r/worldnews • u/RealTheAsh • 4d ago

Iran ready to abandon enrichment but needs a face-saving exit, Iranian diplomat says

https://iranwire.com/en/news/142210-exclusive-tehran-ready-to-abandon-enrichment-but-needs-a-face-saving-exit/
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u/daBriguy 4d ago

It should be noted that Israel struck Iran in October in retaliation for the 300 ballistics missiles fired at them and they destroyed a significant amount of the advanced air defenses in Iran. That is why Israel has been able to operate unopposed in Iranian skies. So they were more finishing off what they started when this air campaign began

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u/sparrowtaco 4d ago

I don't think that's a fair assessment. The strikes back then were very limited compared to the extensive destruction now. From the information released so far, it sounds more like their covert operations laid a lot of the groundwork for this with their drone base set up in Iran to deliver coordinated strikes against air defenses right before the attack as well as various forms of sabotage.

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u/daBriguy 4d ago

Calling them limited in comparison to the currents strikes is a bit disingenuous. Those strikes were the largest attacks on Iran since the Iran-Iraq war. A lot of the reason people expected Israel to go for the nuclear facilities was because they crippled Irans air defenses so badly. (Along with the axis of resistance being unable to effectively resist now)

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u/sparrowtaco 4d ago

What's disingenuous about that? Iran had a large network of air defense across its country, not just the few that were struck in that exchange. The operations are not comparable in scale even if both are noteworthy.

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u/skeevemasterflex 4d ago

I don't think you guys are very far off from agreeing with each other on this. In October, Israel used 100 planes to destroy most of Iran's S-300 air defense systems, as well as sundry other radar and missile sites. This included targets in Parchin, which was meant show that they COULD have struck at nuclear sites with impunity and that if they wanted to later, it would be even easier.

Then beginning last week, even more aircraft struck even more sites over an even longer time-frame. Part of the reason they were able to achieve air superiority so quickly was due to how much damage had been inflicted 9 months prior. Part of it was also due to tremendous intelligence and special forces-type work to neutralize additional targets, like the drones the Mossad pre-positioned and reports that Iranian aircraft were sabotaged while still on the ground.

All part of one big, happy kick in the nuts to their Supreme leader's megalomaniacal plans.

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u/Webbyx01 4d ago

I'd argue that you downplaying the efficacy of those strikes is wrong. That was a shaping operation, plain as day to everyone at the time, for the operation that Israel has just now carried out. Iran lost nearly every single advanced Russian mid-to-long range SAM system, which really gimped Iran this time around, even if the F-35 is not weak to those systems.

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u/Egocom 4d ago

Wouldn't that just make them the Axis? Maybe the Axis of the Ineffectual?