Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes on Iran, killing at least 7

Yes, it's not a positive development. Inching closer to a global conflict is bad for everyone. Unlike WWI or WWII, every single nation will be adversely affected by a WWIII. Nowhere to hide.

You're so smart, Iran.

The Western powers had better get out their fire hoses because the little fires they have let smoulder and burn for decades in Israel's occupied territories and in those countries where they left a trail of destruction following wars they instigated, may be about to spread into a conflagration and engulf the Middle and Near East.

Iran is playing with lots of fires at the same time.

I thing someone should remind the Mullahs that Pakistan has already developed Nukes ...

Nuclear war is brewing up...

u_s__reamerToday 04:13 pm JST

The Western powers had better get out their fire hoses because the little fires they have let smoulder and burn for decades in Israel's occupied territories and in those countries where they left a trail of destruction following wars they instigated, may be about to spread into a conflagration and engulf the Middle and Near East.

It's been 45 years since the Iranian revolution. They've had time enough to figure out how to be an adult country.

Just keep it to tit for tat attacks in Baluchistan.

Mullahs might have bitten off a bit more than they can chew.

Nobody wins in a war with nukes. Since 1945 the development and deployment of nuclear weaponry has all been a waste of trillions of dollars of the people's tax money that could and should have been used to make our planet a peaceful place to protect biodiversity for Man and his environment and future generations. The ticking of the Doomsday Clock is getting louder as human folly continues unabated with wars and lessons that are never learned.

This is the perfect war, now we have two Nuke nations attacking each others and it couldn't get any worse than this, Israel must be thinking GREAT let hope they go full on.

It has been a long time since any country has militarily responded to an Iranian attack.

Tit for tat retaliatory strike, equivalence attained, so hopefully it will end with that but given the mad mullahs in Tehran’s recent behaviour it isn’t a foregone conclusion. Watch this space.

@u_s__reamer I agree no one wins with nukes!!! You wrote "*people's tax money that could and should have been used to make our planet a peaceful place to protect biodiversity for Man and his environment and future generations" one think I would like to say is *it should be "man and the environment", it was never "man and his environment". Man does not own the environment nor control it, the environment controls man, Man will destroy themselves the environment will be here for years to come and recover as it always has.

Nobody wins in a war with nukes. Since 1945 the development and deployment of nuclear weaponry has all been a waste of trillions of dollars of the people's tax money that could and should have been used to make our planet a peaceful place to protect biodiversity for Man and his environment and future generations. The ticking of the Doomsday Clock is getting louder as human folly continues unabated with wars and lessons that are never learned.

If the world goes to war, Russia will go after Ukraine, North Korea will go after South Korea, China will go after Taiwan, and several middle Eastern countries will go after Israel.

NATO will have to deal with Russia. The US will need to help defend South Korea, Taiwan and Israel. That would spread the US resources. That will also affect the world's economies and stock markets as supply and demand shifts.

That global distraction would provide cover for a lot of other countries to settle old scores, while the superpowers are busy.

It would also guarantee that Biden would be re-elected as wars favor the incumbent.

If South America, Africa, and Australia are smart, then they will stay out of this. Do not allow the Chinese, Russians, and North Koreans to flee to their continent, build military facilities, or use their people as possible hostages/pawns to bargain for a "get out of jail" free card.

NotThe OneToday 01:02 am JST

several middle Eastern countries will go after Israel.

They don't love the Palestinians that much, or even at all.

Nobody wins in a war with nukes. Since 1945 the development and deployment of nuclear weaponry has all been a waste of trillions of dollars of the people's tax money that could and should have been used to make our planet a peaceful place

Nuclear weapons have arguably done more to protect global peace than anything else in the last 100 years.

I have a feeling that a war in the Middle East would be positive for the right wing globally.

The US will get involved to protect shipping Israel, and along with the Europeans to neutralize any Islamic terror threat.

Africa will get involved through the Black-Arab conflict in Northern Africa (contray to reports in western news outlets, Arabs and Blacks to actually hate each other and many Black's support Israel against the Arabs).

China, North Korea and Russia will get involved indirectly to support its geopolitical objectives. But the question remains as to whether India is willing to step through the mud to fight a Middle Eastern war anytime soon.

It has been a long time since any country has militarily responded to an Iranian attack.

Ummm, no. Last May Afghan Army exchanged fire with Iranian forces in a long running border dispute that involves how much water flows down the Helmand River from Afghanistan into Iran with Iran accusing the Afghans of taking more than their allowed amount starving Iranian farmers of water they claim a right to.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-taliban-exchange-heavy-gunfire-in-conflict-over-water-rights-on-afghan-border

Iran is the heart of the problem. Take down Iran and a lot of bad players in the region lose their primary source of arms and money. Without Iranian support the Houthis and Hezbollah are gelded.

For the US I suspect many even in the current administration would love to go to war with Iran. However, I get the feeling the US is trying to minimize weapons expenditures on regional conflicts to the extent possible and keep their gunpowder dry expecting a war with China over Taiwan. My guess, and that is all it is, is that the US doesn't want to blow through a large quantity of expensive and slow to produce cruise missiles taking down Iran only to have China see this as their opportunity to have a go at Taiwan and the US comes to the fight short cruise missiles. I am actually kind of surprised at how many Tomahawks they have shot at the Houthis. It seems like the US could get the job done with inexpensive bombs dropped from F/A-18s but I'm not out there seeing the intel to know for sure.

Desert TortoiseToday 02:57 am JST

It has been a long time since any country has militarily responded to an Iranian attack.

You're in touch with the modern history of this region. Has the US ever struck Iran directly in Iran aside from the tanker wars?

Iran is the heart of the problem.

The US is itching for a regime change in Iran, just like they did in Iraq 2 decades ago. Oh wait, by getting rid of Saddam, an arch enemy of Iran, they actually strengthened Iran. Mission accomplished.

Your lengthy screed glosses over the fact that US foreign policy is the cause of much of the problems in the region. Its the empty can that rattles the most.

EvilBuddhaToday 03:21 am JST

Your lengthy screed glosses over the fact that US foreign policy is the cause of much of the problems in the region.

Nah, dude. Plenty of places in the world had worse colonial treatment than the Middle East and more war scarred populations. These people choose to be this way.

Also the Middle East itself has often been a bigger source of conquests and colonialism than Europe or the West, yet we do not see the same negativity towards the Middle East from the left wing as we do towards Eurocentrism.