[Mariner]

"Where's the evidence that right now Iran is anywhere near as much of a threat?"

Iran has been the worlds #1 state sponsor of terrorism for the last 40 years. Hizbollah. IED's in Iraq that killed 100's of US troops and maimed thousands.

And now they pursue nukes.

Yes, they are a FAR greater threat than ISIS.

ISIS is little more than a violent street gang, easily dispensed by any modern army.

As for them sending terrorists abroad, they will do that whether they control a street corner in Tikrit or all of Mesopotamia and the Arabian peninsula.

Still, they are little more than a violent street gang because they don't have any sophisticated capabilities.

Iran has the same motives and goals...but with FAR more capability.

ISIS is not now and will likely never be a existential security threat to the USA or any other modern state.

[x]

"Violent street gangs" may not have the resources of a whole country, but they also don't have large target cities and restive populations so they may be harder to deter.

If I'm skeptical, it's because we went through all this with Iraq a decade ago. When it comes to terrorist acts, ISIS looks harder to deter than the Saddam regime was.

I suppose Iran does a lot of harm in the Middle East, but when it comes to attacking powers like the US which have large armed forces and nuclear weapons, I suspect that the wild street gangs are willing to take the risk than nation-states.