But that’s still better than the alternative of them getting a nuclear weapon. Or is there someone here who would actually argue that Iran should have nukes?
Well, being that they have been "just a few weeks away" from getting a nuclear weapon for the last 25 years, I'm not all that concerned. IF they wanted one, they'd have one.
Total agreement. Making a nuclear weapon is not that hard: the Manhattan project did it with 1940s technology; the N Koreans did it a decade or so ago abetted by a Pakistani expert. Iranians certainly possess the knowhow - I suspect that those who do know how to do it have been dragging their heels a little just as Heisenberg has long been rumored to have done.
Their main aim, if they had one, would be for local consumption. They are not, and never have been, foolish enough to take on the Israelis or the Americans. If they had a nuclear capability they would wave it about "I'm the boss here!" in Big Swinging Dick mode.
I think the U.S. military has achieved what it intended in terms of weakening Iran’s military capability. Of course, it’s just ‘mowing the grass’, it only keeps them down for a while, hopefully five or ten years. But that’s still better than the alternative of them getting a nuclear weapon. Or is there someone here who would actually argue that Iran should have nukes?
Your "take" as usual is idiotic. As I said in another thread, the only thing this war has accomplished is convincing Iran that it legitimately needs a nuclear weapon as a deterrent to US and Israeli attack, or at least providing that excuse for the ruling faction hardliners. Do you know how to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons? You prove that it's unnecessary because you have a region at peace, with interdependent economies that benefit all.
Netanyahu precipitated this war for his own domestic political reasons, some of which have an internal logic but were made more exigent by the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Iran is the major state funding source of Hamas and Hezbollah, which do pose genuine threats to Israel's security (here I am not going to get into why they exist in the first place; I am just looking at today's realities). To the extent Hamas and Hezbollah act as agents of Iranian policy, it makes sense to attempt regime change at the top while eliminating the more immediate local threats. But it is apparent that the war in Gaza hasn't eradicated Hamas nor will the war in Lebanon likely end Hezbollah, and with the IRGC and hardliners now firmly in control of Iran -- and Trump cutting a deal with them to get himself out of his own domestic political disaster -- Netanyahu's effort has been a failure all around. We are not just back to where we were in February; literally everything is now substantially worse.
I am ready to argue that Iran should NOT have Nukes. But also ready to argue that France, the Brits, North Korea, and particularly DJ Trump certainly should not have Nukes. I think it is also a dirty little secret that Israel has had them but not very many, probably as long ago as Pakistan. Iran certainly could have had them years ago, just by buying them from Ukraine or Russia black market weapon dealers. The problem with that last option is one the USofA is dealing with now--how to keep the really old individual weapons functional but not unstable.
