I think the fact that Iran is trying to get the bomb is pretty clear. They went to great lengths to protect their nuclear program, even at the expense of crippling sanctions, and if their intentions were peaceful nuclear research, it would have been straightforward to reach an agreement with the international community a long time ago and have the sanctions lifted.
I am not saying that we should feel OK about some other countries having the nuclear weapons. I think it's clear at this point that allowing North Korea become nuclear was a big mistake (and there is no way of getting it fixed). This should teach us to be much more careful about allowing various countries become nuclear.
But letting Iran get nuclear is going to be much more dangerous. First, Iran is already actively involved in sponsoring and arming terrorists and rogue regimes in many places (Hamas, Hezbollah and Assad's regime are some examples). It has big ambitions about becoming a regional hegemony. Extermination of Israel seems to be part of their officially stated policy. It was involved in several violent acts in other countries (e.g. bombing the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, that claimed hundreds of lives). One can only imagine how much worse all these will become once Iran becomes nuclear. Last but not least, because of the danger Iran poses to its neighbors, many of them will also seek nuclear bomb. Once you allow Iran get nuclear, it will be hard to justify stopping these countries. Seeing that Middle East is one of the most volatile regions on Earth, letting it go nuclear is a recipe for disaster. |
