About 70% of Iran's population is under the age of 30 so they were born after the revolution in 1979.  Based off just the last few days it's apparent those people have so say in what their government does.  So your idea is to hold all those people accountable for a situation not of their making which they're powerless to do anything about and make them pay for the sins of their parents by bombing the shit out of them now?

They age well, dress fashionable even with their headcoverings and do not wear those homemade vests that Texas women wear (I grew up in Houston).  

Maybe GD isn't the best place for this question.  Maybe try the World Events Forum?  Even though you requested no "nuke 'em all" replies, most people are posting nonsense or regurgitating nonsense they've heard, read or seen somewhere else instead of using some logic and reason.  Even the best response in the thread, from the Psychopolitical MASTER no less, is severely lacking.  


What problem do they present to the world?  According to DK's post below, Iran seems to be getting along with everyone else in the world just fine.


So, we should do whatever is in our power to cripple and de-stabilize the country so we'll have an upper hand to negotiate, and when we have things sorted out and in our favor, we can go ahead and somehow re-stabilize the place and undo the crippling we dished out?  That's your great plan?

They don't like Israel.  So what?  It's like you don't like one of your neighbors down the street.  So what?  Just don't talk to them.  Or if one of your neighbors doesn't like you for whatever reason (real or imagined).  So what?  Just ignore them.  Get on with your life and continue dealing with all your other neighbors respectfully and fairly.  Get over it.

They want to harness nuclear power / nuclear energy.  So?  Who doesn't?  They want a nuke?  Most reasonable folks would agree that there's no evidence of this, but ok, for sake of argument.  So what?  Everyone else has one (Israel, Pakistan, India, North Korea, UK, France, Russia, China, et al) so why can't they?

Find something else to worry about.  

A B2 takes off on a training mission... 24hrs later most all of the Mullahs in Iran die in a mysterious explosions...

About the only viable option left.

To them, it is like illegal drugs for us.  They would LOVE to have MORE of it.  Because of Islamic laws against it, they have very little.



Why do you think a LOT of the protest signs are in ENGLISH?  They WANT video games, music, and all the other freedoms.  Hell, I bet they WANT to taste BACON.  Or REAL Pepperoni on a REAL American pizza.

Yes .How many innocent people were killed in Japan . We are  ultimatley responsible for the Actions of our Government !

Letterman.

Tell Washington this....I'm sure they'll take your advice under advisement...they'll be looking forward to your thoughts.



HH

My whole point, bud.

HH

As weird as this sounds, some Iranians have clandestine "bacon parties."
 

Fox showed one of the protesters this morning wearing the standard green shirt but with three big letters across the chest: "G-A-P".  It would seem some of our culture is already there and fairly widely accepted.

Sounds very reasonable to me, Con.

This is not an easy solution by any stretch.

HH

 I hear you.  But since when did we start thinking that what they do and say in "Washington" has anything to do with reason, logic or reality?

Have fun with this thread.  

The definition of "since" is from that time until now.  Yes, these were the sins of there parents and these things are still happening now.  The war in Iraq is happening now and we have been repeatedly attacked by their Spec-Ops groups and insurgants armed with current Iranian weapons.  I'm making the point that Iran as been instigating terrorists attack against us for the past 30 years and today we are still dealing with the same people.  

Also I'm not talking about carpet bombing civlians, we have the capability to bring Iran's military to it's knee's and that is what I am talking about.  Totally breaking their military's back and allowing the civilians to do the rest.  If they are not capable, then allowing their neighbors to carve it up.

The current Iranian government needs to be liquidated.

Well, since the original question stated Iran, then Iran?


ETA: ICONS, ICONS!!!

We were in a declared war with Japan and before we bombed Hiroshima we dropped leaflets informing the population that they were living in an area we were thinking of bombing in the next few days.  We also included a list of the other places we were thinking of bombing so they wouldn't run to safety in another target zone by mistake.  The post I responded to was advocating a massive carpet bombing of the entire country.  The difference between that plan and what we did in Japan is so stark I can't believe I'm having to explain it.

It's disappointing that this original point got a 2nd from the crowd, but to be fair, the thread title is How would YOU handle them.  That said, I count my blessings that neither of you fellows have any say or influence regarding policy decisions.



"Hey Iranians, we weren't bombing you, but now that you people are showing your opposition to your crappy government and trying to overthrow your nutjob dictator, we're going to bomb you."  Frightening.

May I second the




 

So true.  We'll see D.C. be a world-follower...not a leader here.  Amateur-boy has NO idea or clue what to do.

He and is admin are completely incompetent and lost.

HH

Hypothetical answer to a hypothetical interrogitive statement. Where is the misinterpretation of logic?

C'mon Scott...would you kill civilians that are pro-West?  Seriously, where would you bomb them...nuke sites....gov facilities....?

HH

I would have nuked them during the hostage crisis, they would be a non issue.

No I  wasn't.  An "extended" bombing campaign doesn't equal carpet bombing civilains in any shape or form.  That is the way you precieved it.  I can "extendingly" bomb the shit out of countries military without needing to target civilians or infrastrucuture as long as their miltary has the means to wage war.

What I meant was, I would literally gut Iran's military in every shape and form for as long as I could, until it's soldiers came out of the desert surrendering to us.

Come on, there isnt much difference between running a midnight basketball outreach program and running US foreign policy...

Lol, I'm sure the hostages would have really appreciated your aggressive stance!




 

One serious peace summit. Tell them (everyone in the middle east) in no uncertain terms, you better start playing nice in the sand box or else. Playing nice in the sandbox means leaving Israel alone, no nukes, we will be hands off as much as possible, we will buy your oil but we are done sticking our nose in your business.

Every time you fuck up there will be nothing short of a week long massive bombing campaign with MOABs and Daisey cutters on the closest city to where the offense occured. When I say massive I mean making shock and awe look like a small minor street skirmish, indiscriminate destruction just short of nuclear.

They will test us but only a few times, mabey only once.

They already have all that. If you hadn't noticed from the protesting pictures, the women are covered in makeup from Europe, and people there are covered in European clothing labels.

Furthermore, they get a very diverse selection of media programming there, as a result of the widespread use of satellite dishes; they get access to U.S., British, German, French, Arab, etc. Television networks.

The western ideas, culture and products are getting in already. No need to smuggle them from Iraq; they have free trade with Europe.

I would send them Celine Dion.  Just like Canada did to us.  

The only sanctions that would have enough of an impact on Iran's economy to make a difference is to prevent them from selling oil. China, Japan, and other important players who rely on Iran for oil won't allow that.

The other possible sanctions: cutting off export credit, cutting off foreign investment, sanctions on companies that provide Iran with gasoline, all will have some effect. But they aren't going to stop them from pushing forward with their program.

The gasoline sanctions can be worked around by doing deals under the table with suppliers, re-routing shipments with false buyers, etc. etc. Iraq proved it could cheat sanctions. It's likely Iran will have an even easier time doing so, since the constraints placed on Iran will be much lower than post-war Iraq.

The cutting off of investment, especially in Iran's capital starved energy sector will prevent them from expanding and replacing their ability to pump oil. Iran's oil output continues to fall, and their own domestic energy use continues to rise, causing them to export less and less oil. That means that their primary source of income is going to continue to shrink, unless foreign capital is provided. Cutting off this possibility will put pressure on the regime; however, as we have seen, Governments and Companies have continued to defy the political risks involved with investing in Iran, and have cut huge oil and gas deals. These spoilers will continue to do so, especially as Iran becomes more desperate and begins offering "Sweetheart deals" to get the capital they need.

The cutting of export credits by the Europeans will also hurt, and will restrict Iran's ability to trade with European companies. But the Europeans have yet to get tough in making this policy. The Euros make big bucks off Iranian trade (Iran's #1 trading partner: especially Germany & Italy); the Europeans will receive push back from domestic economic interests to forgo strict enforcement of export credit cuts; it has the potential to hurt several substantial European companies.


So... what does all that mean. Sanctions can have an effect... but like we have seen with sanctions historically, they can be side-stepped, cheated, ignored, and generally fail to have the desired effect. People choose greed and money over effective policy.

If we allow the past to inform the future, sanctions will fall short, and not prevent Iran from continuing with their policies.


Now... you're going to ask what do I suggest then, right?

I have no fucking idea. I don't know if stopping them at this point is possible. Militarily delay is the best we can hope for... maybe 2 years. All the other options seem like half measures bound to fail.

Personally I think we'll eventually resort to a policy of nuclear containment; Iran will eventually be accepted as a nuclear power, like North Korea is gaining acceptance now. We'll provide a nuclear umbrella to our allies to deter Iranian aggressiveness, and we'll urge Israel take their nuclear posture from one of ambiguity to that of overt nuclear power. We'll then try to prevent and contain any follow on proliferation in the region.

Edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation... etc etc.

ETA: I hope I'm wrong... that sanctions do work, and we find a way to get the Iranians to the table. Sanctions' history of failure leaves me with little hope though. Hopefully, someone smarter than all of us will come forward with a plan to prevent this crisis from progressing any further.

Bomb bomb bomb...bomb bomb Iran...Bomb bomb bomb...bomb bomb Iran...

A modest proposal

I'd give them the ARK Option.

Every Iranian who wanted to live a good life in the modern world (post 1300 AD) could show up at port for pick up for a brief cruise in the persian gulf.

Then the Neutron Bombs would go off above the rest of Iran then those who chose to get "ON" the boat / program could come back and repopulate a modern / less crazy Iran.  

The great thing is that this option has lots of potential in other areas of the world so once we get the logistics of the "cruise" down, we can scale this puppy and move the world forward at warp speed!  

BIGGER_HAMMER

Are you kidding me? LOL

I know people from Iran that have come here recently that know american music better than I do. You should see their IPODs. Yes, they have IPODs. They know most Brittany Spears and Cold Play songs word for word.

Western culture gets in just fine. Movies, music, art, dress and fashion, it's all there in gigantic proportions. And you're right, they love it.

The die was cast in '79.  The U.S. came so close to war with Iran that most people have no clue.  When the hostages were taken at the embassy, Marines aboard one of the MEUs that were in the Persian Gulf at the beginning of the crisis were given OPORDERS and issued ammo.  They stood up for several hours while preperations for an amphibious and verticle envelopement op were under way.  Before H-hour the operation was cancelled.  All that ammo that had been issued was thrown overboard.  

I've heard this story from several former Marines that were there at the time, none of which knew each other as they conveyed the information to me in different geographical locations.

It is my understanding that other U.S. forces (USAF TAC and SAC squadrons and USN carriers) were put on alert to deploy in anticipation of offensive ops against Iranian assets (especially the Iranian F-14s we sold them) to neutralize any retaliatory capabilities they would have to respond to a U.S. attack.  The plan was in place, the Pentagon was ready to go, and Carter called it all off.  He didn't want to upset the Iranians.

The upshot of all this is that a war with Iran is inevitable.  It's just been delayed since '79, but the unfortunate aspect of all this is that the consequences of the delay will be far more catastrophic now than they would have been just six years ago.

Oh well.  Sucks to be an Iranian right now (or in the near future).....

sniper komani and a few others.  then leave

1) If possible, develop a black-ops program aimed at getting 'anti-regime' activists on the ground in Tehran, who actually work for the US intelligence community.





Given an oppertunistic civil disturbance, have those operatives attempt to escalate 'distrubance' to open revolt, and provide cover for citizen activists who aren't fortunate enough to have access to all the best toys the US can air-drop.......





If said operatives can disrupt the regime's response enough (IEDs, truck bombs, ambushes, etc).... It might give the Iranians the space they need to have a nice little revolution...





2) If (1) is not possible, the only thing that will work is a full on invasion - USN covers the Gulf, put Marines ashore on the Iranian side of the Strait, to push the Iranians back beyond the radar horizon (if they can't get radar coverage of the strait, their anti-ship missiles are useless), and Army heavy brigades finish off the regime...





No pre-invasion bombing, USAF & USN/USMC Air are used ala 2003 - simultanious air, land, and sea initiation....





 

Elect a muslim president to go over and kiss and make up??  Never mind, we're already trying that one.

I would say this. Along with offering training and arms to any groups in Iran that want them.

I'm consistently irritated that our domestic policies aren't in line with reality. Revenue streams are declining, but all facets of government are trying to sustain spending and invent new ways to take on more dependents. They don't seem to understand that they need to make a phased arrangement of spending cuts that marches along until they're in the black, and then return to this same system of cuts each time that their revenue contracts. Every time I hear a politician of any stripe speak, they convince me in short order that they simply don't get it, and I wonder how such a bunch of malfeasants crawled this far forward.

I have a similarly practical attitude towards foreign policies. Our ability to issue edicts and dictate terms to other countries is finite, waning, and will vanish all together if we use it wantonly. When folks seem unnecessarily bellicose or lapse into childish episodes of, "lets just make 'em do whatever we want 'em to do, because I don't like what they do," I wonder again how such busy-bodied idiots remember to breath.

Iran is playing their hand exceptionally well. They're a legitimate and established state with lots of foreign investment, and haven't been handicapped by a decade of sanctions. Americans aren't willing to accept the cost and opportunity-cost that would be required to make Iran how we want it to be via force. They're going to get their nukes.

This is the only way to achieve results in a timely manner.

Too late for the "hearts and minds"crap.

Tried this in Iraq; didn't work.


Tried this in Viet  Nam; didn't work.


Can't; broke, world/American public opinion won't permit it.

Should have dealt with these assholes twenty years ago. Now we're reduced to praying that the Iranian people will overthrow their government with spitwads/slingshots and that whatever replaces it will be more tractable.  Given the prideful, nationalistic nature of a people who are fully cognizant of their imperial glory days, this is far from assured.  Soon whoever is control of Iran will have recourse to nuclear weapons and be in a position to control a significant portion of the world's oil supply.

We're fucked.  We dithered too long.

Just one old woman's opinion; yours may differ.  And that's OK.


Jane

+1

this

Once again , reality rears its ugly head. Thanks Carter

I would contend that we can't afford NOT to...



The US has been in debt for most of our history - we can afford to take on a little more to take out Iran properly, if needed - I would prefer the CIA option, of course...



Folks who think that we can change anything by dropping bombs are either idiots or in fixed-wing military aviation (eg branch-biased).... Of course the AF/USN Airwing folks would say the same thing to me about 'branch bias' towards ground forces... History proves me right, however...



All wishful thinking though, BHO won't do anything but sit & watch....
 

I would blame Bush.  

When we lose that ability, we lose our economy & everything else with it...



The strength of the US & the value of the USD are all wound up in our military power & ability to dictate terms....



 

Selective strikes on limited Iranian hardliner Symbols of power, but with no credit to us or anyone else.

Take out nutjob... target the Revolutionary Guard, and let the people challenge the mullahs.