Iran Doesn't Doubt That the U.S. Might Attack

It seems painfully obvious that when the Iranian government feels more threatened it becomes more likely that they will choose to build a deterrent against attack.

Dennis Ross bangs the war drums again:

To reinforce the secretary’s remarks, Biden should use his speech at the United Nations General Assembly this month to reemphasize that while Washington prefers a diplomatic outcome, Iran’s approach suggests it wants nuclear arms, not civil nuclear power, and as a result, it is risking its entire nuclear infrastructure. A public posture of this sort will also signal that Washington is conditioning the environment internationally for possible U.S. military action. Even before going public, the United States should inform its allies and use private channels to convey this message to Iranian officials.

Second, U.S. forces should be conducting exercises with U.S. Central Command that rehearse air-to-ground operations against hardened targets that necessarily must involve striking the air defenses that protect them. Iran pays attention to U.S. exercises and will understand the kind of attacks the Defense Department is preparing and simulating.

The “debate” over the nuclear issue with Iran is unusually frustrating. It is as if we are trapped in a time warp where hawks trot out the same bankrupt arguments they have been making for almost twenty years and still expect to be taken seriously. So we are once again subjected to Ross’ assertion that it is only the “credible” U.S. threat of force that will discourage the Iranian government from pursuing nuclear weapons. It seems painfully obvious that when the Iranian government feels more threatened it becomes more likely that they will choose to build a deterrent against attack, but Ross never so much as acknowledges this as a possibility.