Article

2026-02-28 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran attacks US 5th fleet in Bahrain after Trump launched 'massive' US and Israeli attack on Tehran to stop their nuclear program

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Skidmark 2026-02-28 05:08|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1794 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Iran

1 Iran hit empty US base in Bahrain, response is measured and proportionate, expert tells 'Post'

Posted by Skidmark 2026-02-28 06:42|| 2026-02-28 06:42|| Front Page Top

2 Iran says it will attack all U.S. military bases in the Middle East as missiles target the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain

Posted by Skidmark 2026-02-28 07:00|| 2026-02-28 07:00|| Front Page Top

3 I thought we already bombed their nuclear program back. What was the 12 day war then?

Posted by Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 2026-02-28 10:41|| 2026-02-28 10:41|| Front Page Top

4 They tried to restart. Are you so obtuse?

Posted by Frank G 2026-02-28 11:05|| 2026-02-28 11:05|| Front Page Top

5 Iranian Navy come out to play-yay.

Posted by Super Hose 2026-02-28 12:25|| 2026-02-28 12:25|| Front Page Top

6 we already bombed their nuclear program back

That was the first pass, and a chance surrender. They’ve been rebuilding instead, so we’ll see if this finishes the job or just clears the way for a third pass.

Posted by trailing wife 2026-02-28 13:44|| 2026-02-28 13:44|| Front Page Top

The focus on the Gallup Poll regarding Israel misses the forest (US) for the tree (Israel)

The percent of the population that is proud to be an American also plunged.

The demographic of this country changed and with it views on many topics. pic.twitter.com/UFWJGrr6rV
— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) February 27, 2026

Posted by Grom the Affective 2026-02-28 14:02|| 2026-02-28 14:02|| Front Page Top

8 The percentage for professional hockey players is much higher.

Posted by Super Hose 2026-02-28 16:07|| 2026-02-28 16:07|| Front Page Top

9 we already bombed their nuclear program back

Just think of that as an opening bid in an on-going negotiation. Or one round of an iterated game.

Originally, game theory was concerned with figuring how to choose an optimal strategy from a set of alternatives. Later on, game theory started looking at practical questions like threats and signals. What makes a threat believable? How you do signal your willingness to cooperate?

The crux of the Prisoner's Dilemma is that there is a reasonable solution that is out of reach because there is no communication. Neither party can signal their willingness to cooperate. So, how do you signal you are willing to cooperate? Schelling or somebody summed it up:
You must be nice
You must be provokable
You must be forgiving
You must be straightforward

In the context of the previous brush-back pitch, Trump was quite straightforward - no nukes, no enrichment. Obviously, he was provokable, but he was also forgiving in that he did not continue to bomb Iran back into the late Neolithic, which was nice. And blowing up all the underground stuff made for a believable threat of more to come.

And here we are today. Did I mention 'provokable'? Because that is important.

Posted by SteveS 2026-02-28 18:39|| 2026-02-28 18:39|| Front Page Top

23:51 Silentbrick
22:02 3dc
21:44 DooDahMan
21:42 DooDahMan
21:07 Anomalous Sources
20:56 Megabyses
20:48 Frank G
20:48 Anomalous Sources
20:45 Anomalous Sources
20:16 Knuckles Grundy1702
20:03 Secret Master
19:59 Rambler
19:57 Frank G
19:27 Skidmark
19:12 Super Hose
19:09 SteveS
19:06 Super Hose
19:00 Super Hose
19:00 Procopius2k
18:58 Skidmark
18:58 SteveS
18:49 trailing wife
18:39 Skidmark
18:39 SteveS
Merry-Go-Blog