Is Mr. Putin quite sure he wants to engage the United States in another Cold War?

As to the issue of Iran’s missiles, that pursuit seems rather unnecessarily provocative, unless of course that is the entire point, i.e., to provoke a pre-emptive attack and so reveal the 12th Imam. A rational actor, at least from our perspective, might better decide to forego the whole attack-by-air mode and concentrate on another, albeit clunkier, means of delivery. A half dozen thermonuclear devices smuggled into our cities could have as much or more effect. Such weapons could be employed for coercive, deterrent or retaliatory purpose, depending on circumstance and/or whim. Of course any weapon so deployed might be prematurely discovered and defused, but the very fact of discovery would lend credence to the possibility of others not found and so might actually increase, not lessen, the intended effect.