What I am not interested in in the tribalism and hysteria surrounding this issue, however I am interested in the international legality of the what is happening. So, we know that an attack on another country is only deemed legal when an armed attack is imminent (art. 51). It isn’t enough to say that someone is an enemy, and it isn’t enough to say that my enemy might attack me sometime in the future. To date, neither Israel nor the USA have been able to show concrete evidence that Iran was about to attack Israel. Indeed the nuclear agency have categorically stated that Iran was nowhere near manufacturing a nuclear war head, let alone the capability of delivering it.
What we do know however, is that Netanyahu has made it one of his life’s ambitions to rid Iran of the capability, and the fact that the USA has now joined him in this fight must make him think that all his christmases have come at once. But I still go back to the law, and the apparent illegality of their actions.
If we ignore this law, then we might as well all pack up and go home.
With regard to Iran. It seems to me that this is a case of being careful what you wish for. So the Revolution, which toppled the Shah, whose continuance had been supported by western powers, was hoped to bring an out a democracy, but unfortunately instead heralded in the dictatorship we see today. The result many think of the backlash to western interference.
So imo the aim to bring about regime change is neither desirable nor sensible given the past history, Irans ethnic profile and the strong possibility that Iranians will work together to resist outside interference from the west particularly Israel.
With regard to ability of nuclear capability. I don’t for one minute think that Iran has been neutralised regarding nuclear weapons, and my fear now is that Khamenei, who has always done enough in various assaults on his perceived enemy but never too much, will reckon that he has nothing to lose by secretly developing this weapon and threatening to use it if pushed by Israel, either directly or indirected by his sleeper cells spread throughout the world.
That is why diplomacy and talks always top violence, and why I see what is happening as nothing but bad news for the world. Perhaps not immediately but certainly for the near future.