re: #814 Ayatollah Ghilmeini

Yes, MAD worked against the Russians, because their leaders didn’t want to lose their nice dachas and country full of slaves.
Doesn’t work for Iran, where their religion welcomes “martyrdom”.
North Korea will probably just hide their program better, slowing it a bit, in return for money. Eventually, though, they intend to have a bomb.
Of course, the way they’re going, there might not be much of a country left for them to “protect” with one.

I certainly agree that taking out the nuclear programs is the only suitable way to go. There are too many delivery systems to contain Iran if they get bombs.
(Long and short range ballistic missiles launched from the country or ship; cruise missiles; aircraft (including civilian - imagine a 9/11 with nuclear bombs in the cargo hold); container ships; trucks; donkey carts; etc.)

I had wanted to point out there are defenses against cruise missiles, since you said (or I thought you said) there weren’t any. We could even use aircraft to shoot them down.