I think Iran’s mercenaries eventually blew up the entire diplomatic strategy. It turns out they should have stop funding entities that shoot missiles at population centers so often. It was a reckless strategy that failed.

You are assuming they’re rational actors, and extremist religious ideologies are by their very nature irrational.

Exactly, they should be rational just like our secular politicians.

"As a Christian growing up in Sunday school, I was taught from the Bible, ‘Those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed.’ And from my perspective, I’d rather be on the blessing side of things.”

- Ted Cruz, a U.S. senator

"There is a reason the first time I shook Netanyahu's hand, I didn't wash it until I could touch the heads of my children."

- Randy Fine, a U.S. congressman

And of course, there's the President of the United States who's known to be completely rational.

Iran has shown itself a rational actor time and time again by not escalating against continued provocation by Israel and the US, knowing that to do so would be to enter a conflict it can’t win. That’s not the behavior of an irrational actor who’s willing to fight whatever the cost, even total annihilation (which would be what happened if Iran nuked the US/Israel).

They may be religious fanatics, but they’re not idiots.

Iran funded Hamas who did October 7th. That is the original escalation that kicked all this off. The region was (relatively) quiet until then.

October 7th was a reaction to Trump’s “Abraham Accords” which benefitted Sunni countries at the expense of Iran.

And also a gigantic, gigantic escalation.

"You made a deal that disadvantages us so we're going to rape and murder a bunch of teenagers and kidnap people."

It’s not a justification, obviously. But it is a (partial) explanation. Israel wanted to keep sweeping the Palestinian issue under the rug, and Hamas and its sponsors were not going to allow that.

You claimed that Iran "time and again does not escalate against provocations by the US and Israel".

Sure, it's an explanation. Everything shitty Israel or Hamas has done since 1950 has an "explanation" of "that other group did something to me".

Iran FM saying no to negotiations on Friday was insane

https://www.yahoo.com/news/irans-foreign-minister-says-no-10...

Because the the nuke thing is a ruse; Iran's economic relationship with China is the problem for the U.S. which wants global hegemony.