Is military action against Iran an inevitability?

Installing the Shah was an act of aggression against Iran, period. We were not “friendly” with them at all; we were their enemies and victimizers. Just because we did it using a puppet doesn’t make it any less of an act of aggression.

Nonsense; we used Saddam Hussein to stage a proxy invasion, killing huge numbers of Iranians. And we support groups against Iran that even our own State Department calls “terrorists”. And Bush effectively threatened to use nuclear weapons on them with his “refusal to take nuclear strikes off the table.” So that’s terrorism, attempted conquest, and a threat of genocide.

Because they could ruin South Korea if they wanted to, and have nothing worth stealing.