Spielt Khamenei Schach?

In a new essay for *The Caravan Notebook,* former Spanish defense official Rafael L. Bardají examines the status of Iran’s nuclear weapons program and the prospects for the United States and Israel to achieve either diplomatic or military success in limiting its progress. Bardají argues that, in the short term, Iran’s regime will strategically use deception “to buy time and preserve whatever it can to resume the [nuclear] program under new circumstances.” Bardají also explains his view that the fate of the Khamenei regime and that of its nuclear program are linked and “inseparable.” Writing in a moment where both negotiations and US-Israeli military action appear to remain on the table, Bardají counsels that “the United States must be materially and psychologically prepared” to employ costly military options should evidence suggest Iran continues to progress toward operational nuclear weapons. 

Very nice summary of how we get here, and really after reading the piece, I am increasingly believe the chance for peace is slim, if not non-existent. There’s just no way around it anymore: Iran has come to a stage where they could produce a nuclear bomb in weeks, and has always seek to evade any attempt to curtail its nuclear program. There’s no way anyone can trust them anymore, and they don’t want to give up the program for obvious reasons.

Trump may still want to give Iran a last chance but Bibi most likely not, as he sees this is a opportunity of a lifetime to remove Israel’s biggest pain in the ass for good. And if Israel acts alone first, would the US be obliged to join in to finish the job anyway ?

If you read the wiki page of the author, it says he is a self-proclaimed Zionist. Really adds a lot of context to this article