[amiramir]

With respect to Iran it's worth reflecting on the fact that the US engineered a coup in Iran to depose Mosaddegh in 1953[1]. At that time the UK and US did not like the winner of a largely democratic process that installed Mosaddegh as Prime Minister and that had forced the Shah to flee Iran. Operation AJAX got rid of Mosaddegh as Prime Minister and brought the Shah back. The US then supported him as he weakened the democratic process and angered the population leading to the Iranian Revlolution. One could argue that the 1953 coup sowed the seeds of the 1979 Iranian revolution[2] that created the Islamic Republic of Iran who then went on to start the nuclear program that you mention. The US also supported Saddam Hussain in Iraq's war against Iran in which 500,000 or more people died. Who knows where the region would be if it were not for the 1953 coup.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9ta... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution