Iran Fires Cluster Bomb Missiles; Sends Word to Negotiate End of War

 Iran Fires Cluster Bomb Missiles; Sends Word to  

  Negotiate End of War

M.A. Dworkin

     Middle East - Israeli military officials claim that Iran has fired ballistic missiles carrying cluster munitions toward Israeli territory, marking the first reported use of such weapons in the current war. 

     Cluster weapons are among the most controversial forms of modern bombs. Their defining characteristic is the ability to disperse dozens of smaller explosives over a wide area. Israeli defense officials claim some Iranian cluster missile warheads can release up to 80 submunitions mid-air, spreading destructive fragments across several kilometers. Military analysts warn that the introduction of these weapons changes the dynamics of the conflict. 

     At least one Iranian ballistic missile carrying cluster munitions has struck central Israel during the latest round of attacks. The release of about 20 submunitions caused a widespread strike, hitting a home in the town of Azor, located south of Tel Aviv, causing structural damage but no casualties.

     Battered by an enormous continual air attack by Israeli bombers, and destruction of their air defense and naval capacities, Iranian intelligence has sent word through covert channels that they have a desire to begin potential talks to put an end to the war. According to sources familiar with the indirect message, that came through a third country to the CIA, there is an openness to discussions on how the two sides might put an end to the conflict. 

     Nevertheless, U.S. officials say there are no negotiations underway and that potential “off-ramps” are unlikely to materialize in the near term. Instead, American officials have described entering a new, more intensive phase of the joint Israeli-U.S, operation to continue to degrade Iran’s missile program and ensure it will not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon in the future.

     “We are just getting started,” said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Wednesday briefing. And lawmakers who were briefed by the Administration said they did not hear of any distinct endgame mentioned or even alluded to, including potential efforts at diplomacy. 

     Mr. Hegseth reported that an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, He said the ship was sunk by a single torpedo hit and that it died a “quiet death.” Although he did not mention the name of the ship, Sri Lankan officials said its navy had responded to a distress call from an Iranian ship on Wednesday morning named the Iris Dena, which had gone down about 25 miles from its southern coastline. Eighty bodies were found by the rescuers, another 32 were rescued. 

     In the meantime, what is clear is that the Gulf states that have been attacked by Iranian missiles and drones in Iran’s somewhat feeble attempt at retaliation, have found themselves on the frontline of the Middle East’s newest war, and they are not happy about it. 

     Hundreds of missiles and armed drones have rained down on Iran’s Arab neighbors, targeting American military bases on their soil, and civilian and energy infrastructure. 

     “All red lines have already been crossed,” said Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al Ansari at a press briefing. “The attacks on our sovereignty are constant. There are attacks on infrastructure. There are attacks on our residential areas. And the effects of these attacks are very clear. When it comes to possible retaliation, all options are with our leadership. But we have to make it very clear that attacks will not go unanswered and cannot go unanswered.”

     Most of the Iranian attacks have been intercepted across the region, but falling debris has started fires and killed people. Drones that are more easily able to get through air defenses often cause minimal damage but still spread chaos that disrupts trade and travel. 

     But that seems to be the Iranian strategy - to raise the stakes for its Arab neighbors in hopes they will increase pressure on the US to end the war. Iran can also weaponize the region’s vital oil and gas industry, sending shockwaves through the global economy.  

     Nevertheless, such a strategy is likely to backfire. It is like a wounded animal striking out wildly at its hunters as they settle in for the kill. It is ridiculous to believe that the Israeli’s, who have been the brunt of Iran’s terrorist horrors, will stop to show them any mercy or consider diplomatic means this early in the war game. They faced a similar problem with Hamas in Gaza and the results are plain for the world to see. With Iran’s air defense and naval capacity decapitated, Israel has a free shot at destroying whatever parts of the country they decide to destroy. They can bomb them into oblivion as they have done in Gaza. They might very well  proceed to do so. And it’s unlikely the U.S. will lift a finger to stop them. 

     The Iranian slogans, taught in their classrooms and chanted in their streets: Death to America! Death to Israel! Have been ringing in American and Israeli ears for decades. An oppressive regime that thinks nothing of slaughtering its own people and destroying the lives of those who protest its policies has no place in a civilized world. Who can deny it is time to give the bullies a taste of their own medicine.