If the U.S. strikes Iran, what might happen next?

[RKP5637]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/if-u-s-strikes-iran-what-might-happen-next-n1020451

WASHINGTON — A limited U.S. strike on Iran of the sort President Donald Trump says he cancelled Thursday night could prompt a potent Iranian reaction that in turn might spark a much larger military conflict, current and former U.S. officials and experts tell NBC News.

Iran could do enormous damage to the global economy by mining the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway off its coast through which flows 40 percent of the crude oil traded internationally. That action, even if quickly countered by the U.S. Navy, would cause oil prices to spike. But that may not be Iran's first move in response to a limited American bomb and missile attack, experts say.

Iran would likely first turn to its proxies, who could inflict major damage on American allies, experts say. Houthi rebels in Yemen could step up attacks against Saudi Arabian infrastructure with missiles and drones. Shiite militias could destabilize Iraq. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist organization, could attack Israel or other American interests anywhere in the world.

And if Iran wanted to kill Americans, any of those groups could do that on its behalf, with some deniability, said the experts. Shiite militias could overrun the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and seize hostages. Hezbollah, which, before 9/11, had killed more Americans than any other terror group, could strike in places as far flung as Latin America, where the group has a strong presence.

"Traditionally, when faced with this sort of American action, Iran doesn't tend to respond directly and immediately, but they do so asymmetrically and over a period of time," said Ray Takeyh, a former State Department official and Iran expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

[rurallib]

1. You would like to think one of those idiots in the White House

would give some thought to what might happen, but you know they won't They are all probably buying the Tom Cotton line that there will be two strikes and it will all be over and we will be running Iran and taking all their oil for our own.

[RKP5637]

2. Yep! Herd of damn fools in the WH. n/t

[maryellen99]

3. Are we going to reinstall the Pahlavi family as rulers as well?

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Ah ha,

now you are on the right track. Understand this family hit the big numbers for Trump donations.

This idea has been floating around since before Bush/Cheney by the Neo Cons.

[Wolf Frankula]

5. They're gonna say

They can't fight us. We got John Wayne. No we don't. He's been dead for 40 years.

Wolf

[RKP5637]

6. Yeah, probably. Well, there's Chuck Norris! n/t

[duforsure]

7. Oil could go sky high,

And the deficit would increase by large numbers driving inflation up very quickly destroying what's left of the economy after everything trump and the GOP have done to it. What could make it lot worse is because trump has bullied the fed chairman into not raising rates , they'll be less help like there was with the great bush recession, and it could be a trump depression. Not many countries will side with trump as he can't be believed or trusted on anything.

[customerserviceguy]

8. We're not going to strike Iran

We're just going to squeeze the life out of them with sanctions. Perhaps the populace will get rid of the mullahs, while probably way over half of Iranians don't know anything other than life under the Islamic Republic, their grandparents certainly remember.