iran would long since have been off our shit-list if they would stop their rhetorical war-mongering, constant threats to israel, the US and anyone else who they find to be a useful menace to keep their populace in line, their refusal to abide by the treaties they signed (nuclear non-proliferation for example) and their continued indulgence in all the worst aspects of socialist dictatorship without the silver lining of atheism.
iran NEEDS to be on the brink of conflict with somebody, and the best somebody to be on the brink of conflict with is the US since we REALLY REALLY dont actually want a war, so we bribe,, schmooze and caress every petty despot who wants a nice wet hummer and a sandwich while he oppresses his victims.
who better to shake down than the richest most kind hearted woolly headed liberals on the planet? thats the US by the way.
Not completley true, Iran has always allowed inspectors from the IAEA to inspect they're non-weaponised facilities. By all means they might have some secret facilities or IMHO they have already purchased something from Pakistan, China or Russia, as a deterent to a Israeli fisrt strike.
They also have thousands of silkworm missiles ready to destroy oil facilities in Saudi Arabia should it come to that. They don't need to attack the US mainland, they could cripple the US economy, based on petro-dollars, by proxy.
Israel actually has never let IAEA inspectors in to view their over 200+ nuclear weapons, will not sign non-proliferation treaties and are the biggest violators of UN security council resolutions. They are the cause of tensions in the middle east. The state of israel came about through a backroom deal with the Rothschilds & Kermet Roosevelt Jr (paying of central american countries to vote in favour at the UN).
The US can't play favourites in the mid east, especially in the current climate. I'd also like to see Israel sabre rattle when the US isn't standing behind them with a big gun!
The mainstream media in the US has repeated blatent lies about Iran, distorting the truth to fit they're western view of the region.
A book i thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in the geo-strategic & geo-political and would like a better understanding of the Iraninan regieme is " The devil we know" by Robert Baer.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Devil-We-Know-Superpower/dp/B002QGSY68/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351653019&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=the+dcevil+we+know