The Iranian debacle is turning into a struggle of whose moral compass is more credible to witnesses of the war. Iran says the US is a bully interested only in who will control future events in the Middle East politically. The US believes that the actions by Iran are morally unacceptable and must be stopped.

Iran’s objective. The clerics who are leading Iran believe that they are on high moral ground. To them, the US is a sinful country that cares only about enriching itself and controlling the countries in the region that will lead others.

It’s interesting that the religious aspects of the current standoff have not been a great factor. Iran’s Shia sect despises the Sunni Arabs in the area. Temporarily, the two major sectors are not in major active combat with each other. If the US defeats Iran, it will be a dangerous situation for Shia Arabs.

Iranians must be thinking that Sunnis will be in further trouble if the US is not successful and loses the war. Given that nuclear weapons will be on the table, Iran is anxious to replace its nuclear arsenal and assume leadership of the region as soon as possible. A stalemate will likely cause the Iranians to build up their military arsenal and missile weapons. If Iran appears to win the contest with the US, Iran will claim the leadership of the Middle East. Iran will work hard to assure control of the Shia Arabs in the region.

Who is standing on moral ground during the current war? I guess observers will consider the US a knight in shining armor if it decisively defeats Iran. A win for Iran is defined as a withdrawal of U.S. troops and a buildup of military forces by Iran.

The US will be the winner of the Iran conflict if it encourages a regime change by Iran. Iran’s nuclear arsenal must be destroyed, and its army needs to be disbanded.

If the US forces regime change, and Iran is left to rebuild itself, the ultimate outcome of the war will be problematic for Iran? If the US begins to bomb civilian areas, will the US president be able to live with collateral damage that will surely happen (another moral dilemma).