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Its neighbors are hosting US bases which were used to launch attacks on Iran. Bahrain in particular hosted the largest US radar station in the region which was

Its neighbors are hosting US bases which were used to launch attacks on Iran. Bahrain in particular hosted the largest US radar station in the region which was being used as the control centre to coordinate the attack on Iran [1]. These countries were absolutely not 'non-aggressors'. [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddq7j48p35o https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddq7j48p35o

fernandopj 6mo ago
Correct. The implied pressure was "you want to stop the retaliation, demand the US to withdraw their bases from you territory". Iranian strategy in this war will be studied for ages.
- qsera 6mo ago
  But isn't the same thing done by Putin to Ukraine?
  - fernandopj 6mo ago
    I fail to see what similarity you are implying. Russia is the aggressor there, and I don't recall Ukraine targeting other countries with Russian bases. Also, the war in Ukraine is about Russia expanding territory so it involved boots and occupation since day one, which is not the case in Iran.
    - qsera 6mo ago
      At least there is an idea that at least one of the reason Russia attacked Ukraine was to prevent it from joining NATO, which would have enabled US military bases in Ukraine.
ericmay 6mo ago
[flagged]
- deminature 6mo ago
  Nobody is taking the side of the IRGC here, it's an awful regime that should fall in a just world. But it's inevitable they will retaliate against their neighbors, if their neighbors are complicit in attacking them. Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait are not innocent, they picked a side and are paying for it.
  - ericmay 6mo ago
    That’s fine just stop grandstanding about little ole’ Iran being attacked or civilians dying if you don’t care that innocent civilians in other countries are dying. When you do you are taking a side and suggesting Iran is the moral actor here. They’re not.
  - YZF 6mo ago
    Lots of people here are taking the side of the IRGC. It's not ok to attack the civilians of the gulf countries because they are aligned with the US whichever way you look at it. Attacking US military assets are fair game.
    - kelipso 6mo ago
      Lots of people are taking the side of the US, which has attacked civilian infrastructure and killed civilians in Iran and threatened to completely destroy Iran. And you have lots of people taking the side of Israel, which is has been conduction a genocide openly. All the sides have blood in their hands but I would argue the IRGC has the least blood in their hands.
      - YZF 6mo ago
        There is no data based view of this world where the IRGC and the Islamic Republic doesn't have the most blood on their hands and is the least moral player here by modern standards by far. Just in 1988 they executed 30,000 people. In 2025 at least 1000. In 2026 10's of thousands. https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601255198 https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601255198 https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/mde130181992en.pdf https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/mde130... https://www.ecpm.org/2025/02/20/the-death-penalty-in-iran-the-highest-number-of-executions-in-over-17-years/ https://www.ecpm.org/2025/02/20/the-death-penalty-in-iran-th... Dissidents are being hanged in Iran as we write this. Israel has claims of self defense after being brutally attacked. The US has claims of wanting to take down the regime and prevent them from getting nuclear weapons. You can argue about claims and actions. The Iranian regime has no shred of excuse other than their total lack of humanity.
YZF 6mo ago
I would still call countries that host a radar station non-aggressors as they were not active participants. Either way Iran was pretty selective in terms of its "aggressor" definition. It didn't attack Syria or Iraq despite those countries contributing their air space. It didn't really attack Turkey other than like 3 rockets that were shot down. Clearly this was not about attacking someone that's attacking you or military assets. This was about leverage. Attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure of countries that are assumed to have some lever over the US to force it to stop while at the same time are too weak or too afraid to defend themselves (which is why you did not see the same scale of attacks e.g. against Turkey despite it also hosting the US). It's a tactic. It's also a war crime.
xdennis 6mo ago
Azerbaijan does not have US bases. It was bombed anyway.

fernandopj 6mo ago

Correct. The implied pressure was "you want to stop the retaliation, demand the US to withdraw their bases from you territory". Iranian strategy in this war will be studied for ages.

qsera 6mo ago
But isn't the same thing done by Putin to Ukraine?
- fernandopj 6mo ago
  I fail to see what similarity you are implying. Russia is the aggressor there, and I don't recall Ukraine targeting other countries with Russian bases. Also, the war in Ukraine is about Russia expanding territory so it involved boots and occupation since day one, which is not the case in Iran.
  - qsera 6mo ago
    At least there is an idea that at least one of the reason Russia attacked Ukraine was to prevent it from joining NATO, which would have enabled US military bases in Ukraine.

ericmay 6mo ago

[flagged]

deminature 6mo ago
Nobody is taking the side of the IRGC here, it's an awful regime that should fall in a just world. But it's inevitable they will retaliate against their neighbors, if their neighbors are complicit in attacking them. Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait are not innocent, they picked a side and are paying for it.
- ericmay 6mo ago
  That’s fine just stop grandstanding about little ole’ Iran being attacked or civilians dying if you don’t care that innocent civilians in other countries are dying. When you do you are taking a side and suggesting Iran is the moral actor here. They’re not.
- YZF 6mo ago
  Lots of people here are taking the side of the IRGC. It's not ok to attack the civilians of the gulf countries because they are aligned with the US whichever way you look at it. Attacking US military assets are fair game.
  - kelipso 6mo ago
    Lots of people are taking the side of the US, which has attacked civilian infrastructure and killed civilians in Iran and threatened to completely destroy Iran. And you have lots of people taking the side of Israel, which is has been conduction a genocide openly. All the sides have blood in their hands but I would argue the IRGC has the least blood in their hands.
    - YZF 6mo ago
      There is no data based view of this world where the IRGC and the Islamic Republic doesn't have the most blood on their hands and is the least moral player here by modern standards by far. Just in 1988 they executed 30,000 people. In 2025 at least 1000. In 2026 10's of thousands. https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601255198 https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601255198 https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/mde130181992en.pdf https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/mde130... https://www.ecpm.org/2025/02/20/the-death-penalty-in-iran-the-highest-number-of-executions-in-over-17-years/ https://www.ecpm.org/2025/02/20/the-death-penalty-in-iran-th... Dissidents are being hanged in Iran as we write this. Israel has claims of self defense after being brutally attacked. The US has claims of wanting to take down the regime and prevent them from getting nuclear weapons. You can argue about claims and actions. The Iranian regime has no shred of excuse other than their total lack of humanity.

YZF 6mo ago

I would still call countries that host a radar station non-aggressors as they were not active participants. Either way Iran was pretty selective in terms of its "aggressor" definition. It didn't attack Syria or Iraq despite those countries contributing their air space. It didn't really attack Turkey other than like 3 rockets that were shot down. Clearly this was not about attacking someone that's attacking you or military assets. This was about leverage. Attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure of countries that are assumed to have some lever over the US to force it to stop while at the same time are too weak or too afraid to defend themselves (which is why you did not see the same scale of attacks e.g. against Turkey despite it also hosting the US). It's a tactic. It's also a war crime.

xdennis 6mo ago

Azerbaijan does not have US bases. It was bombed anyway.