Attacks in Saudi Arabia on two oil factories

notobtuse wrote: »

There will be no ground invasion. Pinpoint air attacks and global boycotts just might be the incentive needed for the Iranian people to accomplish a regime change.

Funny thing is Iran has the capability to strike back. If this goes down don't be shocked if Iran destroys US airbases and aircraft carriers at sea. They not Iraq. Very likely Russia and China will support them with satellite coverage.

I don't think people realise Iran base is Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. You going to have take them on across mutiple fronts at the same time.

notobtuse wrote: »

Once all the I's are dotted and T’s are crossed, and everything points to Iran’s regime of religious psychopaths using one its proxies to undertake the oil field attach, they must be punished severely or they will continue their actions. The attack on Saudi Arabia was actually a global attack as the financial repercussions are already being felt around the world. A retaliatory air attack on their oil fields, ports, factories, military installations, and nuclear sites would probably be the best course of action. It might just give the Iranian people the motive needed to finish the job this time and oust the mullahs.

I saw a pair of A10 Warthogs flying near where I live the other day. Haven’t seen them in quite some time even though a squadron is based about 60 miles south of me. Thought they would make the perfect attack plane to take on the small Iranian swarm boats that have been hijacking tanker ships lately.

It would be shot out of the sky if it appeared in Iranian airspace. The Americans would not deploy such a slow vulnerable aircraft. They have pleanty of gear that could do a much better job.

Gatling wrote: »

Not at isolated oil fields likely only deployed to military infrastructure and to protect they royal family,

If America shot down the missles over another state and there was casualties as a result people would have been up in arms screaming for revenge ,if they acted and stopped the missles over Saudi ,the kingdom would look helpless .

It's a no win situation for the US.

It didn't stop them docking a destroyer in Lebanon earlier today

The US has killed tens of thousands of civilians in the recent past and no one has done anything about it and very few care. If they knocked out a missile over SA and killed a few people no one would care.


Anyway here is what maybe hit the SA oilfield.


https://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1208062/meet-the-quds-1/

Homelander wrote: »

Why is the Saudi military so appallingly weak when they spend such absolutely enormous amounts of money on it? Iran would wipe the floor with them despite having a fraction of the military budget. It's like a fascist era Italy for the modern day.

You're assuming that their priority is to have a top rate military with unified command by professional officers. In fact this would just be a potential coup threat. Many more middle Eastern regimes fall to internal threats than external ones. So any self respecting despot needs to appoint commanders based on loyalty above competence, this rationale extends down the chain of command.

They also split the military up in ways that frustrate potential coups but undermine effectiveness : so in Saudi Arabia you have the regular military under the Ministry of Defence, the National Guard under its own Ministry, Ministry of Interior paramilitaries, a Royal Guard that reports directly to the King and a Border Guard under its own Directorate. Most Middle Eastern states are similar.

The heavy military spending is at least as much a form of diplomacy as it is an attempt to build an effective military. For some time the House of Saud has been keeping the lights on in the British defence industry and the influence this gives it over British governments is considerable (massive job losses in industrial regions are electorally hard to shake off). The rest of the gulf states do similar and they share the love all over to curry goodwill with disparate western powers. For instance Qatar's purchase of F15s, Rafales, Typhoons and C17 heavy strategic transports is more a reflection of diplomatic than military necessity. What all this buys is a blind eye to human rights abuses and terrorism support in the good times and a safe place to fly the private jet if and when an angry mob storm the presidential palace.