Mastodawn

Two things:
1. If we’re sinking Iranian ships in the open ocean using submarines, this is an offensive war, and the President needs to declare war and go to Congress.
2. If you sink a ship with a torpedo, and there are no other threats around, you are obligated to search for, and rescue, survivors. The US Navy needs to stop being complicit in Hegseth’s war crime spree.

Also wonder how Sri Lanka and India feel about this happening in their backyard in their regional exercises.

Francisca Sinn Mar 4

@FediThing @mcnado The analysis here from this retired Colonel is that the US will be forced out of the region -

https://mas.to/@fsinn/116168624266805232

Violet Madder Mar 6

@FediThing @mcnado

(exercises for which the ship was UNARMED, at that)

https://kolektiva.social/@PeterLG@theblower.au/116179207330356764

kolektiva.social

@mcnado the US isn't abiding by any 'stupid rules of engagement'.

Fishercat Mar 4

@urbanfoxe @mcnado This.

Kid Mania Mar 4

@urbanfoxe @mcnado
Ex-act-ly.
☠️
"“No stupid rules of engagement” is one for the history books—and not in a good way.”
☠️
'Great way to go to jail': Hegseth's 'rules of engagement' threat sets off alarms
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/other/great-way-to-go-to-jail-hegseth-s-rules-of-engagement-threat-sets-off-alarms/ar-AA1XnduU?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=5f45bcaef5214b00c0e402fdb97d1ff4&ei=12

MSN

Oliver Schafeld Mar 4

»Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth basically admitted during a press conference Monday that he doesn’t care about military rules of engagement«

https://newrepublic.com/post/207202/hegseth-brags-not-following-rules-engagement-iran

»US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commented at a news conference on March 2, 2026, about “stupid rules of engagement,” suggesting that they may interfere with “fight[ing] to win.”«

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/02/us-defense-secretarys-media-remarks-on-rules-of-engagement

Hegseth Brags That They’re Not Following Rules of Engagement in Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a shocking confession on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

The New Republic

Toni Aittoniemi Mar 4

@oliver_schafeld The path of evil starts from the point where you stop entertaining the possibility that you could be evil.

Darwin Woodka Mar 4

@gimulnautti @oliver_schafeld

Evil is "treating people as things" as Pratchett teaches us

@mcnado
Hegseth (probably): "We ran it through JAG..."

Yeah, the ones they appointed after firing all senior military lawyers who would have pushed back.

Euripides Phartz Mar 4

@RichardWrightFan @mcnado also the ones that'll hang for war crimes

@GranVegas @mcnado
If only there were true justice in the world.

Darwin Woodka Mar 4

@RichardWrightFan @GranVegas @mcnado

Perhaps not but there is karma and she is a raging bitch

@darwinwoodka @GranVegas @mcnado
💯💯💯

NormanDunbar Mar 4

@GranVegas @RichardWrightFan @mcnado We live in hope.

@NormanDunbar @GranVegas @mcnado
💯👍🏿

Weird Socks Mar 4

@mcnado
"Need to" is a.. phrase.
I want them to. I want them to need to.
But what would have to happen for them to need to do what they are legally bound to do?

Aaron Sawdey, Ph.D.Mar 4

@mcnado Yeah this is definitely war-criming in action. I'll suggest to you that a US attack submarine is in no danger from surfacing and explaining to this hapless frigate that they need to abandon ship.

RiaResists Mar 4

@mcnado
B-b-but this war is ushering the 2nd coming of Jesus! 😩😩😩

Byrnensorg🇮🇪🇺🇦🇵🇸🇬🇱🇩🇰Mar 4

@mcnado The thing is... nobody with any say gives a shit and even if all these cogent points are brought to congress, what if anything could happen... a strongly worded letter perhaps, a reprimand, this is an exercise in power, pure and simple and so far I have not seen anyone capable of stopping it.

Tristan Colgate-McFarlane Mar 4

@mcnado they double tapped a couple of drug dealers (or quite possibly fishermen), holding on to wreckage for deal life. Leaving people to drown is a sort of growth at this point.
(the whole thing is mind boggleingly disgusting, and news media posting the f'ing video of it is only adding to the grossness of it all).

Till Kleisli Mar 4

@mcnado I hope someone is taking detailed notes and there is enough of a justice system left, once those criminals are out of office.

Elon Muksis 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇪🇺Mar 4

@mcnado As the United States commits more and more war crimes, the list of those who will be held accountable if Trump and the Republicans do not remain in power is getting longer.

Mimsybean Mar 4

@bhasic so, imagine their incentive to stay in power.... good luck with elections of any kind. Why can no proceedings be started while they're in power? A criminal is running the US and everyone is going to patiently wait for him not to be in power anymore? Good luck with that.

Drums_in_the_night_🌐🇪🇺🇩🇪Mar 4

@bhasic @mcnado

Dream on!

No member of a former government was ever held accountable for these atrocities:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp#Camp_conditions_and_testimonies_of_abuse_and_torture

Guantanamo Bay detention camp - Wikipedia

Elon Muksis 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇪🇺Mar 4

@Drums_in_the_night @mcnado How about generals and soldiers? Same with ICE etc. They probably don't want to go to prison. Again.

Drums_in_the_night_🌐🇪🇺🇩🇪Mar 4

@bhasic @mcnado

Remember 2021-01-06 ?

Presidential Pardon!

(and on a lower level: Qualified immunity)

Nothing will change.

Again.

@bhasic @mcnado

And this why they won't leave power voluntarily. In for a penny...

@mcnado what we need to do is start bringing consequences for those who GLEEFULLY go along.

There needs to be a total purge of MAGAts, from EVERY SINGLE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT, and every Department under those.

*TOTAL*

Patch You Up Mar 4

@mcnado Yep. The analogy in a land war would be you surround an enemy, destroy all of their weapons, and don't even give them a chance to surrender as POWs. You just let them starve. That is a war crime, and this is a war crime.

Yet another Josh

@Jumpmed @mcnado yep, like what we're enabling in Palestine.

Mimsybean Mar 4

@mcnado Wait, you mean bombing Iran is not an offensive war? Trump has ordered the attack on another country (like Putin did) and so trump should be impeached and tried for having launched an illegal/unauthorised attack on another country. Why is nobody doing anything about this? Trump can literally do whatever goes through his head with no consequences to him? Is the Constitution dead?

Bart Allen Mar 4

@mcnado And dont forget that no matter what, Trump is still a pedophile. #fucktrump #fuckhegseth #nowarWithIran

Remember Remember 7th November Mar 5

@barryallen2023 @mcnado Operation Epstein Fury

Yet another Josh

Seriously, who's going to actually stop the US from war crimes?

UN going to bat their tongues around?

Security Council? Bwaha, US has a veto vote.

Hague? Hardly.

Russia has its hands full.
China doesnt want to fight a remote war.

Darwin Woodka Mar 4

@crankylinuxuser @mcnado

As we have now learned SEVERAL times over, asymetric warfare is a bitch. This will not end the way they think it will.

Never get involved in a land war in Asia. Or the mideast.

HeatherMJ Mar 4

@mcnado
He is so excited about it

Duckbilled Plattypus.Mar 4

@mcnado The US Navy has nuclear attack submarines. Iran has three Russian made Kilo class diesel electric littoral subs (UKR recently sank one with a drone in that war.) The Russian kilo class is a stealth sub when running on batteries, but is no match for the US Virginia littoral class (we have 22-26). The rest of Iran's subs are midget class. US has 4x the Navy and while the US has nuke carriers, Iran has a frigate. However, Iran wants to sucker the Navy into Hormuz where they may have a tactical advantage with a littoral fleet and drones, and our ships may be slow moving ducks.
We underestimate Iran's capability at our peril. They have been gaming this one specific war for 40 years. They are a leading supplier of new weapon drone tech.
Two (three) nations led by fascist nationalist theocratic criminals intent on murdering anybody and everybody.
Stupid stupid war of choice by pedophile war criminals.

fan boy 🪭Mar 4

@mcnado
> this is an offensive war,

It always was.

Darwin Woodka Mar 4

The war crimes continue.

Thing is ... I have no doubt to the US military war is just a game of "Take that towel heads" and 'Look what we can do ...'