Israel...Have the stakes just increased?

[CCIP]

Can't condemn you for being pragmatic Ducimius. But - it does get a lot more difficult if you've ever known, worked with or became friends with actual people from Iran, as I have. They very often give me the same impression as the late Soviet era Eastern European intellectuals that I grew up among - no love for their regime, keenly aware of what's happening, and really, really good at passive resistance to a point where it doesn't put them or their families in jail (usually). However the regime is just too strong for them to get rid of - for now.
Their state may like yelling 'death to America', but there are many people who couldn't be any more opposed to the official stance. Just that their voices are easily silenced.

So if you know actual Persians/Iranians, it gets a lot more difficult to compartmentalize. Nor do I think it's fair to ignore the real human tragedy that'll happen as a result.

I think at this stage, it's not too late to avert the worst-case scenario anyway. Iran, like the Soviet system back in the 80s, may look strong on the outside but is in fact pretty rotten. Playing the right cards can - and should - result in its inevitable collapse. We're not at war yet. So it's not yet time to compartmentalize while we have time.