You assume wrong.
Most of them are waiting with baited-breath for the 12th Imam... the rest are actively bringing about his return. What you're dealing with is potentially far more dangerous than Nazi-Germany or Imperial Japan. The conquest of western civilization was their goal... not its elimination.
We're facing a world-wide religion that's morphed into a 5th century death-cult.
I agree they do not want conquer or convert they want to elimate the west and all it stands for.
I lived in Tehran for two years, including during the period of the downfall the Shah and the hijacking of the Iranian Revolution by Khomeini. You couldn't be more wrong.
The mullahs are interested in power, money, and survival. They don't have a death wish or advocate national suicide. The Iranians want nuclear weapons as an insurance policy against any future US involvement in Iran and to use it as leverage to increase their influence in the region. Overt and first use of nuclear weapons by the Iranians would result in the total destruction of the country, i.e., national suicide. It just isn't going to happen.
The danger of nuclear weapons in the hands of the Iranians is that they will give them to non-state actors and do it in such a way that it can't be traced directly back to them, thus trying to avoid any retaliation. That is the real threat and possible miscalculation. We need to abuse them of any such notion.
Sad but true, hard to believe in the year 2006 we can still have as many religious nut cases around yet we do.
These Beavus and Butthead types that still linger around yearning for some kid who fell into a well 1,000 years ago to be resurrected and come "make their day" need to be eliminated. And once again at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the ones to do it are "their friendly muslim(the "moderate muslims" don'tcha just know) neighbors" who probably have had just about enough of their BS by now.
It's one thing for a foreign military to go into a country and engage in vermin elimination for it's own sake but to really get the job done you need the locals pointing out just where all the hidden ant hills are.
No YOU do. Notice none of the Taliban or Al Qeda bigs stuck around to achieve martyr status???? The facts DO not support the doom and gloom prophesying..
7th century death cult, not 5th. In the 5th century they were more rational. The nutjob from Medina came along in the late 600s. Other than that I agree 100% with your post <G>