# Who would Iran be likely to nuke? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443 "2005-08-10T14:49:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443/21 "2005-08-11T13:50:43Z")
> [@Maus Magill](#): > > I’d disagree. They may be extremist nutcases, but they’re not suicidal. Because there is no history of extremists being suicidal? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443/22 "2005-08-11T13:52:52Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Because there is no history of extremists being suicidal? Maybe the foot soldiers, but the leaders tend not to be. When was the last time the Mullahs engaged in an action that could be deemed suicidal? Or even bin Laden? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443/23 "2005-08-11T13:54:33Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > If there was no substantial evidence as to the origin of the nukes, would Israel get away with retaliating against Iran? Heck, if you read enough Tom Clancy, you know that the only thing faster and easier than determining a nuke’s origin is _CSI_ running a DNA scan. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443/24 "2005-08-11T14:07:31Z")
Not likely to nuke anyone in the first 20 years or so. Who would they like to nuke? Israel US Iraq on and off Egypt Great Britain Turkey Saudi Arabia ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443/25 "2005-08-11T14:30:44Z")
I don’t think they would particularly like to nuke Iraq at this point. And add Pakistan to the list - the two have been fighting little proxy wars all over central Asia whenever the opportunity arises. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443/26 "2005-08-11T15:00:01Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > If there was no substantial evidence as to the origin of the nukes, would Israel get away with retaliating against Iran? I imagine that the fallout from an Iranian device would smell pretty much the same as that from a Russian one, no? As an ally of the USA, wouldn’t Israel have to have something more solid than using simple logic? They haven’t needed anything more solid to institute air strikes in the past. Israel is very touchy when it comes to threats. This probably comes from three attempted invasions in less than thirty years. I’d be touchy, too. Again. I think the only reason to have nukes in this day and age is for a deterrent. To actually use them when others have the same capability would be suicidal. > [@Neurotik](#): > > Maybe the foot soldiers, but the leaders tend not to be. When was the last time the Mullahs engaged in an action that could be deemed suicidal? Or even bin Laden? Exactly. Suicide bombing is a tactic that is only really useful when used against an democratic occupying force (real or perceived). See Vietnam, Lebanon, and Gaza. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-iran-be-likely-to-nuke/316443.md?page=1)