Should the US become involved in helping protesters in Iran?

Would also point out that when Israel bombed Iranian sites I saw a lot of Iranians in Iran cheering and clapping on x. Iranians have been asking the USA to intervene both diaspora and messages coming from starlink posted by Iranian outside of Iran.

No, mostly because he’s so damn erratic he would make the situation worse and millions more could lose their lives.

The Iranian people need help, but I don’t think US is the saving grace.

You also don’t want to keep encouraging him to just go in and sort other countries out. Thats how we all go to war to protect Greenland’

This is all relevant to us. We live in a globalised economy and the balance of power worldwide affects all of us. It's just played out in Iran/Syria/Israel/wherever.

That’s really insightful. I do hope your family and friends are ok. I saw a clip on the news with an interview from a man in Venezuela and they asked him if the US was solely interested in the oil. He replied that ‘Yes they were but did you think the Russians and Chinese were here for the receipts for (a national dish - can’t recall what it was called).

I’d support targeted strikes on Revolutionary Guard facilities. I do think the protestors and the people of Iran deserve much better.

Yes Iran do fund Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

Should this be allowed to continue if even their own people (especially their own people) want regime change @Wintersgirl ?

I have every sympathy for the very brave people of Iran, fwiw. Especially the women who have faced more and more restrictions in their freedom over the past years.

It’s also Russia’s key ally in the Middle East.

It's not, though. It's about Russia/China.

Every one of recent flashpoints has been a proxy for US/Russia, with both countries involved to a greater or lesser extent.

Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, Greenland, Venezuela, Iran - same same.

It's very hard - if possible at all - to discern how much the US needed to beef up defense in the face of Russian/Chinese power growing, and Western power weakening.

The mullahs of Iran have been the most brutal regime in the world. They have also funded terrorist groups around the world.

November 2013 the last uprising 3000 people were killed.
In 2023, Iran executed at least 834 and the UN reported at least 975 executions in 2024.

Amnesty International reported Iran was responsible for 64% of all recorded executions worldwide in 2024.
It has many human rights abuses such as 4000-6000 have been murdered for being gay throughout the time of the regime.

If Trump hit military targets then it would divert resources from other areas, I’m in favour of limited military action.
If it fails there will be a brutal crackdown and thousands will be murdered so a push to get the revolution over the line would be humanitarian.

Yes, this is exactly the point I'm trying to get across

@Westfacing It’s their country, let them figure it out for themselves. They’re perfectly capable of fixing their own problems. It has nothing to do with the US, and they pose no threat to the daily lives of average Americans. We need the focus of our leaders on our issues. The same goes for the UK. Food is practically unaffordable, energy prices are through the roof and Starmer’s approval ratings have tanked. We’ve got issues, serious issues. We need to stop getting distracted and figure our own stuff out.

This.

I'm completely full of admiration for the bravery of the protesters in Iran.

I am completely baffled by the blasé duality of "OMG Trump intervened in Venezuela how AWFUL!!!" followed by "OMG why isn't Trump intervening in Iran, how AWFUL!!!" 🙄 The man can't f*cking win!

Iraq was a fantastic success compared to Afghanistan, that's for sure.

Iraq is noone’s idea of a success. But life expectancy is now five years longer than pre invasion and GDP is 10x higher. A significant minority of Iraqis say the invasion was on balance a good thing, especially older ones who remember Saddam.

I’m not here to say that Iraq was a good decision or well-executed. But 10x GDP is only nothing if you don’t truly grasp how bad things can be, and any intervention will look bad if you look only at the harms and not the benefits.

Agreed, people just need to go and look at the shitshow the US/UK made of Iraq and other countries in the Middle East to see what will happen..

Yup. And after 20 odd years in Afghanistan, who is in power there now ?

Your first argument was that intervening never does good. Then you remembered Hitler.

Now it seems to be that Tehran isn’t bad enough.

I agree Tehran isn’t at Germany/Japan levels.

But it subverts countries across the region and actively funds terrorism and instability: Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi.

Where is your line for what is ‘too much’ interfering?

Yes, the amount of US and UK troops lost in Iraq was shocking and for what? Fuck all, the place is still as dangerous and rogue as ever

Help how? How does bombing help exactly?

other ruining infrastructure and aggravating the situation. Regime change for any sovereign nation should come from within. Encourage foreign interference is a slippery slope, would you be encouraging china to be bombing and choosing irans leader?

what right to the US have over any other militarily capable country to go and bomb them? Just bizarre reasoning.

any US led regime will lack legitimacy and then be subject to the same protests. Or worse it will end up like Libya.

Trump will do what he wants. The trouble is to really help he would have to put in troops and he's not going to do that, there are very limited targets he could hit in Iran without also killing civilians and they could very well use human shields to protect targets. It could well become a revolution, but who will end up in power?

The USA and the UK are not the worlds policemen, don't get me wrong the regime in Iran is awful but no good ever comes of us trying to change things

It's the people of Iran who are trying to change things but they can't do it without serious outside help.

Lead with what ? As in what action ?

Tehran is about 700 miles from Qatar, the general area where there are US bases. And there is a sea between the Gulf states and Iran. There is Iraq to the East of course, an attack could be launched from there. North is the Caspian, Turkmenistan. East is Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The photo below shows Tehran. It's a mountainous country, more like Afghanistan than the flat open desert of Iraq. Iraq to Tehran is 430 miles.

It would take a massive invasion force. And Iran has almost a million troops. So it would be like doing a combined Iraq and Afghanistan invasion at the same time. More so in fact, because unlike Afghanistan, Iran has not had decades of civil war that has weakened it. It has been preparing for decades, not fighting.

I totally agree the regime needs removed. And as you say the regime is very powerful.

Military action would need a massive force.

I really do not see what a few bombs or missiles will do. Trump bombed Nigeria recently. What has that done. ISIS in Syria has been getting bombed for over a decade, and there has been a land war too. ISIS are still there.

It’s incredible that anyone would chunter on about the ‘wicked’ US in a discussion about the (hopefully) near end of the monsters that run Iran. I mean, seriously?

Iran under the murderous crazies is a giant tumour in the Middle East. It kills and tortures thousands and thousands of its citizens, and oppresses and impoverishes all of them. It finances and directs vast terrorist networks outside its borders.

US intervention now would be obviously morally right. Whether it would be politically wise depends on what action is taken. I can’t see any likelihood of invasion. Where missiles and bombs might most effectively land is in the hands of the planners with the facts, but I’d have thought military depots and barracks would be obvious targets.

No of course not, but Iran isn't invading countries like the Nazis is it? They want a regime change which is fair enough but there are ways of doing it..