Art
Obviously if the US wage total war there is no doubt they can turn Iran into a hole in the desert but given the strategic importance of Iran it seems a more limited engagement would be necessary so let's have a look at the US military's options and the likely consequences;
1) The US could stand off and bomb from afar using cruise missiles and smart bombs.
Cruise missiles would be ineffective against the hardened underground targets they would be going after and it would be dangerous for bombers as Iran has a sophisticated anti-aircraft system which has not been degraded by years of bombing.
Iran would also probably respond with a massive missile attack on US forces in Iraq and on Israel. The shi'ites in Iraq would probably also rise up against the US forces leaving them with only possibly the Kurds left supporting them. Another key problem is that if Iran has secret nuclear facilities working on creating a nuke they will remain unscathed but the chances of Iran using a nuke once ready would escalate exponentially. And if in fact they don't have these secret facilities then there is no justification for attacking them in the first place.
2) The US could gather together a new invasion force in Iraq with a view to occupying the country.
Would probably result in the same consequences as option 1. It means they have more chance of finding any hidden weapons programs but the casualty count would likely be enormous especially as learning from Iraq's experience the Iranians are unlikely to sit back whilst the US builds up it's forces in the hope that it will all blow over and that they'll just go away.
Anybody any other options??
1) The US could stand off and bomb from afar using cruise missiles and smart bombs.
Cruise missiles would be ineffective against the hardened underground targets they would be going after and it would be dangerous for bombers as Iran has a sophisticated anti-aircraft system which has not been degraded by years of bombing.
Iran would also probably respond with a massive missile attack on US forces in Iraq and on Israel. The shi'ites in Iraq would probably also rise up against the US forces leaving them with only possibly the Kurds left supporting them. Another key problem is that if Iran has secret nuclear facilities working on creating a nuke they will remain unscathed but the chances of Iran using a nuke once ready would escalate exponentially. And if in fact they don't have these secret facilities then there is no justification for attacking them in the first place.
2) The US could gather together a new invasion force in Iraq with a view to occupying the country.
Would probably result in the same consequences as option 1. It means they have more chance of finding any hidden weapons programs but the casualty count would likely be enormous especially as learning from Iraq's experience the Iranians are unlikely to sit back whilst the US builds up it's forces in the hope that it will all blow over and that they'll just go away.
Anybody any other options??