake News are going to be upset.

I'm thinking I should predict the day of death of the new Supreme Leader as that would be consistent with my prediction that we win this war before April 1, 2026.

Bob Boyd ayon kay ...

@ Begley
You sound confident. You can probably bet online on what day Mojito will die.

narciso ayon kay ...

Where did you find that comment

tcrosse ayon kay ...

If the newly minted Supreme Leader chooses to bug out of Iran, I'm sure he will receive a warm welcome in New York City or London, where he owns considerable property. Maybe he's there already.

mikee ayon kay ...

"I wonder when, in human history, has the news of the death of a leader been suppressed so that people would believe that he was continuing to govern?"

Woodrow Wilson and Joe Biden weren't quite dead, but hey, close enough for government work, right?

Bob Boyd ayon kay ...

This guy is so afraid of anything electronic he won't even make toast.
Right now billion dollar satellites are watching where pigeons go.

buwaya ayon kay ...

Tousi says he is in hospital in a coma and not expected to recover.
He was allegedly injured at the very beginning of the war.
Tousi collects Iranian dissident rumors, which may or may not be accurate.

narciso ayon kay ...

Samizdat aa upposed to the all too gullible foreign press

narciso ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
buwaya ayon kay ...

Also says the remaining leaders have taken to living and working in hospitals.

narciso ayon kay ...

They took the lesson of the gaza health ministry

narciso ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
steve uhr ayon kay ...

You’re right tcrosse. We did the girls a big favor by blowing them up. I’m sure trump and the war secretary and Jesus himself agree.

narciso ayon kay ...

There was a notorious incident in 2000 (name escapes ms now) which a french reporter debunked, yet it servss as fuel for the terrorists

narciso ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
tcrosse ayon kay ...

There are those who care more about Iranian girls than the Iranian regime does. It could be a function of who the CinC is.

narciso ayon kay ...

Al durrah incident investigated by karsenty

See also haditha and baghdad arch shootings

buwaya ayon kay ...

Starlink is up in Iran but regular internet is down.
Interestingly internet is also down in Moscow and Saint Petersburg

Dave Begley ayon kay ...

Report on Fox from a pastor who has been speaking to people in Iran:

1. IRGC defections likely.
2. CIA and Mossad have been arming the opposition.
3. 60k to 90k protesters killed by the regime.

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

OK Mr. Begley. When do we hang the "Mission Accomplished" banner?

Dave Begley ayon kay ...

RC:

Hegseth said there would be no banner hanging.

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

Repeat after me:
There is no war with Iran.
Iran is not our "enemy" - Israel may hate them. But we dont.
There is no "Treason" in opposing the attack on Iran.
Iran is 6000 miles away, and has the GDP of New Jersey.

But hey, I get it. Yeehaw, we're bombing some furnniers. And by God, we need to fall in line and support our Commander-in-Chief. Y'know just like we did in Vietnam and Iraq. Cause Yeehaw, there's some killing goin' on.

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

Y'know if we don't fight them thar Eye-ranians now, well be fightin' on Miami beach. Without sunscreen. And that's as bad as it gets.

narciso ayon kay ...

Forget the arabs thst were chasing down jews in 2023 in sunny isles

So now you are all in on the newcomers that bided brought in

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

BTW, miss Lindsey, the South Carolina braying jackass, is attacking our noble saudi allies for not gettin' in the fight. He says its because they aren't sac-ri-fising themselves for Israel, but I think its really because the Saudis dont like no funny business in the bedroom. If you know what I mean.

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

Tel Aviv is the Middle East Gay mecca. Miss Lindsey goes to Israel once a week. For the wailing wall.

narciso ayon kay ...

100% legit

https://x.com/NiohBerg/status/2031473288912802022

Mason G ayon kay ...

RCOCEAN II said...
3/10/26, 7:42 PM
3/10/26, 7:46 PM
3/10/26, 7:49 PM
3/10/26, 7:50 PM
3/10/26, 7:53 PM
3/10/26, 7:54 PM

Red Bull kicking in, I see.

Milwaukie guy ayon kay ...

Saudi Arabia is husbanding resources to defend its Red Sea oil terminal and getting ready to engage the Houthis.

narciso ayon kay ...

The Monday Brief - "WE WILL REMEMBER" Trump Declares War on the City of London - March 9, 2026 https://share.google/U2N11fHR7CeVr2dKP

wildswan ayon kay ...

Klaus Störtebeker was a leader of a gang of Baltic pirates called the Victual Brothers. They were captured and condemned to death by being beheaded. Klaus made a deal that all the 73 pirates waiting in line to be executed whom he could walk past after being beheaded would go free. He got past eleven of them and then somebody tripped him. And then, I'm sorry to say, they executed all of the pirates any way.

I heard this story on the podcast, History of the Germans, in the section on the Hanseatic League. It is not true, in case any TDSers happen to read this comment and are wondering how Trump caused that to happen in 1401.

narciso ayon kay ...

Time machine obviously

Inga ayon kay ...

Narciso, 21 comments. Who is he talking to, he never addresses anyone specifically.

Inga ayon kay ...

Now 22 comments…

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

Mason G:

Those who can write. Those who can't note times.

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

Narciso like one sentence posts. Short, snappy, and crytic.

Hey Skipper ayon kay ...

RCO: I don't want to see Trump or any Americans murdered in a retaliation strike by Iran, but the surest way to make that happen is to continue the policy of assassinating Iranian leaders for no reason.

A day or so ago, I suggested you learn about Sharia supremacist eschatology.

You have clearly declined the offer.

This is the list of things the Iranian regime needed to stop doing to avoid this war: stop funding regional proxies; stop building ballistic missiles; and, no nuclear enrichment.

What you need to ask yourself, but undoubtedly will not, is: what threat Iran faces from its neighbors justifying any of that?

And while you are at it, consider that, cost aside, the production rate of ballistic missiles content to hit anywhere in a zip code will always be higher than anti-ballistic missiles for which anything less than a direct hit is a complete miss.

At some point, the ballistic missiles for which Iran has absolutely no defensive need will become so numerous as to hold the whole world hostage.

A clear consequence to which you are bizarrely resistant.

Gadfly: When we mentioned yesterday that Trump was blaming Iran for firing the Tomahawk missile that destroyed an Iranian girl’s school on February 28 ...

Perhaps it is also worth mentioning the what/why distinction.

The "what" is almost certainly that a US munition hit that school.

Now about "why": a mistake. A building that once was an IRGC facility changed hands, and we missed it. No US service member intended this; no American celebrates it. It was a tragic mistake without any moral component.

Contrast that with the Iranian Islamo-fasicsts: they actively hope to create mass civilian casualties.

Why is far more important than what.

Mason G ayon kay ...

"Those who can write. Those who can't note times."

Ooooooh! Sick burn! You got me there.

Jaq ayon kay ...

I think that he did appear publicly, as you can see in the picture here:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/03/09/putin-vowsputin-vows-unwavering-support-to-irans-new-ayatollah-unwavering-support-to-irans-new-ayatollah-a92163

"Now about "why": a mistake. A building that once was an IRGC facility changed hands, and we missed it. No US service member intended this; no American celebrates it. It was a tragic mistake without any moral component."

Hegseth ended the program to review each target for possible civillian casualties, and we allowed AI to just target missiles. The most cursory check of that target would have revealed that it was a school for girls.

When Anthropic complained about AI being given too much latitude in combat systems, Hegseth denounced the company as a security risk. Sure, no human is responsible for the targeting decision beyond "no mercy" Hegseth, who ended the program by which the error would have been discovered before the missiles were even launched.

Jaq ayon kay ...

"Contrast that with the Iranian Islamo-fasicsts: they actively hope to create mass civilian casualties."

Yes, they actively made the US and Israel bomb civilians, it's not because we want to control the Strait of Hormuz, for a distant blockade of China's oil, or just take all of Iran's oil, or get a foothold on the Caspian, Russia's underbelly, no, it's because the Ayatollah is so mean to his people that we have to go to the other side of the world and bomb the hell out of their country in order to "protect them."

I had this same error in my head when I supported the Iraq War, but you have to reframe your thinking, or they can use narratives to make you support mass murder, even laugh about killing people.

Jaq ayon kay ...

BTW, we are the fascists, we are the ones invading country after country, overthrowing democratically elected leaders and putting in dictators, like we did with the Shah in 1953, he was a brutal dictator over the Iranians, with a famously brutal secret police force, but we didn't care, because we controlled the oil.

Hey Skipper ayon kay ...

Jaq: wow, those are surely the worst, most pig ignorant responses, completely failing to take on board contrary evidence that I have ever seen.

To wit: This is the list of things the Iranian regime needed to stop doing to avoid this war: stop funding regional proxies; stop building ballistic missiles; and, no nuclear enrichment.

Note to self: do not engage Jaq ever again.

Iman ayon kay ...

Jaq went Code Pink on us.

Iman ayon kay ...

“Nyah… what numbah?”

—— Ayatollah Curly

Olson Johnson is right! ayon kay ...

I wonder when, in human history, has the news of the death of a leader been suppressed so that people would believe that he was continuing to govern?

Augustus was out of Rome in Nola when he died. Conflicting accounts so nothing verified, but it seems likely that his wife Livia knew he was dead and kept it secret while sending out hopeful medical bulletins until she was able to secure the succession for her own son Tiberias and get him into the sick room. Only then was Augustus death announced.

Greg The Class Traitor ayon kay ...

steve uhr said...
You’re right tcrosse. We did the girls a big favor by blowing them up. I’m sure trump and the war secretary and Jesus himself agree.

Just how stupid do you have to be not to understand sarcasm, Steve?

Or is the situation that those girls in Iran are just more cardboard cutouts to you, tools to be used to push your evil domestic political goals, nothing else?

1: As everyone sane knows: they were killed by an Iranian missile, not an American one
2: Those who object to Trump taking out the Iranian gov't are demanding the survival of a "government" that tortures and rapes those girls, as well as murdering them.

3: If you actually gave a shit about ANYONE in Iran, other than Islamofascist abusers and killers, you'd be supporting Trump and Israel here

That you aren't just shows what a garbage human being you are

Rustygrommet ayon kay ...

Greg. Steve doesn't care about Iranian school children. His greatest desire is for America to fail.

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