It is a good example how rhetoric does not always match reality.
I am quite sure that this is of great concern to many but Iran is a whole ‘nother can o’ worms. I think varwoche is right in that the logistics are no doubt much more complicated and there is probably no single site anyone can just hit with an air-strike to cripple the program.
And while there has been some rather harsh rhetoric directed toward Iran from the US it’s public attitude has till now been limited to that.
I’ll bet my left leg, though, that the covert designs against Iran are quite extensive and detailed.
The biggest problem that Iran presents for the US besides it’s primary role as an exporter of terror and it’s overall strategic importance is the fact that, unlike Iraq which was ruled by a secular tyrant who was despised by all, Iran is governed by an Islamic Fundamentalist Theocracy. Any overt military action against Iran, no matter how justified, will produce an extremely dangerous backlash and everyone knows this.
I think Iran’s emerging nuclear threat is taken very seriously at high levels of government world-wide but it’s unique stature in the Muslim world is enough to force most governments to prudently keep their saber rattling to a minimum.
The CIA backed coup that overthrew the Iranian Democracy in the 50s and installed the despotic Shaw and the west’s continued support of the Shaw to protect western interests at the expense of Iranian human rights, though rarely mentioned in the west, is viewed in the Muslim world as a primary example of western intervention and hypocrisy. The subsequent overthrow of the Shaw and the establishment of an Islamic Theocracy is equally viewed as an Islamic triumph. The symbolic nature of Iran cannot be ignored.
It should also be noted that although Iran has funded terrorism more than any other country and it maintains a very public hostility toward the west, the moderates in Iran have made significant gains in that country where, despite commonly held beliefs, many still have very strong ties with the west. The hope that change may come from within may also be affecting western policy though I’m not informed enough to evaluate whether that is a realistic hope.
So though I’ve rambled I think varwoche hit the most significant point. Like North Korea and unlike Iraq, there is probably no simple single strike option available.
