I doubt that the Iranian leadership has that strong a death wish. Rather, the nukes will be used as insurance, so that when Iran moves against Iraq (now handed over to Iran on a silver platter by President Obama), the Arab states (who rightly fear Iranian power) or Israel (through their Hezbollah proxies), retaliation from Israel or the US will be off the table.
Also, I imagine that the leadership views nukes as a good insurance against getting the G(K)(h)addaffi treatment.
But actually using the nukes (which are likely to be few in number and of limited yield) will inevitably lead to Tehran being turned into a crater. Not worth it from the perspective of the Supreme Leader.
“But actually using the nukes (which are likely to be few in number and of limited yield) will inevitably lead to Tehran being turned into a crater. Not worth it from the perspective of the Supreme Leader.”
Right. Not worth it - now. Maybe in another 5-10 years when they have a sophisticated arsenal. It would be a dumb move at any time - better to keep them as a deterrent, but that assumes a rational government.
But if they should nuke Israel what would the fallout pattern (radiation, not political) look like? Would they care? Would the Saudis? If so, that could be a game changer.