will25u said:BREAKING: The UAE has secretly carried out military strikes inside Iran, including an attack on Iran's Lavan Island refinery that set off a massive fire, per WSJ.
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) May 11, 2026
Quote:
They may have done it, but I don't know how secret it really could have been.
aggiehawg said:Quote:
They may have done it, but I don't know how secret it really could have been.
Plausible deniability. Wink, wink.
Only about 61 million of the 92 million are Persians. The recently deceased Khameni is only half Persian, making the Gay one at least 1/4 Azerbaijani (not Persian).aggiehawg said:
The Arabs. The old adage about lacking honor among thieves comes to mind. They may be Satan but they are our Satan.
Iranians are Persians. The Arabs are a big group and Persians aren't in it.
American Hardwood said:
I still think that China should have little interest in propping up the IRGC unless they think by doing so, we will be drawn into a quagmire. Trump seems particularly focused on NOT getting into that situation, so it seems to me the best course is for China to, at most, show token support for their IRGC partners in case they somehow survive. They are better off spending their time positioning themselves to renew their deals with the next Iranian regime and staying out of our (and the rest of the ME's) way.
AGpops1923 said:
What's the percentage of these X links you guys post are fake? Curious because no other news entity is discussing these "incidents".
American Hardwood said:will25u said:BREAKING: The UAE has secretly carried out military strikes inside Iran, including an attack on Iran's Lavan Island refinery that set off a massive fire, per WSJ.
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) May 11, 2026
They have the ability to execute secret military operations like this without us knowing about? Without Mossad? They may have done it, but I don't know how secret it really could have been.
FriscoKid said:
How do we end a war when the people you are fighting want to die for their virgins? In WW2 the Japanese were willing to die for the empire and their pride, but the Iranians just want to die. There is no peace deal possible if the greatest prize in their mind is death. Let's make that happen so the rest of us can get on with our lives.
nortex97 said:
We in the spectator seats just don't really know what is going on, imho. Leaders preparing to flee to Moscow?
FriscoKid said:
How do we end a war when the people you are fighting want to die for their virgins? In WW2 the Japanese were willing to die for the empire and their pride, but the Iranians just want to die. There is no peace deal possible if the greatest prize in their mind is death. Let's make that happen so the rest of us can get on with our lives.
nortex97 said:
We in the spectator seats just don't really know what is going on, imho. Leaders preparing to flee to Moscow?
Tailgate88 said:nortex97 said:
We in the spectator seats just don't really know what is going on, imho. Leaders preparing to flee to Moscow?
That is the most optimistic thing I have read in weeks. I really hope it is true. Thanks for posting.
FriscoKid said:
How do we end a war when the people you are fighting want to die for their virgins? In WW2 the Japanese were willing to die for the empire and their pride, but the Iranians just want to die. There is no peace deal possible if the greatest prize in their mind is death. Let's make that happen so the rest of us can get on with our lives.
Moscow for the city folk, but I would head out to the Russia version of Nazi Patagonia… Lake Baikal.nortex97 said:
We in the spectator seats just don't really know what is going on, imho. Leaders preparing to flee to Moscow?
Quote:
How do we end a war when the people you are fighting want to die for their virgins?
rgag12 said:Tailgate88 said:nortex97 said:
We in the spectator seats just don't really know what is going on, imho. Leaders preparing to flee to Moscow?
That is the most optimistic thing I have read in weeks. I really hope it is true. Thanks for posting.
Before everyone imprints this in their mind as actual events happening in Iran, the above article is someone's OPINION on what COULD happen. The basis for his opinion is grounded on events that happened in Syria, which had been embroiled in years long civil war before Assad left. We haven't even gotten to civil war in Iran.
There are no reasons why anyone from the IRGC should be fleeing, they hold the power and are causing all our problems. The civilian leaders who want to make a deal, and have been blocked at every turn, are the only ones who might even consider fleeing at this point.
LMCane said:
the Islamic Republic economy was a basket case BEFORE we attacked them.
which is why there were millions in the streets protesting in January 2026 before they were massacred
every day that goes by WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING INTERNET, without IMPORTS, without exporting OIL
their economy craters even more
ONE US Dollar is worth:
Today (May 12, 2026), 1 USD 1,842,000 Iranian rials on the open/remittance market up about 12,000 rials (0.66%) from yesterday's rate of 1,830,000.
Worth noting: Iran has multiple exchange rates (official, open market, remittance), and they can differ significantly. The figure above reflects the open market rate.
The rial has also weakened considerably over the past six months the dollar's value in rials has risen about 64%
LMCane said:
the Islamic Republic economy was a basket case BEFORE we attacked them.
which is why there were millions in the streets protesting in January 2026 before they were massacred
every day that goes by WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING INTERNET, without IMPORTS, without exporting OIL
their economy craters even more
ONE US Dollar is worth:
Today (May 12, 2026), 1 USD 1,842,000 Iranian rials on the open/remittance market up about 12,000 rials (0.66%) from yesterday's rate of 1,830,000.
Worth noting: Iran has multiple exchange rates (official, open market, remittance), and they can differ significantly. The figure above reflects the open market rate.
The rial has also weakened considerably over the past six months the dollar's value in rials has risen about 64%
rgag12 said:
Before everyone imprints this in their mind as actual events happening in Iran, the above article is someone's OPINION on what COULD happen. The basis for his opinion is grounded on events that happened in Syria, which had been embroiled in years long civil war before Assad left. We haven't even gotten to civil war in Iran.
There are no reasons why anyone from the IRGC should be fleeing, they hold the power and are causing all our problems. The civilian leaders who want to make a deal, and have been blocked at every turn, are the only ones who might even consider fleeing at this point.
Quote:
Meanwhile, the Iranian top tier may well be preparing their golden parachutes.Quote:
With diplomatic options perhaps exhausted and the regime's stability in question, an expert suggests the exit strategy any leadership may be eyeing might be similar to that of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who fled Syria in 2024.
"If the situation deteriorates further, some senior figures could potentially follow a path like Bashar al-Assad's inner circle and seek refuge in Russia," Middle East expert Saeid Golkar told Fox News Digital.
Because you know these guys all have Swiss bank accounts. That's a given in thug societies like the present-day Iran.
Quote:
China's government publicly ordered its companies to ignore US sanctions on Iranian oil buyers. Its financial regulator then quietly told the same banks to stop lending to those companies. Beijing's mouth says one thing. Beijing's money says another.
On May 2, China's Ministry of Commerce invoked its Blocking Statute, formally ordering all Chinese entities not to acknowledge or comply with US sanctions against five Chinese petrochemical companies buying Iranian crude. It was a defiant, public stand on sovereignty.
Within days, China's National Financial Regulatory Administration privately advised its largest state-owned banks to suspend new loans to those same five sanctioned refineries.
No press release. No public statement. No acknowledgment that this directly contradicts the Commerce Ministry's position.
This is the gap between what the CCP says and what it actually does when its banks' access to the US financial system is at stake. Secondary sanctions, which Rubio warned would follow, cut off any institution doing business with sanctioned entities from the entire US dollar system. Chinese state banks cannot afford that. So they comply quietly while the government shouts defiance publicly.
According to reports from a number of news outlets, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) attack against Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island was an attempt to target U.S. forces and satellite infrastructure on the Island. In the engagement, Kuwaiti forces captured four IRGC members,… pic.twitter.com/zeaCD8NSpw
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 12, 2026
FriscoKid said:
How do we end a war when the people you are fighting want to die for their virgins? In WW2 the Japanese were willing to die for the empire and their pride, but the Iranians just want to die. There is no peace deal possible if the greatest prize in their mind is death. Let's make that happen so the rest of us can get on with our lives.
will25u said:According to reports from a number of news outlets, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) attack against Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island was an attempt to target U.S. forces and satellite infrastructure on the Island. In the engagement, Kuwaiti forces captured four IRGC members,… pic.twitter.com/zeaCD8NSpw
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 12, 2026
