[ericmay]

This is false because Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapon before Trump ever came into office. the JCPOA was signed under Obama. It wouldn't have existed had Iran not already been pursuing nuclear weapons.

Iran can obviously hide nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment activities from the inspectors. Unless of course you believe the US intelligence agency and inspection agencies are capable of perfect intelligence. :)

> Random, unprovoked attacks by other countries only underscores Iran's need to build nuclear weapons. Mission accomplished.

Doesn't make sense. You're ignoring Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and other geostrategic concerns. Even if Iran wasn't trying to build a nuclear weapon they were stockpiling missiles such that they could seize control over the Straight of Hormuz and ensure tolls were paid to their autocratic regime. It's beyond bizarre to me that someone can, presumably in an honest way, think that this war just randomly started and was unprovoked. Incompatible world views.

[tzs]

Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons. Many countries put sanctions on them to get them to stop. They made a deal, JCPOA, with the US, China, France, Russia, the UK, Germany, and the EU to stop in exchange for reducing sanctions.

It worked. Even the first Trump administration certified that Iran was upholding their end of the deal.

Then Trump unilaterally cancelled it over the objection of all the other parties and put back the sanctions. Iran resumed pursuing nuclear weapons.

This clearly shows that war is not necessary to get Iran to stop. They were even offering significant concessions in the negotiations just before this war according to a UK advisor who was in attendance, but the US was not actually interested in a diplomatic solution and was just using the negotiations to make Iran think the attack was not imminent.

[cholantesh]

More like you are ignoring the US' prodigious client in the region running amok.

[ericmay]

No I'm not ignoring Israel, I'm just evaluating Israel in context. Have they done shitty things? FOR SURE. Does that excuse Iran and Hamas with respect to the October massacre? No absolutely not. But play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

On the other hand, the US just forced Israel to the negotiating table with Lebanon with a single tweet. Hopefully Israel and Lebanon can work together to rid themselves of Hezbollah and restore peace. We know the UN peacekeepers certainly couldn't help here.

[cholantesh]

You effectively are, none of the groups you listed sprang from the ether, summoned by Islamofascist wizardry, they exist as responses to Israeli conduct in the region, something made structurally possible almost entirely through US patronage.

>Hopefully Israel and Lebanon can work together to rid themselves of Hezbollah and restore peace.We know the UN peacekeepers certainly couldn't help here.

Case in point - the historic collaboration between Israel and Lebanon was what created the context in which Hezbollah first came into existence, and UN peacekeepers have largely been ineffective there because the IDF kept firing on them. The ceasefire agreed to a week ago doesn't push for Israeli withdrawal in any term or really any other measures for accountability on their part or the US', so 'peace' in this context is effectively just capitulation to both those parties' hegemony, I suppose because it's a law of nature or something.