"just another month of negotiations and we will have progress"

My take: Iran’s ongoing attempt to rebuild the Taleghan 2 facility demonstrates the Islamic Republic’s true intentions. A deal with the regime now — after President Trump promised Iranian protesters that help is on the way and in the wake of last June’s extensive and damaging… https://t.co/uXeHm9WL9J

— Andrea Stricker (@StrickerNonpro) February 17, 2026

Any idea where the Shahid Bahman Bagheri is? That's Irans new drone and helicopter carrier delivered earlier this month. I would think we are tracking its movement closely. Would be cool to see an attack sub send it to the bottom of the sea before the first plane takes off from our carriers.

Tailgate88 said:

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I'm calling my shot - things get exciting next week. There are just way too many assets moving into the theatre. It costs a lot of money to do that and there has to be a reason. Not to mention, the Olympics are over on Sunday. All of these "negotiations" are so we can say "We negotiated in good faith for weeks to no avail." Trump has shown over and over that when he says he's going to do something, he does it. He is well aware of what he told the protesters.

Bombs away.

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I agree with this, toooooooo much money to just bring all these assets together to just have a regular BBQ... we are about to have a BIG BIG BIG BBQ, but it isn't pork or beef ribs we will be grilling.... and yes, the Olympics will be over and all the media will have dispersed...

that means time to buy some crude related stocks and PROFIT!

Honestly, I wish our men would have a bunch of BBQ parties over there with pigs on a spit.

Four more E-3s heading over...

I think China and to a lesser extent Russia are common denominators here as well as the Venezuela venture. Sure, there are many other positives, but it's difficult to start/ fight wars without a guaranteed supply of oil. Venezuela as well as Iran provided that supply to China. No oil, no Taiwan.

Funding 3 sleeper agents is easy. If we had been minimally vigilant in 2001 we would have prevented 9/11. 5,000 Iranian sleeper cell agents are not active in the United States. That number is so high it is nonsensical and Iran doesn't have the resources to pull it off.

I can see the usual suspects crying if we attack Iran in an attempt to end their regime. But, if Iranian backed terrorists launch attacks on us and our allies domestically, I could see that backfiring on them in terms of public opinion. One doesnt position and fund terrorists in other nations "just in case" you are attacked.

americathegreat1492 said:

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I can see the usual suspects crying if we attack Iran in an attempt to end their regime. But, if Iranian backed terrorists launch attacks on us and our allies domestically, I could see that backfiring on them in terms of public opinion. One doesnt position and fund terrorists in other nations "just in case" you are attacked.

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You would think but never discount Democrats aiding and abetting Iranian terrorists. We do have a former POTUS candidate who is a known traitor and ally of Iran in John Kerry. I'm sure we have many US Democrats and citizens who would support terrorism here simply because of TDS.

The Sun said:

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Did you see what happened last time 19 goat ****ers messed around in our country? And they weren't wven nation state actors.

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19 dudes killed thousands of people, had us destroy many of our own freedoms, mired us into two invasions of countries who fought us to a standstill and then beat us by attriting our patience as a nation while costing us further thousands of lives and trillions of dollars over the course of a literal generation.

Yeah, I saw what happened. Good job us, I guess.

Wearer of the Ring said:

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Bad idea. Who would want their kid killed there? Better to find a way to help Iranians to do it themselves.

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Almost assuredly this is what will happen IMO. With aid from air power and SF. Which don't count as "normal" war fighting stuff for whatever political reason. Already substantial claims we had people on the ground to help the Iranian protesters. We absolutely have people there now of various capabilities and organizations. We have an SF unit dedicated to training and aiding indigenous forces to overthrow regimes. The Green Berets. It's literally their mission statement and they are one of the oldest and most experienced SF units we have. Tons of practice. Then CIA and other various Fed units of course.

The issue I see with all this, is how badly the resistance was set back from the protests. If even half the rumors are true, thousands were murdered over the course of basically 48 hours. The regime might have actually stamped down an effective resistance already or what may become rather..

Non stop tankers on the move, absolutely nuts. pic.twitter.com/dyDRUBWVq9

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 18, 2026

Iranians need to do it (regime change) themselves.

Kunkle for Congress TX-34 said:

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Non stop tankers on the move, absolutely nuts. pic.twitter.com/dyDRUBWVq9

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 18, 2026

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Somebody is gonna need to make a bigger parking lot over there!

MAROON said:

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We are absolutely not putting boots on the ground in Iran. First there is no border country for which we could stage material and supplies and bring them in. Then you have the terrain of Iran which has limited the ability if any invaders for centuries. It's not happening in a conventional way.

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Nope- you can't be serious Clark that "there are no border countries for which we could stage material"!!!!

Ever heard of a place called IRAQ which literally HAS A US AIR FORCE BASE AND AMERICAN TROOPS STATIONED THERE.

how about Armenia? a friendly Christian country to the USA

Azerbaijan? a friendly Muslim country allied with Israel.

oh yeah, a little place called TURKEY- WHERE WE ALSO HAVE AN AIR FORCE BASE AND TROOPS!

OF COURSE we have border countries to stage in around Iran.

we won't put in massive amounts of soldiers but absolutely there will be Special Forces / CIA on the ground to pick up any downed pilots

NM

Eliminatus said:

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The Sun said:

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Did you see what happened last time 19 goat ****ers messed around in our country? And they weren't wven nation state actors.

---

19 dudes killed thousands of people, had us destroy many of our own freedoms, mired us into two invasions of countries who fought us to a standstill and then beat us by attriting our patience as a nation while costing us further thousands of lives and trillions of dollars over the course of a literal generation.

Yeah, I saw what happened. Good job us, I guess.

---

I was countering the assertion that we would do nothing if Iranian cells activated here. Also, I highly suspect the current administration would not tie our warfighters' hands like Bush and Rumsfeld did back then.

How would we get troops and equipment to Azerbaijan? Or Russian ally Armenia?

Please please please stop pretending you know what you're talking about.

GAC06 said:

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How would we get troops and equipment to Azerbaijan?

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The same way we get them everywhere else?

Tailgate88 said:

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I'm calling my shot - things get exciting next week. There are just way too many assets moving into the theatre. It costs a lot of money to do that and there has to be a reason. Not to mention, the Olympics are over on Sunday. All of these "negotiations" are so we can say "We negotiated in good faith for weeks to no avail." Trump has shown over and over that when he says he's going to do something, he does it. He is well aware of what he told the protesters.

Bombs away.

---

What does the Olympics in Italy

have to do with demolishing the Islamic Republic 1,400 miles away?

4 said:

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GAC06 said:

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How would we get troops and equipment to Azerbaijan?

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The same way we get them everywhere else?

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LOL so Azerbaijan is well known to have Israeli military advisors crawling all over the country- but somehow the USA would be blocked from entering?!?

brilliant!

"Israel maintains a deep strategic, intelligence, and military partnership with Azerbaijan, acting as its primary arms supplier (roughly 70% of imports from 20162020), including advanced drones and missiles.

While Azerbaijan denies hosting foreign military bases, reports indicate extensive cooperation, including Israeli advisors, intelligence operations, and potential access to airfields for monitoring Iran.

Military Technology: Israel has supplied Azerbaijan with advanced weaponry, including Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, LORA long-range ballistic missiles, and various unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or "suicide drones," such as Harop.

Strategic Role: Azerbaijan's proximity to Iran makes it a key strategic partner for Israel, with reports suggesting intelligence operations are carried out from the country.

Arms for Oil: This alliance is often characterized as a trade of advanced military technology for stable oil supplies.
Conflict Impact: Israeli-supplied,, Israeli-made weapons systems were instrumental in Azerbaijan's successes in the 2020 and 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts."

Strategically and logistically, nothing. Purely PR - it's a bad look to start bombing a country who has athletes at the Olympics, a symbol of the world coming together blah blah blah, while they are still going on. Just one man's take.

4 said:

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GAC06 said:

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How would we get troops and equipment to Azerbaijan?

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The same way we get them everywhere else?

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We sent most of our stuff by sea to invade Iraq. Look at a map.

Pretty sure there is a general understanding among the participating countries that in the name of friendly competition and everyone coexisting during the games nothing really pops off during the Olympics.

I think it's very much a factor.

GAC06 said:

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4 said:

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GAC06 said:

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How would we get troops and equipment to Azerbaijan?

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The same way we get them everywhere else?

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We sent most of our stuff by sea to invade Iraq. Look at a map.

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Look at a C5. A plane that was literally built to move troops and equipment

Ag_07 said:

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Pretty sure there is a general understanding among the participating countries that in the name of friendly competition and everyone coexisting during the games nothing really pops off during the Olympics.

I think it's very much a factor.

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Also islamisists have been known to attack Olympics.... so probably best to avoid a scene there.

4 said:

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GAC06 said:

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4 said:

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GAC06 said:

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How would we get troops and equipment to Azerbaijan?

---

The same way we get them everywhere else?

---

We sent most of our stuff by sea to invade Iraq. Look at a map.

---

Look at a C5. A plane that was literally built to move troops and equipment

---

You're not going to move an invasion army by C-5. Even if that was the ridiculous plan we chose, we would have needed to start a long time ago to be ready even by the end of spring.

Yes, Israel reportedly raised its national security alert level on February 18, 2026

citing escalating regional tensions and the possibility of a near-term U.S. military strike on Iran.

Alert Status: Multiple sources, including CNN and Israeli state broadcaster Kan, reported that Israel has moved to a heightened state of readiness. Some security agencies have declared their highest level of defensive alert.

Iranian Threat: The alert is primarily driven by concerns that Iran may launch a preemptive strike or retaliate against Israel if the U.S. initiates military action. IDF officials have warned that a confrontation could begin "within days" and potentially develop into a "weeks-long" campaign.

Civilian Preparedness: The Home Front Command has been instructed to prepare for a multi-theater war scenario. Major-General Shay Klapper stated that the home front will be a "central arena" in these operational scenarios.

Military Readiness: While no large-scale reserve mobilization has been ordered as of February 18, all intelligence branches are operating at "peak readiness".

Not to mention Vance was just there

Tailgate88 said:

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Strategically and logistically, nothing. Purely PR - it's a bad look to start bombing a country who has athletes at the Olympics, a symbol of the world coming together blah blah blah, while they are still going on. Just one man's take.

---

what sport does the Islamic Republic compete in at the Winter Olympics?

Throwing civilians off of mountain tops?

LMCane said:

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Tailgate88 said:

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Strategically and logistically, nothing. Purely PR - it's a bad look to start bombing a country who has athletes at the Olympics, a symbol of the world coming together blah blah blah, while they are still going on. Just one man's take.

---

what sport does the Islamic Republic compete in at the Winter Olympics?

Throwing civilians off of mountain tops?

---

They have four athletes, alpine skiing and cross country I believe.

Tailgate88 said:

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LMCane said:

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Tailgate88 said:

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Strategically and logistically, nothing. Purely PR - it's a bad look to start bombing a country who has athletes at the Olympics, a symbol of the world coming together blah blah blah, while they are still going on. Just one man's take.

---

what sport does the Islamic Republic compete in at the Winter Olympics?

Throwing civilians off of mountain tops?

---

They have four athletes, alpine skiing and cross country I believe.

---

Maybe they are scared of some type of Munich situation. Its not like the borders are not wide open over there to "immigrants".

That's probably exactly what it is

CNN reporting IDF raising alert level.

Aishah Hainsley at Fox says not true.

but then you have ISRAELI news reporting on a direct quote from head of Home Front Command

אלוף פיקוד העורף בוועדת החוץ והביטחון: "כרגע נערכים לשיגורים מאיראן", הכוונה היא להמשיך במדיניות ההתראה המוקדמת 10 דקות לפני הירי | @yaara_shapira עם הפרטים מהדיון החסוי#מהדורתכאןחדשות עם @TaliMoreno_ pic.twitter.com/ROKDvRr59T

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 18, 2026