How likely is a future war between the US and Iran?

Answer 1

The left-wing opinion (My answer and opinion is below the line I made)

Highly unlikely, for several reasons...

1: Unlike Iraq - which was a secular state - Iran is an Islamic Republic. When invading Iraq, the statement that it was a war against the Ba'ath Party and not Islam was met with some skepticism, but generally managed to pass. Thus, the big Islamist uprising never occurred. A war with Iran would certainly be perceived as a war on Islam, and would have much further reaching repurcussions.

2: Iran is the enemy of our enemy. The regime of Saddam Hussein was an enemy of Iran, as is the Taliban - Iran actually provided intelligence on the Taliban to Coalition forces in Afghanistan. With the likelihood of a regime coming into power into Pakistan consisting of the same people who formed the Taliban, a capable opposing power must remain in the region.

3: There's already two wars currently going on, and forces are stretched as is.

4: After the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Iraq no longer had the Soviet Union as an ally. The successor states of the Soviet Union - namely, Russia - shifted their alignment to Iran, for a number of reasons, one of which being that the Taliban supports several insurgent movements in the former Soviet Union, most notably in Chechnya.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My right-wing opinion

Although it's not official some people (myself included) are speculating that we may have a war by 2013-4 as it is official, Iran *"ARE"* developing nuclear WEAPONS as opposed to energy! Here is what I've read

The Times newspaper obtained documents showing that Iran ordered some form of detonator and other parts that are inconsistent with energy (Now why would you need detonators for nuclear energy?)

FACT - Iranians on TV have been shouting *DEATH TO BRITAIN*, *DEATH TO AMERICA* and *DEATH TO ISRAEL* whilst the Iranian government/military have been publicly test-firing rockets/warheads on TV in a show of provocation!

Iran's leader publicly said that Israel should be wiped off the map!

Iran's president and Ayatollah have publicly said they'll hit/fight back if invaded (with what? I thought there were no weapons)

- Iran is the main supplier of weapons to terrorists and terror organizations such as Al Qaeda/The Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah etc. (I know this as I've read all the facts and the soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan were showing a tv news crew from Britain weapons and exploded bombs which were marked "Made in Iran")

Iran's nuclear program will be finished/completed by 2014 just after the next US election and some are speculating that Obama and republican opponents will use it as a propaganda tool (like they did with 9/11 and the supposed Iraq link) to publicly rally for action against terror elements who threaten it's nation and others well being (Israelis, fellow westerners etc) in a battle of "who is tougher against the enemy"!

Iran aren't disproving weapons allegations by just being open with inspectors (just think, if, for example, I was in their position, I would want to prove myself to be completely innocent by just showing them evidence whilst gloating and showing off on tv by saying *look at these foolish westerners making horrid allegations which are untrue* to prove it and to politically rub the enemy's nose in it rather than their current stance of "denial without proof" of peaceful purposes whilst trying to brush everything aside/under the carpet and keeping tight-lipped about their actions and threatening Jewish and western safety)