What is the difference between Israel having a nuclear capability and Iran getting the same?

If Iran succeeds there will be better balance in the Middle East and a Mexican stand off between them and Israel like the one between Pakistan and India.

We are then in the same MAD as we have been with Russia for so many years - everyone has to blink eventually as the reality of a nuclear holocaust puts petty squabbles over resources into sharp focus. No point in having access to the others resources when you are dying of radiation sickness.

The religious drivers of both Iran and Israel are definitely a threat but inflicting armageddon onto your neighbour isn't feasible without wiping yourself out too.

Nice to see you back Crab! The thoughts above are, on the surface, entirely logical to you and I and most others here. However, it does rely on Iran having the same agnostic-based "world view" and "logic" which, of course, many Iranians will doubtless have. However..........

Assuming that the Iranian Government is not agnostic, and you throw in the "Hidden Imam", you now have sections within the Iranian Government who view their role in seeing him "revealed in the midst of a violent apocalyptic scenario played out on a battleground stained with infidels’ blood".

All of a sudden normal PPRuNers logic breaks down.

Of course, many other Islamic states don't see it this way but it suggests a key faction in the Iranian Government actually see the apocalypse as being "a good thing". What constitutes the "battleground" is also unclear but "it will be what it needs to be" seems to be the general idea.

This short Open University Blog (just 8 paragraphs) gives a brief if depressing summary of this and, I suspect, is possibly behind gums' stance on all of this. There's quite a bit more out there on the matter but, factoring in the fact that we in the West just ain't supposed to talk about such matters as it's not "politically correct" to do so, we have simply not had this debate exposed to the general public.

So, just how much of a factor this "Mahdism" is in all of this is, well, rather like the question "How long is a piece of string?". Clearly, there is some string there, we just don't know how much of it there is. Something to cheerfully muse over while doing Sunday lunch on the BBQ! You can always rely on H 'n' H to bring some cheer to the discussion!!! :ok:

The elephant in the room H+H !
Few want to mention, less want to discuss.

Is it fear, or some twisted form of the disease of political correctness !

Meanwhile, down the rabbit hole we go !!

This is probably more appropriate in Jet Blast, but I'll make the point here in contrast to yours, and I am aware that this post could be deleted or moved by one of our long-suffering moderators, for whom I have deep respect.

Removed the JB fodder
Thanks for the rest
T28B
I think it is reasonable to suggest that the policies and goals of both the American and Iranian governments are likely to be influenced by the religious culture of each respective government's members. I pray that both sides are influenced more by independent rational thought.