Sorry if this seems a bit short, but I wanted to get this out by this week.
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Part 9
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January 2, 2010:
Secretary of State Bolton and Iraqi Prime Minister to meet in Jordan
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January 4, 2010:
Al-Maliki pledges support to US
The Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri Al-Maliki has said that his country is willing to join the fight in Iran. This is a surprising reversal of his previous skepticism of the Iran War. His own country fought Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and since then the two countries have been bitter rivals. Al-Maliki said that after his recent conversation with Secretary of State John Bolton, he would be happy to provide any assistance that the US needs in support of a full ground invasion of Iran from Iraq.
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January 12, 2010
US forces regaining control in Iraq
After boosting troop strength in the southern part of Iraq, the Sadr Movement appears to be on the defensive. The Sadr movement has reportedly retreated from the outskirts of Baghdad.
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January 21, 2010
Iranian assault on Hamadan causes American forces to retreat
Light resistance in the city of Hamadan faced by Americans late last year has been replaced by a much stronger force of Iranians. Nearly 100,000 Iranian soldiers have descended upon the city, which is under loose American control. Several dozen American soldiers were killed in battle.
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January 28, 2010:
“Keep the Peace” rally draws 50,000 in Lubbock, Texas
The “Keep the Peace” movement is gaining steam amongst Americans. They blame the nation’s problems on non-whites and non-Christians, and want to end the war in Iran by dropping nuclear bombs on Iranian cities. Their message, once disregarded as fringe lunacy, has become increasingly appealing to many Americans, who are anxiously looking for a source of hope in these challenging times. The group claims that they are not Republicans, who they view as “cowards” for failing to do “what’s necessary to end the Depression and win in Iran”. The movement seems to be much divided on who is the cause of the problems America faces. One speaker said that “McCain needs to grow some balls and deal with the Muslim problem in America”, suggesting they should all be deported back home, along with the Blacks and Mexicans. Another speaker pointed his finger at “the Jews” for causing the Wall Street crash and for Israel’s starting the war in Iran. Yet another speaker blamed the “atheists and intellectuals” for their “traitorous lack of support for our military.”
Who attends these rallies? Most of the people in the crowd were middle-aged White people. We spoke with several of them. The common thread was that they were unemployed, formerly middle-class people who desperately wanted someone to return things to normal. One member of the crowd said that they lost a son in Iran.
The FBI reports that since the start of 2009, there has been a rise in left-wing and right-wing radical activity in the US. It is believed that these groups formed shortly after the beginning of the Iran War and the Depression. Some 50 or so groups are believed to be involved in violent extremist activity. Many of the leaders of these groups have been detained under legislation passed to combat violent extremism and domestic terrorism.
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February 7, 2010:
Anti-war Demonstration in Memphis, TN draws 200,000
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March 3, 2010:
Russian arms discovered in Iran
American soldiers found a cache of Russian-made weapons after raiding a base in northwestern Iran. The stockpile of anti-aircraft missiles appear to have been made in Russia in the last 5 years. The discovery comes two weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin called the war in Iran an “illegal fascist imperialist war.” [1] It is unclear whether the weapons were smuggled into Iran from Russia, or were obtained from Russian covert ops. Russia’s support for Iran has troubled some US officials, who fear a possible confrontation between the US and Russia.
[1] Pot calling the kettle black.
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March 21, 2010:
American troop strength reaches 300,000
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March 23, 2010:
American convoy comes under fire near Hamadan, 21 soldiers reported dead
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April 2, 2010:
Deadliest week for American soldiers since Vietnam
The Pentagon reported that US casualties were 306 dead, 2,304 wounded for the week of March 21-27, 2010
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April 5, 2010:
US to relocate Israeli embassy to Jerusalem [1]
Next month, the United States will move its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This change of address will change the Jerusalem consulate into an embassy. The move comes after Vice President Huckabee said that the location of the embassy should reflect the nation's true capital. He suggested that “It's impractical and irrational to have two governments overseeing the same real estate, and with Hamas terrorists, it complicates it even more.” In 1980, most countries shifted moved their embassies from Jerusalem after the perceived threat of another oil embargo by Arab nations.
[1] OTL, Huckabee advocated for this, so this is in character for him
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April 28, 2010:
Oil hits $90 a barrel after Iranian missile destroys refinery near Dubai
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May 24, 2010:
Two years after invasion:
360,000 American soldiers in Iran
13,974 American dead
Estimated 190,000 Iranian dead (130,000 military, 60,000 civilian)
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May 25, 2010:
Confrontation between anti-war and pro-war protestors leaves 9 dead
They organized a protest on the second anniversary of the start of the war in Birmingham, Alabama. The protest turned deadly when members of the right-wing, pro-war “Keep the Peace” movement fought with the left-wing, anti-war group “End the Draft Now.” The “Keep America Safe” members confronted the anti-war protestors, shouting that all of the ‘traitors’ need to leave. After a brief scuffle, several Keep America Safe activists fired into the crowd, killing nine before police interceded and arrested them.
President McCain said he was horrified by the incident and emphasized that the “needless violence” needs to stop. He denounced the actions of the members of “Keep America Safe” as “unpatriotic” and “a violation of Americans’ right to peaceful dissent.”
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June 13, 2010:
American troop strength in Iran reaches 400,000
[1] A reasonable estimate, in my opinion. I’m basing it off the fact that there were usually about 130,000 American soldiers in Iraq for most of the war. Iran’s population is three times bigger, so a force of 400K is about right. By my reckoning it would take about a year after the start of the draft to reach that number.
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June 15, 2010:
Iranian attack on American barracks near Qom kills 31
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June 27, 2010:
Kucinich to McCain: End the bloodbath, or face impeachment
Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich spoke to a crowd of 30,000 at an anti-war rally in Akron, Ohio. He spoke about how the deaths of thousands of Americans are due to the administration’s “illegal and immoral war” in Iran. He claimed that McCain and Huckabee have violated several US and international laws. He accused them of starting a war against Iran without approval of the United Nations, misinformed the American people about the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, and starting a draft under the pretense of ‘national service’. Kucinich said his fellow Democrats share his beliefs, but lack the courage to show “true opposition” to the McCain administration. He continued by saying that Democrats in Congress need to “rediscover their backbone” and support his articles of Impeachment against the President and Vice President. Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that she had ‘no comment’ on Kucinich’s bill during question period earlier today.
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July 3, 2010:
Shock and awe in Tehran
Late last night, a bombing campaign of a magnitude not seen since World War II was carried out against the Iranian capital. Several dozen American bombers reportedly took off from a makeshift airbase some 50 miles southwest of Tehran. Their mission was to destroy important government targets in and around Tehran. After the first bomb fell, air raid sirens sounded, and Tehran residents were asked to seek shelter immediately. The first bombs were dropped on buildings housing the Iranian Ministry of Defense. Several other nearby government buildings were destroyed by bombs a short time later.
Vice President Huckabee remarked that the air display was “just like fireworks on the Fourth of July” and called the bombs “a sign of the pending liberation of the Iranian people.” These sentiments were echoed by Secretary of Defense Randy Scheunemann, who said that the “The Iranian officials are becoming confused. They’re losing their grip on their country.” [1]
[1] Very similar to what Donald Rumsfeld said in 2003.
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July 6, 2010
American bomb hits makeshift children’s hospital, 90 children reported dead [1]
Iranian officials claimed today that 94 children were killed after an American bomb landed on a treatment center for wounded children. The hospital was located next to a weapons facility in the suburbs of Tehran. One administration official claimed that the Iranian government intentionally located the hospital near the weapons facility so as to ‘maximize civilian casualties to embarrass the United States’.
[1] Not too farfetched considering what happened recently in Afghanistan.
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July 18, 2010
American forces surround Tehran
American forces have encircled the city of Tehran. The Ayatollah Khamenei addressed Iranians on state television, urging the residents of the city not to give up to the “agents of evil”, claiming that they will face the “wrath of Allah” if they surrender. The leader of Iran called upon the inhabitants of Tehran to pray that “divine intervention will cause the Americans to be turned back from the city and destroyed”. As a sign of solidarity with the common people, Khamenei said that he will remain in Tehran and is willing to be “martyred for Iran.”
Meanwhile, President Ahmedinejad has apparently disappeared from the city and has not been seen in public in three weeks. His location is unknown, but many suspect he is either hiding in a reinforced bunker beneath the city or may have left the city prior to the approach of American forces. Finding him is of utmost importance to Americans, as he may form a new government elsewhere in Iran.
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July 29, 2010:
Iranian General: ‘We vow to fight until the last man’
General Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran's Quds force, said that the Iranian military will not give up despite the impending American invasion of Tehran.But this is not merely tough talk. Americans are finding that the Iranian forces will not give up as easily as their Iraqi cousins. So far, the US has captured only 11,000 Iranians as POWs. Most were injured and unconscious at the time of their capture. Several hundred Iranian soldiers are reported to have committed suicide rather than be captured by American forces.
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August 2, 2010
Pentagon reports July 25-31 deadliest week of the war
Casualty totals reported to be 483 dead, 3,691 wounded
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August 4, 2010:
Victory over Tehran
Today, the US has successfully toppled the regime in power in Iran for 30 years. The members of the legislative assembly of Iran (known as the Majlis) are reported to be captured, in hiding, or dead. The Ayatollah Khamenei has been placed under house arrest after he was caught trying to make a last-minute escape from his residence in Jamaran (a suburb of Tehran) disguised under a birqa.
Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is still nowhere to be found, as he escaped before US troops encircled the city. President McCain was reportedly very glad to hear the news, and said that the “skeptics and naysayers have been proven wrong” about the ability of the US to capture Tehran. But, McCain cautioned that the war is “not over” and that we must finish the job before “leaving the nation in the capable hands of the American people”.
Antiwar groups have claimed that the Battle of Tehran resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000 Iranian civilians, mostly due to crossfire and bombing. Democratic critics of the administration say that celebration is premature, considering that more than 80% of the country is still out of US control. The vast countryside in the middle and eastern parts of the country are reported to be safe havens for the Revolutionary Guard, who maintain power over these areas.
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