Christian Science Monitor: Imminent Iran nuclear threat? A timeline of warnings since 1979.

[tuvor]

Breathless predictions that the Islamic Republic will soon be at the brink of nuclear capability, or – worse – acquire an actual nuclear bomb, are not new.

For more than quarter of a century Western officials have claimed repeatedly that Iran is close to joining the nuclear club. Such a result is always declared "unacceptable" and a possible reason for military action, with "all options on the table" to prevent upsetting the Mideast strategic balance dominated by the US and Israel.

And yet, those predictions have time and again come and gone. This chronicle of past predictions lends historical perspective to today’s rhetoric about Iran.

1. Earliest warnings: 1979-84

...

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Imminent-Iran-nuclear-threat-A-timeline-of-warnings-since-1979/Earliest-warnings-1979-84

[spanone]

1. once the scary soviet union no longer posed a threat...

a new bogeyman was needed

[salvorhardin]

2. Power of Nightmares territory

[still_one]

3. and just for arguments sake, what if they did? where are they going to use it? Does anyone really

believe if they used it for offensive purposes, there would not be an Iran as we know it.

Does anyone really believe they are that crazy?

It is not in either Iran or Israel best interest to go to war, and it is NOT going to happen except maybe in the dreams of the extremists

Otherwise it is just typical hot air

If these people were so smart, why did they invade Iraq? Pssssst, they were wrong about that also