If Israel were to launch a preemptive, unilateral strike on Iran, based on only their own 'evidence' of Iran's alleged nuke capabilities, it would be viewed as an attack on a secular Islamic nation. It would do more to unify Arabic nations against Israel than anything else. By what authority does Israel have in removing Iran's potential nuclear development program? Israel doesn't abide by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty itself, so where does it get the right to deny any other nation that capability? Iran has met with and worked towards cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about it's nuclear program, and if any multinational effort to remove said nuclear program were to come from anything it would be the UN and the IAEA - the very organizations Israel itself does not comply with. Now you can debate the relationship between the IAEA and Iran all day, that could be another topic, but the fact is Israel does not abide by any non-proliferation treaty and is using the USA as it's shield in it's belligerence to Iran.

Why would American deserve a pre-emptive debate? It is the Israelis who are contemplating such an attack, and that is a reaction to Ahmadinejad making a public statement (threat) that Israel should be erased from the planet. I don't think the US position aligns with Israel's, however when Netayahu draws a red line, escalates the prospect of war. Israel has the right to defend herself, but launching a first strike on Iran... would be a mistake.

Does Iran have a right to generate nuclear power? perhaps so. Do they have a right to make terror threats on their neighbors? definitely not. To the heart of the matter is their religious background, which is fueling the hatred. There is nothing preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons from a 3rd party, handing over the weapons to Hezbollah to carry out the attack. And honestly, it does not even have to be nuclear weapons. As we know from 9/11, a creative terrorist will make an aircraft a weapon of mass destruction. Chemical weapons, EMP missiles, etc.

Islam is not going to be able to use Allah and the Quran as a reason to erase Israel. Bottom line is a middle eastern nuclear strike is going to make that an uninhabitable place to live. I can see how the US might take a position, but this really is not their fight (yet).

The question is what would Iran do with such a weapon. While we do not know exactly we do know that they have attempted to spead the revolution to the rest of the Arab and Islamic world over the last few decaded by both covert and overt attacks. Iran's attemted airstrikes on Kuwait, attacks on oil tankers and mine laying in the Gulf during the Iraq/Iran war drove the Arab states even further into the US hands for protection. Once the use of coventional means was taken off the table Iran doubled down on covert means of attacking the Gulf states and other moderate Islamic states throught out the world. They also of course did the same to Western states and Israel.

Irans threats against the Gulf states have largely been ignored by them do to US protection. However, if Iran had nuclear weapons the question becomes would they use that as yet another tool to spread the revoution, the main goal of Iran. It is possible they would bank on the US not being willing to get in a nuclear exchange with Iran to protect the Arab states. What the US would do is anybodys guess in that case. The Arab states would also ask this same question. Since they could not be sure of the answer they would have to take their own security in their hands and go nuclear as well.

Now Iran and the several of the Gulf states would have nukes. Maybe they would not use them on each other. maybe they would. What would the effects on other states nearby in the former Soviet Union be? In Europe? Africa? Several of them would see the only way of protecting themselves from from all these new nuclear armed states by getting nukes themselves.

Now some people migh say but, Israel has nukes and nothing has happened. This is true. The difference between Iran and Israel however is Israel has had the conventional militray power to what it wanted to the Arabs states before it went nuclear. The addition of nukes did not change the balance of power in the region. It simply maintained it. This would not be the case with Iran. Nobody really knows what Iran would do with that power, All people have to look at is what is has done with the limited power it already has and that is why nobody wants them going nuclear.