Unfortunately, you're right. Unless diplomacy actually works (not a good chance), there are no good options. But I think striking them (without a land invasion) from the air will be the only thing we'll be able to do.
It will be hard and tricky, but we actually may be able to strike them with minor retributions. What happens after the smoke settles from the strikes will be the scariest moment of all, determining what happens next. If we communicate that "there's more where that came from," we have a good chance of avoiding disaster.
Well that air strike had better be with OVERWHELMING FORCE!!!
It is unlikely in the extreme that even that will be done. And as far as Israel's doing it is concerned, with the election of a Kadima led government, that's out of the picture as well. No, it looks like the threat of "atomic ayatollahs" is going to be countered by "nuclear Riyadh", with the House of Saud being given the technology, by Pakistan, and with our approval.
Will this gambit work? Perhaps it might, but work, or not, it just does *not* give me "a warm and fuzzy feeling"...
Minor retributions? No, I'm sorry but I hope I'm wrong but the retribution will not be minor. They will launch terrorism, missile and shut the straits.
It's easy to mine and could take years to clear. They have suicide subs that can drop a ship and block everything coming out of the Gulf.
We better have our reserve capacity to 100%. Otherwise we're going to be in a complete disaster. That doesn't even count the other problems.