It took him nearly five full years in office, but President Obama has finally come out mostly opposed to the idea of attacking Iran, saying he believes that the attack would be “messy” and would have costs associated with it.
In particular, Obama echoed warnings from Pentagon officials in years past that a military strike on Iran would, instead of scaring the nation into abandoning its civilian nuclear program, actually convince them that they need nuclear weapons to defend against future attacks.
Iran has repeatedly ruled out seeking nuclear weapons, insisting they are unnecessary and unwanted, and its religious leaders have argued their indiscriminate nature violates religious tenets.
That calculation could change if Iran starts getting attacked, especially by Israel, a nation with its own nuclear arsenal. Even if Iran would prefer not to waste money on nuclear weapons, there is no denying that such an arsenal would be of some deterrent value if the nation comes under direct attack, and the strikes might make them desperate enough to make a run for any solution.
