Kerre Woodham: US strikes on Iran - where do we go from here?

The world is on fire, World War III imminent, what can New Zealand do? Well, very little.

Those were the headlines over the weekend. After telling the world he'd decide within two weeks whether or not to unleash the power of the United States on Iran in support of Israel, Donald Trump and his administration sent B2 stealth bombers into Iran on Friday to penetrate the underground nuclear facilities deep in the mountains of Iran.

Israel, of course, has been attacking Iran's nuclear and military structures with very targeted attacks for the past 10 days or so, deploying warplanes and drones that apparently were previously smuggled into the country to attack key facilities and target top generals and scientists involved in the nuclear programme.

Israel claimed its attacks were necessary before Iran got any closer to building an atomic weapon. No weapons there at the moment, but apparently the stockpiles of enriched uranium are at a high and unprecedented for a state or a country without nuclear weapons.

So there are no bombs as you and I might imagine them, but there is enriched uranium at levels hitherto unseen in a country without nuclear weapons. Initially, the US had a hands-off approach to Israel's attacks - nothing to do with us, nothing to see here.

But all that changed when the B2 bombers went in. It was quite the operation as operations go, with the decoy planes being sent to Guam - and they were able to get in to Iran without a shot being fired against them. And you'd hope that one wouldn't be brought down at $2 billion a pop, it's expensive military hardware.

The US said it was a pre-emptive strike they were seeking to terminate a threat, that being atomic weapons, not the Iranian regime. After Israel's retaliation for the festival attacks that killed more than 1000 Israeli civilians, Iran's kind of Nigel-no-mates in the middle of the Middle East.

Hamas and Hezbollah have been, in effect, nullified. Syria's Bashar al-Assad has had to flee Syria. Russia signed a treaty with Iran but so far it seems to have been very one sided with Iran building kamikaze drones for Russia and working with Russia to build military hardware.

And all of a sudden they're in trouble and Russia - goes well this is dreadful, and that's pretty much it. All they've come up with are words and they are busy in Ukraine. There would be very little they could do militarily without weakening their stand in Ukraine, so Russia has its hands tied. 

So where to from here? The Iranians will close the Straits of Hormuz, which will affect supplies of gas and oil getting to the West, along with other supplies. And there are concerns that you'll see again the kind of terrorist attacks and suicide bombings and hostage taking that we saw some years back.

But the Ayatollahs won't be able to rely on an army of dissatisfied young people. They have no particular love for it and a number of them have told journalists that when the Ayatollahs are asking for unity and taking a stand against the aggressors: you have got to be kidding, the aggressor is you.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, told the Iranian people in a video message that, along with Israel thwarting Iran's nuclear programme, we are clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom and some Iranians have gathered behind that call.

Others are like, yeah we don't like our leaders, but it's Israel and America. We would love to see a new style of governance within our own country, but it's as well in America who are who are affecting that change. So it's all terribly up in the air.

To be honest though, when I saw the headlines saying: ‘the world's on fire, have we reached World War III’,  I felt more existential dread over the 9/11 attacks.

That particular morning, when I woke up to the news that the planes had flown and to the Twin Towers, I really did feel like World War III was on the

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerrywood and Mornings podcast from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
He'd be the world is on fire, World War three imminent.
What can New Zealand do well? Very little? Those were
the headlines over the weekend. After telling the world had
decided within two weeks whether or not to unleash the
power of the United States on Iran in support of Israel,

(00:30):
Donald Trump and his administration sent B two stealth bombers
into Iran on Friday to penetrate the underground nuclear facilities
deep in the mountains of Iran. Israeli cours has been
attacking Around's nuclear and military structures and very targeted attacks
for the past ten days or so, deploying warplanes and

(00:53):
drones that apparently were previously smuggled into the country to
attack key facilities and target top generals and scientists involved
in the nuclear program. Israel claimed its attacks were necessary
before Iran got any closer to building an atomic weapon.
No weapons there at the moment, but apparently the stockpiles

(01:18):
of enriched uranium are at a high and unprecedented for
a state or a country without nuclear weapons. So there
are no bombs, and as you and I might imagine,
them as we see them on the cartoons, but there

(01:39):
is enriched uranium at levels hitherto unseen in a country
without nuclear weapons. Initially, the US had a hands off
approach to Israel's attacks. Nothing to do with us, nothing
to see here. But all that changed when the B

(02:00):
two bombers went in along. It was quite quite the operations.
Operations go as military operations go, with the decoy planes
being sent to Guam, and they were able to get
in to Iran without a shop being fired against them,
and you'd hope that one wouldn't be brought down. At
two billion dollars a pop, it's expensive military hardware. The

(02:24):
US said it was a preemptive strike. They were seeking
to terminate a threat, that being atomic weapons, not the
Iranian regime. After Israel's retaliation for the festival attacks that
killed more than a thousand Israeli civilians, Iran's kind of

(02:47):
Nigel nomates in the Middle of the East. In the
middle of the Middle East, Hamas and Hisbula have been
in effect nullified. Syria's Basha Alas al Assad has had
to flee Syria. Russia signed a treaty with Iran, but

(03:08):
so far it seems to have been very one sided,
with Iran building Kamikazi drones for Russia and working with
Russia to build military hardware, not of the skull of
the B twos, but drones and missiles. All of a
sudden they're in trouble and Russia goes, well, this is
dreadful and that's pretty much it. All they've come up

(03:29):
with are words, and they are busy in Ukraine. There
would be very little they could do militarily without weakening
their stand in Ukraine. So Russia has its hands tied,
so where too from him? The Iranians will close the
Straits of Wars, which will affect supplies of gas and

(03:52):
oil getting to the West, along with other supplies. And
there are concerns that you'll see again the kind of
terrorist attacks and suicide bombings and hostage taking that we
saw some years back. But the aatolers won't be able
to rely on an army of dissatisfied young people. There

(04:17):
are huge numbers within Iran and very hard to tell
because you can't you can't have any opposition groups within Iran.
You're not allowed to have ginger groups or activist groups
or any kind of groups that are opposed to the
current regime, so it's hard to tell how much opposition

(04:37):
there is to the current regime. They have no particular
love for it, and a number of them have told
journalists that when the atollers are asking for unity and
taking a stand against the aggressors, you have got to
be kidding the aggressor, is you. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli

(05:02):
Prime Minister, told the Iranian people in a video message
that along with Israel thwarting Around's nuclear program, we are
clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom. And
some Iranians have gathered behind that call. Others are like, eh,
you know, we don't like we don't like our leaders,
but it's Israel and America. We would love to see

(05:30):
a new style of governance within our own country, but
it's Israel and America who are affecting that change. So
it's all terribly up in the air. To be honest,
though I felt, you know, when I saw the headlines
the worlds on fire have rewached World War iie, I
felt more existential dread over the nine to eleven attacks.

(05:50):
That particular morning when I woke up to the news
that the planes had flown into the Twin Towers. I
really did feel like World War III was on the horizon.
That was an attack on civilians within the US, a
strike on home soil in this particular case where you

(06:18):
know Iran hasn't got Hamas in his buller at full strength,
if at any strength at all, when it's only mates
are Russia and China who have both went, oh, this
is terrible and done basically nothing. When it's been weakened
with the targeted attacks on the military leaders and on

(06:41):
the nuclear scientists, you know they are not in a
position of power, and hopefully, hopefully they will realize that
and there will be a period of time where the
strongest wins and the week lick their wounds and by

(07:03):
their time.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
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