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.

The regime's goal is the bomb.

Iran's Supreme Leader is not just a political figure, but is considered divine, with a legitimacy given not by man but by Allah.

"And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged." — Qur'an 8:60 (Sahih International Translation).

This verse is used by the IRGC not just as a call for defense, but as a religious endorsement of nuclear armament. In this view, nuclear weapons are not only permitted, but also necessary. They are both a shield against the regime's many enemies and a divine tool for the end-times struggle they believe is coming.

Iran's leadership sees deception not as dishonorable, but as strategic. The Islamic doctrine of taqiyya, or religiously sanctioned deception, allows lying to infidels in the name of survival or victory.

The regime's lack of response to Soleimani's killing revealed something essential: the mullahs understand only strength.

Iran's nuclear program must be completely and permanently dismantled. Even if ideology were not part of the equation, Iran's corruption, mismanagement and incompetence would still make it unfit to operate any nuclear facility. Senior officials are appointed through favoritism, cronyism or family ties. Industry is collapsing. Accountability is nonexistent.

The day we wake up to hear that Iran is about to use its nuclear bomb will be the day the world changes forever.

For Obama, giving the final nod [on the JCPOA Iran deal] was even made easier because the "accord" that Chatham House described as historic was a "non-paper agreement" which meant no one needed to sign anything; waving the shadow of the fountain pen was enough.

The mullahs knew that the "agreement" drafted by Obama would have no impact on their ambitious plans to extend their theo-ideological empire as far as they could, and as long as they didn't hit something hard on the way. They also knew that Obama couldn't and wouldn't end sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union.

Tehran has succeeded to reduce the whole issue to one of the degree of enrichment of uranium that Iran would be allowed to retain.

As long as Trump doesn't cite real issues, such as Iran's centrifuges, exporting revolution, promoting terrorism, seizing hostages, funding what is left of terrorist groups across the world, sending drones to Russia and cut-price oil to China, the mullahs will play the game around enriching the uranium they don't need.