Threaten U.S. Military, Hope for the Best – RedState

There’s an old saying that someone “writes checks with their mouth and can’t cash them.” This usually means someone is making threats they can’t back up.

This is a warning that current Iranian leaders should take to heart; Instead, following President Trump’s warning that the United States is concerned about theocratic repression of ongoing protests, leaders of Iran’s armed forces are threatening the United States.

Yeah, Iran, tell us how it works for you.

As nationwide protests continued to spread across Iran on Friday, the regime’s hard-line parliament speaker warned the United States that American forces and bases in the region would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington intervened in the country’s ongoing political unrest.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comments after President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States would take action if Iran used force against protesters. It comes as protests entered their sixth day and appear to be expanding, with Iranian opposition groups reporting at least eight deaths.

“The disrespectful President of the United States should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces throughout the region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism,” Qalibaf wrote in Persian on X.

OK, I have a question for the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament: Are you going to target American forces and facilities with, What, Exactly? Iran had, at the last known count, 65 F-4 Phantoms, 40 F-14 Tomcats, 35 F-5 Tigersharks, around twenty MiG-29s, 20 Su-24 Fencers and a few other old fighters from the Cold War era; we don’t even know how many of them are operational. Any conflict between the United States and Iran would be an air war; we simply have no reason to get involved with troops on the ground in Iran, which would be a task of World War II proportions. And even with our admittedly small number of F-22 and F-35 fighters, supported by the new F-15 EX air superiority fighters, we could obliterate Iran’s air defense capability like dusting a windshield.

Iran does have significant anti-aircraft capability in missiles and even firearms, but this would only be a problem for us striking targets in Iran; and the recent Operation Midnight Hammer, in which the U.S. Air Force reduced Iran’s nuclear program to radioactive, glowing rubble, demonstrated very clearly that we can hit targets in Iran without the Iranians even knowing our planes were around until things started blowing up.

Whatever happens, Iran does not want to confront the United States. Not directly. But their Hamas/Hezbollah/ISIS proxies? That’s another story.

About 40,000 active-duty U.S. troops and War Department civilians are deployed across the Middle East, according to the Military Times, citing Pentagon officials. The forces are stationed in countries including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Syria, according to Reuters.

Trump said earlier Friday that the United States was “locked, loaded and ready to go” if Iranian authorities violently crack down on protesters.

“If Iran shoots and ‘violently kills peaceful protesters, as is its custom, the United States of America will come to their aid,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

It is unclear what the Trump administration and the War Department could do to influence events in Tehran, but we could certainly establish air superiority in the region in a matter of days at most. This would give U.S. forces interesting options in drones and precision munitions. Personally, I would prefer not to see the United States become involved militarily; It is better to let the Iranian people overthrow the mullahs themselves than to see a possible new government (fingers crossed) tainted by accusations of American interference, because that is the first line that any opposition to such a new government would throw.

And yes, it looks like something is brewing.

Learn more: What to watch: Protests in Iran spread, as more people courageously resist the regime

President Trump vows US intervention if Iran kills peaceful protesters: ‘locked and loaded’

This is not to say that the United States cannot help the uprising by providing financial and logistical support, while promising to lift sanctions when a new government is in power. We’ve already seen President Trump do this in Syria, whose government is still fragile and questionable – but it’s better than the old one. Iran will probably end up like this; not great, but better. And that’s okay; the better, well, the better.

We might note that the Green Revolution of 2009 could well have overthrown the mullahs 16 years ago, if then-President Obama had given them some support. Instead, he gave the Green Revolution the cold shoulder, and so here we are today with the Iranian people trying to take on it once again. They have certainly suffered enough.

As for Iran’s threats against American interference, yes. Let them try.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the warrior ethos is returning to the U.S. military.

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