Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Saturday, March 21, 2026

Iran denies it targeted UK's military base on Diego Garcia A senior Iranian official has told Al Jazeera that Iran is not responsible for the missile attacks on Diego Garcia and is not behind them. Diego Garcia, which is around 4,000km (2,500 miles) from Iranian territory, is one of two bases the UK has allowed the US to use for "defensive operations" in its war against Iran.

More

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

Let's be clear.

America is losing this war.

Iran is kicking our ass.

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

Let's take stock of where we are on a few matters.

Supposedly Iran launched ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia-2500 miles to the south.
Iran denies this

It could be a matter of Iran testing us. It could be a matter of the US or Israel trying to scare the EU into more active participation.

If the former, that is another surprise, if the latter show desperation by the Piggy administration.

We are sending around 5,000 marines from Okinawa and the west coast plus portions of the 82nd Airborne. These are all rapid reaction forces to stem a military situation.

Despite all of the talk these are not nearly enough for even a limited land incursion.

Consider Kharg island. There are 2 ways there-air and sea. It is an island so no land pathway. It is 800 miles along the Iranian coast from where our ships would start approaching it. So assume 25 miles per hour that is 32 hours under fire before the ships even reach kharg island.
NOPE

Ok Air assault, fast helicopters, Osprey, ok so we would have to have regular flies in and out to land troops supplies, ammunition and evacuate wounded. All while under fire from the mainland.
NOPE

Sorry, none of these options are even remotely feasible and if that is the best or military has to offer in the way of plans, well f, we are f'ed

#1 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 05:48 PM | Reply

So, these forces are likely to reinforce our troops in the region, but that is an expensive reinforcement scheme.

MAYBE they are there to seize some strategic location, like portions of Yemen to interdict the Houthis. That seems dumb to me as it would be opening another front.

Maybe into Iraq? that is possible but to what end? Again 5-10 thousand troops is a very limited force.

WRT a land invasion or assault I won't think one real until Piggy calls up the reserves.

Now lets consider the USS Gerald Ford and the apparent UNPRECEDENTED act of mutiny.

If reports are to be believed a laundry fire burned for 30 hours and is being investigated as sabotage. this is huge. Like wow. A mutiny that damaged the pride of our navy! I can't believe this isn't front page news

Iran and Israel are trading shots at nuclear facilities, YAY

Iran slammed Dimona and Arad-cities in S. Israel apparently without any even attempts at interception causing mass casualties (at least 70 wounded in Arad-and the way these stories play out likely far higher). So evidence is that Israel's interceptor defenses are depleting rapidly.

#2 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 05:57 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Piggy's messaging continues to be bizarre.

The framing of the conflict is clarifying.

Oh and something people need to get clear in their head about the Strait of Hormuz.

To say the strait is closed really isn't accurate. The truth is that Iran controls the traffic through the strait. Ships are passing through it and reportedly paying tolls to Iran. If Iran can control who goes in and out in the long run that will be the true death of our power in that area. the gulf states would be at their mercy. And again, there is no realistic military option to prevent Iran's actions.

So, congrats not only did we not defeat Iran we left them far more powerful than before.

The effects of the war are being felt, especially in the far east. Fishermen are unable to fish due to a lack of fuel. Workers are being sent home in India for lack of power.

Piggy continues to waffle between insulting our allies and begging them for help. And he insulted the conservative Japanese PM to her face. And the bitch canceled his meeting with Xi-what was supposed to be the most important trade meeting in his term.

To keep score here, despite Piggy's pronouncements Iran is

Increasing its bombing
Answering tit-for-tat on strategic bombing-oil infrastructure, nuclear facilities
Pounding Israel
Getting support from proxies in Iraq
Unleashing missiles that have far greater range that was previously thought they were capable of
Increasing its rate of missile and drone firing
Hitting American and Israeli aircraft (including the allegedly stealthy F-35)

Meanwhile the US is using 5,000 lb bombs to blow up buried speedboats and launchers

Again, while the US and Israel are degrading the Iranian military, without a doubt, this attrition warfare, with the economic damage underway is decidedly not to our advantage

I remind people Iran lost anywhere from 200,000 to 700,000 people during the Iran-Iraq war. This is existential for them. They are very unlikely to quit

Thanks a great deal magat scum. You have ---- America, likely irredeemably.

#3 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 06:11 PM | Reply

Supposedly Iran launched ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia-2500 miles to the south.

Can you imagine if North Korea had done something like that? Much ---- would be lost.

#4 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-03-21 06:27 PM | Reply

Another view ...

Three weeks in, Iran war escalates beyond Trump's control
www.reuters.com

... President Donald Trump ends the third week of the Iran war confronting a crisis that seems to be slipping out of his hands: Global energy prices are surging, the United States stands isolated from allies and more troops are preparing to deploy despite his promise the war would be only a "short excursion."

A defensive Trump called other NATO countries "cowards" for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and insisted the campaign was unfolding according to plan. But his declaration on Friday that the battle "was Militarily WON" clashed with the reality of a defiant Iran that is choking off Gulf oil and gas supplies while launching missile strikes across the region.
...



#5 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-21 07:56 PM | Reply

@#3 ... Piggy's messaging continues to be bizarre. ...

... and self-contradictory.


#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-21 07:57 PM | Reply

&nbsn

Then there's this ...

US military says Iran threat to Hormuz 'degraded'
www.24newshd.tv

... The US military said Saturday that Iran's ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz has been "degraded" by the bombing this week of an underground facility where it stored cruise missiles and other weaponry.

With Iran mostly closing off the Strait, the gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil, the US military has brought out some of the heaviest bombs in its arsenal to penetrate adjacent missile sites.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said it had dropped multiple 5,000-pound bombs on a "hardened" underground facility located along Iran's coast that it used to store anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile missile launchers and other equipment.

"We not only took out the facility, but also destroyed intelligence support sites and missile radar relays that were used to monitor ship movements," Cooper said in video message posted on X.

"Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz is degraded as a result, and we will not stop pursuing these targets," he added.

CENTCOM had revealed its use of the bunker-busting bombs on Tuesday, but in his message Saturday, Cooper elaborated on their impact -- as Washington comes under growing pressure to address the repercussions of the war on Iran on oil prices and global commerce. ...



#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-21 07:59 PM | Reply

as Washington comes under growing pressure to address the repercussions of the war on Iran

As if they care. They're just having fun!

#8 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-03-21 08:11 PM | Reply

www.youtube.com

Greenwald explains the current situation quite welll

#9 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 08:17 PM | Reply

US military says Iran threat to Hormuz 'degraded'

And yet just a moment ago trump promised war crime level actions, bombing Iran's power plants, the largest first, if Iran doesn't immediately open the Strait of Hormuz up.

#10 | Posted by YAV at 2026-03-21 08:21 PM | Reply

And yet just a moment ago trump promised war crime level actions...

Well, a cheesy gold vanity coin isn't much of a legacy.

#11 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-03-21 08:33 PM | Reply

I am not an economics expert, but this past week the US national debt past a staggering $39 trillion.

I am thinking about the long-term impacts of this debt, the Iran war and our relationship to the rest of the world.

Again, no expert

But we fund stuff with debt.

People/countries buy that debt, like China and Japan etc.

What happens when, for whatever reason we are unable to get people to buy the debt?

I have no idea, (again no expert) but I would imagine that is one of those catastrophic scenarios.

Certainly, those people/countries buying the debt would have an incentive to not have our economy crash-they would lose THEIR investment. But how much can it strain?

What happens if and when we lose the war and no longer have the influence in the ME that we had? What happens if god forbid we lose disastrously? What happens if we bounce leaving Iran in control of 20% of the world's oil supply? How will that impact our ability to fund our debt? Will China take advantage of that and seize Taiwan? How would that impact us? FWIW China controls the metals we need for our high-end munitions.

Has Piggy thought about any of this?

And be clear, this war is going to go on for months. This summer will be very interesting and decisive. The economic impact will be hitting hard around the time Piggy would be prepared for a serious ground invasion.

Bad times are coming and the idiots cheering on the blowing up of this or that really should STFU.

#12 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 08:42 PM | Reply

@#10 ... And yet just a moment ago trump promised war crime level actions, bombing Iran's power plants, the largest first ...

So now, Pres trump seems to be going after the very Iranian citizens he had hoped would rise up and overthrow Iran's ruling regime?


Trump threatens Iran's power plants if strait not opened in 2 days
abcnews.com

... President Donald Trump said the U.S. will "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz isn't opened within 48 hours

"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump said in a post on his social media platform. ...



#13 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-21 08:43 PM | Reply

JFC I missed this

US President Donald Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's power plants if it fails to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

Like WTF! This guy is all over the map on the Strait.

This is the sign of a man unravelling.

JFC! Mass casualties in Israel, tit-for-tat nuke facility strikes, this threat, Iran trying to bomb Diego Garcia!

I've said for a week that we could see nukes by the end of the month.

If Piggy bombs their power plants like he says, wtf does he think Iran will do?

This is 25th Amendment time!

#14 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 08:45 PM | Reply

@#13

That seems to run counter to what he has said recently ...

Trump says U.S. doesn't need Strait of Hormuz
www.cbsnews.com

... 4:01 PM / March 20, 2026
Trump says U.S. doesn't need Strait of Hormuz

Asked about the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said the U.S. doesn't need the critical waterway that's used to transport oil from the Persian Gulf.

"We don't use the strait, the United States, we don't need it," he told reporters on the White House South Lawn.

"At a certain point, it'll open itself," he said of the strait. ...


#15 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-21 08:47 PM | Reply

And be clear. Iran is RESPONDING to what America and Israel are doing to them

Israel hits oil infrastructure, Iran hits Israeli oil infrastructure.
Israel strikes at Iran's nuclear facility, Iran strikes at Israel's nuke facility.

Someone needs to stop the maniacs Piggy and Netanyahu like NOW

Israel is OF COURSE going to hit hard after the mass casualty event.

#16 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 08:47 PM | Reply

Explosion reported near tanker off of UAE's Sharjah
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says it has received a report of an explosion near a bulk carrier some 15 nautical miles north of Sharjah in the UAE.

The blast occurred "from an unknown projectile in close proximity to the vessel," it said. "All crew are reported safe."

#17 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 08:57 PM | Reply

Obviously Iran is scared by Piggy's bleat

#18 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 08:57 PM | Reply

Reminder piggy posted this, just yesterday

We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran: (1) Completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability, Launchers, and everything else pertaining to them. (2) Destroying Iran's Defense Industrial Base. (3) Eliminating their Navy and Air Force, including Anti Aircraft Weaponry. (4) Never allowing Iran to get even close to Nuclear Capability, and always being in a position where the U.S.A. can quickly and powerfully react to such a situation, should it take place. (5) Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others. The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it " The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn't be necessary once Iran's threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them.

Now Iran had to stop controlling the strait or death within 48 hours

This is UNHINGED

#19 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 08:59 PM | Reply

Iran's warns of attacks on regional energy and water sites if its power grid is hit
Iran's military has threatened to attack all energy infrastructure linked to the US and Israel in the Middle East if its power plants are targeted.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central command, said that Iran will also attack desalination plants and information technology infrastructure linked to the US and Israel.

The warning came after Trump threatened to attack Iranian power plants if it fails to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

The Fars news agency meanwhile noted that the late chief of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, had warned that "the entire region will be blacked out within half an hour" if Iran's electricity grid is targeted.

#20 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-03-21 09:31 PM | Reply

" www.youtube.com

Greenwald explains the current situation quite welll

#9 | POSTED BY TRUTHHURTS AT 2026-03-21 08:17 PM | FLAG: "

Oh, so now lefties like Greenwald again?

#21 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-03-21 10:33 PM | Reply

The following HTML tags are allowed in comments: a href, b, i, p, br, ul, ol, li and blockquote. Others will be stripped out. Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

Anyone can join this site and make comments. To post this comment, you must sign it with your Drudge Retort username. If you can't remember your username or password, use the lost password form to request it.
Username:
Password:

Home | Breaking News | Comments | User Blogs | Stats | Back Page | RSS Feed | RSS Spec | DMCA Compliance | Privacy

Drudge Retort