Just in case, Australia needs to start spending serious money on defence, something else our cardboard cutout of a Prime Minister doesn't seem very interested in.

1 get so tired of the west hating garbage these "C" grade ex academics put out to try to convince themselves they are of some relevance.

Trump never fails to surprise. And needs to throw the USA into a state of emergency to cement his hold on power? A war with Iran that includes the use by the US of nuclear weapons, would do just that and cause a few other bellicose, belligerent folks to consider whether they ever want to join in?

Maybe not? Certainly, not at that price?

Trump is just callous and indifferent enough to order such a (preemptive) strike!? To among other things, finally, denuclearise N Korea, and get the Chinese to see, what the end game would be, to their expansionist ambitions along with burned embers as their prize?

We for our part would be hugely harmed by the loss of shipped foreign oil and have no plans to create a self-sustaining alternative here at home that every boy and his dog could afford! None!

Just a decade of indecisive dithering and backstabbing power plays by the clinically incompetent?

That said, we do need to quite massively up our defence spending and acquire some nuclear weapons/nuclear arsenal, to assure our own security! And none of the above doable with either major party. Obsessed with winning and retaining power above all else. Too dumb to understand, in the next conflict and there will be one! They and parliament will be the first target and the first cab of the rank n the next war, followed by major population centres!

God help us!
Alan B.

United States RQ-4 Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance drone
cost US$131.4million
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_RQ-4_Global_Hawk

'Bomb' attacks on Oil Tankers:

Leaked Audio of MEK's Involvement in Oil Tanker Blasts
http://youtu.be/LiqZFRyvqjQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Mujahedin_of_Iran

Explainer: What is the MEK, the Iranian opposition group?
http://youtu.be/fZFmClSwAUQ

"Because the question of who first violated international law is crucial but unclear"

Iran’s air defenses shooting down US drone
http://youtu.be/N1Q5VJB-N-k

Iran Says US Drone Came Down Full 4 Miles Inside Its Territory
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-06-26/iran-says-drone-came-down-full-4-miles-inside-its-territory

"Much of the criticism highlights a recent warning by Iran that it will no longer abide by a treaty it signed with China, Russia, the US and European nations to halt further enrichment of uranium."

2 Issues:

1. Iran is not required to honour the deal upon US exit from the deal and further US sanctions.
This is specified within the framework of the deal;
- And on May 8 2018 the US broke the terms of the JCPOA when it reimposed sanctions.

2. The Uranium is 'Low-Enriched Uranium' and the prior arrangement was for 300kgs limit.
Completely different to the higher enrichment needed for nuclear weapons.

US Bombs Syria, Israel Kills Civilians In Syria Strikes & UN Report: US Behind Half World's Refugees
http://youtu.be/VV6Gvj5sCv0

"It reveals an irony George Orwell, always fascinated by the hidden power of language, would appreciate, that many critics are outraged by Iran's 'violation' of the nuclear treaty"

- Again it hasn't violated the deal.
Iran's ability to increase it's low grade uranium was already a provision of the existing deal should the US cancel the deal and reimpose sanctions.

Watch the above video and you'll see it shown in the terms of the deal.

It's a good thing that Max Atkinson was not a journo in 1942, or he would have written garbage articles like this one explaining how it was the cruel US economic sanctions on Imperial Japan that was the cause of Pearl Harbour. WW2 was the USA's fault.

How about the USA just pull right out of the Middle East and let Iran invade Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the Gulf States? When Iran controls 66% of the entire world's oil supply they can destroy the west's economies without even fighting. They can then afford to by all the weapons they need to march on the rest of the world, and try and convert us all to Islam by force, exactly as Mohammad instructed. Then Max could write another article saying how everybody knew that Trump should have stood up to Iran when they were weak, instead of waiting until they had swept the Middle East and become a real problem.

Reality check to Max. If Hitler had enough oil he would have won the war. Oil is blood to the advanced societies. Old hippies like yourself say "no blood for oil" but totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and Red China think that you are nuts. The Pacific War was all about oil. The South China Sea is all about oil.

I think that Max never grew out of his fashionable hatred of the US from the 70's. He lives in a bubble where his friends are just old hippies and he still thinks that reflexively slagging off against the USA is what "smart" people do. Of course, Max feels the need to slag of somebody and then yanks are an easy target. He would never slag off against Muslims because he knows that they would track him down an kill him.

And please, forget the Trump Derangement Syndrome malarkey. Trump won the Presidency. He is not going to resign or be impeached, and he will probably win the next election because he popular with the majority.

'Bomb' attacks on Oil Tankers:
Where is the outrage from the environmentalists ?