One very good analysis piece that I read suggests that Iran is “going slow” on the development of an A-bomb until they develop a long-range ballistic missile to deliver it. That makes sense. If you build a bomb that can’t actually reach your chief adversary (the US) then all you’re going to do is get maneuvered into a corner like Saddam did. And the US eventually gets a coalition together along with a sufficient UN declaration to take you out. The ayatolla’s have seen that movie before. In fact it played at a theater in their neighborhood.
Good point. Not much point having a nuke if you can’t deliver it. That is truly important to the Iranians.
The Iranians could terrorize their enemies simply by demonstrating an ICBM and then let the world fuss itself endlessly guessing at whether Iran had a nuke to go with it.
The Iranians are clearly pro’s at mind games. They know the perception of force is just as good and a whole lot cheaper than the actual means of force.