LIVE THREAD: US and Israel vs. Iran, Part Two

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/2033496841946378644

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/2033425293814235430

[PeteS in CA]

TSMC has been building wafer Fabs in the US for years....

And are building more in Chandler, AZ.

[PeteS in CA]

Keir Starmer holds call with Trump after US plea for warships in Strait of Hormuz

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/keir-starmer-holds-call-trump-36872005

EXCERPT

Trump having to eat some crow after telling the Brits to stay home.

Whatever. The UKs still only has 4 or 5 operational surface warships the size of a destroyer and larger. If WE or PoW head for the ME she'll need escort assistance from Fance or Germany or Italy or the US. And it might be weeks before either carrier could set sail. The Royal Navy is in really sad shape a present.

[Wingnut]

Whatever. The UKs still only has 4 or 5 operational surface warships the size of a destroyer and larger. If WE or PoW head for the ME she'll need escort assistance from Fance or Germany or Italy or the US. And it might be weeks before either carrier could set sail. The Royal Navy is in really sad shape a present.

Look, the fact is today, the British navy couldn't sink a Bismarck floating in a toilet bowl.

[PeteS in CA]

https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/2033496841946378644

In Iranian propaganda on FB and other online places, USS Abraham Lincoln was seriously damaged by drones and is "fleeing" the area. Drones are not trivial, but they are not capable of significantly damaging a 100K-ton carrier built with nearly a century of naval architecture experience in designing and building aircraft carriers. The USN has come a long way since converting the Lexingtons and building the Treaty-limited USS Ranger (CV-4).

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2033533519289299390

[Timber Rattler]

Whatever. The UKs still only has 4 or 5 operational surface warships the size of a destroyer and larger. If WE or PoW head for the ME she'll need escort assistance from Fance or Germany or Italy or the US. And it might be weeks before either carrier could set sail. The Royal Navy is in really sad shape a present.

Yeah I know BUT the point is that Trump had to swallow his previous snark and go back hat in hand to Starmer, and others, asking (and then demanding) that they send their ships to help keep Hormuz open.  They've found out that the U.S. Navy is just not big enough to do it alone anymore...the 600-ship fleet of the 1980s is long gone.

[240B]

Iran warns citizens of crackdown worse than January protest massacre and rounds up hundreds of 'traitors'

Daily Mail
By ADAM POGRUND
16 March 2026



Iran has warned citizens of a crackdown worse than its response to the January protests when the regime slaughtered thousands of demonstrators.

The Islamic Republic, which claims to have arrested 500 'internal traitors' for sharing information with enemies, is ramping up threats against its population as it continues to attack US allies across the Middle East.

US and Israeli fighters jets have stepped up attacks against Iran, with the IDF claiming it still has 'thousands of targets' left to hit as the war enters its third week.

The brutal regime has begun rounding up civilians it claims are helping its enemies, while sending threatening texts to the population, warning those who take to the streets will face a 'blow stronger than January 8'.

Civilians have also received a constant barrage of messages with false claims about US deaths and impending victory, according to the Financial Times.

One message addressed to the 'people of Iran' on Friday said: 'The wicked enemy, desperate to achieve its goals in the battlefield, is once again seeking to instil fear and instigate street chaos'.

The text, sent by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence arm, added 'Internal traitors to the homeland' who take to the streets will face 'a blow stronger than January 8', the date the regime began its massacre on anti-regime protesters.

It follows a series of threats from regime officials against the population as the Islamic Republic fears for its authority in the wake of the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

(more)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15649843/Iran-warns-citizens-crackdown-worse-January-protest-massacre-rounds-hundreds-traitors.html

[Cyber Liberty]

And are building more in Chandler, AZ.

And they are making good use of US based Foundries like Intel and NXP (formerly Motorola/Freescale).

[corbe]

The US Military’s Newest Low-Cost Weapon: Reverse-Engineered Iranian Drones

Israeli military adviser Amir Avivi told the Free Beacon that the United States learned from the war in Ukraine, where Russia has employed its own modified Iranian drones


WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 08: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (L) (R-LA) is greeted by Mark Wallace, CEO of the non-profit United Against Nuclear Iran, before Johnson delivered remarks next to a Shahed 136 military drone during a press conference (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Adam Kredo
March 16, 2026

The United States successfully reverse-engineered Iran’s drone technology and is now deploying it against the Islamic Republic on the battlefield, flipping the script on a regime that has used long-range, low-cost unmanned systems to wreak havoc on Israel and the wider Middle East, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Feb. 28 that the United States was using one-way attack drones modeled on Iranian Shaheds, and CENTCOM head Adm. Brad Cooper said during a March 5 briefing that the U.S. military was employing "an original Iranian drone design" on the battlefield. "We captured it, pulled the guts out, sent it back to America, put a little made-in-America on it, brought it back here, and we're shooting it at the Iranians."

The Shahed drone, a large unmanned aircraft, operates similarly to a cruise missile and has been a common sight in cities across Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion. Iran provided Russia with drones early in the conflict and Moscow has scaled up production domestically while also upgrading the drone's "navigation, communications, warhead, flight algorithms, [and] deception measures," according to the Snake Island Institute, a Kyiv-based military think tank.

The New York Times reported last week that the United States began working on reverse-engineering Shaheds in 2024 when researchers realized that employing a U.S.-made version on the battlefield would give the military a low-cost, effective tool. The U.S. military has not detailed modifications it has made to the Iranian technology, but Russia’s own work on the Shahed provides a model for what that might look like.

<..snip..>

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/the-us-militarys-newest-low-cost-weapon-reverse-engineered-iranian-drones/

[Cyber Liberty]

The Free Beacon article explains why we did not get caught with our pants down on drone technology!

[Timber Rattler]

The Free Beacon article explains why we did not get caught with our pants down on drone technology!

Right, and thanks to the Ukrainians.

[Cyber Liberty]

Right, and thanks to the Ukrainians.

Fine with me.  It's the least they can do for us, considering all the money we gave them!

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Cheap and effective... makes you wonder why we weren't using these all along or something similiar.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

And are building more in Chandler, AZ.

My understanding was that the fabrication plant in Arizona was running into difficulty replicating the Taiwan production plant:

CC Wei attended the National Taiwan University EMBA Baichuan Lecture tonight and gave a speech titled "If there was no TSMC." His witty and humorous speech not only made the audience laugh, but also made the participants understand through a 30-minute speech why TSMC's latest process cannot be moved to other countries and the world. If there is no TSMC, not only will people not be able to replace their Apple phones, but even refrigerators, televisions, cars and other products will be affected.

Since TSMC officially set up a factory in the United States in 2021, many people in the market have been worried about whether TSMC will bring the latest technology to the United States, making Taiwan no longer have an advantage.

Before answering the market's concerns, CC Wei first talked about, "If you want to repeat the TSMC, how long will it take? Not long, you can build a production line in 2.5 years." However, this 2.5 years is estimated with prerequisites, "there must be enough land, water, electricity, and talent. If you don't have the technology, that's another matter."

2.5 years is just the time it takes to build a production line, but every time a new technology emerges, TSMC has to build at least three factories. CC Wei took 3nm as an example. "It will take about 5 years to build a 3nm plant to meet all customer needs. If you want to move TSMC's 3nm to any country, assuming you have good land, water and electricity, There are no problems with the talent. It will only take 5 years. "

However, the progress of the construction of the US factory has not met TSMC's original expectations. CC Wei said with a smile, "We were in Arizona, I was crying and going through all kinds of training." He said it humorously, and the whole audience burst into laughter, but he pointed out three challenges that outsiders would not imagine.

"First, we thought that the United States is so big, building a house is not a big deal. Wrong, building a house is a big deal. I want to build a production line in Arizona. First, they have never heard of what a production line is. I said, Isn't there an IDM (referring to IDM giant Intel) next door? He said, that was ten years ago, now everyone has left, so they won't build one. "CC Wei said that the first problem is the local infrastructure. The thing is, they didn't know how to build a factory, and in the end half of the construction workers were recruited from Texas.

Second, I never thought that in one place, I would encounter different laws and regulations from the local government. "TSMC is a company that is well taken care of by the government. We are ahead of the curve and have built various production lines. The government doesn't know what to do. We discuss with the Taiwanese government how to set the regulations." However, after arriving in the United States, the US government also don’t know how to make regulations, but the US government told TSMC, “Please pay first, and we will use your money to hire experts to make rules. In the end, every time we have a meeting, city government officials and our experts hired by the company and TSMC, who then spoke out and worked together to formulate the rules, and only after they were formulated did we move forward. In total, we formulated more than 18,000 rules, and it cost 35 million US dollars.

CC Wei said with a smile, "I'm not complaining, I'm just sharing my experience." He then mentioned the problem of chemicals in the United States. The United States cannot produce the level that TSMC needs. If it can be produced, the price will be 5 times higher than what TSMC originally purchased. "We ended up shipping sulfuric acid from Taiwan to the Port of L.A., and then trucking it from the port to Arizona. Even this was cheaper than doing it in the U.S."

But Intel, a giant American semiconductor manufacturer, has a factory next to TSMC. So, how does Intel deal with the problem of chemical materials? CC Wei said, "They saw this as a good deal, so they also started buying from Taiwan. It's hard to believe when you hear this, and you ask them, how did you live in the past? They say, they had a hard life before, but now they have you."

The second problem is related to the labor union. CC Wei said, "The establishment of the labor union was a noble ideal to help workers fight for better benefits, but later, the union became very strange." It is obvious that TSMC has also encountered labor-capital conflicts in the local area.

The third problem is related to the speed of local government administration. "TSMC has made such rapid progress because it can build a production line in two and a half years. However, in these two and a half years, our technology has been improving. Every time the technology is improved, the entire production line design had to be changed, including the water, electricity, and chemical lines under the production line. Every time a change was made, we worked with the manufacturer and did it immediately. But in the United States, it was not possible. Any change had to be stopped and fixed first. Once the drawing is done, we can proceed with the work after the application is approved.”

At this rate, CC Wei bluntly said, "Do you think it is possible for the latest technology to go to the United States? Just applying for everything and then coming in will take at least twice as long as Taiwan." Obviously, for TSMC, the latest technology will only remain in Taiwan and will be difficult to move to other countries.

What a failure and great shame of our leaders. All of them, frankly.

[Cyber Liberty]

My understanding was that the fabrication plant in Arizona was running into difficulty replicating the Taiwan production plant:

What a failure and great shame of our leaders. All of them, frankly.

Sounds like a bureaucracy problem to me.

[rangerrebew]

Admiral Brad Cooper: 100 Iranian Naval Vessels Sunk
By M Dowling -March 16, 20261

In the taped update, Admiral Brad Cooper honored the six airmen lost when the KC135 crashed. He also praised the military men and women. He explained that we are in eliminating the threat from Iran and especially their power over the Strait of Hormuz.

“To date, our Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aviators have collectively flown more than 6000 combat flights, demonstrating the unmatched capability of America’s Joint Force. As we maintain air superiority over Iranian skies, we continue to remain centered on our military objectives. These are well-defined and include eliminating Iran’s ballistic missiles, drones, and naval threats. It’s one thing to defend by striking launchers and intercepting missiles and drones, but it’s another thing to eliminate the wider manufacturing apparatus behind them, and we are doing that today.
 
“We’ve talked about it in concept. Here’s what it looks like in reality. Let me show you, for the first time, a few examples of how we are dismantling Iran’s defense industrial base, which will prevent threats to the region into the future. He showed before and after images of two drone production factories and the IRGC Missile Command infrastructure.

“US and partner strikes are doing exactly what they are intended to do: deliver on very clear military objectives to eliminate Iran’s ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors.

https://www.independentsentinel.com/update-admiral-brad-cooper-commander-us-central-command/

[PeteS in CA]

Fine with me.  It's the least they can do for us, considering all the money we gave them!

And equipment and munitions and intel ... still giving.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Trump talking about Jose “Pepe” Fanjul, head of family of Florida’s Sugar Barons, and possible appointee as Cuba’s next President (if Trump has his way).

That’s my father’s old boss. Actually truly decent people.

[mystery-ak]

turn your speaker down

https://twitter.com/BuzzPatterson/status/2033393046646358400

[240B]

America and Israel are targeting IRGC and local militias and so called 'checkpoints' in Iran which have slaughtered protesters.
These murderous Islamic fanatics are being targeted by remote and local forces to make sure the Iranian people can protest in freedom.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2033627125110960227

[DCPatriot]

Can't help but think of "Allegra", who worked the "Green Zone" in Baghdad during the 2003 invasion.

Hope she's well.   

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/MOSSADil/status/2033634059406958987

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/RealBababanaras/status/2033585253735080365

[Timber Rattler]

Can't help but think of "Allegra", who worked the "Green Zone" in Baghdad during the 2003 invasion.

Hope she's well.   

Unfortunately, she lost her marbles.

[DCPatriot]

Unfortunately, she lost her marbles.

@Timber Rattler

LOL!  Seems to have happened to too many since PDJT took The Stage.

Take it you're still somewhat unhappy with him...is that correct? 

[Timber Rattler]

@Timber Rattler

LOL!  Seems to have happened to too many since PDJT took The Stage.

Take it you're still somewhat unhappy with him...is that correct?

I can't stand the guy personally BUT I do support his crackdown on illegal aliens and fraud, his clean-up of the U.S. military, driving DEI out of the government and academia, standing up to liberal federal judges, and finally taking down the mullahs.

However, his siding with Putin against the Ukrainians for squalid reasons mars nearly all of those good things.

[corbe]

   I certainly didn't have Maduro jailed, a lot of dead mullahs and cuba on the verge of collapse on my bingo card in Trump's second year of his second term.

[DCPatriot]

   I certainly didn't have Maduro jailed, a lot of dead mullahs and cuba on the verge of collapse on my bingo card in Trump's second year of his second term.

Strong doubts anyone had those events predicted.   

[Wingnut]

   I certainly didn't have Maduro jailed, a lot of dead mullahs and cuba on the verge of collapse on my bingo card in Trump's second year of his second term.

B-52. B-52.   

[DB]

Sounds like a bureaucracy problem to me.

The building plans for the TSMC facility came from Tawain and did not meet US/AZ building code. Even worse they started building it before resolving those issues and had to dig up and rebuild things along the way. It was a mess...

[DCPatriot]

B-52. B-52.   

     

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2033650322011242949

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2033651020509712584

[libertybele]

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2033651020509712584

Rubio looks so enthused!     A similar look that he displayed at the SOTU.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/MOSSADil/status/2033639139749351872

[mystery-ak]

 

https://twitter.com/Chicago1Ray/status/2033635482978988402

[DCPatriot]

I can't stand the guy personally BUT I do support his crackdown on illegal aliens and fraud, his clean-up of the U.S. military, driving DEI out of the government and academia, standing up to liberal federal judges, and finally taking down the mullahs.

However, his siding with Putin against the Ukrainians for squalid reasons mars nearly all of those good things.

Appreciate the reply.   

Baseball ingrained in me in life...you can fail 70% of the time and still be in the Hall of Fame.

President Trump would/should get his own entire wing.  In Canton, as well as Cooperstown.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/2033646640276619529

[BobfromWB]

Can't help but think of "Allegra", who worked the "Green Zone" in Baghdad during the 2003 invasion.

Hope she's well.   

Allegra is over on TOS rooting for the Russians

[BobfromWB]

https://twitter.com/RealBababanaras/status/2033585253735080365

Ironic that the Indian navy can do what the British navy cannot ...

[BobfromWB]

I can't stand the guy personally BUT I do support his crackdown on illegal aliens and fraud, his clean-up of the U.S. military, driving DEI out of the government and academia, standing up to liberal federal judges, and finally taking down the mullahs.

However, his siding with Putin against the Ukrainians for squalid reasons mars nearly all of those good things.

Ditto

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/RachelRaeRae247/status/2033637978187153601

[DCPatriot]

Allegra is over on TOS rooting for the Russians

    

[catfish1957]

Ditto

Same here ... He is the King of Cringe....  But you can't argue with success. 

[berdie]

I was talking to a friend this weekend and she asked me what Iran had done to cause the present bombarding.

I guess my memory is getting bad. I know there has a build up thru the years but is there a specific event that started this? Not that I think that taking out Iran is a bad thing.

[berdie]

Unfortunately, she lost her marbles.

That's too bad. I used to enjoy her posts.

[libertybele]

I was talking to a friend this weekend and she asked me what Iran had done to cause the present bombarding.

I guess my memory is getting bad. I know there has a build up thru the years but is there a specific event that started this? Not that I think that taking out Iran is a bad thing.

Iran has been a bad actor for quite awhile.  The list goes on ....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_hostage_crisis

https://www.state.gov/reports/country-reports-on-terrorism-2021/iran

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Contra_affair

https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/the-iranian-regimes-decades-of-terrorism-against-american-citizens/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-says-3117-killed-in-recent-protests-issuing-lower-death-toll-than-human-rights-activists

Uranium enrichment and nuclear capabilities:

https://thebulletin.org/2025/06/a-simple-timeline-of-irans-nuclear-program/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_nuclear_program_of_Iran