The 60 Second Update with

Ilan Berman

4. What kind of implications would an American or Israeli strike on Natanz or other military facilities have?

There is no question that military action against Iran, whether carried out by the U.S. or by Israel, would be both difficult and costly.  Iran's nuclear program is dispersed, hardened and buried, making "denuclearization" an unrealistic goal. Delay of Iran's nuclear progress is a possibility, but the Iranian regime has an extensive array of ways in which it could retaliate, ranging from greater support for regional radicals to interference with the region's oil trade.

However, these consequences must be weighed against the costs of inaction. If Iran is allowed to cross the nuclear threshold unhindered, other countries will almost certainly follow suit. Iran could also transfer these capabilities to one or more of its terrorist proxies, providing radical groups such as Hezbollah with unimaginable destructive capabilities. Finally, a nuclear capability will make Iran the geopolitical center of gravity in the Middle East, much to the detriment of U.S. and Western interests there. All of which goes a long way toward explaining why many politicians have decided that military action against Iran, however unpalatable, is preferable to an Iran with nuclear weapons.

 Question 5. How we can help the Iranian people