OK. I'll say it. Yes, I'd rather risk Iran having nukes than

[oberliner]

105. Funny how Juan Cole think he knows more than the Iranian translators

Maybe - while the idiom itself does not exist in Persian - the translator thought it was the best way in English to capture the sentiment being expressed in Persian.

Also "the regime occupying Jerusalem" means Israel. They don't say Israel over there. They say "The Zionist Regime" or "The regime occupying Jerusalem (or Al Quds)". You will note that Iranian news media will often put "Israel" in brackets next to such phrases.

They don't recognize Israel's existence. It is not a reality that the Iranian leadership has no choice but to accept. They don't accept it. They believe there is an "occupying regime" operating illegally and that the world community should take action to address this "crime". This is something that Israel ought to be concerned with, especially considering the fact that Iran gives funding and weapons to entities that actually do act against Israelis violently.

Anyway, it's clear that we are not going to agree with respect to Iran and Israel, so I'll leave it there.