The difficulty of striking Iran is clear from America’s unprecedented buildup. Experts say half of the US air force is now at Iran’s doorstep, a scale never seen even in the 1991 Gulf War. The deployed weapons reveal how far the United States might go.

The gambit was successful. At least twice, the president weighed ordering an attack on Iran, only to be dissuaded by aides from moving forward. But America now appears to be on the brink of war with Iran again. And this time, instead of acting as a deterrent, the Pentagon’s war plans are being used to draw up options for the president to consider.

Our stumbling into war with Tehran would be the latest in a self-inflicted 30-year road to nowhere

The child of Iranian immigrants and a Democracy Lab Rutgers professor reflects on Iran’s fight for freedom — and why recent U.S. actions should concern New Jersey.

The United States does not need a comprehensive deal with Iran now, and may be better off without one for the time being. Nor is a war necessary. The clock is not ticking on America. Washington has time to exert pressure and leverage to give the Iranian people a chance to bring about change—while still getting a good nuclear deal in the future.

We are going to war with Iran. I mean, I'm just saying it. Like, I've just -- I've been asking. I think they're -- I think that the cake's been baked. I think they're gonna go to war with Iran. Why are they gonna topple the Ayatollah?

If it did, he said, America would come to their rescue. The regime ignored him and murdered at least 7,000 people, probably many thousands more. America was in no place to attack, though: it did not even have an aircraft-carrier in the region.

A foreign policy analyst argues that the U.S. has nothing to gain from bombing Iran, citing four key reasons why military action would be a mistake and distract from other priorities.

The answer lies in the conditions the United States has set for negotiations. From Tehran’s perspective, agreeing to these demands would amount to surrender.