War on Iran – 6

Previous thread:  War on Iran – 5

Apr 5

Rescuing downed airmen: We simply do not know. All that is out now, is footage of what is purported to be burned out airplanes. Iran should make statements during the course of today and even then, the issue might not be clear.  Trump announced  that the co-pilot of the downed F-15 has been rescued and extracted from Iran.  Hollywood wins this one so far.  (I can think of movies).

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Public Relations (IRGC):  By the grace of God, an American enemy aircraft that was searching for the pilot of the downed fighter jet was destroyed in the southern Isfahan region by the fighters of Islam.  Further details will be provided.

The war continues.  Islamic Resistance (Hezbollah) targeted an Israeli warship at 00:05 on Sunday, April 5, 2026. The vessel, located 68 nautical miles off the Lebanese coast, was reportedly preparing to carry out attacks on Lebanese territory. The operation was conducted with a naval cruise missile after hours of tracking, and a direct hit was confirmed.

Strikes

🇮🇷 Iran: Five petrochemical facilities in Iran’s Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Special Zones hit by Israeli airstrikes, causing significant damage, including at:

Fajr 1 and 2, Rijal, Amir Kabir, Abu Ali and Bandar Imam petrochemical complexes.

🇮🇶 Iraq: Rumaila North oilfield hit by drones, fires occurred

🇰🇼 Kuwait: Power facility and a water desalination facility attacked by Iran, causing damage

🇦🇪 UAE: Separately, following recent Iranian attacks on Emirates Global Aluminium’s Al Taweelah site, “significant damage” occurred and it is expected to take up to 12 months to completely restore primary aluminium production.

🇦🇪 UAE: Habshan gas facility attacked by with two fires and “significant damage” occurring

Finally for this part, nobody is talking (which will last all of 6 minutes for Trump, unless his people put a muzzle on him).  The US has a condition that they call ‘lid’, which I assume is something like ‘put a lid on it’.  Centcom has made no announcements for over 30 hours.   Satellite image providers are instructed not to release any images, but we will get them, as this applies to US side.  According to Prof Marandi, Iran has just burnt communication channels.

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Apr 4

The Cradle has a report up on this now:  ⬇️  https://thecradle.co/articles/iran-forces-1500-us-sailors-out-of-key-bahrain-base-with-sustained-missile-drone-strikes-report

Iran forces 1,500 US sailors out of key Bahrain base with sustained missile, drone strikes: Report

The soldiers and their families fled the base after an attack in the early days of the US-Israeli war on Iran

We would need better confirmation of this next report.  I know the base is shredded and I’ve seen reporting of sailors having to go to community groups for basics, but I do not have confirmation of the whole enchilada.

The U.S. Navy evacuated the Manama Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the HQ of the U.S. 5th Fleet

The Pentagon has confirmed 1,500 sailors, families, and pets have been relocated from Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain to Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia.

NSA Bahrain is (was) the headquarters of the U.S. 5th Fleet. It was struck multiple times on 28 February, the opening day of Operation Epic Fury, and several times afterwards. Satellite imagery confirmed at least seven structures destroyed in the first week alone, including communications infrastructure and warehouses.

Sailors are arriving in Norfolk with what fit in a backpack. Community groups were called in to provide basic toiletries.

📝: The last time the U.S. was forced to evacuate the HQ of a U.S. Navy fleet was in 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Philippines and was forced to destroy and abandon U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay.

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The Speaker tells it straight.

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The United States government has banned all satellite imagery providers from capturing images of designated areas in an effort to conceal damages caused by Iranian retaliatory strikes.

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The supposed niece and nephew of Hajj Qassem Soleimani are not Soleimani’s family.   – it is clarifying now.  I did not follow the story but the twitter space is full of hatred.  https://x.com/ThatGirlCasey1/status/2040462354664599804 

Zeynab Soleimani, daughter of Iran’s martyred Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, states that the claims made by the US State Department are completely false, and says the individuals detained in the US have no relation to Hajj Qassem’s family.

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-Iran has approved the passage of 🚢 vessels carrying 🚑 essential goods and humanitarian cargo through the Strait of Hormuz to Iranian ports and nearby waters in accordance with established protocols. Companies have been allowed to resume shipments of such cargo.  (It really looks as if they are unravelling this traffic jam slowly.  I guess the process is now fairly solid and kinks worked out.)

-Iran has confirmed that South African ships will be allowed passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

-Iraq vessels are allowed passage.

-INDIA MAKES FIRST IRANIAN OIL PURCHASE IN 7 YEARS, and there is ‘NO PAYMENT HURDLE’

‘Amid Middle East supply disruptions, Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements’ — Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

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US/Israel attack on Bushehr nuclear power plant again. This morning, for the fourth time, a projectile struck near the plant’s perimeter fence. The blast and shrapnel damaged an auxiliary building, and one security staff member was martyred. Previous strikes occurred on March 17, March 24, and March 27.

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Aluminum – possibly the next world shortage after fertilizer:  Emirates Global Aluminium says it will take 12 months to restore full output at its Al Taweelah smelter after last week’s missile and drone attack.  The smelter is one of the world’s biggest, producing 1.6 million tons of cast metal in 2025.  It is said that the fires were so fierce and afterward, the molten aluminum hardened within the structure.

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Another day of war has started.  The back to the stone age bombing started with an ongoing desperate search for a missing airman.  US deploys special forces in efforts to find missing F-15 crew.  Iranian officials announce a $60,000 bounty to find the airman.  😬 Not a great start to Trump’s efforts to bomb Iran “back to the stone age.”

Iran wave 94 launch at targets across the occupied territories, ‘dedicated to all mothers of MARTYRS’ — IRIB.

Points in Dimona, Naqab, Beersheba, Ramat Gan, as part of the deep fire-for-fire tactic and during previous continuous launches, after the failure of the multi-layered and ultra-advanced Zionist air defense to intercept powerful Iranian missiles, were hit hard.

Long before sunrise, like this:

Affected areas: Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak plus, as the hour moves on.

Lebanon has started up as well with nine strikes so far.

Boom Boom – run for shelters.

IMG_9996

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From Marwa Osman

Iran officially announces the downing of 5 American fighter jets and helicopters today.

This ladies and gents marks a serious inflection point in Trump/Netanyahu’s war of choice against Iran.

You see, the downed assets include a mix of advanced fighter jets and rotary-wing aircraft, pointing to something far more significant than isolated battlefield losses… it suggests sustained, effective engagement of U.S. airpower across multiple layers.

We are not talking about outdated systems hitting stray targets.
We are talking about the following:

▫️Modern jets being tracked and intercepted

▫️Helicopters engaged even during rescue or support operations

▫️A battlespace where American air movement is no longer uncontested

This directly challenges the long-standing narrative of unquestioned U.S. air superiority.

Air superiority is not a slogan, it’s a condition.
And a condition where multiple aircrafts are brought down in a single day is not superiority. It is contested airspace.

Which brings us to the bigger question: What does this mean for the war of choice pushed by Donald Trump?

Because once the skies are no longer secure, everything else begins to unravel. Close air support becomes unreliable, medical evacuation operations become high-risk (lol ask Israelis about that in south Lenanon), supply chains become vulnerable and any serious boots on the ground” plan turns from strategy into exposure

Trump cannot safely deploy ground forces where he no longer dominates the air.

This is a strategic warning. A war that was framed as swift and decisive is instead becoming layered, costly, and increasingly difficult to control.

And with every aircraft lost, the illusion of effortless dominance erodes further.

Donald is now trapped in Iranian quicksand.

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Turkish ships seem to have the go-ahead: A second ship belonging to a Turkish company has passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

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The Irony!

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine urges Iran to treat the American pilot according to humanitarian laws, despite the U.S. bombing of civilian infrastructure:

“The message I wanted to convey here is that if this second pilot is not rescued, he must be treated according to international humanitarian laws concerning prisoners. Many argue that U.S. actions targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran constitute a violation of international law. If Iran, upon capturing this pilot, demonstrates compliance with international humanitarian law, it would send a very strong message about the need to always follow the rules, especially regarding survivors of such attacks.”

(And here I thought that your leader does not ascribe to international law, but only to his own gut feeling)

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In Australia:  Instead of lifting sanctions on Russian oil and fertilizer imports Albanese announces “free mental health therapy” for Australians.  🤬Albo, Australians don’t need mental health therapy – they need diesel!

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