Iran says could hit U.S. if it came under attack: paper

[Kantor]

Millenium said:

Kantor said:

Jumpin said:
If Iran has to give up its nukes, then the US should give up theirs as well.

The USA is, at least nominally, a democracy, which has signed the non-proliferation treaty, is not engaged in any wars against a nation, and serves to gain nothing by nuclear bombing its neighbours or, indeed, any other country. Furthermore, it has possessed nuclear weaponry for the last 68 years and has not dropped a nuclear bomb for the last 67. The last time it dropped an atomic bomb, it was engaged in a war which could not possibly be ended any other way (without a great deal of bloodshed on both sides).

Iran is a rogue state which has openly threatened the existence of other states, a dictatorship known for renegade actions, which holds strong grudges against many of its neighbours and feels that its existence is threatened.

There is an enormous difference between the two countries.

Not often do I feel the need to say this, but this time you are wrong.

Calling the USA "a democracy" does not excuse the fact that they ARE the country that has dropped a nuke on another country, nor does it excuse the fact that the USA can't go a year without commiting some sort of invasion, bombing, illegal entry or otherwise wrongful act of violence towards another country.

And that includes these so called "preventions of crimes against humanity" against countries like Libya, which end up just tearing down the entire country into dust. And as far as I know, the ever so "threatening" Iran does not do any of these acts on a yearly basis.

So, sorry, but the USA has just as much right (none) to have nuclear weapons as Iran does, and I for one do not feel any safer know that the USA has them than if Iran had them.

The USA was the first country in the world to obtain a nuclear weapon and therefore the first to be able to use it without fear of response in kind. Had Iran acquired a bomb before Israel, you could be certain that it would be used.

Yes, American foreign policy is very questionable, but that doesn't extend to dropping nukes. Perhaps this is a personal bias because Britain is practically America's closest ally in the world, but I do feel safer in a world in which America has a nuclear bomb.

If we could get rid of nukes entirely, that would be brilliant, but I definitely wouldn't want North Korea, China, Russia and the like possessing nuclear weapons whilst America didn't.

As for Libya, honestly you can't fault America for intervening there because:

a) It was really secondary to Britain and France there

b) Everyone was screaming at America to get involved.

Things always look different in retrospect. Iraq was always unpopular, but there was overwhelming support for invading Afghanistan initially, as there was for invading Libya.