[LM_Guy]

"How does one "contain" fanatics who think the death of many millions would be a truly wonderful thing?"

From my reading up on Iran, only a very few in Iran's leadership circles believes this to be true.

As proof it was said, these other leaders are the ones who forced their President (kook) to back down in the controversy over the captured British soldiers. They did not want to risk a confrontation with Britain, knowing the USA would join in also on the attack.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

From my reading up on Iran, only a very few in Iran's leadership circles believes this to be true.

As proof it was said, these other leaders are the ones who forced their President (kook) to back down in the controversy over the captured British soldiers.

I agree that this is the case - Ahmedinijad is not a rational actor, but at least when it comes to foreign affairs his desires appear to be subordinate to those of Khamanei and other mullahs who recognize the possible dangers to their nation. It's also likely that there's a limit to how much nonsense the Iranian military will actually go along with before saying "no".

[X-FID]

From my reading up on Iran, only a very few in Iran's leadership circles believes this to be true.

That's not very reassuring.

[jveritas]

Appeasers like you in the 1930’s allowed Hitler to start WW II using the same stupid logic that you are using on this thread. You sir and people like you must not be allowed to have their way and let a terrorist regime like Iran acquires nuclear weapons, blackmails the most important oil resources region in the world, and cause a new holocaust against the Jews.

[AmericanExceptionalist]

From my reading up on Iran, only a very few in Iran's leadership circles believes this to be true.

To paraphrase the recent remarks of the always trenchant William F. Buckley Jr.: Between 1939 and 1945 only a handful of Germans apparently believed that Hitler's "Final Solution" was a terrific idea.

But how many millions perished as a result of that handful of fanatics?