Comment by throwaway302340
10 hours ago
> So none of them lost on ground in Iran.
Do we really need to play these semantic games?
An F-35 was confirmed successfully targeted and hit by Iranian Air Defenses.
The pilot was confirmed (by the DoW) to have been injured.
The plane in question seems to have been able to make its way back to friendly territory.
Every other detail about this incident is cloaked in fog of war with Vietnam-era narrative stealth technology and semantic evasive maneuvering. Since it didn't crash in enemy territory the Americans claim it wasn't 'downed' by the enemy. But did the F-35 actually land? like on its own wheels on an actual runway or was it a 'hard landing' (i.e. crash) as NPR's sources claim. Did the pilot eject? What is his condition? What is the condition of the airframe?
>No US ship was to my knowledge even hit by a drone/missle.
Again if one was, would we every know? Would we be told? The f-35 incident has been broadly emblematic of this entire war. Lot of bluster and downplaying and covering up losses. Its like Russia in the Ukraine War; Frequently having to check with Iranian sources to corroborate claims made by the Americans. Whether it is with satellite imagery, or on the true status of the Hormuz or control of Iranian airspace.
https://www.twz.com/air/usaf-f-35-makes-emergency-landing-af...
US lost more planes to friendly fire and accidents than the enemy.
We've killed more senior leadership than total US deaths in the war.
Iran has not killed a single pilot or sailor.
That's a generational ass whooping.
The triumphant US have succeeded in reversing the pre-War Iranian offer to give up HEU and the pre-War state of the Strait being open to traffic.
They have also very possibly succeeded in upending the strength of petro dollar that has been bouying up US economic dominance for much of the past 50 years.
USA! FTW!
Talk about muddled goals.
Somehow Iran is still in control of the strait. This sounds a lot like Russia declaring victory after three days in Ukraine.
> US lost more planes to friendly fire and accidents than the enemy
Truly a force to be reckoned with.
Funnily that's all utterly irrelevant.
Like Vietnam showed, it doesn't matter how much better numbers than the enemy you have, because kill counts don't win wars.
Iran is still the one closer to achieving its objectives (survival for the regime), because they don't need to do much for that to happen. Apply pressure to the Gulf states and global energy and fertiliser markets and at some point, the US will cave. The American public will not tolerate high gas and everything related prices for long, and especially with an election coming up, there will be significant pressure.
US/Israel's war goals are basically unachievable. They can't enforce regime change on a regime backed by millions of fanatical loyal men, with defence and terrain on their side. They can certainly try a land invasion, but that would take years and cost a lot in casualties.