The second mideast nuclear bomb

Some of my friends are highly worried by the prospect of Iran developing nuclear weapons. I'm not so worried. Iran, unlike Al-Qaida, Hamas, or Hezbollah (may their names be blotted out) is a real state with a real government. It's a government hostile to Israel, and one that aids our deadliest enemies, but I can imagine that changing. More to the point, it's government that governs cities that contain valuable assets. Which to me means that the logic of deterrence applies. (Some of) the leaders of Iran clearly with Israel harm. But can they use a nuclear weapon on Israel? Where? not on Jerusalem, it's as holy to the Muslims as to us. Haifa? Maybe. But then if so, surely Tehran comes next, and that's too much to the mullahs to lose. They may feel fine funding other people's sons (and daughters) to die. They don't want to die themselves.

And then there's another target — Mecca. Surely the Israeli's have made it known, somehow, that is Israel is ever bombed, the Muslims will lose their holy city, too. Would that be a sufficient deterent, do you think?

I suppose in theory the USA has air defence in Suadi Arabia. I wonder whether they, too, have been warned.