Obviously the current US Mobministration is almost impervious to shame, but of course they still have their own egoistic expectations to grapple with.

They are not afraid to spend money (and blood) on a problem, even if it turns out to be bigger than expected. How much? We'll see.

The neighbors are motivated to not live next to one more nuclear state. We'll see how much.

> They are not afraid to spend money (and blood) on a problem, even if it turns out to be bigger than expected. How much? We'll see.

I agree, but it is unclear if "more money" is the answer here. Iran is a much tougher nut to crack than Afghanistan. Afghanistan is barely a country. Iran is an actual, functioning country, with a territory that is geographically very defensible. And on top of that, they have actually been preparing for this for decades.

The ironic bit is that I thought the Iranian regime was on an irreversible decline, as the unrest amongst the population was growing in recent years.

The analysis I have read point out that this attack actually further legitimizes the regime and takes steam away from internal unrest, especially if Iran comes out on top.

Every authoritarian government needs an enemy. The US-Israel axis provided a very real, tangible one.