Yeah, I don't think the take-offs can be kept secret. I guess that's why some of them went west and some turned east after in the air.

Speaking purely from Gen. Caine's briefing and currently available public information, B2's never fly solo. They were part of a large coordinated effort including a strike package and a support package. Caine reports over 120 aircraft in the support package to include tankers, 4th and 5th generation fighters and I'm sure others.

Israel certainly devastated Iranian air defenses but modern doctrine is "multi-domain warfare". Caine briefed all the COCOM's involved and branches; let's just say we threw the book at this. CENTCOM, EUCOM, SPACECOM, CYBERCOM and Space Force to name a few. Suppression ahead of strike is doctrine and has been since Vietnam; read between all the lines of those extant circumstances what you might. Cyber effects, counter-radar effects, etc. Optimal conditions for a LO or ELO aircraft to ingress/egress and do it's work.

Iranian officials 'plan to REMOVE Ayatollah as supreme leader' as cowering Khamenei begs Putin for help and cuts off contact from within his secret bunker due to fears he will be assassinated

By JAMES REYNOLDS
PUBLISHED: 07:27 EDT, 23 June 2025 | UPDATED: 08:01 EDT, 23 June 2025

Iranian officials are said to be considering removing their supreme leader from power after the United States waded in to Israel's growing conflict with Iran on Sunday.

Two sources involved in talks told The Atlantic that officials are now contemplating deposing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but said it's just 'one idea' among many 'plots'.

'Everybody knows Khamenei's days are numbered,' one official told the American outlet. 'Even if he stays in office, he won't have actual power.'

Iranian officials had sought to displace the 86-year-old supreme leader even before the U.S. intervention due to his age and longstanding health concerns, the sources said.

Iran has vowed to inflict 'serious' damage in retaliation to the American strikes on nuclear facilities across the territory.

But analysts remain unconvinced that the country has the military might to keep up kinetic action against both Israel and the U.S., with the conflict now in its 11th day.

However, Vladimir Putin today vowed to back Iran and condemned 'groundless' aggression against its ally.

The Kremlin last night accused the United States of opening a Pandora's box with its strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, warning it was gambling with the 'safety and well-being of humanity as a whole'.

Russia had already condemned Israel's strikes against Iran, and has said that targeting nuclear facilities risks throwing the region into greater chaos.

Prior to the attacks, the Kremlin had been eyeing a role in mediating between Iran and Israel.

'This is an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran,' Putin told Abbas Araghchi, who travelled to Moscow on Monday seeking support in mediation over Iran's nuclear programme.

Putin called recent strikes 'unjustified' and added that Russia was 'making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people.'

The comments came as Israel again struck the Fordow nuclear facility and 'government targets' in Tehran, with no sign of the conflict abating.

Khamenei, who last spoke to his nation in a televised address on Wednesday, has hidden away in a bunker, suspending electronic communications in a bid to toughen up security amid swirling assassination threats, three Iranian officials told the New York Times.

But, despite the ramped up protection effort Iran's Ayatollah has named three potential successors to take over his role in case he is killed, according to reports.

A three-man committee from a top clerical body, appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago to identify his replacement, has accelerated its planning in recent days since Israel attacked Iran and threatened to assassinate the veteran leader, five insiders with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

Khamenei is being regularly briefed on the talks, according to the Iranian sources who requested anonymity to discuss highly sensitive matters.

He has gone into hiding with his family and is being guarded by the Vali-ye Amr special forces unit of the Revolutionary Guards, a top security official said.

The ruling establishment will immediately seek to name a successor to Khamenei if he is killed, to signal stability and continuity, according to the sources who acknowledged that predicting Iran's subsequent political trajectory was difficult.

A new leader will still be chosen for his devotion to the revolutionary precepts of the Islamic Republic's late founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, according to one insider, who is close to Khamenei's office and privy to succession discussions.

At the same time, the top echelon of power is also considering which candidate might present a more moderate face to ward off foreign attacks and internal revolts, the person said.

Two frontrunners have emerged in the succession discussions, the five insiders said: Khamenei's 56-year-old son Mojtaba, long seen as a continuity choice, and a new contender, Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the father of the Islamic revolution.

Khomeini, a close ally of the reformist faction that favours the easing of social and political restrictions, nonetheless commands respect among senior clerics and the Revolutionary Guards because of his lineage, the sources added.

'I once again humbly express that this small and insignificant servant of the Iranian people stands ready to proudly be present on any front or scene you deem necessary,' the 53-year-old said in a public message of support to the supreme leader on Saturday, hours before the U.S. bombed Iran's nuclear facilities.

Khomeini has come into the frame as a serious candidate this month amid the conflict with Israel and America because he could represent a more conciliatory choice internationally and domestically than Mojtaba Khamenei, the five people said.

By contrast, Khamenei hews closely to his father's hardline policies, according to the insiders who cautioned that nothing had been determined, candidates could change and the supreme leader would have the final say.

However, with the military conflict continuing, it remains unclear whether any new leader could be chosen easily or installed securely or if he could assume the level of authority enjoyed by Khamenei, they added.

Israeli strikes have also killed several of Iran's top Revolutionary Guards commanders, potentially complicating a handover of power as the elite military force has long played a central role in enforcing the supreme leader's rule.

Khamenei's office and the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body from which the succession committee was drawn, were not available to comment.

His son Mojtaba, also a cleric who has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was rumoured to be a front-runner.

But he is not among the selected candidates, officials reportedly told the newspaper.

It comes after Donald Trump raised the prospect of regime change in the country, despite several of his administration officials earlier stressing that US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites did not have that goal.

'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

Since Trump joined Israel's campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning, Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate.

The country said the US should expect 'heavy consequences' for its attacks, issuing a threat that its entry into the conflict with Israel will 'expand the scope of legitimate targets'.

Earlier, a Iranian television mouthpiece warned that up to 50,000 American soldiers will be returned to Washington in 'coffins'.

State TV anchor Mehdi Khanalizadeh accused Trump of choosing to 'spill the blood of your soldiers', before adding: 'The US president in the Oval Office chose to take delivery of the coffins of up to 50,000 US soldiers in Washington.'

Trump declared last night that 'monumental damage' has been done 'to all nuclear sites in Iran'.

The US president wrote on his Truth Social page that satellite images he obtained showed the Iranian nuclear facilities were 'obliterated,' and noted that the most damage 'took place far below ground level.'

Iranian media then reported that Israel was carrying out new strikes on the Fordow nuclear facilities today, with Israeli media saying the IDF was targeting an access road at the site.

Meanwhile huge clouds of smoke towered over Tehran as Israel launched a wave of strikes 'with unprecedented force', including on a military headquarters killing 'hundreds' of guards members.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1936948108501352936

I was just joking around with coworker wondering how long until we start seeing ICE protestors waving Iranian flags and wearing "I stand with Iran" shirts.

Was not expecting it to be LAPD showing their support....

quote:

LAPD

It’s the LAC Sheriff Department that pulled the shit.

“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight I can report to the world, that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”

Mission Accomplished?

…Or Mission Creep?

“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace [with Israel?]. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater, and a lot easier.”

Trump has already pivoted from "this isn't about regime change" as an admin talking to point, to... there might possibly be regime change after all.

As world leaders urgently called for diplomacy, President Trump raised the prospect of regime change in Tehran on Sunday, less than 24 hours after U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites stoked fears of a dangerously escalating conflict across the Middle East.

“If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Mr. Trump wrote in a post on his social media site. The post came after top members of his administration spent much of the day emphasizing that the United States did not intend to enter an all-out war with Tehran.

This could very well become Bush/Cheney's Trump's Iraq War. And look who is very happy...

https://x.com/AmbJohnBolton/st...-troops-or-civilians



https://www.zerohedge.com/mark...-troops-or-civilians

Of course it is; it should be. The Green Revolution was the first serious undermining of the Gov there and we supported it publicly.

quote:

Originally posted by PGT:
Of course it is; it should be. The Green Revolution was the first serious undermining of the Gov there and we supported it publicly.

I agree that regime change in Iran is the ultimate goal (in addition to ridding them of their nuclear capabilities). This will benefit the Persian people, the region, and the world. It is the right thing to do. How it gets done is the issue. We should be doing everything possible to support and encourage the Iranian people to overthrow the radical islamic leadership, short of "boots on the ground".

Bolton is a war hawk and a Trump hater, but he's not wrong on this.

Of course, there's always the issue of "be careful what you wish for". I believe that it is a chance we have to take because the alternative, that we have lived with for the past 46 years, is unacceptable.

quote:

I agree that regime change in Iran is the ultimate goal (in addition to ridding them of their nuclear capabilities). This will benefit the Persian people, the region, and the world. It is the right thing to do. How it gets done is the issue. We should be doing everything possible to support and encourage the Iranian people to overthrow the radical islamic leadership, short of "boots on the ground".

Encourage the Iranian people to overthrow the radical islamic leadership? Sure.

Support? That could mean anything you want it to mean.

It has to be "organic" or from within Iran. We can't pick a new dictator more to our liking. We've tried that over, and over around the world and it never ends well. We truly have enough of our own problems at home.

We did it in Iran in concert with the Brits putting the Shah in place which led to the 1979 revolution and current situation. 75 years on...we're living with Cold War doctrine and subsequent decisions.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
It has to be "organic" or from within Iran.

Agreed.

Everything that I have heard, for decades now, is that the Iranian people hate the leadership and want to return to a pro-Western pre-'79 Iran. I hope that that is true. Simply getting rid of Khamenei and replacing him with another radical would not be a good thing. We'll see.

https://www.newsmax.com/world/...dkt_nbr=010102fvangb

Israel Hits Iranian Government Targets After US Barrage

Israel hit Iranian government targets in Tehran Monday in a series of strikes that followed a salvo of missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel in the wake of the Trump administration’s massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites the day before.

The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday’s attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate.

In Tehran attacks, Israel’s Defense Ministry said it hit targets that included the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian capital and the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.

“The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” the Ministry said.

In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility already following the Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs.

“Given the explosive payload utilized ... very significant damage ... is expected to have occurred,” said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

With the strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.

Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time.

Grossi told the IAEA board of governors on Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had informed him on June 13 that Iran would “adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.”

“I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,” Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded.

Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as as a new wave of its Operation “True Promise 3,” saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television.

Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of damage.

In Iran, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes hit areas around Iran’s capital, Tehran, around midday. Iranian state television confirmed one Israeli strike hit the gate of Evin Prison.

The report shared what appeared to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike. The prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.

Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners and those with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions.

Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to "act against U.S. interests and its army.”

Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles.

The U.S. described its Sunday attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear sit, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear program, but President Donald Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates.

Mousavi described the American attacks as violating Iran’s sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

In the wake of the American attacks, calls came from across the globe for de-escalation and the return to diplomacy to try and resolve the conflict.

On Monday, the European Union's top diplomat said the bloc remained “very much focused on the diplomatic solution.”

“The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge,” Kaja Kallas said at the start of a foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels where Iran has jumped to the top of the agenda.

“Especially closing of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is something that would be extremely dangerous and not good for anybody,” Kallas said, referring to a maritime route crucial for oil transport.

cont...

This academic has a fucked up view of the U.S. and Iran. But given his background, I'm not surprised. Wonder if Georgetown will keep this scumbag employed?


https://x.com/marcthiessen/sta...l1936965026104967565

***Edited***
The asshole's tweet was deleted by the author, it disappeared from the above tweet. I should have gotten a screenshot. It even disappeared from Breitbart and other sources.


.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: oddball,

I'd donate an AR-15 with five loaded magazines, if the USG could assure me it would end up in the hands of a rebel who fights to overthrow the current Iranian regime.

This is the link to the article about the Georgetown Professor posting about Iran striking a US base.

Proffessor Brown

Let the regime topple on its own as a consequence of their own fanaticism and stupidity, or let Israel punch the current one in the face enough times that they learn to behave...I don't really care. Let nature take its course. But I don't want us leading the push on this one, and I definitely don't want us "Nation Building" Iran. Kicking them in the balls and removing their nuclear capability was just fine with me, but I don't want to be invested there long term.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

LAPD

It’s the LAC Sheriff Department that pulled the shit.

And walked that tweet back halfway to Australia.

https://x.com/LASDHQ/status/19...037021827216/photo/1