this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2026
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Despite the U.S. campaign, Iran retains enough military capabilities to inflict considerable damage to U.S. service members and America’s allies and assets in the Middle East.

Less than 48 hours after Donald Trump told Americans the U.S. military had “beaten and completely decimated Iran,” Tehran shot down an F-15E fighter jet, setting off a high-risk scramble by U.S. forces to rescue two service members from deep inside Iranian territory. Iran also struck two Blackhawk helicopters and an attack jet that were assisting in the search and rescue effort.

The harrowing incidents have put in stark relief a growing challenge facing the president as the war enters its second month: Despite a daily bombing campaign and his triumphant wartime narrative, Iran retains enough military capabilities to inflict considerable damage to U.S. service members and America’s allies and assets in the Middle East.

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[–] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago

Why are we doing rescue missions with Blackhawk helicopters and A-10s in a missile-rich environment?

They are sitting ducks, very slow aircraft. I don't have a lot of military knowledge but it seems unwise to me.

They said they've destroyed half of Irans air defenses... hmmm, wonder what that really means. I've read that Iran has extensive underground manufacturing and weapon stores, they've been doing that since the 1970s. They will be as ready as anyone can be.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago

One of the 15E pilots is still missing. Now, the Orange Pedo Rapist Felon is announcing a Holy War, which is copying the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Likud Party war cry. Fuck them all.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 3 points 15 hours ago

So only 1 in 10 middle launchers was blown up.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 8 points 19 hours ago

Well, decimated means "reduced by one tenth" so I guess technically he was probably correct.

[–] Tarambor@lemmy.world 12 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

A10 Warthog that was part of the search and rescue operation was also shot down and two Blackhawk helicopters also part of the same S&R operation also got shot up. A bit inconvenient for Trump who said that the US had destroyed all of Iran's air defence capability.

[–] IronBird@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

we're gonna get so many movies out of this one, i can already tell

[–] atropa@piefed.social 7 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Trump is to stupid to know the truth

[–] Vile_port_aloo@lemmy.world 0 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Ok, so can we try to figure out why his team around him are letting this happen. Can we figure out what the other side of the house is doing? Can we assume that Americans are butt fucking stupid to allow and not campaign better to have stop his SECOND term!

You vote for a house party you get a fucking mess.

But yeah trump is the stupid one! Maybe we boil it down to the Christmas GOD wants this to be the way as Devin intervention would have happend from someones God by now.

Or possibly no one gives a fuck until it effects your daily routine on longing on and dropping out.

[–] BouteilleBrune@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago

americans (even democrat voters) couldn't bring themselves to vote for a qualified woman, they'd rather have a convicted rapist for president

it'll take decades to rebuilt the country, millions of them will go hungry

and if they stay true to themselves, they won't learn anything from anything

I wouldn't be surprised to see them blame middle-eastern people for trump's second term

[–] cuboc@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago

...Donald Trump told...

So it was not true then.

decimated

In the literal sense, that would mean a 10% reduction of fighting capacity. Nothing to sneeze at, but still pretty capable of ~~fighting~~ defending, I would say.

So a few airplanes were lost and/or damaged. I read some statistics of the Vietnam war that thousands of planes were lost. It's part of being in a war, especially when you are the agressor.

harrowing incidents

Tell that to the Iranian civilians.

[–] Lydon_Feen@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Extra! Extra!

Big orange pedophile lies every single time he opens his mouth!

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Depressingly, this still seems to be news to a lot of people.

[–] Vile_port_aloo@lemmy.world 2 points 19 hours ago

I think we knew this after his TV show!

[–] butwhyishischinabook@piefed.social 22 points 1 day ago (2 children)

And an A10 and a Blackhawk... in one day.

[–] EditsHisComments@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The most competent leadership was forced out in favor of sycophants. Combined with military contractor corruption that surrounds the military budget, and it's no wonder this looks worse than in the early 2000s

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Even homelander had the self awareness to realize he was surrounded by sycophants.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io -2 points 1 day ago

The most competent leadership was forced out in favor of sycophants.

One of the few good things Trump and co did.

[–] ms_lane@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

And an A10

That's a given anywhere but early 2000s Afghanistan. Even today they've got the stingers left over by USA.

A10s design mission was far more dire.

[–] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 24 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The first thing to die in any war is the truth.

.

They lie.

We know they are lying.

They know that they are lying.

They even know that we know they are lying.

We also know that they know we know they are lying.

They, of course, know that we certainly know they know we know they are lying.

Yet they still lie.

In Russia, the lie has become not just a moral category, but the pillar industry of this country.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008)

.

In the U.S. the lie has become not just a moral category, but the pillar industry of this country. shrugs Must be all that money.

SeeMarkFly (2026)

[–] SmackemWittadic@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

shrugs Must be all that money. SeeMarkFly (2026)

What a wise person this SeeMarkFly person us. I wonder who they are.

[–] kingofras@lemmy.world -3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You forgot to lie about your plagiarism!

[–] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

No, I said that in 2026. I quoted ME.

Yes, somebody else said the same thing. It's something that NEEDS to be said. There's bound to be some duplication when the need is great.

[–] kingofras@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I was being silly like you, all good

[–] IAmYouButYouDontKnowYet@reddthat.com 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)
[–] ms_lane@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

*and an F35.

[–] then_three_more@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

decimate(v.)

c. 1600, "to select by lot and put to death every tenth man," from Latin decimatus, past participle of decimare "the removal or destruction of one-tenth," from decem "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten").

So they've taken out 10% of Iran's capacity. Seems reasonable they should still score some hits.

[–] rossman@lemmy.zip -1 points 23 hours ago

i'm pretty conflicted. it's like watching two good people told to fight another for the sake of entertainment.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It boggles my mind that the Trump admin is at least smart enough to use 1985 machines so we don't expose modern weapons capabilities to China or Russia, but at the same time that's likely the only way Iran could take down expensive planes with human lives on board.

[–] Iconoclast@feddit.uk 2 points 22 hours ago

Both the US and Israel are using F-35s as well. One even got hit by a heat seeking missile.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Well, to play idiot’s advocate…

“Decimated” means to reduce by a factor of 10.

So if they had capability of 1,000, now they have capability of 100.

And it only takes one person with one rocket to shoot down an aircraft.

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Well, not to be a pedantic dick, but... Actually, it means to reduce by 1/10. So if they had a capability of 1000, now they have the capability of 900.

That said, it's been long-used to describe the near-total destruction of a thing; that strict meaning is pretty dated.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

So is Trump :D

[–] cerement@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 day ago

one of the big things we’re already seeing is the cost asymmetry – F-15E original price was $31M and costs roughly $19K per flight hour – a Shahad-136 drone costs $20K total