Yikes, Israel might have just attacked Iran!

[SomeWomanSomewhere]

This is NOT GOOD news!

Israel has declared a state of emergency, at least six explosions in Tehran.

This is seriously unfunny!

Israel has ZERO strategic depth - Iran has plenty. Nukes: see above, reverse!

Reported from Hansard 6/5/2025

"The two operations that took place across multiple locations this weekend were significant and complex. They were some of the largest counter-state threats and counterterrorism actions that we have seen in recent times, and I am sure the whole House will want to join me in thanking the police, the security services and other partner agencies across the country, who showed their professionalism and expertise in carrying out these operations to keep our country safe"

Is that pesky enough for you?

People are so entrenched it’s become flipped. Some would like to ignore the advisory threat.

It's sad but there is no good option left. Either set the region on fire or capitulate.

Nice sentiment by the author but I think that it reflects another miscalculation by a western thinker. They forget to account for the tradition of honour, respect and independence. What may look "crazy" to us might seem less so to Iranians.

It's too late to ask for restraint now after the Israeli attack. Iranians are already outside protesting asking for a swift and harsh response.

Nuclear sites have been hit with the potential to leak into the region.

it's a whole clusterfuck.

P.s Netanyahu's plane has reportedly flown to Greece.

Whatever happens, I sincerely hope that the Iranian people gain their freedom in the near future because they deserve that. They've served a very long sentence under the Iranian regime. I pray that the regime collapses.

..which is worrying in itself.

It really is. If one wanted to be a threat to the UK as a country it’d be helpful if those on SM posted nice fluffy support on how that’s not the case. That goes for others behind it too whether it be Russia and others or not.

Before I’m marched up the hill, I’d like to see some solid evidence see my earlier post about dodgy dossiers. Suspicious-looking Muslims supposedly conspiring while watching Iranian propaganda on their laptops simply doesn’t meet the threshold for proof. That said, I’m not discounting that state actors may be operating in the country, plotting terrorism. The real questions are: does our Middle East policy make such threats more or less likely? And secondly, does blindly following Israeli foreign policy objectives serve our interests or actually undermine them?

Your comment about his plane is funny if true - is he in it or are they just trying to make sure it doesn't get it.

Israel is basically providing a world service right now. We should be thanking them for taking out Iranian military leaders and nuclear capacity.

Do you discount MI5 on this? They recently talked about threat

‘Since the killing of Mahsa Amini in 2022 we’ve seen plot after plot here in the UK, at an unprecedented pace and scale.

Since January 2022, with police partners, we have responded to twenty Iran-backed plots presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents.’

Are they incorrect in your view?

I've got no idea at all, earlier he was reported to be in a bunker in Israel!

Funnily enough, if someone was being Machiavellian, they could use Israel to destroy Irans nuclear infrastructure and Iran to destroy Israels. Dimona is potentially on the table now.......

They may or may not be true I have no idea without solid evidence. The Iranians are certainly not acting in good faith, but regardless of the nature of these threats, they remain well below the threshold for declaring or supporting war against Iran. States engage in these kinds of activities all the time. So far, Iran hasn’t poisoned anyone with radioactive material like Russia did, and before the invasion of Ukraine, it suffered no material inconvenience.

You think killing innocent people is a world service?

The U.K. hasn’t war declared war? I don’t think any posts have asked for that.

The entrenched support though and downplaying of threat is evident in posts. They are in the top three for state threat, do you acknowledge that is the case?

Israel can surgically bomb a specific apartment in Tehran to kill a top general without collapsing the whole building

But in Gaza, they carpet bomb & annihilate a whole neighbourhood to “target” a rank & file member (the destruction is the goal, the “target” is the pretext).

Why ? Because they care nothing for Palestiniain lives and can do it with impunity wheras with Iran it's best foot forward and try to turn the people against the regime without killing too many innocents.

You dispute reported terrorist activity of MI5?

China is a threat too, but we’re not launching missiles at them. From what I can gather, like the Russians and Chinese, Iran seems more focused on extending its reach to target refugees and dissidents abroad rather than attacking the UK directly. Obviously, that’s still very concerning, and everything possible should be done to prevent it.

@sualipathis is the direct question which sums up what I’m asking

Yes, the UK has rejected any assistance to Israel. Trump has warned Iran not to attack the US. I'm not sure why where the declaration of war idea comes from.

I agree.

The world does not need any more nuclear powers, or nuclear weapons. The world needs to be working towards denuclearisation.

You know when we look back at past events with the benefit of hindsight, and say, we should have intervened then. At that moment. To prevent x, y and z from occurring. Well, this is one of those intervention moments.

As I’m being pressed on this, I ask myself: would a failed state in Iran one where highly trained and armed groups such as the IRG, some possibly with access to nuclear material for a dirty bomb pose a greater or lesser threat than the current regime, which still operates under some guardrails? I believe the answer is that such a failed state would represent a significantly greater threat. Elements of the Iraqui army morphed into ISIS and Al-Quada after the war and did much more damage to British interests than Saddam ever did.

Why are world leaders calling for restraint then?

The world does not need any more nuclear weapons. And this escalation is not a good idea. Both those things are true. It’s not one or the other.

Well exactly. It’s all very well wanting to topple regimes but what would end up in its place.

No, your scenario poses a lesser threat.

The greater threat would be this scenario playing out in a post nuclear Iran.

They are calling for restraint because no one wants an escalation, obviously.

That doesn’t mean an escalation wouldn’t have been a better scenario, than one that plays out in the future.