Reported details on the scale of the initial air assault on Iran from the Jerusalem Post.
Having already dropped 1,200 bombs on Iran, the IDF, along with the US Air Force, is close to achieving air supremacy in Iranian airspace.
In June 2025, it took several days for the air force to achieve such supremacy, which signifies that essentially Iran’s anti-aircraft defenses have been so battered that Israeli aircraft and drones can hover over target areas for extended periods without worrying as much about whether air defenses might target them.
Earlier on Sunday morning, the IDF announced that it had already dropped over 1,200 bombs on Iranian targets since the start of the war, the largest air operation in Israel’s history
On Saturday night, the IDF had said that over 200 aircraft had struck 500 Iranian targets. An IDF video showed two major initial waves of attacks.
The first wave struck what appeared to be dozens of radars and anti-aircraft defenses, especially in the part of Iran closer to Israel and the Tehran area.
During the second wave, the air force struck Iran’s ballistic missile apparatus to attempt to reduce its ability to strike the Israeli home front.
On Sunday morning, the US said it had struck around 900 Iranian targets.
Now, the perception they’re trying to create is that the attacks were so devastating that Iran’s ability to contest the air has already been destroyed. And certainly, the initial US and Israeli reports of the death of the Ayatollah Khamenei and part of his family at the family home turned out to be true.
However, there are some anomalies to note here. First, if Israel had total air supremacy in June 2025, why was it Israel who begged for the ceasefire? Second, why didn’t the Iranians attack the US carrier groups that were attacking them? Third, how were the US and Israeli bombing campaigns able to disrupt or destroy the underground bunkers with the relatively small explosive packages available to the fighter-jets and missiles utilized? Fourth, why are the Iranians attacking luxury hotels in Dubai with drones even as they insist they are attacking military targets?
And fifth, why did Khamenei stay at home, awaiting the inevitable attack, instead of doing what most heads of state do and directing operations from a secure bunker. Sixth, why are there reports that Netanyahu attempted to fly to Cyprus, was denied permission to land, and was forced to fly to Berlin instead? Shouldn’t he be in a command center like the Short Fake Trump?
Which is why I don’t think we should pretend to actually have any idea what’s going on. Never forget that after 30 days of air supremacy and bombing so relentless that they came under attack every 10 hours on the average, an Iraqi division still retained 85 percent of its vehicles in working order. That was a long time ago, and certainly technology has improved, but it’s a fact of military history worth keeping in mind.
Another anomaly: Iran agreed to zero stockpiling. The proclaimed justification for the attacks is obviously false, as per an Omani diplomat:
Iran agreed to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium. Not reduced stockpiling. Zero. They agreed to down-blend existing stockpiles to the lowest possible level. They agreed to convert them into irreversible fuel. They agreed to full IAEA verification with potential US inspector access. They agreed, in the Foreign Minister’s phrase, to “never, ever” possess nuclear material for a bomb. I have worked in diplomacy for seven years. I have never seen a country agree to this many things this quickly. I made a spreadsheet of the concessions. It had fourteen rows. I color-coded it. Green for confirmed. Yellow for pending. By February 21 the spreadsheet was entirely green. I printed it. It is on my desk in Muscat. It is still green.
That phrase took eleven days. “Never, ever.” The Iranians initially offered “not seek to.” The Americans wanted “will not under any circumstances.” We landed on “never, ever” at 2:14 AM on a Tuesday in Muscat. I typed the final version myself. I used Times New Roman because Geneva prefers it. The document was fourteen pages. I was proud of every comma.
Here is what they said, in the order they said it.
February 24: “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity.” — The Foreign Minister, private briefing to Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors. I prepared the slide deck. Slide 14 was the implementation timeline. Slide 15 was the signing ceremony logistics. I had reserved the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Room XX. It seats four hundred. We discussed pen brands for the signing. The Iranians preferred Montblanc. The Americans had no preference. I ordered twelve Montblanc Meisterstucks at six hundred and thirty dollars each. They arrive on Tuesday.
February 27, 8:30 AM EST: “The deal is within our reach.” — The Foreign Minister, CBS Face the Nation. He sat across from Margaret Brennan. He said broad political terms could be agreed “tomorrow” with ninety days for technical implementation in Vienna. He said, and I wrote this line for the briefing card he carried in his breast pocket: “If we just allow diplomacy the space it needs.” He praised the American envoys by name. Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner. He said both had been constructive.
I watched from the Four Seasons Georgetown. The minibar had cashews. I ate the cashews. They were nineteen dollars. The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten. But it was a good morning and we were within our reach.
February 27, 2:00 PM EST: Meeting with Vice President Vance, Washington. The Foreign Minister presented our progress. Zero stockpiling. Full verification. Irreversible conversion. “Never, ever.” The Vice President used the word “encouraging.” His aide took notes on an iPad. The aide did not make eye contact for the last nine minutes of the meeting. I noticed this. Noticing things is the only part of my job that is not water glasses.
February 27, 4:00 PM EST: “Not happy with the pace.” — President Trump, to reporters.
Not happy with the pace.
We had achieved zero stockpiling. Full IAEA verification. Irreversible fuel conversion. Inspector access. And the phrase “never, ever,” which took eleven days and cost me two hundred and twelve trips down a forty-seven-meter hallway.
Every American president since Carter has failed to get Iran to agree to this. Forty-five years.
Not happy with the pace.
Finally, who are the regime’s replacements? Is it possible this is just a larger version of the inside job on Maduro by Iranians beholden to Clown World? If we see a rapid peace deal promptly declared with the new Iranian regime that abandons BRICS and stands with Israel, we’ll have a pretty good idea what actually happened.