“Indeed, so long as Washington defines U.S. interests in such a way that Iran must severely limit or abolish its nuclear program, a fully democratic Iran would be no less intransigent on this issue and possibly even more so”

The crucial thing to remember is that the issue of nuclear weapons is secondary to the fundamental interest of the US regime in relation to Iran, which is simply that Iran obstructs the freedom of action of the US and Israeli regimes in the region.

If Iran were to seek and eventually obtain nuclear weapons, the real objection to this would not be the rather silly idea that Israel might face unprovoked nuclear attack (which senior figures know is paranoid fantasy and only hysterics take seriously), but rather that it would seriously impinge upon US and Israeli freedom of action in the region.

For most people in the region, and the world (and, indeed, America, truth be told), such constraints upon US and Israeli action would be a good thing, probably giving rise to a negotiated settlement rather than the ongoing violent pursuit of maximalist objectives by the US and Israel.

Thus the issue of nuclear weapons in Iran is merely an extension of the underlying issue, and not the issue itself. The real importance of the issue is as a pretext for confrontation and, if necessary, military attack by US and Israeli regimes which are proven military aggressors.