# Panetta: Iran will not be allowed nukes **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 20, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panetta-iran-will-not-be-allowed-nukes/606888 "2011-12-20T21:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 18
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panetta-iran-will-not-be-allowed-nukes/606888/18 "2011-12-21T03:09:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Exactly. This is the US’s policy independent of which party is in power. But beyond that, we never take anything off the table. It’s SOP in this stage of “negotiation”. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Which helps demonstrate why the Iranians are perfectly sensible to want nukes in the first place. > [@Marley23](#): > > If Obama and Panetta said war wasn’t on the table, wouldn’t you just assume it was a lie anyway? What I think is besides the point; the point is that threatening Iran with everything up to and including nuclear attack is highly threatening and makes it perfectly reasonable for Iran (or anyone else we spout such genocidal threats at) to want nuclear weapons. And in a [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=630103) **John Mace** did defend threatening Iran with nuclear attack with the same exact excuse he’s using here: > [@Is military action against Iran an inevitability?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-military-action-against-iran-an-inevitability/601726/43): > > > [@Is military action against Iran an inevitability?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-military-action-against-iran-an-inevitability/601726/42): > > > > 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. > > Oh Christ, what a crock. It is SOP for the US never to take anything off the table when discussing actions that might be possible about our supposed enemies. There is nothing unique about Iran in this situation. If we want them to not want nuclear weapons, then constantly threatening them with mass slaughter is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. And making speeches about how it’s “SOP” makes it no less a genocidal threat. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panetta-iran-will-not-be-allowed-nukes/606888)._