I think you have some good points Rancher. I think what the Iranians have in mind is strategic, rather than tactical. They know from history that once one has a viable nuclear force that it does not get taken away. Israel is a good example of that. Yet Israel did this in another era where such things could be done without all of this intense scrutiny and pressure. Those days are gone.
Technology is the key here.
That is why Iran is having so much difficulty. Information technology is way past what it was when Israel was in it’s nuclear phase. I think Iranian government invested way beyond what it can sustain.
Given that I do agree with Ari about the essential point that in the long term the goal is peace. If Israel and Palestinians can find a workable solution then Iran and the other bad apples lose the wind behind their sails. That is the real reason it has not happened yet. Too many parties need this conflict to continue. This a drama on the world stage entertainment reality show.
A bad peace is better than a good war
Besser a schlechter shalom vi a Guten krieg
Yiddish proverb
(Yiddish proverb)
