Beware the Ides of March - Trump Thread #156

[Spandauer]

Do you think The Friend of Epstein is au fait with Roman history?

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5488504-name-a-better-trio-than-onion-garlic-ginger-trump-thread-155

Yes it's all looking a bit shaky.

Suicide vests is also the reason tasers can't be used in those situations as well. And if someone does have a gun or bomb then shooting in the leg or arm won't stop them. So if a police officer does shoot someone in the leg or arm and is asked why they shot them "I thought he had a bomb/gun" isnt a very good reason. Deliberately shooting someone in the arm/leg sounds more like police brutality so I'm glad it isn't a thing here. (Of course when they are a completely innocent person going about their business shot for no reason (Charles de Mendes) that isnt much comfort.)
Ideally the police in America wouldn't be shooting innocent people at all either- reducing it from head shots to leg shots seems like the wrong way to go.

Guerilla warfare tactics are most certainly needed. However in Northern Ireland, the British Army was woefully unprepared. Many young soldiers were collateral.

Which is why the assignation attack on Trump went wrong/right.

I was in school with the police officer in that case

From Sky news feed.

"Trump suggests attacks on Iran could last for four weeks

Donald Trump has said the ongoing US strikes on Iran could last for up to a month.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "It's always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so. It's always been about a four-week process so - as strong as it is, it's a big country, it'll take four weeks - or less."

The US president also commented on the first deaths of US service personnel in the fighting: "They're great people," he said. "And, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous - it could happen again." He said he'd spoken to their families and would meet them "at the appropriate time".

Mr Trump said the operation had not thrown up any surprises in the two days since it began.

"No, I think it's going as per planned," he added. "You know, other that we took out their entire leadership - far, far more than what we thought. Looks like 48."
He said he was open to talks with Iran's leadership but didn't know whether they would happen soon.

"They want to, they want to talk, but I said you should have talked last week not this week," he told the Mail."

I bolded the bits I found interesting. Here is why.

So it's a big country ? It's actually 18th in the world by size. Photo attached of Iran superimposed on continental USA. I have also attached Gaza compared to London. Just to show my reasoning here. Iran is mountainous , Gaza is flat. Iran population 90 million. Gaza 2.2 million. Gaza how many years? Iran 4 weeks or less ?

"Could happen continuous - it could happen again.". I have no idea what that means. But no matter, because "They're great people"

If he took out their leadership, who is he now going to hold talks with ? If he means a new leadership, then what was the point of "taking out" the previous one ? And does he really think the leadership of an authoritarian state of 90 million people is "48."

I suppose a special mention goes to this: He said he'd spoken to their families and would meet them "at the appropriate time". Yeah, I think we know what that means. Gold star families, great to roll out and "thank for their sacrifice". If they are dems or unhappy, he can just TRUTH that they are unpatriotic. And if they are migrants, he can just deport them.

CNN photo attached.

"In this photo released by the White House on X, President Donald Trump monitors operations in Iran from Mar-a-Lago in South Florida on February 28. Portions of the photo have been blurred by the source.
The White House/X"

I have also attached the iconic Obama situation room photo, to save folk from having to look it up.

What a difference. Trump gazing into the distance, half asleep or bored. His crew all looking at Trump, looking bored. No screens, or if they have been blurred, nobody is looking at them. Check out the "detailed" map on the wall. Did they borrow that from a local primary school ?

I have never seen Trump with a laptop. Is he computer illiterate ?

Anyway. as a press release, what a terrible image.

A picture says a thousand words. To me this says meh.

They look like Melania is stood to the side, about to give another screening of her blockbuster film.

Good morning from Cyprus, where for the moment, the only words I have are “Fuck you, you cowardly Trump minion, Starmer"

Yes. A fair bit of double speak here:
PM statement on Iran: 1 March 2026 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

"Yesterday, I spoke to you about the situation in the Gulf and explained that the United Kingdom was not involved in the strikes on Iran.
That remains the case.
Over the last two days Iran has launched sustained attacks across the region at countries who did not attack them.
They’ve hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying.
This is clearly a dangerous situation.
We have at least 200,000 British citizens in the region - residents, families on holiday, and those in transit.
I ask all our people in the region to please register your presence and follow Foreign Office travel advice.
I know this is a deeply worrying time and we will continue to do all we can to support you.
Our Armed Forces who are located across the region are also being put at risk by Iran’s actions.
Yesterday Iran hit a military base in Bahrain, narrowly missing British personnel.
The death of the Supreme Leader will not stop Iran from launching these strikes.
Their approach is becoming even more reckless – and more dangerous to civilians.
Our decision that the UK would not be involved with the strikes on Iran was deliberate.
Not least because we believe that the best way forward for the region and for the world is a negotiated settlement.
One in which Iran agrees to give up any aspirations to develop a nuclear weapon.
But Iran is striking British interests nonetheless, and putting British people at huge risk, along with our allies across the region.
That is the situation we face today.
Our partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them, and it is my duty to protect British lives.
We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes.
But the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source – in their storage depots or the launchers which used to fire the missiles.
The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.
We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.
The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies, and protecting British lives.
That is in accordance with international law. And we are publishing a summary of our legal advice.
We are not joining these strikes, but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region.
And we will also bring experts from Ukraine together with our own experts to help Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones attacking them.
I want to be very clear: we all remember the mistakes of Iraq.
And we have learned those lessons.
We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now.
But Iran is pursuing a scorched earth strategy - so we are supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region.
Because that is our duty to the British people.
It is the best way to eliminate the urgent threat and prevent the situation spiralling further.
This is the British government protecting British interests and British lives.
Updates to this page
Published 1 March 2026"

So defensive only. But that defence will mean pre-emptive strikes of targets in Iran. That is not defence in my book. Flying over the gulf targeting missiles in the air is defense I say. Struking targets in Iran is an act of war surely.

Trumps lapdog. Parliament must meet now I say.

Diego Garcia by the way, is where the US keep B52. Their carpet bombers.

And what on earth is the Ukraine stuff ? Dragging them in too while they are already at war.

That must be scary Jaichange

In reality though there is never going to be a good answer to the question "what should a UK government do faced with a mad US President given frightening levels of powers by his own party?"

Fuck Trump

I second concern for fellow poster Jaichange.

And not many might agree, but I say Fuck Starmer too.

He says lessons learned from Iraq. The lesson was that Bush and Blair lied about WMDs. Approx a million Iraqis died and ISIS was born.

He says lessons learned, then HE says "but nukes"'

I would have preferred Starmer to say no to Trump but there are 300k British people in the ME to think about.

Thank you for your concern, the already quite strong anti-British sentiment on the island can only get worse with this shower of shit.

The husband has just heard this whole misguided operation described by a TV commentator as: “this little vanity project”.

Yep, still no more words except expletives deleted. I do also blame Trump and Netanyahu at the origin of this but wish, as I have done all along, that European leaders would stand against them or at least not support them.

ETA: I’m sorry, I should have said, we don’t live too close to the British base which was attacked and we are leading normal lives in the perhaps misguided assumption we won’t be collateral damage. (Put that on my gravestone if the worst comes to the worst.)

Hope that you stay safe. I have family stationed at Episkopi and they’ve been put on notice to evacuate.

I do think learning from Ukraine is sensible, they’ve been dealing well with shahed drones for some time now.

Sky had an article the other day where a reporter went out with a drone hunter. The hunter uses an AK. And there is the netting they put up over roads.

Thank you, I hope your family stays safe, too.

What do we make of this Kuwait ‘incident’ of fighter jets crashing. Reports seem to hint at possible friendly fire…what a fucking mess.

You can be sure anything Trump puts his hand to turns into a fucking mess.

"Meet the new boss,
Same as the old boss"

Isreal says :

Israeli military says “all options" on the table for potential ground operation in Lebanon

Via Sky.

Ohh, Gaza has been blocked off again. So no food getting in again. So much for Trumps peace plan

I think Trumps method is atrocious here. Lets sit around a table and talk, and a few days later bomb the shit out of them. Who is going to sit at the negotiating table again. And this is the theme of what the PRC are saying today.

State media link sorry, but hey, that's all there is in China.

Intl community should take a clearer and firmer stand in opposing law of the jungle: Global Times editorial - Global Times

This might get interesting for Ukraine, as Iran has been Russias main supplier (the Shahed drone) till now.

They said this morning that Mark Carney in Canada had actually come out and said he supports the US and Israeli actions, which I was not expecting given how US has been acting

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/28/mark-carney-canada-iran-strikes-00805631

Checking in. Wow this thread is moving quickly!

I take it not many people would recognise the phrase "The Great Game" then ?