Quote:1. No. Iran simply having a nuke is not a failure state. Iran will inevitably become a nuclear power at some point. Any country with the infrastructure and desire to do so will become a nuclear power. America no longer gets to pick and choose who can have nukes. If Iran uses a nuke, my optimism was wrong.


2. I can't say whether they are or are not the minority in Iran, but I do know people who have visited over there, and none of them were chased out, hung, ostracized, denied service or suicide bombed. That suggests to me that mainstream Iran is much more moderate than the wackos in charge are.