1). “Trump’s war aim: Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’ ”, Mar 6, 2026, Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, Politico, at < https://www.politico.com/news/
2). “U.S. weighs sending special forces to seize Iran's nuclear stockpile”, Mar 7, 2026, Barak Ravid & Marc Caputo, Axios, at < https://www.axios.com/2026/03/
3), “Iran Just Launched a Massive Missile Strike on Al Udeid Air Base — 10,000 U.S. Troops Inside”, Mar 8, 2026, Anon, Fred in Focus, duration of video 16:17, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
~~ recommended by desmond morista ~~
Introduction by desmond: Below these 3 initial paragraphs is a modifed version of a reply I made to “dubinsky” last night in the comments for “The Nearly Impossible Problem for the U.S. / Israel Attack; How to Defeat a Long-term Civilizational foe like Iran:”, Mar 8, 2026, The Class Struggle, at < https://ongoingclassstruggle.
There is a degree of debate on the left as to how the power relationships between the U.S. rulers and Israeli rulers work. It should be remembered that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, (AIPAC) has at least one minder for each member of Congress (both for the House and the Senate). AIPAC pours on the money to defeat any member of Congress who does not toe the line for the Zionists and has successfully removed a large number of people from the Congress. Another aspect of this are Benjamin Netanyahu's speeches to joint sessions of congress in which Netanyahu's comments are always punctuated by numerous standing ovations (always at least 30 and sometimes as many as 60). Netanyahu even came and spoke to Congress without being invited by the President, that was at least one time during the Obama Presidency. But AIPAC is only one of several major Zionist / Israeli Front organizations and according to some analysts not the most important. Among others we should be aware of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), {this was changed from the original name Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs}, then there is Washington Institute for Near East Policy, (WINEP), the Anti Defamation League (ADL) and the Bnai Brith. The ADL and Bnai Brith are both Jewish Organization that were founded in the U.S. but that have developed into fronts for Israel and the most extreme Zionists. JINSA, according to some articles I read that I thought were sound, owns some Apartment Towers in New Jersey, where JINSA staff working for Israel in the NYC area can live in subsidized apartments. The relatively famous “dancing Israelis”, who were observed by a shocked neighbor woman, during their celebration while the Twin Towers were burning after the plane hits on September 11, 2001; they were reported to be denizens of the JINSA apartment buildings nearby. I read that article years ago in Veterans Today, and it was an independent article written by an outside author.
We must also remember that the aerial attacks on Iran will not be sufficient to defeat and replace the current rulers of Iran. It will be necessary to send in at least some sort of elite commando forces into Iran to do things like seize the 60% Uranium that the Iranians have produced. Just how such a use of “boots on the ground” would work out is unclear. The history of these sorts of interventions is that they morph, over a few months, into the insertion of regular Army and Marines. That sort of action would necessitate the reimposition of conscription in the U.S., and that would be resisted and dodged on a level similar to that during the SE Asian Wars in the 1960s and 1970s. This was partially discussed in an article in Axios (See, “U.S. weighs sending special forces to seize Iran's nuclear stockpile”, Mar 7, 2026, Barak Ravid & Marc Caputo, Axios, at < https://www.axios.com/2026/03/
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The first 6 items I posted on Sunday March 8, 2026 https://ongoingclassstruggle.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-nearly-impossible-problem-for-us.html(I realize I posted a lot of material) all to one degree or another discussed the fact that the Iranians have built a large infrastructure of tunnels (miles and miles of tunnels); tunnels that protect the missiles and drones that they have also produced relatively large quantities of. There was also plenty of discussion of the fact that the U.S. military is short on munitions. The single most important article is “Item 6). 'Iran Just Launched a Massive Missile Strike on Al Udeid Air Base — 10,000 U.S. Troops Inside', Mar 8, 2026, Anon, Fred in Focus, duration of video 16:17, at < https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/
Also, according to Item 6 and other reports are that three other mobile THAAD radars, designated AN/TPY-2, were damaged to one degree or another (I have no idea if they can be repaired, same for the big AN FPS-132 BLOCK 5 UEWR radar at the Al Udeid airbase). The THAAD radars cost nearly $500 million each and are mounted on some sort of heavy-duty military cargo truck arrangement. One of those was damaged or destroyed by an Iranian missile attack on the Al Udeid airbase. Two others were damaged or destroyed by Iranian missile attacks in Jordan and (I think) Egypt, although this is not clear and perhaps the third damaged THAAD radar was also located in and belonging to Qatar. There are a total of 11 THAAD systems on the Earth, 8 of those are operated by the U.S. military, of which according to an internet search I did, includes 3 at Fort Bliss, Texas and 2 at Fort Cavazos, Texas, 1 on Guam, 1 in South Korea, and 1 rotating in the Levant (Middle East / Israel). The United Arab Emirates operates 2 and Saudi Arabia has 1. It certainly seems that at least some of the THAADS in Texas have been moved to the Levant and one or more of those were certainly attacked by the Iranians,(i.e. the one in Jordan). The article in Item 6, among other websites, claims that 3 THAAD radars have been destroyed or heavily damaged. CNN posted an article that has photos and reports that there were also attacks and evidence of damage to radars in Saudi Arabia. That could easily add up to 3 THAAD AN/TPY-2 radars damaged or destroyed. (See, “Radar bases housing key US missile interceptor hit in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, satellite images show”, Mar 6, 2026, Thomas Bordeaux & Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN, at < https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/
The U.S. military is capable of cannibalizing THAAD batteries, be they already in the Levant, in Texas, on Guam or in South Korea, to provide working THAAD AN/TPY-2 radars in the area of the Iran war. And the U.S. military has the C-17s or C-5As needed to transport the radars in question around the world. This is already in process, no doubt, but the operational measures will have to be significantly tightened up as moving THAAD radars around the Earth is a last resort. However, cannabilizing parts and elements from any of the big 3 AN FPS-132 BLOCK 5 UEWR radars, and combining those with any possible new parts to repair the AN FPS-132 BLOCK 5 UEWR radar at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and getting that equipment back online and operational, is a much taller order, and yet it is even more important for the U.S. / Israeli and allied forces.
As for Iran, I can certainly remember the Iranian Revolution of 1979; and I know that the Islamic Regime moved to kill all the secular leftists that they could find. But Iran is not only the main target of Zionists (who have already attacked and did great harm to or destroyed Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, and Iraq); but the Iranians have become supporters of Venezuela, and even Nicaragua and Cuba to a lesser degree, in the earlier struggle over oil production and infrastructure; before the U.S. abduction and kidnapping raid a few weeks ago that captured Maduro and brought him back to New York. Overall the Iranians, with relatively slender resources as when compared to the U.S. or China, have made some pretty sound strategic and military decisions.
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Trump’s war aim: Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’
Trump had already indicated that he wants to play a role in picking the country’s next leader after the joint U.S.-Israeli operation killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend. The president told POLITICO in an interview Thursday that he plans to “have a big impact” in that process.
Speaking to press in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said that he preferred to work with “somebody from within” the current regime — though he admitted that the number of options was dwindling as “most of the people we had in mind are dead.”
It’s a playbook that has already worked for Trump in Venezuela, leading to a solid working relationship with interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Trump himself has made the link between his projects in Venezuela and Iran, telling CNN on Friday “it’s going to work like it did in Venezuela.” Rodríguez is “doing a fantastic job” in Caracas, he added.
But as former U.S. officials and Iran analysts have cautioned, finding someone from within the current governing apparatus in Iran to cooperate with the American administration is unlikely.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic is taking steps to decide on Khamenei’s successor. The Assembly of Experts, the body of clerics tasked with choosing his replacement, has been deliberating on the decision. While the slain supreme leader’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has emerged as the front-runner, Trump bashed him as “incompetent” in his interview with POLITICO.
After weathering decades of resistance from both within and abroad, Iran’s remaining leaders say they will not capitulate easily to U.S. demands.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on social media earlier Friday that some countries had begun “mediation efforts” and that “we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation’s dignity & sovereignty.”
He continued: “Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict.”
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U.S. weighs sending special forces to seize Iran's nuclear stockpile
The big picture: Any operation to seize the material would likely require U.S. or Israeli troops on Iranian soil, navigating heavily fortified underground facilities in the middle of a war.
- It remains unclear whether it would be an American, Israeli or joint mission.
- It would likely only take place after both countries are confident Iran's military can no longer mount a serious threat to the forces involved.
Behind the scenes: At a congressional briefing Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked whether Iran's enriched uranium would be secured. "People are going to have to go and get it," he said, without specifying who.
- An Israeli defense official said Trump and his team are seriously considering sending special operations units into Iran for specific missions.
- A U.S. official said the administration has discussed two options: removing the material from Iran entirely, or bringing in nuclear experts to dilute it on-site.
- The mission would likely involve special operators alongside scientists, possibly from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Between the lines: Two sources with knowledge of the issue said such operations were part of a menu of options presented to Trump before the war.
- NBC News reported on Friday that Trump has discussed the idea of deploying a small contingent of U.S. troops in Iran for specific strategic purposes.
- Semafor reported Trump's Iran options include Special Operations raids on nuclear sites.
The U.S. official laid out the operational challenge of securing Iran's uranium: "The first question is, where is it? The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?"
- "And then, it would be a decision of the president and the Department of War, CIA, as to whether we wanted to physically transport it or dilute it on premises."
What they're saying: Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday that ground troops were possible — but only "for a very good reason."
- "If we ever did that, [the Iranians] would be so decimated that they wouldn't be able to fight on the ground level," he said.
- Asked specifically whether troops might go in to secure nuclear material, Trump didn't rule it out. "At some point maybe we will. We haven't gone after it. We wouldn't do it now. Maybe we will do it later."
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios that Trump "wisely keeps all options available to him open, and does not rule things out."
The intrigue: Beyond the uranium, administration officials tell Axios there has also been discussion of seizing Kharg Island, a strategic terminal responsible for roughly 90% of Iran's crude oil exports.
Zoom in: The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last June buried Iran's uranium stockpile under rubble. The Iranians themselves haven't been able to reach it since, U.S. and Israeli officials say.
- The strikes also destroyed nearly all of Iran's centrifuges, and there's no evidence that enrichment has resumed.
- U.S. and Israeli officials say most of the stockpile sits in the underground tunnels of the nuclear facility in Isfahan, while the rest is split between Fordow and Natanz.
- In the opening days of the war, U.S. and Israel conducted strikes on Natanz and Isfahan that appeared aimed at sealing the entrances, likely to prevent any material from being moved.
Zoom out: The U.S. and Israel see Iran's 450 kilograms of 60%-enriched uranium as a serious threat, as it would take only weeks to enrich it to weapons grade.
- If the entire stockpile reached 90% purity, it would be enough material for 11 nuclear bombs.
The bottom line: "Boots on the ground for Trump is not the same as what it means for the media," a senior U.S. official said.
- "Small special ops raids — not a big force going in," another source added.
- "What has been discussed hasn't been thought of in terms of boots on the ground," a third source said. "People think Fallujah. That's not what has been discussed."
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