Everything I see suggests that the Iranian leadership is *extremely* rational, and the nearly universal premise that they are some kind of madmen who don't know what they are doing has been a falsehood hammered into everyone's head simply by repetition

Maybe. What is the rational reason to cling to the highly enriched uranium until the bitter end? If they simply give up the uranium, all this ends and Trump goes home. Keep the tollgate on Hormuz, but do NOT spend the money on nukes, or else the US (and Isreal) will be back... Go on...be rational...🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

@tjbate2000 @kamilkazani It wasn’t the bitter end, it was the subject of negotiations until the US and Israel unleashed this all out assault. Then the Iranians drew the <rational> conclusion that the objective was to unilaterally destroy their state regardless of what concessions they made.

@PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani x.com/tjbate2000/sta…

@tjbate2000 @kamilkazani Neither the US nor the present leadership of Israel seems likely to tolerate a strong sovereign Persia state under any circumstances.

A strong, sovereign, secular Persian state is a natural ally (and has no conflicts) with either the US or Israel. Qatar shares a gas field. Bomb them. Put a tollgate on Hormuz, US does NOT care. Export drones to Ukraine, not Russia. Charge China and India full price for unsanctioned oil. All fine. It is the Shia mullahs and mercenary IRGC obessesed with pointless and expensive jihadi proxy warfare against Israel that have squandered Persia's potential development. For 50 years. They only do it so they skim the cash...

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani Yeah so the problem is your idea of “sovereignty” is vassalage under the US empire

@BlueMangoOG @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani Put Hormuz tolls on the Asians and charge them full price for oil....no problem Just do not build nukes or fund jihadi proxies...that is it... Easy to get along.... {If you are not rabid crazy Shia mullahs bent on jihad}.

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani You don’t have to be a “rabid crazy Shia mullah” to simply want to go a different direction than the US. Why would any rational gov tie itself to this sinking ship? The US can only maintain its alliances through force, it has nothing to offer

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani “A strong, sovereign, secular Persian state is a natural ally (and has no conflicts)with either the US or Israel.” You’ve worked backwards from your conclusion that the problem the US has with Iran is the current government, not the risk an independent Iran under any gov poses

@BlueMangoOG @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani You have evaded the basic point that a secular Persian state has no real issues with either Israel or the US. Name one... What are you afraid of?

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani A secular state would also have an interest in controlling its resources, nationalizing foreign companies, and choosing beneficial alliances. Would a secular Iran be allowed to integrate with China and Russia, to the detriment of the US, for example?

Iran could not really integrate with China or Russia, but as long as it respected sanctions on Russia pending truceline DMZ in Ukraine, Iran would be free to trade with China and Russia, as long as they paid full market prices and Hormuz tolls. Sanctions on Iran would all be removed with the surrender of the uranium. There are no American companies to nationalise in Iran, so have a good time.

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani Why should a sovereign country respect your sanctions? Because the US said so?

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani You’re measuring sovereignty by how cooperative they’d be to US/Western interests, which is an obviously illogical position

@BlueMangoOG @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani Show me the conflict between a secular, democratic Iran and the US? On what would they differ, given that the US wants China to pay full price for oil, and big tolls in Hormuz?

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani Would your idea of a sovereign Iran be allowed to host Chinese carrier groups off its coast and have Chinese military installations pointing radars and missiles at US positions in the region?

China is not interested in any of that and none of it would ever happen. They can buy all the oil they want from Iran at full price and pay the Hormuz tolls. If Iran forgoes missiles, US can pull out of GCC too. But US bases in GCC is not an issue for secular, democratic Iran. Are they? Unless Iran really wants to extort GCC?

@tjbate2000 @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani First, I agree with you China is not interested in that, it’s not an imperialist nation like the US. Second, what do you mean US bases wouldn’t be an issue for a secular Iran? Why would Iran suddenly have no more interest in jostling with GCC states for regional hegemony?

@BlueMangoOG @PhilGarber5 @kamilkazani Jostle away...US does not care... Have a good time P.S. they have a LOT of your money frozen already... Would you like it back?