Iran won't fall into chaos. It is a cohesive nation whose people identify strongly as Iranian. Again, the Bush administration is relying on tiny dissident groups who come here so we'll pay them to tell us what we want to hear. If they enjoyed popular support they'd be in Iran, not here.
The price of oil, btw, will skyrocket. And unless you're willing to bomb the place into glass (and we aren't), all the bombs and planes in the world won't hold territory.
"Iran won't fall into chaos. It is a cohesive nation whose people identify strongly as Iranian."
That's fine. Probably better. The point is to destroy the means of production of nuclear weaponry.
"The price of oil, btw, will skyrocket."
Maybe. At the $70 range, oil shale, secondary recovery, and the like start putting downward pressure on the price, making Iran's supply shock irrelevant. So $75/80 tops, then drops down to $high 60's or 70. (Oil pricing is a large part of how I made my money.)
"And unless you're willing to bomb the place into glass (and we aren't), all the bombs and planes in the world won't hold territory."
Specifically not the stated intention. The stated intention is to destoy manfacturing capability. No need to occupy land for any extended period.