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> G42 G42 isn't American - it's Emirati. But it doesn't matter. Iran is only burning additional bridges with it's neighbors which has only incentivized them t

> G42 G42 isn't American - it's Emirati. But it doesn't matter. Iran is only burning additional bridges with it's neighbors which has only incentivized them to take a much more hardline stance against the Islamic Republic. The fact that they alienated Qatar last week is truly mindboggling though - it was QatarEnergy that was subsidizing NOIC and Qataris with clan ties in Iran like Saad al Kaabi who were some of the biggest proponents for Qatar-Iran normalization have been sidelined. It has also now aligned the Gulf States with Ukraine [0], and now reduces Iran to become a mere extension of Russia, and arguably converts this conflict into a second theatre of the Russia-Ukraine War, which in my opinion has become a de facto world war. [0] - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/28/zelenskyy-signs-air-defence-deals-with-uae-qatar-on-gulf-tour https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/28/zelenskyy-signs-air...

nullocator 7mo ago
> The fact that they alienated Qatar last week is truly mindboggling though I mean Qatar did just give a really expensive plane to the guy who unilaterally assassinated the Iranian supreme leader and is bombing their country to smithereens.
- alephnerd 7mo ago
  [flagged]
seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
Did Iran really have allies in Arab Sunni ruled countries though? Pretty much all of them already see non-Arab Shia Iran as an enemy, and have for a long time. The only real mystery is how the region hasn't imploded already with all the historical tension between these countries.
- alephnerd 7mo ago
  > Did Iran really have allies in Arab Sunni ruled countries though Yes. Qatar due to Iran's support of the Thani family during the tumultuous 1990s [0] and the blockade [1], Sudan under Bashir [2] and now under the Army [3], Tunisia [4] due to ties with Ennadha, Algeria until 2025 [5] due to Morocco and Israel's close defense cooperation, and Kuwait due to economic and clan ties [6]. > Pretty much all of them already see non-Arab Shia Iran as an enemy Only those states directly aligned with Saudi or the UAE (they are not the same team) view Iran with hostility becuase of Saudi Arabia and Iran's perennial rivalry over the MidEast. [0] - https://www.danielpipes.org/6317/hamad-bin-jasim-bin-jabr-al-thani https://www.danielpipes.org/6317/hamad-bin-jasim-bin-jabr-al... [1] - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/6/25/iran-hassan-rouhani-condemns-siege-of-qatar https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/6/25/iran-hassan-rouhani... [2] - https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/166344/235_Bodansky.pdf https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/166344/235_Bodansky.pdf [3] - https://www.bic-rhr.com/research/new-old-player-town-sudan-iran-reconciliation-and-its-regional-implications https://www.bic-rhr.com/research/new-old-player-town-sudan-i... [4] - https://iramcenter.org/en/inside-the-complexity-of-iran-tunisia-relations-khomeinism-bourguibism-realpolitik_en-1535 https://iramcenter.org/en/inside-the-complexity-of-iran-tuni... [5] - https://nouvellerevuepolitique.fr/hichem-aboud-comment-alger-a-lache-son-allie-iranien-et-sest-rapproche-des-monarchies-arabes/ https://nouvellerevuepolitique.fr/hichem-aboud-comment-alger... [6] - https://web.archive.org/web/20220717062931/http://www.payvand.com/news/18/jun/1017.html https://web.archive.org/web/20220717062931/http://www.payvan...
  - seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
    That is useful, thanks! Iran always seems like they have more enemies than friends, but I guess I overplayed the Shia/Sunni divide.
    - alephnerd 7mo ago
      > Iran always seems like they have more enemies than friends Because the core of the Iranian Revolution is quite similar to Maoism [0] but also very interested in exporting the revolution abroad. You have to remember that the Iranian Revolution only happened in 1979, and most of Iran's modern leadership were foot soldiers and even leadership during Iran's Cultural Revolution [1] in the 1980s (eg. Rouhani, Larijani, Aref, Arafi). Imagine if China today was ruled by active Red Guard, or if the 1976 autocoup failed - that's Iran, but with a dose of Islamism. > I guess I overplayed the Shia/Sunni divide. Yep. In fact, a number of Sunni states saw contemporary attempts to mimic the Iranian Revolution such as in Saudi Arabia with the Kaaba Siege, the Afghan Revolution in 1979 which led to the Soviet Occupation, and the burning the US Embassy in Islamabad in 1979 [2]. [0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108706 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108706 [1] - https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8_%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%87%D9%86%DA%AF%DB%8C_%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86 https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7... [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_U.S._embassy_burning_in_Islamabad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_U.S._embassy_burning_in_I...
      - seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
        I took a Chinese course in Beijing with the son of an Iranian diplomat as a classmate and we did not gel, but frankly thats my only experience. The funny thing was that the guy was a huge womanizer/drinker, which I also hear is normal for Iran. Iranians actually seem quite liberal by Muslim standards (if it wasn't for the whole revolutionary guard/cleric leadership, again by my limited maybe outdated experience), which is weird when our side has the KSA, one of the most conservative countries on earth. It is a pity really, Iran is on my bucket list for food, culture, and natural beauty. More so than any other country in that area, its too bad about the whole "death to America" thing.
lenkite 7mo ago
> Iran is only burning additional bridges with it's neighbors.. If you are permitting your airspace to carry out continual bombing campaigns causing massive casualties and also host enemy bases, then the "bridges" have already been burnt and you are a belligerent in the War.

nullocator 7mo ago

> The fact that they alienated Qatar last week is truly mindboggling though I mean Qatar did just give a really expensive plane to the guy who unilaterally assassinated the Iranian supreme leader and is bombing their country to smithereens.

alephnerd 7mo ago
[flagged]

seanmcdirmid 7mo ago

Did Iran really have allies in Arab Sunni ruled countries though? Pretty much all of them already see non-Arab Shia Iran as an enemy, and have for a long time. The only real mystery is how the region hasn't imploded already with all the historical tension between these countries.

alephnerd 7mo ago
> Did Iran really have allies in Arab Sunni ruled countries though Yes. Qatar due to Iran's support of the Thani family during the tumultuous 1990s [0] and the blockade [1], Sudan under Bashir [2] and now under the Army [3], Tunisia [4] due to ties with Ennadha, Algeria until 2025 [5] due to Morocco and Israel's close defense cooperation, and Kuwait due to economic and clan ties [6]. > Pretty much all of them already see non-Arab Shia Iran as an enemy Only those states directly aligned with Saudi or the UAE (they are not the same team) view Iran with hostility becuase of Saudi Arabia and Iran's perennial rivalry over the MidEast. [0] - https://www.danielpipes.org/6317/hamad-bin-jasim-bin-jabr-al-thani https://www.danielpipes.org/6317/hamad-bin-jasim-bin-jabr-al... [1] - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/6/25/iran-hassan-rouhani-condemns-siege-of-qatar https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/6/25/iran-hassan-rouhani... [2] - https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/166344/235_Bodansky.pdf https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/166344/235_Bodansky.pdf [3] - https://www.bic-rhr.com/research/new-old-player-town-sudan-iran-reconciliation-and-its-regional-implications https://www.bic-rhr.com/research/new-old-player-town-sudan-i... [4] - https://iramcenter.org/en/inside-the-complexity-of-iran-tunisia-relations-khomeinism-bourguibism-realpolitik_en-1535 https://iramcenter.org/en/inside-the-complexity-of-iran-tuni... [5] - https://nouvellerevuepolitique.fr/hichem-aboud-comment-alger-a-lache-son-allie-iranien-et-sest-rapproche-des-monarchies-arabes/ https://nouvellerevuepolitique.fr/hichem-aboud-comment-alger... [6] - https://web.archive.org/web/20220717062931/http://www.payvand.com/news/18/jun/1017.html https://web.archive.org/web/20220717062931/http://www.payvan...
- seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
  That is useful, thanks! Iran always seems like they have more enemies than friends, but I guess I overplayed the Shia/Sunni divide.
  - alephnerd 7mo ago
    > Iran always seems like they have more enemies than friends Because the core of the Iranian Revolution is quite similar to Maoism [0] but also very interested in exporting the revolution abroad. You have to remember that the Iranian Revolution only happened in 1979, and most of Iran's modern leadership were foot soldiers and even leadership during Iran's Cultural Revolution [1] in the 1980s (eg. Rouhani, Larijani, Aref, Arafi). Imagine if China today was ruled by active Red Guard, or if the 1976 autocoup failed - that's Iran, but with a dose of Islamism. > I guess I overplayed the Shia/Sunni divide. Yep. In fact, a number of Sunni states saw contemporary attempts to mimic the Iranian Revolution such as in Saudi Arabia with the Kaaba Siege, the Afghan Revolution in 1979 which led to the Soviet Occupation, and the burning the US Embassy in Islamabad in 1979 [2]. [0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108706 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108706 [1] - https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8_%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%87%D9%86%DA%AF%DB%8C_%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86 https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7... [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_U.S._embassy_burning_in_Islamabad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_U.S._embassy_burning_in_I...
    - seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
      I took a Chinese course in Beijing with the son of an Iranian diplomat as a classmate and we did not gel, but frankly thats my only experience. The funny thing was that the guy was a huge womanizer/drinker, which I also hear is normal for Iran. Iranians actually seem quite liberal by Muslim standards (if it wasn't for the whole revolutionary guard/cleric leadership, again by my limited maybe outdated experience), which is weird when our side has the KSA, one of the most conservative countries on earth. It is a pity really, Iran is on my bucket list for food, culture, and natural beauty. More so than any other country in that area, its too bad about the whole "death to America" thing.

lenkite 7mo ago

> Iran is only burning additional bridges with it's neighbors.. If you are permitting your airspace to carry out continual bombing campaigns causing massive casualties and also host enemy bases, then the "bridges" have already been burnt and you are a belligerent in the War.