Alireza Talakoubnejad

Let's make some things very clear: 1 - Don't let any asshole gaslight you into thinking that opposing the reprehensible repression of the protests two months ago makes you in any way responsible for what Trump & Netenyahu are doing right now. The Islamic Republic is responsible for decades of mismanagement and oppression. They should be called out. 47 years of foreign policy adventurism and bad decisions led to this point. That's undeniable. And left Iran in a position where is currently has no choice but to engage in extremely high risk, high consequence options. It was not inevitable we reach this point. But years of wrong decisionmaking led to this path. You don't have to become an apologist for state repression and a bootlicker for naked tyranny. That's not a moral stance. 2 - Don't let other assholes gaslight you into thinking that opposing Trump & Netenyahu dropping thousands of the most powerful bombs on earth on civilian areas means you somehow support the Islamic Republic. The people that do this are masters of emotional manipulation, trying to say if you are against foreign bombs indiscriminately killing Iranians that somehow means you're saving the Islamic Republic. Fuck that. These people know they have no argument and have to come up with more and more bizarre analogies and scenarios to justify what cannot be justified (which the first group does too). And beyond this: Ali Khamenei was not the voice of the Iranian people. Reza Pahlavi is not the voice of the Iranian people. Support whoever you want to support but enough of this idol worship. No politician is the voice of the Iranian people. And their supporters are not "real Iranians" while everyone else is "mozdoors/vatanforooshes". I don't owe any loyalty or allegiance to any politician or system. No matter who comes out of this disaster on top - Mojtaba Khamenei, Larijani, Rouhani, Reza Pahlavi (and yes, I still do think he has a chance), or whoever ... They should get held to the same standards. And treated with suspicion and caution. No politician is sacred. Your principles should apply independent of whether the person wears a tie, crown, or turban.

We're three weeks in and there are still things at Parchin left to bomb.

הנה נתון פסיכי. מ-7 באוקטובר עד היום היו בתל - אביב מרכז כ-237 אזעקות. 114 מתוכם נשמעו ב-20 ימים האחרונים - תחילת מבצע "שאגת הארי"! זה אמנם רלוונטי רק לאיפה שאני גר ויש גרועים יותר אני מניח... (אין לי כח לבדוק כרגע). עדיין... זה פסיכי כמות האזעקות בסבב הזה!

Impressive and commendable

@iran_amazing مخلصیم

@websterkaroon I love you, Alireza Talakoubnejad.

Mood during the last day of the year ...

Is my name Omid?

15 days ago

Iranian Red Crescent Aid Workers & firefighters rescue a child from underneath the rubble of a residential building that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Tehran

He said that 10 days ago too ...

@websterkaroon I don’t know why, but all I can think of are Lur jokes right now. I’m pretty sure one of us just threw a brick at their jet.

Tehran. Israel’s bombing.

Same as June

I think that would be the first confirmed surface to air hit of an F-35 in history. Though notable they didn't manage to take it down.

@Mmn600195640424 I don't think that's what he's implying

@websterkaroon It sounds like they’re saying they’re going to hijack the oil, not remove sanctions. No?

If they're exporting to China anyway would this really make a difference? Unless they unsanctioned the financial channels, which I doubt

Would it kill you to call for an immediate moratorium on *all strikes* period?

🔴تصاویر خبرگزاری فرانسه از حال و هوای نوروزی مردم تهران در آستانه سال نو

His best bet would be to end the war

biden total spend on ukraine: $180 billion the pentagon just asked for $200 billion for war in iran.

I have been arguing again & again that Iran is in a very unfavorable situation (fighting against the foremost military power on the planet) ... but it does have real leverage in several senses. Most notably by virtue of its geography & smart investments in certain asymmetric warfare technologies (most notably missiles and drones), which allow it to threaten the global economy by disrupting energy supplies. This is not hype. It's not wishful thinking. It is very real. We see it playing out. And it's certainly having an impact. In the past Iran threatened to, but did not actually use this leverage, because of the terrible risks involved. But with its back against the wall & very little to lose, it's escalated to great lengths and has up to now somewhat successfully used those levers. But - This leverage is not infinite. In the past, Iran's downfall has always been in demonstrating brilliant abilities that let it punch beyond its weight ... but then failing to capitalize on those abilities and waiting so long that it eventually loses that advantage. As such there is a difficult, high stakes balance here. It cannot back down too soon or be timid under these circumstances. The madman strategy is the only way out of total annihilation. Up to a point. At some point it must then use that demonstrated ability to force a settlement. Not just a ceasefire. Something durable. And not get trapped in a post-1991 Saddam situation either. It's a difficult balance. It likely means turning down initial opportunities for a ceasefire (despite extreme pain). But not forever. At some point the leverage must be used, or it will disappear.