Is War With Iran Our Best Option?

[Draakonite]

Pakistan is still a country, just saying.

Also Iran has mellowed quite significantly under its current administration. It no longer directly opposes the US, and is working in conjunction with (though not alongside due to American intransigence) American interests in the Middle East by supporting the Iraqi state in the current IS crisis.

They also just toppled the Yemeni government and fund Hamas and Hezbollah.

Every country in the middle east funds terrorist organizations. Didn't stop the US from allying with turkey and Saudi-Arabia.

In fact, they can. Check your orientalist bullshit.

Neither North Korea nor Iran would be any more of a threat to any other country if they were to have nuclear weapons. Both would merely employ a nuclear arsenal for defensive deterrence.

They would use nuclear weapons as a deterrence against any response to their aggressive, expansionist, revolutionary agenda.

Name me one war that was started by iran, or its precessors, which happened in the last 100 years.

[Imperial City-States]

From a realistic sense, a Nuclear Iran isn't that much of a threat to the United States. If Iran (or extremist in Iran) were to launch a nuclear strike the United States would literally glass the sorry piece of sand that is now Iran. You thought the knee-jerk reaction from 9/11 was bad? Imagine a nuclear strike on US territory.



The real threat of a Nuclear Iran is to Israel, one of our allies.

[Myrensis]

From a realistic sense, a Nuclear Iran isn't that much of a threat to the United States. If Iran (or extremist in Iran) were to launch a nuclear strike the United States would literally glass the sorry piece of sand that is now Iran. You thought the knee-jerk reaction from 9/11 was bad? Imagine a nuclear strike on US territory.

The real threat of a Nuclear Iran is to Israel, one of our allies.

Iran gets glassed in the event of an attack on Israel too, by both Israel and the United States. The idea that a nuclear Iran constitutes a threat to Israel hinges entirely on the belief that the government of Iran has no higher aspirations in life than to commit national murder-suicide with Israel. A belief not supported anywhere outside of conservative paranoid fantasies.

[Imperial City-States]

From a realistic sense, a Nuclear Iran isn't that much of a threat to the United States. If Iran (or extremist in Iran) were to launch a nuclear strike the United States would literally glass the sorry piece of sand that is now Iran. You thought the knee-jerk reaction from 9/11 was bad? Imagine a nuclear strike on US territory.

The real threat of a Nuclear Iran is to Israel, one of our allies.

Iran gets glassed in the event of an attack on Israel too, by both Israel and the United States. The idea that a nuclear Iran constitutes a threat to Israel hinges entirely on the belief that the government of Iran has no higher aspirations in life than to commit national murder-suicide with Israel. A belief not supported anywhere outside of conservative paranoid fantasies.

I think the largest concern is that (correct me if i'm wrong) Iran is run by a radical Islamic government and it wouldn't exactly be that difficult for the materials to develop Fission weapons to fall into the wrong hands.

[Myrensis]

Iran gets glassed in the event of an attack on Israel too, by both Israel and the United States. The idea that a nuclear Iran constitutes a threat to Israel hinges entirely on the belief that the government of Iran has no higher aspirations in life than to commit national murder-suicide with Israel. A belief not supported anywhere outside of conservative paranoid fantasies.

I think the largest concern is that (correct me if i'm wrong) Iran is run by a radical Islamic government and it wouldn't exactly be that difficult for the materials to develop Fission weapons to fall into the wrong hands.

Iran keeps a tight leash on it's proxies, and that wouldn't change the equation anyway. Iran would have zero plausible deniability in the event of such a scenario, and they know it. The irony is that an Iran with nuclear weapons would have more reason than anybody to prevent an attack on Israel, because they know they'd take the blame regardless of whether they were actually involved or not.

The odds of Iran giving a nuke to one of it's terrorist pets are roughly the same as those of the US giving a nuke to one of it's 'freedom fighter' groups in Syria.

[SaintB]

See, this is what annoys me beyond bounds. Simply because some Americans have denounced countries such as North Korea and Iran on some completely fictitious "rogue nations" list and have, without any justification beyond the fact that they are "undemocratic", declared that these countries are somehow dangerous or irrational, doesn't automatically make it so.
There have been decades of indoctrination throughou every media just pushing in the notion that Iranians and North Koreans are somehow a threat to world peace, even though there isn't a single scrap of evidence to prove this.

"Delusional shit" is really not an argument. Neither North Korea nor Iran are aggressive countries or have waged any form of aggressiove behaviour in acts for the past decades. You can't just make up a list, name it "rogue countries", put some nations you don't like on it and use that as a justification for war. Iran will never conduct a nuclear first strike. Not against the US, and not even against Israel. Thinking otherwise is truly delusional.

Iran regularly threatens the destruction of Israel, chants "Death to America" almost every day, funds terrorist groups that are hostile to the U.S. and her allies, and is an oppressive hellhole. This is not a place we want having nuclear weapons.

1. In most of the Persian sphere of influence wishing death on something is the cultural equivalent of telling them to piss off. Crowds have also chanted for death to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (a former Iranian President) and probably Justin Beiber.
2. The US has funded terror groups that are hostile to the US, and entire countries that are more or less hostile to the US
3. It actually has greater freedoms than Saudi Arabia which is a US Ally.
4. They don't currently have nukes and have never managed to manufacture weapons grade fissionable material, until they can do that they are still far from having a nuclear weapon.

[Kubra]

1. You apparently think it a better idea than ground launching, seeing as you bothered to disprove that mythical notion of naval launching.
2. oh, so you want to use em on? Ground targets? Jeez, sorry for overestimating you.
It's a surface to air missile with a range of like 9km. What do you want me to assume it'll be used for?
3. spot on reading mate i made a explicit point of approaching it from the ground attack role.
4. sidewinders do exist in the anti ballistic missile role. Again, what else would you use it for? Ground attack?

Engaging aircraft.
Sidewinders would be of little if any effect against a target so large as a ballistic missile. They're short-ranged, lightweight and slow.

And that's the thing: no one has been making any mention of Iran's useless air force. I said fairly early on that Iran's airforce can be ignored entirely, which is why I'm puzzled that it's re-emerging with no precedence.

And actually, they did modify sidewinders for ballistic missile interception.
https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/us-mi ... -intercept
It's neat, though as you said, maybe no entirely useful.

[United Prefectures of Appia]

@OP

NO!

[Imperializt Russia]

Engaging aircraft.
Sidewinders would be of little if any effect against a target so large as a ballistic missile. They're short-ranged, lightweight and slow.

And that's the thing: no one has been making any mention of Iran's useless air force. I said fairly early on that Iran's airforce can be ignored entirely, which is why I'm puzzled that it's re-emerging with no precedence.

And actually, they did modify sidewinders for ballistic missile interception.
https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/us-mi ... -intercept
It's neat, though as you said, maybe no entirely useful.

Nearly anything can perform a boost-phase intercept.

The problem is getting close enough to do that. Boost phase is when the missile is at its slowest, lowest altitude and critically, when it is most full of fuel and therefore vulnerable. Half the reason YAL-1 was only useful against boost-phase targets was because at range, the thermal fluence it could direct onto a missile skin would only have been likely to kill it when it was full of fuel.

Units engaging in boost-phase intercept can only really be defending units, assets and formations actually in that weapon system's range. Anything a boost-phase intercept can be performed against is a critical asset that will be defended.

[Vashtanaraada]

War is the worst option reserved for the worst situations.

We haven't been bombed or invaded yet, everyone calm their tits.

[Pope Joan]

Israel and Saudi Arabia will be delighted if we attack Iran.

I hope the Saudi adventure draws Iran in open war, I honestly do. We have made it more and more difficult for this legitimate regional power to act through proxies; we have made this denouement unavoidable.

[Dain II Ironfoot]

Israel and Saudi Arabia will be delighted if we attack Iran.

I hope the Saudi adventure draws Iran in open war, I honestly do. We have made it more and more difficult for this legitimate regional power to act through proxies; we have made this denouement unavoidable.

Huh?
If you mean the west with "we" then no. The west only contributed to the proxy wars and Iran is really the only one that came out victorious. They aren't as stupid as you seem to hope for some reason.

[Kubra]

And that's the thing: no one has been making any mention of Iran's useless air force. I said fairly early on that Iran's airforce can be ignored entirely, which is why I'm puzzled that it's re-emerging with no precedence.

And actually, they did modify sidewinders for ballistic missile interception.
https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/us-mi ... -intercept
It's neat, though as you said, maybe no entirely useful.

Nearly anything can perform a boost-phase intercept.

The problem is getting close enough to do that. Boost phase is when the missile is at its slowest, lowest altitude and critically, when it is most full of fuel and therefore vulnerable. Half the reason YAL-1 was only useful against boost-phase targets was because at range, the thermal fluence it could direct onto a missile skin would only have been likely to kill it when it was full of fuel.

Units engaging in boost-phase intercept can only really be defending units, assets and formations actually in that weapon system's range. Anything a boost-phase intercept can be performed against is a critical asset that will be defended.

According to the article, it needed modification to track the uneven acceleration of the missile in boost phase. Then again, whatever modifications were performed could probably be performed on other guided missiles (the article mentions the AMRAAM in the same role, which seems like a safer option). I suppose the reason for doing such with a Sidewinder is cuz it's cheaper than mid-course intercepting.

[Imperializt Russia]

Sidewinder sounds like a hopelessly limited platform for boost-phase intercept.

Systems like Patriot or various missiles of the S-300/350/400 family are built to do this as an actual layer of defence. When exactly does the US hope to have Sidewinder-carrying platforms within Sidewinder range of ballistic missiles in boost phase? Hopelessly optimistic. Most Sidewinder-carrying platforms could carry much heavier, longer-ranged and generally more capable missiles, as you suggested, like AMRAAM. Still pretty optimistic, but far more useful than Sidewinder.

[Kubra]

I'd put my money on the Sidewinder test having been proof-of-concept, rather than for actual use in combat. They probably figure it's cheaper to convert existing equipment for use in the BMD role, rather than develop entirely new equipment.
But I mean yeah, no matter what angle you approach it from it isn't looking any less useful.

[-United Islamic Emirates-]

I hate the illegal Iranian regime but I would like to inform every one that. With this Uranium Iran will most likely not use it for WMDs they are feeding off this attention however as a scare tactic for those who are unaware and also to have a greater influence and iron fist over the middle east to say "we have nuclear materials". Where as Sunni states do not such as Saudi Arabia. The Iranian regimes since the fool of a man the shah as been attempting to gain nuclear materials time magainze in the 60's and 70's even made articles about it titled "This man on top of one of the world's largest oil reserves and why he is building reactors." Also the tyrant Khameini after the revolution declared a Fat'wah against nuclear warfare. As did Sunni scholars of fiqh such as Sheikh Baz of Saudi Arabia way before he did The rest of the Islamic community recognized this but the Shi'ites didnt so Khaminie obviously want to look fashionable and up to date. He was obviously making a propaganda move but his Fat'wah is still a Fat'wah to the Shiites that must be followed in Iran. So Iranian nuclear weapons and all of this is a hallow threat if it even was in the first place this is just a move for power and intimation.

[Seraven]

I hate the illegal Iranian regime but I would like to inform every one that. With this Uranium Iran will most likely not use it for WMDs they are feeding off this attention however as a scare tactic for those who are unaware and also to have a greater influence and iron fist over the middle east to say "we have nuclear materials". Where as Sunni states do not such as Saudi Arabia. The Iranian regimes since the fool of a man the shah as been attempting to gain nuclear materials time magainze in the 60's and 70's even made articles about it titled "This man on top of one of the world's largest oil reserves and why he is building reactors." Also the tyrant Khameini after the revolution declared a Fat'wah against nuclear warfare. As did Sunni scholars of fiqh such as Sheikh Baz of Saudi Arabia way before he did The rest of the Islamic community recognized this but the Shi'ites didnt so Khaminie obviously want to look fashionable and up to date. He was obviously making a propaganda move but his Fat'wah is still a Fat'wah to the Shiites that must be followed in Iran. So Iranian nuclear weapons and all of this is a hallow threat if it even was in the first place this is just a move for power and intimation.

Some people and few nations still didn't believed that, unfortunately.
Thus, we need to educate the masses.

[Salus Maior]

I hate the illegal Iranian regime....

Illegal according to what?

[The Greater Lebanon]

I hate the illegal Iranian regime....

Illegal according to what?

Ahl al Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah

[Salus Maior]

Illegal according to what?

Ahl al Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah

Is that a person or a law? I know nothing about Arabic

[The Nuclear Fist]

Ahl al Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah

Is that a person or a law? I know nothing about Arabic

Looks like someone's hand had a spasm on the keyboard.

[Salus Maior]

Is that a person or a law? I know nothing about Arabic

Looks like someone's hand had a spasm on the keyboard.

I'm sure your name sounds weird in some cultures, too ;P

[SJT]

F*ck no. We just barely got out of our longest war which didn't involve nuclear weapons, and this will just start another Cold War-like conflict. Iran would actually benefit from US trade, but that doesn't seem possible with all the nuclear conflicts so the best thing to do it just freeze contact entirely and let them continue to be afraid of our nuclear power (and vice versa).

[Alsheb]

I hate the illegal Iranian regime....

Illegal according to what?

According to some crazy takfiris.

[Alsheb]

F*ck no. We just barely got out of our longest war which didn't involve nuclear weapons, and this will just start another Cold War-like conflict. Iran would actually benefit from US trade, but that doesn't seem possible with all the nuclear conflicts so the best thing to do it just freeze contact entirely and let them continue to be afraid of our nuclear power (and vice versa).

Obviously Iran would benefit from it. The US sanctions are crippling Iran's economy, for no good reason whatsoever. Which is why Iran is constantly calling for the lifting of it.