SvennoJ said:
Zkuq said:
Developing nukes can't possibly take 15 years, even with some setbacks. Iran must have consciously chosen to not take the final steps. If Iran finally decided to actually pursue nukes, it was because of the strikes last summer, and guess who did that? If there was any urgent threat, it was because of Trump. If this was more of a future thing, e.g. for the time after Khamenei's death, that's another thing, but it was also not urgent. I say this is Trump wanting to leave a mark, and triggering a regime change in Iran would definitely be one way to leave a mark. Trump is old enough to probably care about his legacy a lot, and his legacy until the start of his second term probably wasn't particularly notable. Before his second term, he would probably have been remembered as the president that stirred up the pot and not much more. |
It reportedly was Khamenei that forbid the pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei maintained a long-standing public stance against nuclear weapons, issuing a
fatwa in the early 2000s declaring their development and use "haram" (forbidden). He consistently argued that such weapons contradict Islamic principles and are unnecessary for Iran's security.
True or not, Iran has reportedly been weeks away from Nuclear weapons for decades.
Since at least 1992, Netanyahu has claimed Tehran was only 3–5 years away from producing a nuclear bomb.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed Iran is on the verge of developing nuclear weapons for over three decades, with specific warnings of an imminent, short-term threat—often mentioned as "months" or "weeks"—gaining prominence around 2012
https://news.un.org/en/story/2012/09/421552
Murdering Khamenei opens the door for Iran to actually develop nukes. No doubt his successors have been advising him that nukes are essential for defense. No better proof now.
Anyway it never was about nukes, it's about removing the last opposing force from the ME and weakening Iran-China and Iran-Russia relations. Turning Iran into another unstable Lebanon / Syria / Yemen / Iraq is Netanyahu's dream. Netanyahu already moved the goal posts from nukes to ballistic missiles, any nuclear deal would not have stopped this.
Trump knows he's close to death and has become a rambling fool only about his legacy, from begging for peace prices to leaving his mark on the White House by adding a ballroom, to creating a 'Board of Peace' and getting his son in law to turn Gaza into the 'Riviera of the ME'.
He's certainly leaving a legacy as a thief, war criminal and pedophile, destroying US soft power, the illusion of US democracy and likely the US economy as well. Trump will be remembered as the president that ended US hegemony. Yet for now he still has command of the world most powerful army. A very dangerous combination.
How many more countries will Trump bomb
Based on reported military actions since taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has engaged in bombing or direct military strikes in at least 6-7 countries, including Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, and Nigeria.
Cuba is likely next. |
