55 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Eu also give Chinese cars higher tariffs, and thats why the major chinese cars now building their own factories in Europe

The EU has imposed definitive countervailing duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) to combat unfair subsidies, with total tariffs reaching

up to45.3%(including the standard 10% import duty) as of late 2024. These tariffs, ranging from 7.8% to 35.3% on top of the base rate, are applied based on the manufacturer's cooperation with the EU investigation

Source

https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/news/eu-commission-imposes-countervailing-duties-imports-battery-electric-vehicles-bevs-china

It is important to protect native industries.

11 Billion dollars and counting. 7 Servicemembers KIA. Today a US Air Force KC-135 has just been reported to have gone down in Iraq. KC-135 is the primary aerial refueling aircraft for the USAF and aircrews on this aircraft cannot eject. Hope for the best but reality sayd this could be bad.

3 hours ago, Roadsternut said:

I remember when people were talking up those Daewoos.

At least in the UK, fleet sales are 60-65%. They are not buying Chinese cars, for the same reason they don't buy Korean cars. Repair parts are difficut to get, and this has driven up insurance rates. In Asia, labour is cheap, so its cheaper to repair a panel than replace it. In Europe, you are paying £100-150 an hour, hence replace parts not repair them. If any of these cars get into a knock, then its not a few weeks off the road, but months, with attendant storage fees. So they will get written off and end up at CoPart, likely bricked.

You say 11% share, but that share is down from a high of 15%. And this isn't a 11% share of the car market, but a 11% share of the EV market. Latest numbers show share is now 9.5%. Analysts think share will settle at about 12-13%; there is always a market for disposable cars, but Daewoo found out in that market, people don't care about the badge, and you are always looking out for the next cheapo brand to displace you. Happened to Proton. Mahindra have been seen road testing their EVs in the UK near Millbrook.

I remember Daewoo. The situation with Chinese EV's is polar opposites.

Daewoo bought the presses for old GM models and produced cars that had less technology and were less refined than what was currently on the market.

Chinese EV's are 1 or 2 generations ahead of other cars (1 generation from the west and 2 generations from America). They have sleek designs, are packed with technology and have a massive degree of vertical integration.

This translates to customer satisfaction. Customers love their Chinese EV's, they did not love their Daewoo's. Being new to the market it is taking time to build supply chains for spare parts, but it's getting there.

Pointing to declining market share is disingenuous. The share of Chinese EV's is expected to continue growing significantly in 2026 in the UK.

I have some experience of them. In my household we currently have 3 EV's with another on order. Historically, I have or have had 2 German EV's (Porsche & Mercedes) and 5 Chinese EV's (BYD, MG, AION). In my experience the Chinese EV's are superior in integration, value for money and reliability.

On 3/11/2026 at 4:45 PM, dinsdale said:

It's being said that Iran missile launches are down 92%, drone launches down about the same and the missile launchers have been depleted by around 60%. It's the Patriot systems that will be being taxed the most but there's a fairly large stockpile and as stated the amount of missile and drone attacks have dramatically reduced. The Iranian Navy has basically been taken out of action and as of today the IRGC Navy is being struck. These are the midget subs, mine layers and fast attack boats. The air force is also gone. The US will have no trouble continuing this for some time. Much longer than Iran if we're just talking offensive weapon systems. Having air superiority means standoff weapons are no longer required. The US will have no trouble continuing this for some time. Much longer than Iran.

Whatever you're smoking should be illegal.... on second thought, it probably is!

3 hours ago, Hummin said:

Eu also give Chinese cars higher tariffs, and thats why the major chinese cars now building their own factories in Europe

The EU has imposed definitive countervailing duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) to combat unfair subsidies, with total tariffs reaching

up to45.3%(including the standard 10% import duty) as of late 2024. These tariffs, ranging from 7.8% to 35.3% on top of the base rate, are applied based on the manufacturer's cooperation with the EU investigation

Source

https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/news/eu-commission-imposes-countervailing-duties-imports-battery-electric-vehicles-bevs-china

Tariffs are unecessary, but I understand why those who love Big Government and the Nanny State like them. Factories don't actually avoid many of the tariffs. That's only achieved if the supply chain is duplicated.

10 minutes ago, Roadsternut said:

Tariffs are unecessary, but I understand why those who love Big Government and the Nanny State like them. Factories don't actually avoid many of the tariffs. That's only achieved if the supply chain is duplicated.

To protect national industry, tariffs are necessary and also subsidising vulnerable essential products, production and services and not relying on import solely.

Becoming more dependent on China is utterly stupid, but thats the way it will go. We are bowing down to the new empire.

Tariffs are good for jobs and industry but bad for consumers. They prevent consumers from getting better and cheaper products and by protecting industry they stifle progress.

They should only ever be short term.

Sometimes it's right for uncompetitive industries to fail.

41 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Whatever you're smoking should be illegal.... on second thought, it probably is!

Seems you haven't been paying attention. Iran's offensive capabilities has been substantially reduced.

23 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Seems you haven't been paying attention. Iran's offensive capabilities has been substantially reduced.

If it's all going so swimmingly, perhaps you can explain why Lindsey 'Pool boy lover' Graham was on TV begging the Saudis to join the war.

They will be able to sustain the war militarily, possibly at the expense of Ukraine and South Korea. However, the Iranians are unconcerned by this as they are waging an asymmetrical campaign. Their targeting of the oil supply, the Gulf state's economies, and the economic pain around the world will be the biggest factor in forcing TACO Trump to abandon his illegal folly. It will not be the obvious military superiority of the US and Israelis that Iran was under no allusions about.

35 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Seems you haven't been paying attention. Iran's offensive capabilities has been substantially reduced.

Maybe. But Iran's ace in the hole is their drone and missile arsenal. The attack on the three ships trying to navigate the Straits weren't even seen/recorded by anyone. News reports suggest that even if the US provided navy escorts to shepherd the tankers through that area, they could still be sunk/badly damaged - and because of that chance, few owners want to take the risk. Catch 22.

No. It cannot be sustained without the support of the American people, as Trump is scared to death of losing the midterms, which would render him doubly impotent. He's already looking for an off ramp and no doubt he will declare victory regardless of the outcome. And he will be considered a laughing stock around the world, only this time a very dangerous and a very foolish one.

Fewer Americans than ever share Israel's aims. On the eve of the launch of the current military operation in Iran, a Gallup poll found that more Americans now sympathise with the Palestinians than with the Israelis. According to the survey, 41% of respondents express greater sympathy for the Palestinians, compared with the 36% who side with the Israelis.

This is the first major military conflict in which an American administration lacks majority public support.

Only 41% of the US public supports this war, according to an analysis of various polls by The New York Times. Even the Iraq war of 2003, during which the public was misled by the George W Bush administration into believing that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, had the backing of 76% Americans.

Trump had hoped that he would replicate his Venezuela plan. But Iran's response has deflated his enthusiasm and exposed gaps in US planning and strategy. Iran's Islamic regime had been planning for this war scenario for more than 20 years. After last year's Israeli and US military attacks, Ali Khamenei had developed a strategy that would allow field commanders to mount a military response even after his death and the collapse of a central command structure.

Iran's plan, which it has implemented from day one of the war, is to take the conflict to the enemy, escalate and impose economic costs on it.

The US military is now admitting that it underestimated Iran. As part of its political strategy, Iran has widened the conflict beyond its own territory and Israel to more than a dozen Gulf states, threatening their stability. Gulf states can't attack Iran in retaliation because their public will see that as taking Israel's side and its backer, the United States, against a fellow Muslim nation and a victim of aggression.

The cost of war in Iran was more than $11.3 billion in just six days, according to the Pentagon. Petrol prices in the US have shot up to their highest level in three years. Stock markets across the world are falling. Economists are already warning of high inflation and even recession if the war continues.

Trump now appears to be looking for an exit strategy. On Monday, he sought to calm markets by saying that the US military was "very far ahead of schedule" and the war could end soon. But Tehran has declared that it will decide when to end the war. Even the Israeli military believes that Iran still has at least a quarter of its ballistic missiles left. Out of its force comprising 400,000 regular army personnel and 125,000 Republic Guards Corps, only a few thousand might have died, according to Israeli estimates.

Iran's strategy appears to have put Trump and, to some extent, Netanyahu in a bind. They obviously did not plan for Iran's reaction to their air raids. In the manner Iran has escalated the conflict, the two leaders might find themselves in a war that could prove to be another Vietnam. Netanyahu may not mind that, as a prolonged conflict could suit his political plan. But for the US, it will be a disaster.

Once again, Trump's impulsive decision has been proven wrong by the realities on the ground. Netanyahu, on the other hand, has achieved what he wanted, using Trump to fulfil his political strategy. But as the war escalates on Iran's terms, Israel will also lose. Its isolation will grow, the economy will be in more turmoil, and the Israeli public will feel more insecure.

Iran-Israel War: Is Trump Starting To Regret Backing Netanyahu This Far? https://share.google/IOm6A8rQw78OlDxBG

24 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Maybe. But Iran's ace in the hole is their drone and missile arsenal.

True. Their missile stock was huge but as I said above missile launches since day 1 are down 90 or 95%. Add to that missiles need missile launchers and they have been taken out big time and continue to be. As for drones the amount being shot off is also massively down. As for surface and underwater drones I've seen no info on numbers of these which of course are the threat, along with mines, to the Hormuz Strait.

9 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

True. Their missile stock was huge but as I said above missile launches since day 1 are down 90 or 95%. Add to that missiles need missile launchers and they have been taken out big time and continue to be. As for drones the amount being shot off is also massively down. As for surface and underwater drones I've seen no info on numbers of these which of course are the threat, along with mines, to the Hormuz Strait.

Numbers from the US i gather?

A lot of news on both sides, and both sides of the US politically. No one here knows anything besides what we hear on those news networks and polls, and they are biased at the least, with truth and exaggerations thrown in as usual. .

All we can know is what the majority of the news is telling us, that the US is decimating Iran's abilities, but we still don't know anyone's full capabilities or arsenal, as neither is going to tell anyone all of it.

I would think the US has huge stockpiles of weaponry they haven't used, but the problem is this is going to cost a lot to the taxpayers in the end, along with civilian casualties and infrastructure in the countries involved.

Take away the hate some have for Trump and it wouldn't be one sided towards Iran for some, which is ludicrous as the regime needed to be destroyed in any way possible. The collateral damage that happens in every war is to be expected, for a number of reasons, but it isn't intentional on the US side.

The other problem is seeing if troops on the US side will need to be deployed, along with the Kurds, and how much support the US and Israel will have from the neighboring countries Iran is pissing off by targeting.

$100 per barrel of oil is painful. Can the world even imgaine oil at $150 or as the Iranian government has threatened oil at $200? Right now in some parts of CA gas is over $5 per gallon. I was in So Cal until late February and per gallon price at my local Arco gas station just topped $4. I believe it is now over $5 and will head to $6 soon.

Most members on this site get their news from a single ideological viewpoint promoted by American and Western media. Unfortunately, US mainstream media are stenographers for the US State Department and the White House. What you are fed is highly politicized propaganda with nuggets of facts. Like a gold miner, you need to sluice the sands of fabrication away to get to the gold.

It's a lot like during the Covid pandemic where we were literally told to "trust the science" which meant, "you may only accept mainstream media's narrative of Covid, and you must shut off your own innate analytical skills and stop trying to pick apart the facts from fiction" and there was a s***-ton of fiction being bandied about during Covid.

Same for war. ..."you may only accept mainstream media's narrative of <enter war here>, and you must shut off your own innate analytical skills and stop trying to pick apart the facts from fiction" and there was a s***-ton of fiction being bandied about during <current war>. Same same.

It order to reach some semblance of truth, you gotta get out of your comfort zone and read multiple sources of information from foreign media including Russia, Iran, China, India, and non-Western souces, left wing media, right wing media, the media of those who are considered combatants, the media of you countries allies, and non-mainstream open-source independent media reviews and analysis. One thing you can be sure of, "The First Casualty of War is the Truth," therefore you have to have the intuitive capability of dig into information troves and pick facts from fiction - unfortunately most people can't do that. Using the same analogy, like a gold miner with a sluice pan, you're mining for nuggets of truth.

So what most members get is "unfiltered" propaganda, and therefore what you get on forums like this are ideologues spouting the version of propaganda the watched on their screens while completely discounting any narrative but those promoted by their home-country's media - and as such everything they state as opinion on this forum is skews by the impact of the propaganda they unquestioningly accept.

That's why I find wading through these OPs on the Iran War to be a sad state of affairs, i.e., watching people get the situation on the ground totally wrong.

Currently Trump is spouting, "The War Is Over - We Won." Believing that is a huge mistake. Like Br'er Rabbit, he smacked a tar-baby right in the face and now he's stuck. And he's flailing.
Don't be like Br'er Rabbit. Ideologues only find half-truths.

42 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Their missile stock was huge but as I said above missile launches since day 1 are down 90 or 95%

Statement's of fact without attribution are just a load of male bovine excrement. 🐂💩 The far right wing ideologues can't provide sources as you are suppose to believe that all of their statements are self-evident facts.

They aren't.

Fyi - you're missing the big picture. But over time, the facts will become painfully apparent.

Bombing Iran back into the stone age sounded like a good idea. But Iran still poses a threat to ships that transit the Strait of Hormuz. So planners at the Pentagon did consider having naval ships escort oil tankers and other cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz? I mean oil is still the lifeblood of the world.

3 minutes ago, connda said:

Statement's of fact without attribution are just a load of male bovine excrement. 🐂💩 The far right wing ideologues can't provide sources as you are suppose to believe that all of their statements are self-evident facts.

They aren't.

I understand that the hidden underground launchers and the stockpiles that has been accumulated for many years is not really detectable.

Like trump says we can make a ton of money.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5780543-us-oil-prices-trump/

oic

Trumps Billionaire oil tycoons buddiies will make 'lots of money' from the 'biggest oil crisis in history' as Iran drone boat strikes send prices skyrocketing.

Mail Online

'Biggest oil crisis in history' as Iran launches suicide...

Iranian boats appear to have struck two fuel tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member on Wednesday.

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

Bombing Iran back into the stone age sounded like a good idea. But Iran still poses a threat to ships that transit the Strait of Hormuz. So planners at the Pentagon did consider having naval ships escort oil tankers and other cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz? I mean oil is still the lifeblood of the world.

Many of the shipping companies are concerned that even with US Navy escorts there's a good chance the vessels will be struck and damaged. So many don't want to risk that. Standoff continues and Iran is holding most of the cards as far as I can see.

53 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Many of the shipping companies are concerned that even with US Navy escorts there's a good chance the vessels will be struck and damaged. So many don't want to risk that. Standoff continues and Iran is holding most of the cards as far as I can see.

It seems like the Pentagon, lead by Hegseth (who just prayed during a news conference) did not plan for any and all contingencies. It does not take a naval warship to disrupt shipping along a 30 mile wide strait. It was different in the past but with cheap dronse readily available and I doubt any insurance company will want to underwrite ships with such risks. Just glad I am not back in the US and going to the gas station right now.

3 hours ago, dinsdale said:

True. Their missile stock was huge but as I said above missile launches since day 1 are down 90 or 95%. Add to that missiles need missile launchers and they have been taken out big time and continue to be. As for drones the amount being shot off is also massively down. As for surface and underwater drones I've seen no info on numbers of these which of course are the threat, along with mines, to the Hormuz Strait.

Likely just another American underestimating Iran just like the dear leader did. Let's give this some time and see how it plays out, I don't think it's going to be pretty in the end.

9 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

It seems like the Pentagon, lead by Hegseth (who just prayed during a news conference) did not plan for any and all contingencies. It does not take a naval warship to disrupt shipping along a 30 mile wide strait. It was different in the past but with cheap dronse readily available and I doubt any insurance company will want to underwrite ships with such risks. Just glad I am not back in the US and going to the gas station right now.

I agree. And I think it's safe to say that's the only time he has prayed n the last 30 years. American American politicians have a way of becoming Christian when it's convenient. They are CINO's.

He devotes a lot more time, effort and concentration to The Keg, than he does the altar.

Save this before it get's flushed own the memory hole! I love this - Iran poses no threat to the homeland. Ok, so why the **** are we there? (Rhetorical question).

https://x.com/PressSec/status/2032118372901527884

"TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did."

Wait for that statement to get TACO'ed.

1 hour ago, ronnie50 said:

Many of the shipping companies are concerned that even with US Navy escorts there's a good chance the vessels will be struck and damaged. So many don't want to risk that. Standoff continues and Iran is holding most of the cards as far as I can see.

As we know Don has a habit of grossly underestimating his adversaries and grossly overestimating himself. That's not a bad thing if you're smart, cunning and have good intelligence that you're working with, but this just does not seem to be the case with the old man.

Especially now that Iran has taken out five separate billion dollar radar arrays, and the US is flying completely blind. That is not only something they did not anticipate, but it's something that neither the government nor the media wants to talk about.

Dumb and dumber. Big Don.

2 hours ago, connda said:

Most members on this site get their news from a single ideological viewpoint promoted by American and Western media. Unfortunately, US mainstream media are stenographers for the US State Department and the White House. What you are fed is highly politicized propaganda with nuggets of facts. Like a gold miner, you need to sluice the sands of fabrication away to get to the gold.

It's a lot like during the Covid pandemic where we were literally told to "trust the science" which meant, "you may only accept mainstream media's narrative of Covid, and you must shut off your own innate analytical skills and stop trying to pick apart the facts from fiction" and there was a s***-ton of fiction being bandied about during Covid.

Same for war. ..."you may only accept mainstream media's narrative of <enter war here>, and you must shut off your own innate analytical skills and stop trying to pick apart the facts from fiction" and there was a s***-ton of fiction being bandied about during <current war>. Same same.

It order to reach some semblance of truth, you gotta get out of your comfort zone and read multiple sources of information from foreign media including Russia, Iran, China, India, and non-Western souces, left wing media, right wing media, the media of those who are considered combatants, the media of you countries allies, and non-mainstream open-source independent media reviews and analysis. One thing you can be sure of, "The First Casualty of War is the Truth," therefore you have to have the intuitive capability of dig into information troves and pick facts from fiction - unfortunately most people can't do that. Using the same analogy, like a gold miner with a sluice pan, you're mining for nuggets of truth.

So what most members get is "unfiltered" propaganda, and therefore what you get on forums like this are ideologues spouting the version of propaganda the watched on their screens while completely discounting any narrative but those promoted by their home-country's media - and as such everything they state as opinion on this forum is skews by the impact of the propaganda they unquestioningly accept.

That's why I find wading through these OPs on the Iran War to be a sad state of affairs, i.e., watching people get the situation on the ground totally wrong.

Currently Trump is spouting, "The War Is Over - We Won." Believing that is a huge mistake. Like Br'er Rabbit, he smacked a tar-baby right in the face and now he's stuck. And he's flailing.
Don't be like Br'er Rabbit. Ideologues only find half-truths.

Trusting Trump and his corrupt, dishonest, and morally bent administration for information on how this war is going is a bit like trusting the TAT when it comes to its prognosis for tourism, and the arrival numbers.

There's no question that these Nimwits were caught completely off guard by Iran's response, and the lack of progress, and nobody knows where this thing is heading at this point, but it's not going to be pretty.

No question that Iran has a lot of tricks up its sleeve, they have proxy armies at their disposal, they may have sleeper cells hiding in the US and Europe, they could have a lot of hidden ballistic missiles and some experts are saying that they may have as many as 80 warheads each, and countless other snakes that Trump has unleashed from the pen that seemed to be under control.

Don continues to unimpress with his lack of intelligence, vision, expertise and the severe lack of talent in the administration. He is most definitely the wrong leader at this time, and is causing untold amounts of chaos around the world.