Iran: the air & missile war

Samizdata Illuminatus (Arkham, Massachusetts) · Military affairs

Analysis by Perun is always interesting…

March 8th, 2026 |

5 comments to Iran: the air & missile war

• Patrick

  March 9, 2026 at 6:59 am

  The point to note for me is that the only ground based air defence Britain has is on ships. Ships stuck in harbour or in dry dock. Warfighting capability is more than ever about sending accurate long range fires and defending against the same. We have essentially no military for modern war. Just as well the world is so stable then!

• Paul Marks.

  March 9, 2026 at 10:31 am

  The United States is winning this war – a war against an evil, horrifically evil, regime which planned attacks (including hoped-for nuclear attacks) in the hope of “Hastening” the return of the Hidden Imam.

  Yet some elements in the United States, who describe themselves as libertarian or conservative, are AGAINST the action of President Trump – it is not just the Red-Green alliance that supports evil, it is a few (thankfully only a few) self described libertarians and conservatives as well.

  Astonishing, but it is the case.

  Let us all hope for total and speedy victory over the Islamic Republic of Iran “Hastener” regime – and for a change of heart among those few (again only a few) libertarians and conservatives who have sided with it.

• Discovered Joys

  March 9, 2026 at 10:55 am

  Part of the global liberal elite mindset is that ‘war’ is bad. The stance has percolated through the clerisy, academia and media. The problem is that it reduces problems to a good/evil binary, perhaps to distract from debate.

  And yet sometimes war is the least bad option (or at least something close to it). Would Iran continue to develop nuclear weapons and use them without some corrective action by other countries? I rather think the answer is yes. Iran is currently a religious theocracy and their leaders march to the beat of a different drum.

• Paul Marks.

  March 9, 2026 at 11:23 am

  Discovered Joys – yes indeed, what you write is the truth.

  However, it is not just the “liberal” establishment – such as the, despicable, Liberal Democrats (fresh from accusing Jewish people of “genocide” in Gaza – thus reversing the truth, for it is the Islamic groups who wish to commit genocide against the Jews)) – it is also a few of our own libertarian and conservative brothers and sisters.

  People who understand economics (who, for example, do NOT, unlike “Sir Ed” Davey think they can make the National Health Service idea work by issuing orders, edicts, to “make it work”), yet rush to side with the IRI regime against President Trump.

  It is astonishing – but there are such people.

  I trace it back to Rothbardianism (the false view of history, on various matters, pushed by the late Murray Rothbard) – but also to the failed operations in IndoChina in the 1960s and 1970s.

  Many people, including these libertarians and conservatives, do not know that victory was FORBIDDEN in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – that the objective, from-the-start, was a “political settlement” (i.e. DEFEAT), there was no attempt to destroy the Marxist leadership in IndoChina – on the contrary they idea was to “make an agreement” with them. But many people do not know this – they really do believe that the United States tried to win the Vietnam War, but was defeated – and this influences their view of everything.

  The Bush Administration (rushing off to the Islamic Center in Washington D.C., two days after 9/11, to say how wonderful Islam is) also dominates their thinking – the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

  If a war starts with the assumption that Islam is wonderful, but has been misrepresented by a “handful” (a “few”) bad people – then, of course, a war such as the Afghan War will end in defeat.

  Operate under a fundamentally false starting assumption and you will be defeated. That does not mean that every war ends in defeat – it means that we must check our starting assumptions to make sure they are not false.

  As for the IRI regime – they are “Hasteners” they believe they can “Hasten” the return of the “Hidden Imam” by spreading death and destruction around the world – including with nuclear weapons.

  This regime has to go.

  And people who urge negotiations with it (for example the British government) are mistaken – horribly mistaken.

  One does not talk to such regimes – one destroys them, or is destroyed by them.

• NickM

  March 9, 2026 at 5:23 pm

  Is the Iranian regime evil? Absolutely. I was born in 1973. They came to power in 1979. It is one of the first big geopolitical things I recall. So, in a sense, they have have been a pain in the arse for all humanity ever since I can recall.

  And, no, clearly they can’t be reasoned with for the theological reasons Paul says and if I may add my tuppence because from the start to the end (let’s hope!) they have maintained a totally solid position on the evils of Britain, Israel, the USA (and others) for nearly fifty years. I give the low marks for everything else but when it comes to holding their position they are World Class.

  OK, I’ll play devil’s advocate! Is this the right war and the right means? I’m not sure… Iran has to have a revolution from within. I’m not sure this is the way to do it. I think the Iranian women’s football team perhaps achieved more by not singing than the US could do with a wing of B-2s.

  Secure the Straights of Hormuz (and sinking the Iranian Navy is a good move on that front), support the dissenters in Iran (and the diaspora) and play clever because using $5m missiles against beards in Toyota pick-ups has never worked. Oh, ensure everyone knows those straights are secure.

  Much though the “hastening” of the departure from This Goodly Earth of Ali Kameini is something that brought me grim pleasure (I would have rather seen him meet the fate of Quadaffi at the hands of his “own” people armed with a stick) Iran is not running low on mullahs (they have a Qomtastic number in reserve). The US might be on JDAMs and Patriots… And always remember that people who actively want to be martyrs are people you can’t exactly threaten with death from above.

  If this works then I’ll buy The Don a Big Mac (super-sized on me!) but that is an “if”. For now I’ll hail the Shirzanan.

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