The Class Struggle: Is this the “Terminal Crisis” of U.S. Empire and the end of the Period of American “Weak Hegemony” (or in other words the Rough Analogue of the Suez Moment for the U.S.

1). “MIT Prof Ted Postol: Can We Believe Trump Admin's Narrative on Iran's Nuke Sites?”, Jun 26, 2025, Daniel Davis interviews Ted Postol, Daniel Davis / Deep Dive, duration of video 1:15:27, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsWZlVcVRSM >. (Ted Postol is Professor of Science, Technology, and National Security at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

2). “BUNKER BUSTER BOMB Myth /MIT Prof Ted Postol & Lt Col Daniel Davis', Jun 18, 2025, Lt. Col. Daniel Davis interviews MIT Professor Ted Postol about the limitations and capabilities of the GBU-57 Bunker Buster Bomb, Daniel Davis / Deep Dive, duration of video 12:32, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TriASB-F5UY >.

3). “Trump Lures Iran into “Peace” Trap (Again) - Continues Decades-Spanning Regime-Change Agenda”, Jun 24, 2025, Brian Berletic analyzes the developing situation in Iran, The New Atlas, duration of video 30:21, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSMSuVzwvMs >

4). “Empire Abroad, Autocracy at Home: Col. Wilkerson on the U.S.-Israel Attack on Iran”, Jun 17, 2025, Paul Jay interviews Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, the-Analysis News, duration of video 25:27 at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNRdWS6JZoM >

5). “Q&A: Genocide in Gaza, Political Assassinations in America and War With Iran”, Jun 16, 2025, Chris Hedges takes phoned-in Questions in a Q&A Session, The Chris Hedges Youtube Channel, duration of video 103:59, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iteNl2Addc8 >.

6). “Iran, Israel, USA and World War 3 | Chris Hedges | UNAPOLOGETIC”, Jun 19, 2025, Ashfaaq Carim interviews Chris Hedges, Middle East Eye, duration of video 1:11:51, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktrYjMP75Mk >.

~~ recommended by dmorista ~~

Introduction by dmorista: The U.S. Empire is experiencing a period of severe crisis that is manifested in both foreign affairs and internal socioeconomic and political conditions. The internal issues have been augmented and exacerbated by problems and wars in the client states. The vicious apartheid regime in the State of Israel attacked Iran a few days ago and, with munitions and other weaponry supplied to them by the U.S. and its allies, inflicted some serious damage on the Iranians. This Isreali military operation was followed by ominous signs of possible U.S. involvement; that included the transfer of a large portion, reportedly 31 or more KC-135s and KC-46s, of the in-flight refueling capacity of the U.S. Air Force to the Middle East. There was also a massive move of other military equipment and formations to the periphery, in the Middle East, from the core of the empire. The U.S. / Israel political leadership and the respective military high commands clearly wanted to try to destroy three of the major, more-or-less deeply buried nuclear enrichment plants at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan Iran.

The Israelis could not / cannot handle this aspect of their operation, and in general they have started a war that they cannot successfully finish on their own. The U.S. possesses a number of weapons, reportedly consisting of 50 bombs manufactured about 20+ years ago, the only armament that had any chance of destroying the Fordow facility. That weapon is the 13.6 ton bunker buster bomb, the GBU-57 Massive Ordinance Penetrator (the MOP); and the U.S. also has a number of the only aircraft variant, the B-2s, that are capable of delivering them. The B-2 bombers can actually carry two of these bombs each.

The relatively spectacular mission was carried out about a week ago. Trump announced the mission with great bluster and fanfare, pronouncing it was a tremendous success and that it had but within a few days some of the more astute members of the press began to question the simplistic assertions by Trump and Hegseth. The response by the Trump Regime was to send out Sec of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, notable largely for their ignorance of the technical aspects of the B-2 bombing raid (along with a submarine launched flurry of 30 Tomahawk missiles that rained down on Isfahan). This situation is discussed at length in Item 1)., “MIT Prof Ted Postol: ….”; and more briefly in Item 2)., “BUNKER BUSTER BOMB Myth ….”. In addition there have been numerous popular level to somewhat more sophisticated technical level discussions of the B-2 GBU-57, MOP bombing raid and its likely efficacy. I am posting links here to a few articles / youtube productions, they come from a variety of sources (See, “India Today Decodes: Israel's Challenge In Targeting Iran's Deep Underground Nuclear Facility”, Jun 18, 2025, Newstrack examines Israel's recent strikes on Iran, India Today, duration of video 5:45, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-TvFbkb9dY >: and “ 'B2 Bombers, Bunker-buster Bombs, &…' US to Join Israeli Strikes, Eyes 'Mountain Fortress' Fordow?”, Jun 18, 2025, Prannoy Pavlov & Utkarsh Singh Sisodia, Crux, duration of video 8:01, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGuAzh8_fBI >: and “Buster Bomb To Strike Iran’s Underground Nuclear Enrichment Facilities | Israel Iran War | N18G”, Jun 18, 2025, Anon, CNN-News 18, duration of video 9:17, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVATvy1VlU >: and “The Real Truth About Using a GBU-57 on Iran's Nukes”, Jun 20, 2025, Ward Carroll, Ward Carroll, duration of video 6:17 at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIdzxkSUKZs >: “The 30,000-lb Bomb Trump Struck Iran's Nuclear Sites With: GBU-57 MOP | WSJ Equipped”, Jun 18, 2025, Anon, The Wall Street Journal, duration of video 3:41, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4kJYfGs7BM >: “Inside The LEGENDARY U.S. B-2 Bomber Strike On Iran's Nuclear Program | TBN Israel”, Jun 27, 2025, Narrator Mati Shoshani, TBN Israel, duration of video 14:35, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FkXRWpIA0 >)

Photos had shown that there were 16 heavy trucks standing by at one of the entrances to the Fordow enrichment operation that were used to remove important material, such as the 60% enriched Uranium 235, and the more important scientific equipment used there. Other photographic work revealed literally hundreds of trucks in the environs of Isfahan and Natanz. The more sanguine among the Iranians were fully aware that the U.S. / Israeli Zionist forces were very likely to attack quickly once Trump had declared his “two weeks to decide” Bullshit. We can be pretty sure that the great bulk of the 60% enriched U²³⁵ was moved to safety, along with the best scientific equipment.

There has been considerable comment and critiques of the overall strategic situation that exists between Iran and The West, as led by the U.S. one important voice is seen in Item 3)., “Trump Lures Iran into ….”, in which Brian Berletic points out that offering peace and cease fires, during which the Israelis and/or the U.S. then conduct various types of attacks and covert operations is the standard procedure. Berletic also has been pointing out for years that the agenda of the U.S. / Israel against Iran was laid out in the 2009 in a 170 page study, by the Brookings Institution; (See, Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy Toward Iran, Analysis Paper No. 20, The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, June 30, 2009, Daniel L. Byman, Martin S. Indyk, Suzanne Maloney, Michael E. O’Hanlon, Kenneth M Pollack, & Bruce Riedel, at < https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_iran_strategy.pdf >.)

Furthermore, the position of the numerous U.S. military forces in the Middle East, their bases, and their support systems, is not particularly secure. Lawrence Wilkerson, in Item 4)., “Empire Abroad, ….”, points out that the numerous U.S. military bases located around the Middle East, with a total of about 50,000 personnel stationed at these bases, are neither well guarded nor easy to beef up the security standards. For example he discusses the situation at the main U.S. naval base he notes that the entire U.S. Fifth Fleet has left the base in Bahrain. (See, “US ‘Abandons’ 5th Navy Fleet HQ In Bahrain As Iran Threatens To Strike American Bases | Israel War”, Jun 18, 2025, Anon, Times of India, duration of video 5:14, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6IYAkwG5ow >)

The great commentator and political analyst Chris Hedges, discusses the political, socioeconomic, and foreign policy issues that are affecting the U.S. and the world in general terms, in Item 5)., “Q&A: Genocide in Gaza ….”, and in Item 6)., “Iran, Israel, USA ….”. He notes in both videos that the Israel Lobby completely controls the U.S. Congress, whose membership are almost totally loyal (with a “minder” assigned to each and every member of Congress by AIPAC) and who leap to their feet for the 40 or 50 standing ovations that Benjamin Netanyahu generally receives whenever he speaks to a joint session of Congress.

The U.S. Ruling class will resort to running a fascist authoritarian regime inside the U.S. while it desperately tries to remain relevant in a global system in which China and the Global South nations are increasingly important and influential. U.S. Rulers are perfectly happy to preside over a society in which the majority of its residents live in desperate straits, in which women fear to confront pregnancy in a perverted society dominated by sexual predator rulers bolstered by their religious fanatic ground troops (sound familiar, compare the U.S. as it is evolving today to Saudi Arabia in the 1970s and 1980s).

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx