Iran Wants Deal Apparently!!!

Protests have flared up again over the weekend in Iran. As the university term started, students gathered on campuses to protest the regime and show their support for it. This time, these protests are not as great as the ones in January. Some thought the clerical regime could be swept away as the Shah's regime was in 1979, which led to the rise of the Ayatollahs.

At the time of the mass riots, which Iran blamed on outside agencies, both civilians and security forces died. According to some sources, one based in the US said 7,015 fatalities had occurred when security forces used lethal force to put down these nationwide protests. The Iranian government has said 3,117 protesters died and 200 security forces were killed. News of what exactly was going on at the time was difficult to discern, as the internet had been blocked. Trump promised to ride to the rescue in some Reagan-like cowboy movie. The reality is that Trump's military buildup began after the protests were put down lethally by the regime. Trump's military naval task force is the biggest in the region since America's recent wars with Iraq.

Trump, since meeting buddy Bibi (Netanyahu), has now gone back to the nuclear bomb rant. Saying or repeating parrot-like the Israeli Prime Minister's mantra that "Iran is trying to get nukes". Trump has threatened that unless Iran makes a deal with the US, "bad things" will happen to Iran. Steve Witkof, the US Envoy and the Iranian Foreign Minister have indirectly met in Oman and Switzerland to discuss Iran either eradicating its nuclear industry or scaling down the enrichment. When the 12 Day War was on between Israel and Iran, the US sent B2 bombers to destroy Iran's nuclear sites. Trump trumpeted that the US dambuster-like mission had "Obliterated" these sites like Fodow. However, other sources said there was only minimal damage.

Since the war ended, according to satellite photos, the Iranians have rebuilt these sites and are continuing to enrich uranium. Missile storage sites and missile launchers that were bombed by the Israelis have been repaired, replaced or restocked. The Russians and Chinese have been helping with this, apparently. The Iranian air defence was knocked out by Israeli fighter jets. However, the Iranians have repaired and upgraded their air defence network. During the 12-day war, Iran sustained damage, and many military and scientific personnel were assassinated. However, despite these setbacks, Iran hit Israel hard with its ample supplies of missiles and drones, which resulted in damage and casualties in Israel. After the US bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, the Iranians hit back at an American base in Qatar with missiles. After this, the war ended, and both sides could lick their wounds.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an 86-year-old cleric who must be on borrowed time, admitted regret. Regret over what? Those young people who perished in the large protests back in January. Khamenei said the deceased protesters were "naive" and he blamed foreign powers for stirring up the unrest. However, the cleric admitted that despite everything, those young people were "still our children" and "part of us". A little late Mr. Khamenei, don't you think? The train has already left the station on that one.

The Iranian Foreign Minister said that he and Steve Witkof might meet face to face. He seemed upbeat on a deal being done on Iran's nukes. However, Iran's missiles are not up as far as the Iranians are concerned for negotiation and eradication. And this will obviously disappoint Israel, but by the same token, these missiles are Iran's only defence. Iran's air force, though large, consists mainly of old American aircraft and Russian aircraft. Much of it is unairworthy, and those that can still fly, though updated, would not be a match for anything the US and the Israelis can put in the air. Iran has tried to make up for this by making its own jets, but again, they remain untested and again, though they carry modern weapons and electronics, it's doubtful they would last long against the F-35s of the US and Israelis. It's rumoured the Russians have supplied the Iranians with more modern jets or the Chinese, but again, who knows?

Iran has a substantial military, and it could no doubt inflict massive damage on its foes. More so on the Israelis than the Americans, but that doesn't mean in a war the Americans would get away unscathed.

As both Iran and the US gear up for a possible war, and talks are still ongoing, we are at a pivotal moment. We could end up with a deal that suits both sides or a white-hot war that will have repercussions not only for the region but for the wider world. Iran is currently holding naval exercises with Allies Russia and China. This is an occasional event, but whether this is deliberate as well makes one wonder. Meanwhile, America has two aircraft carriers in the region and various naval ships, too.