The USA Never Learns.

Watching the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei put down protests with the utmost violence was and is distressing. Of course, the watchers' distress from afar is nothing to those who paid the ultimate price under the fire of Iranian security forces. It is reckoned that if Western media can be believed, thousands of Iranian protesters died or were injured under the boot of Iranian security forces. Protests started from shopkeepers and ordinary citizens against the cost of living. We are all facing a cost-of-living crisis right now, but the Iranian people are facing absolute poverty. Thanks to the severe sanctions imposed by the US and other Western nations. The Iranian currency, the Rial, has been so devalued that you might as well use Monopoly money to buy goods if you are an ordinary Iranian.

Of course, Western sanctions are not the only reason why the Iranian economy is going to hell in a hand cart. The regime, for all of its zeal, is corrupt. Members of the Iranian establishment are lining their pockets while ordinary Iranians suffer. Also, Iran funds Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other related groups to do its fighting for it instead of putting the money into the economy. Iran has a nuclear programme and has ballistic missiles, so that is also taking a massive chunk out of the Iranian budget.

Iran has also been weakened as its proxies (so-called) have been defeated or much reduced, thanks to Israel's actions against them. Hezbollah fought Israel after October 7, but its leader was taken out. Many of its members were killed by exploding pagers, and much of its infrastructure was taken out by the IDF air force. Hamas in Gaza has taken a massive hit, and though it remains a force in Gaza after the so-called ceasefire between it and Israel, it is in a much weakened state. The only proxy still standing able to present a present and clear danger to Israel and shipping linked to Israel are the Houthis in Yemen. The Houthis were able to lob missiles at Israel and sink shipping in the Red Sea, allegedly linked to Israel. Why were all these groups attacking Israel? The reason given was for Israel's response to the October 7 Hamas attack, when Israel launched a massive attack on Gaza.

Mossad and the CIA have been in lockstep, causing allegedly explosions in Iran recently. Whipping up Iranian public sentiment, turning protests into riots. The Iranian regime would act violently against any challenge to its authority. However, the Iranian regime probably suspected that foreign agents on the ground in Iran were helping to make these anti-regime protests even worse. Hence, the heavy crackdown, cutting off the internet, and severely putting down these uprisings. The regime is probably at its weakest that it has been since the Shah fell. Hence, the US and Israel are going hell for leather to bring down the Islamic regime or at least, bring it to heel.

Trump has assembled a massive battle fleet not far from Iran. Trump is threatening military action unless Iran comes to the table to talk. Originally, Trump said, "Help is on the way", when he saw Iranian protesters. Hence, he assembled in his words an "armada" or "flotilla".

Now, Trump has returned to the original language of why he wanted to talk to the Iranians in the first place. That is Iran's nuclear programme and its ballistic missile programme. This was the excuse Israel gave, and the US gave for attacking Iran during last year's 12-day war. So it's back to the same old, same old. Same as what the US and others used as the excuse for going into Iraq in 2003 - WMD or Weapons of Mass Destruction. No WMD and a war that took the lives of many Western troops, as well as thousands of innocent Iraqis. Afghans also paid the price, as well as Western forces. Mainly the Americans but also the British, paid with their lives. The Allies withdrew under a Trump agreement that Biden oversaw as the Taliban retook the country. The US, as far as I know, has withdrawn from Iraq officially now, but still has a presence there.

Trump said he would be the guy to end "forever wars". He gives himself a pat on the back for ending 8 wars. He received a peace prize from FIFA for hosting the 2026 Football World Cup. It was the first of its kind ever handed to a world leader. No doubt it was invented and given to Trump to stroke his ego for being a supposed peacemaker. Trump, as far as I'm aware, has not received the Nobel Peace Prize, even though his fascist buddy Netanyahu nominated him for it.

Both the US and the IRI (the Islamic Republic of Iran) have been sounding warlike. Trump has promised strikes if Iran does not come to the table. Iran has replied that if the US strikes, it will lead to all-out war. Rumours of negotiations in Turkey or in Oman have been discussed between the two sides. However, what to believe about that is hard to say. Already, there has been action in the Gulf as an Iranian drone came towards the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was shot down.

If war does break out, it will be devastating, and everyone in the Gulf and the wider world will be affected. So both sides, especially Trump, had better think about what he is getting himself into and the wider world.

Iran may not have the armaments of the US; however, Iran is a well-armed country. Iran is not Venezuela, and the Ayatollah isn't Maduro. Iran will lose out eventually to the US and probably Israel. But then Iran stood 8 years of war with Iraq. Iraq was backed by the US, Arab nations, and the wider world. Iran came out still standing. Iran, though initially shocked at Israel's attacks on its infrastructure and its leading personnel hit back hard with its missiles and drones on Israel. Trump ended the 12-day war because neither side was winning.

Trump seems to be listening to his pro-Israel ministers around him and seems to be going into battle for Israel, not the US. Many Americans are fed up with fighting Israel's wars against nations that cannot really affect the US and are far away. But as long as AIPAC and Zionist Christians and Jews hold sway in the White House, whether the POTUS is Democrat or Republican, this will always be the case.

As for any negotiations, and no matter where they are held, America thinks it can bully the Iranians into giving up their nuclear programme and ballistic missiles. Iran has made it clear it is prepared to talk about scaling back its nuclear programme, but giving up its ballistic missile programme is a big "No". Whether you like the Iranian regime or not (and I am no supporter), Iran says it needs those missiles as they are its only means of offence and defence in a dangerous part of the world.

If the talks are fair and square and both parties go in not making huge demands of the other, it should be fine. These talks could be a genuine arena for the US and the IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran) to genuinely iron out their differences. However, I suspect that the US doing some of Israel's bidding will go in making demands that Iran cannot agree to. The talks will fail, and war will be an option. And maybe that's the intention because the US will say if the talks fail, "See, we tried talking to the Iranians, and we couldn't make progress. So the only option left to us is war".

The Iranians say they want to talk to the US, but they will be even more suspicious of Trump now. In June 2025, America and Iran were talking, and Israel attacked, thus kicking off the 12-day war. So what is the point of these talks if the US is going into talks with Iran with a one-sided agenda?

The US's demands, backed by or egged on by Israel, are one-sided. These terms are like asking Iran to surrender, and Iran will never do this. So, yes, folks, we are on thin ice. China is flying in weapons to Iran, and so it appears is Russia. China has a ship in the Gulf shadowing the American fleet. Where this will all end can only be guessed at.