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https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2033924181763481974

Just spoke to @POTUS about our European allies’ unwillingness to provide assets to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning, which benefits Europe far more than America. I have never heard him so angry in my life. I share that anger given what’s at stake.

The arrogance of our allies to suggest that Iran with a nuclear weapon is of little concern and that military action to stop the ayatollah from acquiring a nuclear bomb is our problem not theirs is beyond offensive. The European approach to containing the ayatollah’s nuclear ambitions have proven to be a miserable failure.

The repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America.

I consider myself very forward-leaning on supporting alliances, however at a time of real testing like this, it makes me second guess the value of these alliances. I am certain I am not the only senator who feels this way.

Ooh diddums.
Your war, not ours.
Fuck off.

If this causes a rupture between Europe and the US it will be the ultimate vindiation of Blair's strategy of opposing Chirac and Schröder's attempts to turn Europe into an anti-American bloc aligned with Russia.

If this causes a rupture with the US so be it. The country is being run by a cabal of lunatics and crooks. The less we have to do with them right now the better.

https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2033924181763481974

Just spoke to @POTUS about our European allies’ unwillingness to provide assets to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning, which benefits Europe far more than America. I have never heard him so angry in my life. I share that anger given what’s at stake.

The arrogance of our allies to suggest that Iran with a nuclear weapon is of little concern and that military action to stop the ayatollah from acquiring a nuclear bomb is our problem not theirs is beyond offensive. The European approach to containing the ayatollah’s nuclear ambitions have proven to be a miserable failure.

The repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America.

I consider myself very forward-leaning on supporting alliances, however at a time of real testing like this, it makes me second guess the value of these alliances. I am certain I am not the only senator who feels this way.

They don't have any alliance that applies to Iran.🤦‍♂️

I say that too, not as a critic of the war. Indeed as one of the lone supporters of war with Iran and as someone who thinks that British forces should be used, in a ground invasion if required.

However I would support that because I think its the right thing to do, not out of respect for Trump (which is non-existent) and not due to any alliance obligations (which are also non-existent).

If Iran attacked America, on its soil, then we would be obliged under NATO to respond. They have not. We are under no obligations. Fighting in Hormuz is not covered by the NATO Treaty, thanks to choices America made when the Treaty was signed.

Whatever one thinks about the war in Iran - any of the previous ten presidents could have probably got European support of some sort for this adventure. But Trump has gone out of his way to antagonise the USA's allies, either by publicly belittling their past contributions, talking down the alliance itself, trash talking indivudual leaders, siding with the alliance's opponent, or actually threatening to invade allies. Oh, and tariffs, of course.
Normal presidents don't do that sort of thing.

It appears the Israeli high value human target strategy has got another hit in Iran. If its confirmed, its a very big hit.

Meanwhile it turns out that US airborne early warning assets in the region have issues picking up drones so they are having to send something lese.

How much do these killings matter strategically?

I'd have assumed there's a long list of people who can step in to replace those killed.

It's like the debate around the Great Man theory of history. Does one individual ever make a difference? There's an argument that replacing Khamenei snr with Khamenei jnr has made a real difference: a bad one, in that Khamenei snr would, without the US/Israeli attack, have died in a few years and would possibly have been replaced with someone less hardline than his son without the context of a war going on.

I think the other factor people often miss is the personal. Now we have a leader in Iran who knows the US/Israel killed his father. That surely makes peace/compromise/de-escalation less likely.

https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2033924181763481974

Just spoke to @POTUS about our European allies’ unwillingness to provide assets to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning, which benefits Europe far more than America. I have never heard him so angry in my life. I share that anger given what’s at stake.

The arrogance of our allies to suggest that Iran with a nuclear weapon is of little concern and that military action to stop the ayatollah from acquiring a nuclear bomb is our problem not theirs is beyond offensive. The European approach to containing the ayatollah’s nuclear ambitions have proven to be a miserable failure.

The repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America.

I consider myself very forward-leaning on supporting alliances, however at a time of real testing like this, it makes me second guess the value of these alliances. I am certain I am not the only senator who feels this way.

Ooh diddums.
Your war, not ours.
Fuck off.

https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/2033924181763481974

Just spoke to @POTUS about our European allies’ unwillingness to provide assets to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning, which benefits Europe far more than America. I have never heard him so angry in my life. I share that anger given what’s at stake.

The arrogance of our allies to suggest that Iran with a nuclear weapon is of little concern and that military action to stop the ayatollah from acquiring a nuclear bomb is our problem not theirs is beyond offensive. The European approach to containing the ayatollah’s nuclear ambitions have proven to be a miserable failure.

The repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America.

I consider myself very forward-leaning on supporting alliances, however at a time of real testing like this, it makes me second guess the value of these alliances. I am certain I am not the only senator who feels this way.

Given that POTUS has spent the last year & more repudiating every agreement with those allies, I suppose they have to invent some story to comfort themselves that they're the poor betrayed trusting ones after all.