Iran’s ruling elite, bluntly, believes that both its survival and its mission depend on acquiring nuclear weapons. They saw what happened to Libya and Ukraine when their leaders gave up their nuclear weapons, and understood that this was not the way to go.

To Iran’s rulers, their nuclear program is not just a policy objective to protect the continuation of their regime, but the centerpiece of Iran’s ideology and propaganda.

Despite having some of the world’s richest oil and gas reserves, the regime has accepted crushing sanctions and economic ruin, all under the excuse of pursuing nuclear power. The regime’s goal is the bomb.