Iran's nuclear constraints were more diplomatic than technical. Then the bombs started dropping
Nuclear weapons experts who were involved in U.S. efforts to sanction and contain Iran say the decision to attack the country is more likely to restart its nuclear program than dismantle it. A regime that previously believed that pausing at a "threshold" stage of 60 per cent enrichment would protect it from att...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/iran-nuclear-bomb-united-states-war-9.7147664?cmp=rss
the Iran case is the clearest example of sanctions architecture operating as a substitute for military capability — the NPT verification system, IAEA access, and financial pressure were doing policy work that bombs could not safely do. once that architecture collapsed, the military option had no diplomatic backstop left.