Iran Sees Through Trump’s Bluff
While the Iranian saga has kept the world in suspense, it has now gone from a travesty in the making to a complete farce. The USS Gerald R. Ford—the most expensive and “advanced” aircraft carrier in history—has become “caught” in a serious stench after it was revealed that demoralized sailors may have been sabotaging the ship by flushing items like clothing and mop heads down the ship’s sewer system, causing widespread blockages—a kind of “color revolution of the seas” ( color mutiny?) , where the color is brown.
Now Trump’s initiative is collapsing before his very eyes amid internal uprisings, while staff leak all sorts of damaging information to the press. The latest news from the Pentagon is that the US has only a few days of ammunition for an ongoing, intense conflict with Iran, a fact we’ve known for a long time, writes Simplicius .
Despite the US military buildup near Iran, two US military officials said the Pentagon lacks the troops and munitions needed for a sustained bombing campaign.
An official estimated that current US forces in the region can sustain attacks for only 7 to 10 days, limiting the feasibility of a prolonged military operation.
Source: NYT
US officials have said that if Iran did not accept their demands after a targeted strike, Mr. Trump would then consider the larger attack as a follow-up mission.
But two US military officials said that despite the government’s military buildup in the region, the Pentagon lacks the troops or ammunition needed for a sustained bombing campaign. Seven to ten days, one of the officials said, is approximately how long the US military stationed in the region could continue its attacks.
It’s clear there’s an internal uprising underway – from the possible sabotage of the aircraft carrier by its crew to yesterday’s sudden resignation of the Director of the Joint Staff, Vice Admiral Fred Kacher:
WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice Admiral Fred Kacher has been removed from his position as director of the Joint Staff after taking the job in December, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
A Joint Staff spokesperson confirmed that Kacher will “return to duty” in the U.S. Navy when Reuters asked about his resignation from the Joint Staff. Reuters was the first to report on the decision.
Ron Paul Institute Executive Director Daniel McAdams writes :
My guess—and it’s based on limited, but not extensive, contact with Navy veterans—is that he believes a war against Iran would be a disaster. I don’t want to be too specific, but I believe, based on what I know, that this view is particularly widespread among Navy personnel in the Pentagon.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that many within the Pentagon believe the US will face a generational disaster if it engages too deeply in a full-scale conflict with Iran. The prevailing theory cited by experts, and one I agree with, is that Trump has backed himself into a corner by assembling a massive navy intended to intimidate Iran into surrender. Now that Iran has seen through his bluff, Trump faces the humiliating choice of withdrawing or allowing the US military to be exposed to a disastrous war of attrition.
Many publications have spouted such “memories” in recent days:
The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) · 1 hr
Narrow escapes during Operation Rough Rider, the US military operation that targeted Houthi rebels in Yemen last year, serve as a warning of the risks of using military force against even a small adversary.
F-16 pilot narrowly escapes missile attack, showing the risks of a new war in the Middle East
From wsj.com
It has now reached the point where US officials are considering having Israel strike first to make the war with Iran as politically ‘palatable’ as possible:
The trade-off is political: more Americans would accept a war with Iran if the United States or an ally were attacked first. Recent polls show that Americans, and Republicans in particular, support regime change in Iran but are unwilling to risk American casualties to achieve it. This means that, in addition to other justifications—such as Iran’s nuclear program—the Trump team is also considering how an attack would be carried out.
“There’s a prevailing view within and around the government that it’s much better politically if the Israelis strike first and only, and the Iranians retaliate against us, giving us more reason to take action,” said one of the people familiar with the discussions. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.
They’re essentially calling for an Israeli false flag—think USS Liberty—to drag the US into war. A diplomatic correspondent for the NYT writes:
The White House is brainstorming how to sell a war with Iran to the American public.
There are reports that some US officials believe Israel should attack Iran first to provoke Iran into retaliation against the US or Israel. This would help justify an American war, they say.
The plan is clear: let Israel strike first, leaving Iran no choice but to attack American targets in self-defense, since the US will likely support Israeli attacks in various ways anyway. Either that, or a convenient false flag will be set up to attack an American target and thus create a casus belli.
Meanwhile, Trump and his clownish administration continue to embarrass themselves with completely contradictory messages. For example, last night during his State of the Union address, Trump declared that Iran only needs to say “the magic words” that it will not build nuclear weapons to stop the impending attacks. From the NYT :
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Trump seemed to propose a goal: that Iran say the “secret words” that it will never have nuclear weapons. But Iran has essentially already made that promise , even though it has enriched enough uranium to be detected by intelligence officials.
But just a day earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi explicitly stated exactly that :
Curse (@encoresalad)
“We didn’t hear those secret words from Iran: We will never have a nuclear weapon.”
– Trump, yesterday (video below)
“We will never have a nuclear weapon.”
– Iran’s foreign minister, two days ago
Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi)
Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will never develop a nuclear weapon under any circumstances, nor will we Iranians ever relinquish our right to enjoy the benefits of peaceful nuclear technology for our people.
12:46 PM · Feb 24, 2026 · 330K views
This government has truly become an insult to our intelligence.
Even more remarkable is how the neoconservative newspapers, known for their belligerence, have suddenly made a complete about-face on the war with Iran. There are only two plausible possibilities: either they are so fanatically anti-Trump that they oppose and oppose every initiative and policy he might undertake, sabotaging him at all costs, or even the most fanatical neoconservative minions see the grim catastrophe that awaits us if the weak and worn-out American empire were to undertake another costly intervention in the Middle East.
For example, the Rothschild-controlled magazine The Economist:
NBC joins the fray to refute Trump’s claims:
“They have already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases abroad, and they are working on missiles that will soon be able to reach the United States of America,” [Trump] said.
A Defense Intelligence Agency report published last year stated that Iran “has space launch vehicles that it could use to develop a militarily-capable intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035, should Tehran decide to pursue that capability.”
And the NYT again worked overtime to debunk Trump’s justifications for war:
How deeply must the US be hurt that the world’s most venomous neocon newspapers are doubling down on Trump’s war efforts against Iran ? It seems shocking to see… at least at first glance.
We might assume that some of these corporate arms are simply spreading their bets: they might know that Trump is in a sweaty, elephantine rage for war, and they might have calculated that he’ll likely launch the attacks anyway, so they might as well pretend to oppose it this time, since no actual persuasion is required. The corporate presstitutes generally only sound their war shofar when the president hesitates or is reluctant. Why would they roll out the red carpet for him in this case, when they know Trump is already raring to go to war? “We might as well play the good guys in this case; he doesn’t need our help!”
Moreover, some of the seemingly courageous calls to refrain from attacking are not what they seem, but rather veiled attempts to simply “guide” Trump in selling the war more credibly, so that Israel’s barbaric plans can proceed smoothly. The first article in The Economist, titled “Trump risks starting a war without a purpose,” for example, pretends to be some kind of apology for peace, until you read between the lines and realize that they are simply urging Trump to find a credible selling point for the American public before pulling the trigger.
“Don’t just throw bombs without a credible casus belli, idiot! You’re making Israel look bad. Spice it up a bit so your useless MAGA schlemiels can get behind this!”
Unfortunately for the beleaguered government, Iran refused to bow to what it calls the “Epstein regime” during today’s negotiations in Geneva:
Whitcoff and Kushner were disappointed with the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s stance during today’s negotiations in Geneva, Axios journalist Barak Ravid said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s state television channel IRIB reported that during the negotiations, Iran:
does not agree to restrictions on its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes,
will not transfer any uranium reserves to a third party;
demands that all imposed sanctions be lifted.
In turn, the head of Oman’s Foreign Ministry, Badr Al-Busaidi, stated that the US-Iran negotiations concluded with “significant progress” and will continue in the future.
President Trump’s advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were disappointed with what they heard from the Iranian foreign minister during this morning’s negotiations, according to a source familiar with the details. A new round of talks is currently underway in Geneva.
19:13 · Feb 26, 26 · 39.2K views
Trump is one wrong move away from implosion of his administration, and with it, his legacy.
A war with Iran would also likely send oil prices soaring, giving Russia a huge windfall that would negate virtually all of the hostile economic measures against its energy sector over the past year and give a huge new boost to Russia’s SMO efforts.
Trump is running out of good options: we can only assume he will have to make a major compromise with Iran, while in his now infamous style he will package it as some kind of “victory.”
Most likely, he will lie by distorting the outcome of the “deal” into something it isn’t, announcing major restrictions on Iran’s uranium enrichment that will be a gross exaggeration of the contractual reality; this is the precedent that has set Trump’s elliptical style during his second term.
Oddly enough, despite facing “one of the largest navies ever” – and thanks to Trump’s complete lack of strategic insight and geopolitical acumen – Iran appears to be coming out on top for now.