Why not make Obama look the fool?
Well, it may stiffen the spine of Congress (unlikely).
It may make the election of Hillary, Biden, or Kerry less likely, and the election of someone like Trump or Cruz more likely.
It’s like counting your chips while sitting at the table. It might be fun to rub it in, but it can be counter productive later.
Not suggesting it’s a smart move on Iran’s part. There are things the US could do, and Obama’s only around for another year and a half. Could clearly be counter productive with a Republican President. I think they’re enjoying their victory. And who knows what their plans are for the next 18 months. They could well have a bomb by inauguration day, there’s no one to stop them. Which could have all kinds of ramifications. It’s probably a mistake to view them as rational actors, who I agree would bank their victory and quietly make the most of it the next few years. With some nice words for Obama, costs nothing. Clearly that’s not their plan, in many ways their incitement goes on unchanged. Rational in a western context, if you’re a twelver like most of the Mullahs you’re operating under a different set of rules.