(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Economic Sanctions will get Iran to surrender really? [1] ['Things Come Undone', 'Thom Hartmann', 'Greg Dworkin', 'A Pagan In Arizona'] Date: 2026-08-24 Maybe an I Win you Lose mindset instead of WIN/WIN is just bad diplomacy Game Theory would suggest that it results in more losing outcomes but it seems the only way Trump ever tries to make a deal about anything. Iran has already won the war but Trump still insists Iran surrender. “Management coaches often promote win-win strategies, but lose-win managing seems to be more common. If your skills are limited, you can win by diminishing your competitor. Win-lose bullying works in the real world if you can oppress your competitor, thereby raising your own status.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/misinformation-in-life-and-society/202605/is-the-better-strategy-win-win-or-win-lose I cannot believe the media has not mentioned the Iran /Iraq war yet. During the 8 year Iran / Iraq war Iran had 200,000–600,000 dead they faced both chemical weapons and airstrikes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Iraq_War Iran faced their cities being bombed daily they are glad they are not being called up to fight in human wave attacks like they were during the Iran / Iraq war but Trump thinks economic sanctions can do worse than 8 years of war with Iraq did to Iran? Iran has been through this before in living memory hunger, poverty, I’m sure older Iranians are telling their kids any day your not drafted to fight is a day you are alive yes hungry, maybe moving back in with your parents but your Alive! ( No moving back in with your parents is not a fate worse than death stop the drama). If you want to scare Iran announce the US is going Draft a million troops and will move those million troops to Iran’s borders. But of course that would lead to riots in the US and would therefore be politically impossible since Trump would have to get rid of his tax break for the rich to pay for that. Trump would welcome riots as a reason to declare martial law and suspend the fall election but give up his tax break Trump would recognise Iran has the right to collect toll fees on ships in the Persian Gulf all they want rather than do that. Iranians are likely hoping Trump sticks with just sanctions and yes a few more missile attacks likely just before the fall election, Trump is if nothing predicable. Trump will want to claim Iran is going to fold after another US attack right before the election we just need to give Trump more time for his cough “plan” to work. But Iran knows we are running out of missiles by fall maybe we build another 40 missiles if China sells us the rare earth minerals to make them. I cannot believe that the US media has not covered how Trump’s tariffs on China and China retaliating by not selling the US military rare earth minerals is not being covered, we are at War! I cannot believe that Trump went to war without first making sure the US military had access to China’s rare earth minerals before he started the war or that the US media is not covering this story. “August 13, 2026. Following China’s initial export controls in April of 2025, the United States and European Union were quick to reach preliminary agreements to restart critical mineral exports. Trade tensions lingered, however, resulting in Beijing eventually extending export controls to other elements and even the sale of mineral processing equipment. Some of these controls were subsequently delayed, but the basic requirement for Chinese exporters to carefully vet foreign buyers and reject sales destined for military applications has largely remained in effect since 2025. That essentially shuts American weapons manufacturers out of direct access to Chinese rare earth materials and the high-tech products resulting from them.” “A recent batch of new F-35s, for example, was reportedly delivered without their AN/APG-85 radars, rendering the planes unusable in combat and only suitable for limited training exercises. Similar delays in the manufacture of combat-ready drones have also been reported, usually attributed to the spiking cost of samarium, which has been reported to be offered at prices up to 60 times the pre-control average. The shortage of even one critical rare earth component can render a $100 million machine essentially useless.” https://thediplomat.com/2026/08/the-us-military-cant-function-without-china/ So since 2025 China has not been selling the US Military some rare earth minerals and despite whatever stockpiles we had, whatever smuggling we have tried to do the the US Marines accepted 6 jets with no radars not for combat but for training purposes (any pilots want to weigh in on if radar is necessary for training to fly fighter jets) ? Because we had no rare earth minerals to make radars for the F-35 fighter planes. ” June 25, 2026. the Air Force and Navy will have to do likewise later this year.” More jets how many will be delivered to the Navy and Air Force without radar, how many? 2025 is a long time to go for a jet without spare parts. “A Government Accountability Office report in June found only about one in four F-35s were fully mission capable in 2025—that is, able to carry out its entire mission portfolio. The rate for being able to carry out any of its missions was better, at 44.1 percent, but still far short of historic targets In testimony, Masiello said he would not “dispute their numbers or how they do it,” but argued that GAO’s findings lack context because of the way F-35 readiness is calculated by the JPO. Using its calculus, he said the mission capable rate was much better, at 56 percent. He did acknowledge that F-35s without radars are not fully mission capable.” https://www.airandspaceforces.com/marines-air-force-radar-less-f-35-deliveries/ “Software shortcomings, spare parts shortages, and corrosion problems mean only about one in four F-35 stealth fighters were ready to carry out all their possible missions at any given time in fiscal 2025, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.June 11, 2026 “ “The root of the problems, JPO officials told auditors, is that the F-35 program and U.S. services prioritized procuring more jets early in the program’s life cycle instead of creating critical depot and repair capability, “historically underinvesting in sustainment” https://www.airandspaceforces.com/gao-one-in-four-f-35s-can-fly-all-missions-readiness/ To be fair how could the US armed forces Marines, Navy and Air Force have thought to plan to buy spare parts that have rare earth minerals before Trump started a trade war with China our only supplier of rare earth minerals? Iranian Intelligence and if Iran is smart Iranian Media is covering these stories even if the US media is not covering these stories. Even if we accept the 56% of F-35’s are ” being able to carry out any of its missions” but not “ready to carry out all their possible missions at any given time”. number currently Masiello claims are we really ready to start a war again with Iran? Are we calling our allies and begging for spare parts? scraping F-35 jets and using them for parts? Economic Sanctions on Iran is not a winning hand there will always be some smuggling and Iran seems better at getting drone and missile parts from China than we are at smuggling rare earth minerals from China. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/8/24/800088711/community/economic-sanctions-will-get-iran-to-surrender-r/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/