Iranian Uprising

[Zidane98]

Looks like Putin doesn't want to lose another dictator ally and is happy to provide the gear needed to IRGC to enforce that.

 

[Zidane98]

 

[Zidane98]

Kurds have claimed they have taken over an IRGC base:

 

[barreness]

Not only is this false information - US investment in Ukraine wasn't for revolutions, that's a common Kremlin lie - https://www.politifact.com/factchec...-states-spent-5-billion-ukraine-anti-governm/

Meanwhile between 2022-2024 Russia spends nearly $211 billion on trying to take over Ukraine:

Russia operations in Ukraine have probably cost up to $211 billion-US official

Russia has probably spent up to $211 billion in equipping, deploying and maintaining its troops for operations in Ukraine and Moscow has lost more than $10 billion in canceled or postponed arms sales, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday.

www.reuters.com

Russia also spends huge amounts on a 20 year strategic military partnership with Iran.


There's also this:



Of course none of this passes as foreign interference in your world.

https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/2013/dec/218804.htm
Since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, the United States has supported Ukrainians as they build democratic skills and institutions, as they promote civic participation and good governance, all of which are preconditions for Ukraine to achieve its European aspirations. We’ve invested over $5 billion to assist Ukraine in these and other goals that will ensure a secure and prosperous and democratic Ukraine.

The whole speech is interesting from Nuland, you will of course uncritically buy it. Peace/democracy and all that jazz

US/EU has spent near ~400 billion propping up and arming the Ukraine regime post '22. Plenty from '14-'22. And figures above for the pre '14 stuff from the horse's mouth

I would think Russia has spent more than ~211 billion on the war tbh.

Russia shipping in some weapons to Venezuela and Iran is well known. It's all backing smaller regimes against the US empire, so far most has been ineffectual.

So we can agree both the Russians and the US does foreign interference right?

 

[Zidane98]

https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/2013/dec/218804.htm
Since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, the United States has supported Ukrainians as they build democratic skills and institutions, as they promote civic participation and good governance, all of which are preconditions for Ukraine to achieve its European aspirations. We’ve invested over $5 billion to assist Ukraine in these and other goals that will ensure a secure and prosperous and democratic Ukraine.

The whole speech is interesting from Nuland, you will of course uncritically buy it. Peace/democracy and all that jazz

US/EU has spent near ~400 billion propping up and arming the Ukraine regime post '22. Plenty from '14-'22. And figures above for the pre '14 stuff from the horse's mouth

I would think Russia has spent more than ~211 billion on the war tbh.

Russia shipping in some weapons to Venezuela and Iran is well known. It's all backing smaller regimes against the US empire, so far most has been ineffectual.

So we can agree both the Russians and the US does foreign interference right?

Source for your 400 billion claim?

EU approved only $4 billion in new military aid calendar year 25

Ukraine Support Tracker - A Database of Military, Financial and Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

The Ukraine Support Tracker lists and quantifies military, financial and humanitarian aid promised by governments to Ukraine.

www.kielinstitut.de

The latest US military aid package is just $800 million over two years:

What’s in the new US defense bill for Ukraine?

The NDAA includes the best legislative support from Congress that Ukraine has received all year. At the same time, it also underscores the dramatic reduction in overall US support for Ukraine during 2025, writes Doug Klain.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

As of Mar 2025, US had provided 66 billion in military aid since the start of the full scale invasion :

Technical Difficulties

Interesting to see how you back up your 400 billion claim.

 

[barreness]

Feel like I need to point out Iran has an elected President and Parliament......again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Consultative_Assembly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Iranian_presidential_election

The Clerical class do hold power over the top of this.

When was the last time I got a vote on the Governor General or the King?
All members of the Australian Parliament and defence forces swear an oath of allegiance to the current squatters in Buckingham Palace and all their future heirs.

I'm not going around shouting about dictatorships and think we have a somewhat functional democracy though

 

[barreness]

Source for your 400 billion claim?

EU approved only $4 billion in new military aid calendar year 25

Ukraine Support Tracker - A Database of Military, Financial and Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

The Ukraine Support Tracker lists and quantifies military, financial and humanitarian aid promised by governments to Ukraine.

www.kielinstitut.de

The latest US military aid package is just $800 million over two years:

What’s in the new US defense bill for Ukraine?

The NDAA includes the best legislative support from Congress that Ukraine has received all year. At the same time, it also underscores the dramatic reduction in overall US support for Ukraine during 2025, writes Doug Klain.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

As of Mar 2025, US had provided 66 billion in military aid since the start of the full scale invasion :

Technical Difficulties

Interesting to see how you back up your 400 billion claim.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_aid_to_Ukraine_during_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war
By March 2024, the majority of Western governments had pledged more than $380 billion worth of aid to Ukraine since the invasion, including nearly $118 billion in direct military aid from individual countries.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ne_during_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war#cite_note-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> As of December 2024, European countries have provided €132 billion in aid (military, financial, and humanitarian), and the United States has provided €114 billion.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...uring_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war#cite_note-:81-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a> Most of the US funding supports American industries that produce weapons and military equipment.

Your own link from Kiel says 300billion euros from the EU/US. That's 350 billion in US or >500 in AUD. A bunch more has been pledged

Let's not cross post though, if you have more dumb questions you can ask them in the Ukraine thread

 

[stax on the mull]

No wonder Khamenei & co are trying to control the flow of information.

Gee 12,000 is a lot of deaths. I wonder if it's enough to make the Iranians forget about the civilians that that Israel bombed and killed in June of last year.

 

[barreness]

While objectively a banger and full mask off. This is a half century project for the US empire after the Iranians were so rude as to evict their currently NY based puppet prince/his old man

 

[Saint]

It's pretty amusing in the press and public statements really.

The same people talking about how brave the Iranians to resist the Theocratic oppression are and how awful it is that Iran is killing civilians are the same people who support Israel killing Palestinians en masse for resisting Israeli Oppression.

(For the record, I want Palestine and Iran to both be flourishing democracies, but those living external who are contributing to overthrowing their current governments do not want that at all).

The USA and Israel do not want democracy in Iran. Everyone in Iran or knows anything about Israeli/US/Iranian history knows this.

 

[FIGJAM]

It's pretty amusing in the press and public statements really.

I agree that it is amusing that both sides of those with extreme viewpoints have had a mirror put to them.

 

[Zidane98]

Fall of Khamenei regime would be beneficial to the people of Palestine, Lebanon & Yemen as Khamenei's terror proxies would likely be reduced to noting more than insurgencies without Iran's support, both logistically and ideologically.

Qatar seems to be on Khamenei's side for whatever reason. And Saudi Arabia seemingly prefers Iran remains sanctioned otherwise Iran's oil production traded freely on open markets would drive oil prices lower.

The other main actor supporting the Khamenei dictatorship is Putin as he prefers war / instability in the ME plus Iran is a major source of military hardware to maintain faltering invasion of Ukraine. Lose Iran to a reformist leadership and Putin becomes reliant on North Korea for military hardware.

 

[Zidane98]

 

[Zidane98]

Iran closing airspace



Internet services remain shutdown.

 

[Zidane98]

Here comes the Trump TACO

 

[Zidane98]

Iranian cargo ship supplying Russia's Ukraine invasion sunk in Caspian Sea:

 

[Zidane98]

I am booked to spend a week in Dubai late March before heading to Europe for 3 weeks. Returning to Aust via Dubai. Starting to get a little nervous now!

 

[Zidane98]

Some important context here about Iranian oil revenue:




China is getting 90% of its oil from Iran on the cheap because it is sanctioned and can't find anyone else to buy it in the same quantity. Look at how strategically vulnerable they are if the Khamenei regime was to collapse and a new government replaces it that is on friendly terms with US & the west.

China loses if Khamenei falls. China would be paying normal market prices for oil. Watch this space.

 

[ferball]

I am booked to spend a week in Dubai late March before heading to Europe for 3 weeks. Returning to Aust via Dubai. Starting to get a little nervous now!

Dubai is a place that runs off slavery. Why would any decent person go there?

 

[Zidane98]

Dubai is a place that runs off slavery. Why would any decent person go there?

Blame the wife. I preferred to go direct London from Perth. She wanted to see Dubai - Id prefer to steer clear of the place.

Mrs Zidane wins the argument.

 

[ferball]

Blame the wife. I preferred to go direct London from Perth. She wanted to see Dubai - Id prefer to steer clear of the place.

Mrs Zidane wins the argument.

Be careful and maybe show her this:

The disturbing underground sex parties where you're paid to be abused.

But it's not by choice.

www.mamamia.com.au

 

[Not Important]

 

[Saint]

Attacks have just started? Planes reported over Iraq.

But news is talking things down.

 

[Zidane98]

Jeffrey Sachs is a RT.Com columnist, a former soviet union advisor and a known spreader of disinformation - most it about the US while mostly being a simp for totalitarian dictators - I wonder why that may be.

If he's claiming it there is a very good chance that it isn't true.

Here's some of his fine work including covid19 conspiracies and his love of China and the way it treats Uyghurs:

Jeffrey Sachs | Vatnik Soup

In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an American economist and academic and political commentator, Jeffrey Sachs. He’s best-known for his deep hate for the “US hegemony”, and for his love for the totalitarian regimes in Russia, China and in Syria.

vatniksoup.com

Definitely not a reliable source for anything that relates to the US.

 

[Zidane98]

Attacks have just started? Planes reported over Iraq.

But news is talking things down.

There are reports US has withdrawn resources from Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.