sfrcook; the cost of permanently ending the threat of nuclear violence from Iran could be (if the USA was ruthless enough) extremely small. Strategists would have to confer about the details, but the cost could be very small indeed in terms of a country’s defense budget. Non-financial costs would be high, however.

What am I talking about? Well, what is the replacement cost of one Trident missile including warheads? A little difficult for a government to order, plan and execute any attack, when said government is a rapidly expanding cloud of highly ionised plasma.